Sugarloaf Alliance
Preservation * Smarter Growth * Transparency in Government
Development near Sugarloaf (west of I-270 and north to the Monocacy River) should remain protected and free from commercial and industrial development. Check one
Strongly agree
As a county council member I wanted the protection to go all the way to 270 and I didn’t want the Natelli property cut out of the Sugarloaf Plan.
A Green Infrastructure Plan should be completed and adopted before approving major new industrial rezonings. Check one.
Strongly Agree
Climate change is an existential crisis. We must keep that in mind when making decisions.
If elected, do you pledge to never sign an NDA with a data center developer or other developer, nor to be bound by an NDA signed by another county official with a data center developer or any other developer? Check one.
Yes
I’ve never signed one and I never felt bound by someone else’s signature on an NDA. I have been fighting data centers and the big money behind them since Amazon came around in 2021.
County legislation should be developed to prohibit County Council members, the County Executive, and county staff from signing any NDA that restricts their ability to inform the public, deliberate openly, or carry out their public duties. Check one.
Neutral
So I don’t see a reason for a Council member to sign an NDA . The Executive is another matter. Sometimes companies won’t even look at the county without the Executive signing an NDA. But even if the Executive comes to an agreement with a business it still needs to be approved by the Council.
Frederick County should fund a thorough, independent cost-benefit analysis of data center impacts, specifically on Frederick County, regardless of any analysis that may be conducted by the State of Maryland on State level impacts. Check one.
Strongly agree
How many data centers should be built in Frederick County? Check the answer closest to your position.
As many as allowed inside the original 1,586-acre Critical Digital Infrastructure Overlay Zone proposed by the Planning Commission.
I don’t think that you can legally do the first two options.
What new county data center legislation would you endorse? Check all you support.
Increased distances to residences and public uses, Stricter noise limits, Stricter water use limits, Stricter design, height, and screening limits, Efficiency and power consumption limits, Full disclosure of electricity consumption, water consumption, height and footprint, backup generation capacity, noise and lighting impacts, and infrastructure needs and requirements of proposed data centers., Mandatory corrective actions within a defined timeframe, with meaningful penalties or operational restrictions if compliance is not achieved (if post-construction monitoring shows a data center exceeds approved limits).
I voted for many of these things when we were doing the data center legislation.
What are your thoughts concerning environmental issues, preservation, development, transparency in government, and data centers in Frederick County? Describe any priorities, tradeoffs, or concerns that guide your thinking.
My first bill to become law was a bill to expand riparian buffers back in 2015. I think my record on supporting environmental protections is a good one. I worked to make the data center legislation as strong as possible. I voted against the expansion of the overlay. I signed the petition. My priority is to protect the health and way of life of our residents.