November 21, 2025 • 44 mins
In this episode of Hot Topix Podcast, host Psycho4081 chats with local political rising-star Karson Kamenetz, son of former Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, as he launches his campaign for the 4th District seat on the Baltimore County Council. They talk about what motivates a 23-year-old to step into local government, the legacy he carries, and how he plans to bring a “fresh perspective” to old-standing issues like infrastructure, education, and community representation. Karson reflects on growing up in a political household, contemplates the meaning of service at the county level, and shares what he believes the next generation of leadership must look like in Baltimore County. Whether you’re politically curious or just interested in local governance and generational change, this conversation offers a candid look at ambition, public service, and the challenges ahead for young candidates in regional politics.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
You're listening to the Hot Topics Podcast with Psyco forty
eighty one, the Lovely Lady Lamb Chop, and the Fabulous
Salonius Feather. Let's get into it. Welcome everyone to another
episode of the Hot Topics Podcast. I'm your host Cycle
forty eighty one and today we're going to have a
special guest today. This is the beginning of the political
(00:27):
election season. So in the past few episodes you've heard
from two other candidates for Baltimore County, Maryland Baltimore County
council candidates, So today we're going to follow it up
with another candidate for District four. So stay tuned. Okay,
we're back with Baltimore County Council candidate Carson candidets who's
(00:54):
running for councilmen for District four.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Correct yep, Yeah, thank happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Thank you, Thank you for coming. I know you have
a busy, busy, very busy schedule. You're out the door
ready to race.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
So yeah, we're working hard.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
We're going to go over some things community and vision,
public safety, and crime. These are things that are important
to basically your constituents. Housing development and zoning, economic growth
and jobs, education and youth, transportation, infrastructure, taxes, county budget accounted,
accountability in leadership, and some of the hot issues. And
(01:35):
that's where, you know, where the people really want to
get it in. And I'm going to ask you also,
I'm not sure if I put that in there. Something
that happened a little controversial topic on the inspector general thing,
So we might we have time, we'll ask about that,
but we wanna get in with the first question. And
(01:56):
this is what I ask every candidate. What is your
biggest challenge facing District four right now? And what is
the first thing you would work on if elected? Oh
let me excuse me before that, please tell us the
areas of District four.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Yep. So this past year, Baltimore County Council passed a
resolution expanding the council from seven to nine members, and
by so doing, they of course had to redistrict. So
I'm running to represent the new District four, which encompasses Pikesville,
Green Spring Valley, Lockern, and Milford Mill communities.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Ah, okay, lock Heern, Okay, so I didn't know that part, Yes.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Sir, yes, yeah, So Lockern is you know, it's a
pretty institutional community in Baltimore County and frankly, my father
grew up in Lockern. I have a family that still
lives in Lockern And I got to tell you, I'm
happy they're a part of this district in Pikesville because
I think a lot of the issues are overlapping out standing.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Yeah, he was in my community as a matter.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Of fact, So that's great. I didn't know you grew
up in locker Room as well.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
That's well, I live in that area, and I know
I was speaking to council in Potoka and and it
was it was it uh Max, Max Wolthall, and he
was giving me the history of how they all, you know,
lived in the same area growing up. And I even
saw the little picture of them in kindergarten.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
That's the legendary photo. You know it could you know,
possibly be true that two county executives were holding the
same sign in the same kindergarten class photo.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
That would be funny.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Absolutely, It's funny how the world works sometimes.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Yeah, So what is the biggest challenge facing district for
right now? And what is the first thing you will
work on if elected?
Speaker 2 (03:55):
So I think the biggest challenge that too many people
in district. For to be honest with you, Brian feel
like decisions are being made about them instead of with them.
And I think that's true whether you're in Pikesville, Lockerron,
Milford Mill or Green Spring Valley, because they all see
the same patterns. Traffic gets worse, rents and home prices
(04:17):
go up. We see schools and infrastructure repeatedly under strain,
and there's a real sense of what happens in Towson
in the councilmanic office and chamber doesn't always reflect what
we are living with on the west side of the county.
So to be honest with you, the first thing I'd
work on is a basic fairness in not just how
(04:41):
our county government works, but how it treats our communities.
And I think that starts with development and public safety.
Because for development, that means we can't have big projects
in communities that either are unprepared to handle them or
simply don't want them. They need to come with a
real plan for schools, for roads or transit, and communities
(05:02):
have to be at the table early, not just as
an afterthought. And then for public safety, we have to
take violent crime seriously, but at the same time we
have to rebuild the trust that's broken so people feel
comfortable calling for help in the first place. So I
gotta tell you, I want every single person in District
for to feel like they have someone in the room
(05:23):
fighting for them every time a big decision gets made,
instead of showing up and trying to justify it to
them after the fact.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Mmm, okay, okay, makes sense. So in along with your vision,
what makes you uniquely qualified to represent such a diverse
council district.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Yeah. So District four is the most diverse district in
Baltimore County. And I gotta tell you that doesn't make
it easy on anybody who's running. That requires some real
coalition building, showing folks that, hey, you know, I may
not understand exactly what you've been through, but I'm willing
to show up and listen. And I grew up in
(06:06):
Baltimore County seeing two very different sides of it. I
remember after a football practice one day, I drove a
teammate home and he had me drop him at the
corner of his street. We were about a block from
where his house was, and he looked at me and
he said, Carson, I don't think you'd be safe driving
me all the way down to the end of this block.
Oh wow, just dropped me at the corner. And that
(06:30):
stuck with me because he lived there, but he didn't
think I would be safe even going there. And we
wore the same jerseys, We practice on the same fields,
we had the same teachers, but in reality, we're living
two different lives. And I also remember later as an
adult in Towson. Funny enough, I was with the same teammate,
but it was a football team reunion, and I watched
(06:53):
some of those same teammates, successful, often well dressed black
men get turned away from a bar because of a
so called dress code, and nobody had to say the word,
but we all knew what was going on. It was discrimination,
and it was plain and it was simple. And those experiences,
while I haven't lived them directly, they've shaped my moral
(07:17):
compass because fairness isn't a slogan. It can't be. It's
the standard. And I have those experiences and I've seen
it happen. But I also bring a different perspective as
a younger candidate because a lot of my peers, people
I've grown up with that were invested in by this
county they're asking, can I actually afford to build a
(07:41):
life here. I hear it from renters in Milford Mill,
I hear it from young families in Pikesville, from students everywhere.
And I want to give them reasons to stay. I
really do. And to do that, you know, you need
to have a good leadership style. And I got to
tell you my barometer is simple. I will listen hard,
(08:01):
i will be accessible, and I'll tell you, Brian, I'll
fight like hell for what people tell me, what they
what they need. Okay, And you know that's why my
personal number is given to everybody I meet. I say,
call me if you need help, call me if you
have an idea, convince me of your perspective. You won't
find a stronger advocate. So that's why I'm equipped uniquely
to handle the challenges in district.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
For And that's that's actually an excellent point because a
lot of residents feel that sometimes you have candidates that
live in a bubble and don't understand their experiences. And
you do have that that experience with your you know,
friends and teammates. So that's that's a good thing. But
you mentioned a crime thing. So I'm gonna segue into
(08:43):
that public safety and crime. Residents and District four often
express concerns about crime. Sometimes it's more perception than actual crime.
But what specific strategies would you support to improve public safety?
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Yeah, I'll tell you right now, Brian. My cards are
on the table. I believe in being tough on crime,
but I also recognize that being tough on crime requires
that we'd be even tougher on the problems that lead
to it, So we need to do both. On the
enforcement side, of course, we focus on violent offenders and
illegal guns. We use lighting, we use cameras, we use
(09:22):
environmental designs to make it harder for crime to occur.
There are dark corridors that people have been complaining about
for decades. But on the prevention side, we have to
get serious because we're far behind. We need youth programming,
we need jobs. If we don't get young people something
positive to say yes to, how are we going to
(09:42):
be surprised when they say yes to something dangerous that
someone else told them to do. At the same time,
mental health and addiction services are also lacking compared to
neighboring jurisdictions. Our neighbors in crisis aren't just bouncing between
nine one, one er and jail. When I'm in the council,
(10:02):
We're gonna hold people in front of us and hold
them accountable if services aren't where they need to be.
Because public safety isn't just about an arrest number. I
say this all the time. If arrests solve the problem,
we still wouldn't be talking about it. It's about whether
people feel safe walking from synagogue, walking from church, walking
from the bus stop, or even you know, civil things
(10:23):
like feeling safe letting their kids play outside in their
own neighborhoods, which too often I hear when I'm knocking
doors people don't feel safe doing so.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Okay, now, do you you think that the county is
allocating the policing resources effectively? And if not, what would
you change?
Speaker 2 (10:45):
You know, it's a tough question because I, you know,
I don't have these specific numbers in front of me.
But what I will say is, right now, we ask
cops to be everything for everyone. Yeah, we asked them
to be social workers, we ask them to be traffic cops.
We ask them to be mental health response and simultaneously
violent crime units and investigators. And then we act so
(11:05):
surprised when nobody is happy with the results. So I'll
tell you what I'm going to push for, Brian, smarter
deployment and co responsor models. So that means sending trained
mental health professionals with or even sometimes instead of police
for certain calls, so people in crisis get the right
kind of help that they need, deserve, and pay for
(11:27):
with their tax dollars. And also we need real data transparency.
Residents need to be able to see where resources are
going and also what's working and what's not. Because I
got to tell you, government is a collaborative effort and
people have great ideas on how to deal with certain issues,
and often they're ignored or they don't have the data
to back it up. It's tough. And I'll end this
(11:51):
question with this. The goal is not more policing or
less policing. I think that eliminates the nuance in the conversations.
I think the goal is effective and accountable policing that
keeps people safe but also respects their rights.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Okay, you sound like a proponent of technology as well.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Absolutely, I mean I am a vehement believer in AI.
I was for a very short time a computer science
major in undergrad because Throughout high school, I was engaging
in very early AI activity. I was doing cybersecurity and
things like that, competing against other schools nationwide in cybersecurity competitions.
But AI is the ballgame, and the question isn't whether
(12:35):
or not we use AI, it's how effectively and quickly
can we implement it so it serves a good purpose.
It could be used in so many different things. But
the problem with using it in policing is of course,
the unreliability of you know, and disparate impact of you know,
relying on AI when it comes to certain demographics. I
(12:56):
think that is a major issue, and it's something that
the AI world has yet grappled with. So I am
all for AI, absolutely, But when we talk about it's
intersection with policing, that's an entirely different conversation that we're
not really prepared to have yet.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
I'm right there with you, I agree on one percent.
So one of the things we were talking about in
some of the other podcast episodes was housing development and zoning,
and I know that this particular area I've seen some
of the construction lately. So what is your stance on
(13:35):
the new housing growth versus protecting established neighborhoods.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Yeah, I mean that is the question of our time.
Everybody in this county has an opinion on development. And
you know, even though the lines have shifted, I'm running
in District four and I have communities in District four
to care about. But every single council member in this
next nine member council has to look at development from
a county wide perspective. What happens in places like Dundalk
(14:06):
and Randallstown impact people in Pikesville and Locker. They affect
our traffic, they affect our schools, they affect our economy.
So with that said, I am unabashedly in support of
smart growth, but not growth at any cost, and I
think there's a real difference there. We absolutely need new
housing if we want young people, workers, seniors to be
(14:29):
able to stay in parts of this county that they're
struggling in. Right now, we're seeing a real mass exodus
of people my age, folks ten years older than me,
and also our seniors that are saying, hey, I love
this place, but I'm not sure it's loving us back.
And that's because cost of living and affordability and paychecks
are not stretching as far as they used to. But
(14:52):
to build that housing, it has to be done in
the right way. That's to respect the character of existing neighborhoods,
to be able to, you know, pass the litmus test
of our community members involved in this, our community members
at the table, and does the final project reflect some
of their fingerprints. Can't overwhelm stress schools and roads because
(15:14):
our schools are our number one investment vehicle. People go
to good schools, and businesses go where talent is anchored.
That's a fact, and you know it really is. And
I got to tell you we have the most four
star schools in the state of Maryland according to the
last report, and people aren't talking about it. People are
still stuck in this age where Baltimore County schools weren't
(15:37):
performing with neighbors. And I got to tell you we
have a great superintendent. We've got a great government affairs
person with that superintendent, and we've seen great progress as
a result of the investment that this county has made. So,
you know, back to housing. For every project, I'm going
to be asking a very simple question, who is this
really for? And I'll tell you right now and hope
me do this. If the answer isn't or the people
(16:00):
who already live, work and worship here and their kids,
we have to rethink it.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Okay, makes sense. Now, you did mention something about the
rent and people having to move out because they couldn't
afford rent or this housing. How do you plan to
address the rising rents? And I don't know, there's only
so much you can do, but how do you plan
to at least attack it? And you know other housing
(16:27):
affordability issues in your district.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Yeah, as much as I wish I could not my
fingers and deal with global inflation and some of these
other macro issues that impact people, where the rubber meets
the road in county government, and I think whether you're
you know, first of all, obviously you can't, but whether
you're renting in Milford Mill you know, or you've been
in Pikesville for thirty years, this district, in this county
(16:54):
needs to be a place you could afford to stay.
And affordability is my top priority. No one should be
having to pick between paying rent and buying groceries. That's
an inhumane decision. So here's what I support, straight up
mixed income development, where new projects include units that are
affordable for working families, teachers, nurses, county workers, not just
(17:18):
luxury apartments for those that may employ them. Because I
got to tell you, we would not be the county
that we are today without the teachers that we have,
without the nurses that we have, without the you know,
code enforcement officers, the people that drive uber. They are
crucial to this county's economy, and without mixed income developments,
we're not going to be able to keep them here.
(17:40):
And simultaneously, you know, and this is this is beaten
to death like a drum, but we need stronger protections
for renters. We can't have surprise fees. We can't have
people without access to legal aid, so tenants don't know
their own rights. We can't let people be bullied out
of their own homes because of that. I fully support
(18:01):
stronger protections for renters, but you know, according to the data,
and you know, I think targeting tax tax credits and
assistance for longtime homeowners things that we've already tested and
are tried and true in many other jurisdictions, especially right
for seniors on fixed incomes who you know don't have
(18:25):
the cost of living adjustments that keep up with inflation.
We can't let them be taxed out of neighborhoods that
they helped build. It's not a difficult you know thought process, right.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
Uh, you mentioned the keyword tax credits. So now along
with that we you know, you can drive through some
of the areas and then looks some of it looks
kind of old and run down, not as bad as
other places. But do you have a plan to attract
more employers, maybe small businesses for increased job opportunities?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Absolutely. Kila Lewis is a wonderful community advocate in the
Villanova community. The day I met her, she mentioned something
that I have stolen from her and I give her
credit each time because of it called the nine neglect.
And the nine neglect from that respective is decades of
elected officials blowing off short term what they think is
(19:26):
short term problems that then pile up and join on
top of each other until they're insurmountable objects that destroy
communities and bring blight. And I gotta tell you, I
want District four to remove that be nine neglect, sure,
but also I want District four to be the best
place in Baltimore County to start and grow a business.
(19:49):
And first and foremost that means cutting red tape. I
hear nothing but complaints at the doors from small business
owners closing their shop at five pm. Whatever it may be.
Folks come and they say, hey, I applied for a permit.
I've heard nothing. This is a great example, not necessarily
(20:11):
business related, but goes to show how deep this problem goes.
I had a constituent, and mind you, I'm not even
in office yet somebody called me and reached out to
me because during one of those massive may storms that
we had this past spring, a huge oak tree punctured
into their living room and this family and this disabled
(20:34):
child had to evacuate, and still since may have not
yet had the permitting approved to be able to repair
the roof of their living room. They've been living in hotels,
they've been living in you know, friends couches and friends' basements,
and that is simply unacceptable. And when we see that
grow to a larger scale, we see how it impacts businesses.
(20:56):
If somebody is starting a business and they're thinking where
should I start this business and they look at Baltimore
County and hear a story about that permitting delay, I
got to tell you, if I'm that business owner, this
would be the last place i'd look. I wouldn't look
for a place that would take eight months to approve
a permit for an awning. I'd look for a place
that says we want you here, and our permitting system
(21:19):
is set up to prove it. And you know, focusing
on key corridors is also part of that equation. We
have Liberty Road, we have Riterrous Town Road, Old Court,
Pikesville's commercial areas, places that were thriving before I was born, okay,
And at the same time they are now with great
(21:41):
bones as hubs for a walkable, mixed use development community
where people can live, work and shop close to home.
And I got to tell you that's the ballgame. If
I am starting a business, if I'm looking where to
move as a young person, as somebody starting a family,
I'm going to look for the that has the amenities
(22:01):
and the retail and the shopping and everything I could
possibly think of within walking distance. And we have the
bones in this county to do that on a mass level, okay.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
And that's a lot of people look for that when
they come to an area. Convenience in schools, so that's
a great thing.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Now, tax incentives, do you support tax incentives to attract
new companies, or do you prefer investment in the local entrepreneurs.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
Yeah. I think what's beautiful about the Liberty Road Corridor
is how many people self identify as an entrepreneur. I
think people are really excited about this age and technology
and the ability to make money from your own living room,
and I think that's really important. But talking specifically about
investment for local businesses, I'm absolutely open to tax incentives,
(22:58):
but again, the threshold question is only if they clearly
pay the community back. If a large company wants a
tax break. I want to see real local hiring commitments.
I want to see living wage jobs. I want to
see tangible investments on the block, not just a logo
on a building. But again, you know that said my
(23:20):
bias is towards investing in local entrepreneurs. The barbershops, the restaurants,
childcare centers sprouting out professional services, home based businesses like
I was talking about, woven into our neighborhoods, because I
gotta tell you, Brian, those are the folks who keep
showing up year after year, even after the headlines, and
(23:43):
we got to keep them or we're.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
In trouble, all right, that's a fact. And you mentioned
people coming into a particular area looking at the businesses there,
the things that they could do, what they could walk
to those amenities basically, and one of the things also
talking to people who used to come in and talk
(24:07):
to me about, you know, coming to Baltimore County, they
would ask about the schools. So what will you advocate
specifically for to improve Baltimore County Public schools, especially the
ones that serve your district.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Yeah, I mean, Brian, you know, and I know from
listening to your other podcasts with other candidates. Council members
don't run BCPs, right, But that said, the council has
immense power to hold people in front of them and
hold them accountable. And with that said, I believe education
is the single most powerful tool we have to break
(24:45):
cycles of inequity. And it changed my life. I wouldn't
be where I am without the privileges that I had
to be able to go to the school that I did.
And I feel like good schools bring that same chance
to everybody. And as I said, as council member, I
don't have specific jurisdiction over BCPs, but I'll tell you
(25:08):
right now, I will have the loudest voice on the
budget and in public oversight. We have to focus on overcrowding.
We have to make sure our West Side schools get
their fair share with capital investment, and not just told
again and again, wait just a little while longer, because
I gotta tell you, I'm sick of it, and every
door I knock on they're sick of it too. And
(25:29):
deck in his support staff and teacher funding and retention counselors,
social workers, para educators, bus drivers. They are essential for
student success. Just as a student needs a textbook to learn,
you need a bus driver to get them there to
learn in the first place. And if we're not looking
(25:49):
out for those support staff simultaneously with our teachers, I
think we're not going to have the education system that
our kids need and deserve. And I'm very fortunate and
glad that the current superintendent has seen that and has
acted accordingly. I really I just want to make sure
our schools are preparing students for real life. That's that's
(26:10):
the test for schools to me, not just teaching to
the test. Right.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
We've had conversations before in that regard. I think back
in the day before me, you know when schools, they
had curriculums and other programs to prepare, you know, students
for life, and a lot of parents don't feel that
schools do that now. So and of course now it's
(26:35):
a different day. So what are some of the specific
investments do you support in youth development?
Speaker 2 (26:51):
Well, I think when we talk about youth development, if
I'm understanding your question correctly, I think we're talking about
being serious about the resources kids have available to keep
them away from some of the negative influences too often
encroach on their lives. So I think if we're ever
going to be serious about reducing violence again, we have
(27:14):
to be serious about what we offer young people before
there's a problem in the first place. So you know,
we're crafting legislation to release on our website now that
pushes for evening and weekend hours at rec centers and
school facilities, for sports, for music, for ours, for mentorship.
And I gotta tell you, just campaigning, it has become
(27:36):
so clear to me our churches, our synagogues, our mosques,
our nonprofits, our alumni groups, whatever it is. We have
an immense social network in this county. We have people
that have devoted their lives to strengthening these networks, and
too often they feel like the county doesn't take advantage
of that. I got to tell you, we have to.
It is the number one requirement if we're to get
(27:57):
serious about Because government can't handle everything, Government isn't intended
to do everything. We empower these groups to help us.
The county saves money to use on the services it
already provides. And by supporting these other services, these church groups,
the alumni groups, We're able to put kids in with mentors.
We're able to give young people programs that feel comfortable
(28:22):
and that lead to summer jobs, that lead to internships,
that lead to apprenticeship programs, so teenagers can earn money,
they can build a resume, they can see a future
for themselves. It's all part of the equation. Alongside with
our schools, alongside with our public universities and our community colleges.
We spend so much money on the back end on courts,
(28:45):
on jails, on emergency response. I want to see more
than investment off stream in the prevention because we need
to be proactive.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Yeah, and one thing that a lot of people don't
realize sometimes those things the arrest and you know, not
looking at things in a proactive way actually costs more
money on the back end.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
Absolutely, and that's called efficiency in government. And if this
was about insurance and procurement, and we had an inefficient
method of procuring insurance for our county employees, this would
be dealt with. But because it is a different issue,
because there's a racial component, because of all these different factors,
(29:28):
it hasn't been dealt with in an equitable way. And
I gotta tell you it saves the county.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
Money, just as you said, Okay, so this is something
that that's important to me, and it was the roads,
and we mentioned it, we talked about it earlier. Have
anybody talked to you about their feelings on expanding public
(29:52):
transit options in your district and what's your position?
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Yeah, yeah, So I think folks know we have the
Towson Loop that runs a circuit in Towson, and there's
some nuance about that loop. It costs about five million
dollars a year, and the people using it aren't often
folks that frankly need it. And absolutely people use it
(30:21):
that do need it, But we're spending a lot of
money on a program that isn't necessary for some of
the folks that are taking advantage of it. But with
that said, the west side, the west Side is a
totally different story because we have so many job centers,
so many healthcare centers and rec centers that are simply
inaccessible to so many residents on the west Side. Whether
(30:45):
it's because you know, there's one car in a family,
whether it's because people live you know, so far from
where they work that they have to uber every day.
So I'm going to tell you on key areas in
Liberty Road and Riserstown Road, we have to focus on
Trent and I'll be honest with you, I'm not yet
(31:05):
convinced a west Side loop is worth the investment. I'm
also looking into things like uber vouchers, things that are
specifically tuned for folks that need it to be able
to use it to get to work, to get to church,
to get to rec centers, because that's more efficient. And
again I'm about efficiency, I'm about spending dollars where we
(31:26):
need to, and I'm going to tell you we need
to spend dollars here. The question is just who do
we target specifically?
Speaker 1 (31:32):
Ah? Okay, okay, So that'll lead me into another question
that's related, where do you believe taxpayer dollars are being
wasted currently, and what would you cut or just restructure.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Yeah, so the Baltimore County Council has the power to
amend or cut the budget as presented by the County Executive.
We don't have power to add. And with that said,
you know, answering your question directly, I think that's a
good premise because a lot of folks don't fully grasp
the dynamic of what happens in that council chamber when
(32:11):
it's budget season. But you know, flat out, I think
we waste money whenever we approve projects that don't actually
solve core problems, like the things that I was just
talking about when we fund programs, and this happens all
the time, when we fund programs without clear goals and
actionable outcomes that we can then measure and say did
(32:34):
we hit that goal? Is this the outcome that we wanted?
And I think we also waste money when we keep
paying for the same issue year after year without ever
saying hell, maybe we should take a look at this
and see if this approach isn't working. So with that said,
you know, I don't have a specific line item for you,
but What I do have is you know a statement, right,
(32:56):
I'm going to push for performance based budgeting. If a
program works, let's invest in it. If it doesn't, let's
reform it or redirect those dollars to something that does.
And I want more of our budget shifted towards this,
and shift it towards preventive investment, shift it towards youth programs,
towards mental health, towards infrastructure, so we're not constantly paying
(33:17):
again for reactivity or crisis response.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Okay, makes sense. That makes it more fluid instead of rigid,
so you get things done. Now, I'm a social media guy.
I'm always on social media, causing problems, arguing whatever, because
it's fun. Now, some of the things that I've heard
people complain about was property taxes, and and most of
(33:44):
the time they really don't understand how the property taxes work.
So for them, would you support raising or lowering property
taxes or income taxes? And if so, under what circumstances?
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Yeah, I'm not running to raise taxes. I think when
businesses decide where to invest, when people decide where to
move or where to leave to, they're looking at taxes.
And I'm going to tell you. If we are struggling
with our current budget and we're not providing the suitable
environment for businesses to come here already, and I argue
(34:20):
that we're not doing everything we need to do, then
raising taxes makes that problem one hundred times worse. People
in District four are already feeling squeezed, whether it's you know,
housing costs, groceries, utilities. I feel those pressures too. I'm
a young person and you know, at the same time,
(34:40):
I don't want to make irresponsible promises just to be elected.
I think folks deserve way more than that. I think
that's politics of the old. And if we hit a moment,
I think that's the truth. You know, it's funny, but
it's true. The bar is so low, and that's a
whole other conversation. If we ever hit a moment where
(35:03):
if we ever hit a moment where new revenue is
absolutely necessary, if it's the worst case scenario possible, you know,
it's a different conversation, and it always includes transparency. That's
the key to that conversation. And again my starting point
is simple, use what we have better before you ask
(35:24):
working families for.
Speaker 1 (35:25):
More, Okay, And I think that'll make a lot of
people happy according to social media. Well, you mentioned transparency,
and I've asked this question of the other candidates. How
will you maintain transparency with residents and keep them informed
about your decisions.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
Yeah. So I've grown up around politicians. I've seen the good,
the bad, and the ugly, and I gotta tell you,
the ugly is always associated with lack of transparency. It
is like a routine. It is like black and white,
yin and yang. When you have one, you have the
other right, and it makes it more than a buzzword.
We have to be and this is a controversial word,
(36:07):
we have to be radical about this because that's the
job description. You have to have regular town halls across
the county. I'm not just gonna talk to folks in
district for of course that's my priority, but I would
be failing at my job, just as a member of
Congress would be if they don't listen to what's happening
outside their district as well. Though not just one central spot.
(36:29):
We have to bring county services and county decision making
into churches, into community spaces, into synagogues, and we have
to be able to say, folks, you know this is
what I did. This is how I justify it, and
this is how I took your input into that decision.
And alongside that it means sending plain language updates. I
(36:52):
can't tell you how many times the county order has
dropped and folks ask me what does this mean? Right?
Or who does this affect? Yeah, it's unbelievable. We have
a county government that is you know, first of all,
it's a part time job. It's folks that also have
another responsibility often and you know, we're sending out language
(37:14):
that isn't interpretable by folks that they're spending their time
with outside of the council in the first place. Right.
You know, we need emails and social media and other
accessible formats, but the key is explaining what's coming up
for a vote and how I plan to vote ahead
of time. And this last thing is I think you
could tell I'm not a huge promise person, right, but
(37:36):
I will promise my schedule for public events will be
published regularly. People want to know what their council member
is doing. I'm going to be representing if I win
or when I win, I'll say ninety thousand constituents, and
I'm going to tell you. If any of those ninety
thousand people want to know what their council member is doing,
(37:58):
they shouldn't have to look through fifteen different web pages
and emails to figure it out. I'm chosen by the people,
and if I'm not for the people, fire me. And
I think transparency is the biggest key in that.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
Okay, ninety thousands a lot of people for one person
to be responsible for, that's a lot.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Yeah, that's I gotta tell you. Before redistricting it was
about one hundred and twenty thousand. So we're making some
progress there.
Speaker 1 (38:26):
Wow, Wow, I had a hot issue. It just escaped me. Now,
Carson Kemminets, that's a name that a lot of people
are familiar with. So what personal experiences shaped your desire
(38:48):
to run for office?
Speaker 2 (38:52):
Yeah? Absolutely, losing my father. He served in public life,
he was already in elected office before I was born,
and losing him at such a young age I was,
you know, fifteen years old, it forced me to ask
what am I going to do with the time I
have left. I said early in this conversation that I
(39:16):
started as a computer science major. I thought I'd go
into tech, but I couldn't shake that feeling of after
he died. In the Jewish religion, it's called Shiva. You
sit at your home and folks that are also mourning
this death come and share that with you, and it's
a seven day period for us. And during that Shiva period,
(39:39):
of course, my father, Kevin was running for governor when
he suddenly passed. People were walking in that I had
never met before and would have never met ever, folks
that were hugging me. I remember a nurse still in
her nurse's gown, coming straight from a shift, crying because
(40:00):
and kept the community program open for her. So hearing
all of that, hearing the impact of local government far
beyond something I can personally feel, really encouraged me to
continue that work of service in my own way. And
at the same time, the experience I've had that I've
(40:21):
articulated with you in this conversation, seeing where my teammates lived,
seeing how they were treated, it made it impossible for
me to ignore the gaps and opportunity. Your zip code
is predicting your future, and that doesn't sit right with me,
and I don't think it sits right with other folks.
So that's what pushed me to really switch to law
(40:43):
and government and politics, and I feel called to this.
I see privilege as a responsibility, and I see that
last name as something you have to earn every single day.
And now I feel free to give it everything I
have because I don't want my own kids to feel
like they are dictated by the five numbers at the
(41:06):
end of their address.
Speaker 1 (41:08):
Right. Yeah, I fully agree with that one. So it
was a pretty good interview. You've answered a lot of,
you know, pressing questions, but the main one that I'm
gonna leave you with is, and I asked this of everyone,
why should the voters trust you, especially in this political atmosphere.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
Yeah, I think District four voters should trust me. If
you're looking for someone who's in this not for a
title or a photo op before the work, okay, if
you're looking for somebody that has seen the advantages and
the inequalities in this county and refuses to accept them
(41:58):
as something that's normal or part of the pot. Someone
that's willing to listen the higher experience, to learn, and
to fight even when it's uncomfortable or politically inconvenient, or
may make me unpopular. And I can't promise I'll be
perfect again, I'm not a promised guy. But I can promise.
(42:22):
But I can promise I'll be honest, I'll be accessible,
and I will be relentless in trying to make District
four safer, more affordable, and fairer for everyone who calls.
Speaker 1 (42:32):
It home outstanding, and I think in this atmosphere, honesty
is something that everyone is looking for.
Speaker 2 (42:41):
So yeah, I mean, I gotta tell you, if a
politician came to me with the decision that I didn't
agree with and justified their line of thinking, that it's
far better for me to swallow than if the otherwise,
or if the opposite happened. If they came and made
a decision I wasn't happy with, they threw their hands
up and said deal with it. Honestly goes a long way.
(43:03):
And I feel like what the younger generation understands that
folks currently in office don't is that when you're honest,
the political stuff comes, it'll follow.
Speaker 1 (43:16):
Well, I like to thank you for taking time out
of your very busy schedule, and I know it has
been a busy schedule, and I know it's going to
get busier. And I think the residents of District four
in surrounding districts would appreciate this interview, and I'll make
sure that they, you know, get it out there.
Speaker 2 (43:40):
Yeah. Absolutely, yeah, thanks Brian, I appreciate it. I'm sorry
that you're not going to be a county resident to
see the beautiful things that we're going to be doing here,
but I'll welcome you back anytime my schedule is not
that busy for you.
Speaker 1 (43:52):
Thank you, I appreciate it, and good luck with a campaign.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
All right, thank you, thank you, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
Thank your family for listening to the latest episode of
Hot Topics. As usual, listen, like, share, subscribe, time
You're listening to the Hot Topics Podcast with Psyco forty
eighty one, the Lovely Lady Lamb Chop, and the Fabulous
Salonius Feather. Let's get into it. Welcome everyone to another
episode of the Hot Topics Podcast. I'm your host Cycle
forty eighty one and today we're going to have a
special guest today. This is the beginning of the political
(00:27):
election season. So in the past few episodes you've heard
from two other candidates for Baltimore County, Maryland Baltimore County
council candidates, So today we're going to follow it up
with another candidate for District four. So stay tuned. Okay,
we're back with Baltimore County Council candidate Carson candidets who's
(00:54):
running for councilmen for District four.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Correct yep, Yeah, thank happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Thank you, Thank you for coming. I know you have
a busy, busy, very busy schedule. You're out the door
ready to race.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
So yeah, we're working hard.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
We're going to go over some things community and vision,
public safety, and crime. These are things that are important
to basically your constituents. Housing development and zoning, economic growth
and jobs, education and youth, transportation, infrastructure, taxes, county budget accounted,
accountability in leadership, and some of the hot issues. And
(01:35):
that's where, you know, where the people really want to
get it in. And I'm going to ask you also,
I'm not sure if I put that in there. Something
that happened a little controversial topic on the inspector general thing,
So we might we have time, we'll ask about that,
but we wanna get in with the first question. And
(01:56):
this is what I ask every candidate. What is your
biggest challenge facing District four right now? And what is
the first thing you would work on if elected? Oh
let me excuse me before that, please tell us the
areas of District four.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Yep. So this past year, Baltimore County Council passed a
resolution expanding the council from seven to nine members, and
by so doing, they of course had to redistrict. So
I'm running to represent the new District four, which encompasses Pikesville,
Green Spring Valley, Lockern, and Milford Mill communities.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Ah, okay, lock Heern, Okay, so I didn't know that part, Yes.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Sir, yes, yeah, So Lockern is you know, it's a
pretty institutional community in Baltimore County and frankly, my father
grew up in Lockern. I have a family that still
lives in Lockern And I got to tell you, I'm
happy they're a part of this district in Pikesville because
I think a lot of the issues are overlapping out standing.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Yeah, he was in my community as a matter.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Of fact, So that's great. I didn't know you grew
up in locker Room as well.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
That's well, I live in that area, and I know
I was speaking to council in Potoka and and it
was it was it uh Max, Max Wolthall, and he
was giving me the history of how they all, you know,
lived in the same area growing up. And I even
saw the little picture of them in kindergarten.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
That's the legendary photo. You know it could you know,
possibly be true that two county executives were holding the
same sign in the same kindergarten class photo.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
That would be funny.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Absolutely, It's funny how the world works sometimes.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Yeah, So what is the biggest challenge facing district for
right now? And what is the first thing you will
work on if elected?
Speaker 2 (03:55):
So I think the biggest challenge that too many people
in district. For to be honest with you, Brian feel
like decisions are being made about them instead of with them.
And I think that's true whether you're in Pikesville, Lockerron,
Milford Mill or Green Spring Valley, because they all see
the same patterns. Traffic gets worse, rents and home prices
(04:17):
go up. We see schools and infrastructure repeatedly under strain,
and there's a real sense of what happens in Towson
in the councilmanic office and chamber doesn't always reflect what
we are living with on the west side of the county.
So to be honest with you, the first thing I'd
work on is a basic fairness in not just how
(04:41):
our county government works, but how it treats our communities.
And I think that starts with development and public safety.
Because for development, that means we can't have big projects
in communities that either are unprepared to handle them or
simply don't want them. They need to come with a
real plan for schools, for roads or transit, and communities
(05:02):
have to be at the table early, not just as
an afterthought. And then for public safety, we have to
take violent crime seriously, but at the same time we
have to rebuild the trust that's broken so people feel
comfortable calling for help in the first place. So I
gotta tell you, I want every single person in District
for to feel like they have someone in the room
(05:23):
fighting for them every time a big decision gets made,
instead of showing up and trying to justify it to
them after the fact.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Mmm, okay, okay, makes sense. So in along with your vision,
what makes you uniquely qualified to represent such a diverse
council district.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Yeah. So District four is the most diverse district in
Baltimore County. And I gotta tell you that doesn't make
it easy on anybody who's running. That requires some real
coalition building, showing folks that, hey, you know, I may
not understand exactly what you've been through, but I'm willing
to show up and listen. And I grew up in
(06:06):
Baltimore County seeing two very different sides of it. I
remember after a football practice one day, I drove a
teammate home and he had me drop him at the
corner of his street. We were about a block from
where his house was, and he looked at me and
he said, Carson, I don't think you'd be safe driving
me all the way down to the end of this block.
Oh wow, just dropped me at the corner. And that
(06:30):
stuck with me because he lived there, but he didn't
think I would be safe even going there. And we
wore the same jerseys, We practice on the same fields,
we had the same teachers, but in reality, we're living
two different lives. And I also remember later as an
adult in Towson. Funny enough, I was with the same teammate,
but it was a football team reunion, and I watched
(06:53):
some of those same teammates, successful, often well dressed black
men get turned away from a bar because of a
so called dress code, and nobody had to say the word,
but we all knew what was going on. It was discrimination,
and it was plain and it was simple. And those experiences,
while I haven't lived them directly, they've shaped my moral
(07:17):
compass because fairness isn't a slogan. It can't be. It's
the standard. And I have those experiences and I've seen
it happen. But I also bring a different perspective as
a younger candidate because a lot of my peers, people
I've grown up with that were invested in by this
county they're asking, can I actually afford to build a
(07:41):
life here. I hear it from renters in Milford Mill,
I hear it from young families in Pikesville, from students everywhere.
And I want to give them reasons to stay. I
really do. And to do that, you know, you need
to have a good leadership style. And I got to
tell you my barometer is simple. I will listen hard,
(08:01):
i will be accessible, and I'll tell you, Brian, I'll
fight like hell for what people tell me, what they
what they need. Okay, And you know that's why my
personal number is given to everybody I meet. I say,
call me if you need help, call me if you
have an idea, convince me of your perspective. You won't
find a stronger advocate. So that's why I'm equipped uniquely
to handle the challenges in district.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
For And that's that's actually an excellent point because a
lot of residents feel that sometimes you have candidates that
live in a bubble and don't understand their experiences. And
you do have that that experience with your you know,
friends and teammates. So that's that's a good thing. But
you mentioned a crime thing. So I'm gonna segue into
(08:43):
that public safety and crime. Residents and District four often
express concerns about crime. Sometimes it's more perception than actual crime.
But what specific strategies would you support to improve public safety?
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Yeah, I'll tell you right now, Brian. My cards are
on the table. I believe in being tough on crime,
but I also recognize that being tough on crime requires
that we'd be even tougher on the problems that lead
to it, So we need to do both. On the
enforcement side, of course, we focus on violent offenders and
illegal guns. We use lighting, we use cameras, we use
(09:22):
environmental designs to make it harder for crime to occur.
There are dark corridors that people have been complaining about
for decades. But on the prevention side, we have to
get serious because we're far behind. We need youth programming,
we need jobs. If we don't get young people something
positive to say yes to, how are we going to
(09:42):
be surprised when they say yes to something dangerous that
someone else told them to do. At the same time,
mental health and addiction services are also lacking compared to
neighboring jurisdictions. Our neighbors in crisis aren't just bouncing between
nine one, one er and jail. When I'm in the council,
(10:02):
We're gonna hold people in front of us and hold
them accountable if services aren't where they need to be.
Because public safety isn't just about an arrest number. I
say this all the time. If arrests solve the problem,
we still wouldn't be talking about it. It's about whether
people feel safe walking from synagogue, walking from church, walking
from the bus stop, or even you know, civil things
(10:23):
like feeling safe letting their kids play outside in their
own neighborhoods, which too often I hear when I'm knocking
doors people don't feel safe doing so.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Okay, now, do you you think that the county is
allocating the policing resources effectively? And if not, what would
you change?
Speaker 2 (10:45):
You know, it's a tough question because I, you know,
I don't have these specific numbers in front of me.
But what I will say is, right now, we ask
cops to be everything for everyone. Yeah, we asked them
to be social workers, we ask them to be traffic cops.
We ask them to be mental health response and simultaneously
violent crime units and investigators. And then we act so
(11:05):
surprised when nobody is happy with the results. So I'll
tell you what I'm going to push for, Brian, smarter
deployment and co responsor models. So that means sending trained
mental health professionals with or even sometimes instead of police
for certain calls, so people in crisis get the right
kind of help that they need, deserve, and pay for
(11:27):
with their tax dollars. And also we need real data transparency.
Residents need to be able to see where resources are
going and also what's working and what's not. Because I
got to tell you, government is a collaborative effort and
people have great ideas on how to deal with certain issues,
and often they're ignored or they don't have the data
to back it up. It's tough. And I'll end this
(11:51):
question with this. The goal is not more policing or
less policing. I think that eliminates the nuance in the conversations.
I think the goal is effective and accountable policing that
keeps people safe but also respects their rights.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Okay, you sound like a proponent of technology as well.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Absolutely, I mean I am a vehement believer in AI.
I was for a very short time a computer science
major in undergrad because Throughout high school, I was engaging
in very early AI activity. I was doing cybersecurity and
things like that, competing against other schools nationwide in cybersecurity competitions.
But AI is the ballgame, and the question isn't whether
(12:35):
or not we use AI, it's how effectively and quickly
can we implement it so it serves a good purpose.
It could be used in so many different things. But
the problem with using it in policing is of course,
the unreliability of you know, and disparate impact of you know,
relying on AI when it comes to certain demographics. I
(12:56):
think that is a major issue, and it's something that
the AI world has yet grappled with. So I am
all for AI, absolutely, But when we talk about it's
intersection with policing, that's an entirely different conversation that we're
not really prepared to have yet.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
I'm right there with you, I agree on one percent.
So one of the things we were talking about in
some of the other podcast episodes was housing development and zoning,
and I know that this particular area I've seen some
of the construction lately. So what is your stance on
(13:35):
the new housing growth versus protecting established neighborhoods.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Yeah, I mean that is the question of our time.
Everybody in this county has an opinion on development. And
you know, even though the lines have shifted, I'm running
in District four and I have communities in District four
to care about. But every single council member in this
next nine member council has to look at development from
a county wide perspective. What happens in places like Dundalk
(14:06):
and Randallstown impact people in Pikesville and Locker. They affect
our traffic, they affect our schools, they affect our economy.
So with that said, I am unabashedly in support of
smart growth, but not growth at any cost, and I
think there's a real difference there. We absolutely need new
housing if we want young people, workers, seniors to be
(14:29):
able to stay in parts of this county that they're
struggling in. Right now, we're seeing a real mass exodus
of people my age, folks ten years older than me,
and also our seniors that are saying, hey, I love
this place, but I'm not sure it's loving us back.
And that's because cost of living and affordability and paychecks
are not stretching as far as they used to. But
(14:52):
to build that housing, it has to be done in
the right way. That's to respect the character of existing neighborhoods,
to be able to, you know, pass the litmus test
of our community members involved in this, our community members
at the table, and does the final project reflect some
of their fingerprints. Can't overwhelm stress schools and roads because
(15:14):
our schools are our number one investment vehicle. People go
to good schools, and businesses go where talent is anchored.
That's a fact, and you know it really is. And
I got to tell you we have the most four
star schools in the state of Maryland according to the
last report, and people aren't talking about it. People are
still stuck in this age where Baltimore County schools weren't
(15:37):
performing with neighbors. And I got to tell you we
have a great superintendent. We've got a great government affairs
person with that superintendent, and we've seen great progress as
a result of the investment that this county has made. So,
you know, back to housing. For every project, I'm going
to be asking a very simple question, who is this
really for? And I'll tell you right now and hope
me do this. If the answer isn't or the people
(16:00):
who already live, work and worship here and their kids,
we have to rethink it.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Okay, makes sense. Now, you did mention something about the
rent and people having to move out because they couldn't
afford rent or this housing. How do you plan to
address the rising rents? And I don't know, there's only
so much you can do, but how do you plan
to at least attack it? And you know other housing
(16:27):
affordability issues in your district.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Yeah, as much as I wish I could not my
fingers and deal with global inflation and some of these
other macro issues that impact people, where the rubber meets
the road in county government, and I think whether you're
you know, first of all, obviously you can't, but whether
you're renting in Milford Mill you know, or you've been
in Pikesville for thirty years, this district, in this county
(16:54):
needs to be a place you could afford to stay.
And affordability is my top priority. No one should be
having to pick between paying rent and buying groceries. That's
an inhumane decision. So here's what I support, straight up
mixed income development, where new projects include units that are
affordable for working families, teachers, nurses, county workers, not just
(17:18):
luxury apartments for those that may employ them. Because I
got to tell you, we would not be the county
that we are today without the teachers that we have,
without the nurses that we have, without the you know,
code enforcement officers, the people that drive uber. They are
crucial to this county's economy, and without mixed income developments,
we're not going to be able to keep them here.
(17:40):
And simultaneously, you know, and this is this is beaten
to death like a drum, but we need stronger protections
for renters. We can't have surprise fees. We can't have
people without access to legal aid, so tenants don't know
their own rights. We can't let people be bullied out
of their own homes because of that. I fully support
(18:01):
stronger protections for renters, but you know, according to the data,
and you know, I think targeting tax tax credits and
assistance for longtime homeowners things that we've already tested and
are tried and true in many other jurisdictions, especially right
for seniors on fixed incomes who you know don't have
(18:25):
the cost of living adjustments that keep up with inflation.
We can't let them be taxed out of neighborhoods that
they helped build. It's not a difficult you know thought process, right.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
Uh, you mentioned the keyword tax credits. So now along
with that we you know, you can drive through some
of the areas and then looks some of it looks
kind of old and run down, not as bad as
other places. But do you have a plan to attract
more employers, maybe small businesses for increased job opportunities?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Absolutely. Kila Lewis is a wonderful community advocate in the
Villanova community. The day I met her, she mentioned something
that I have stolen from her and I give her
credit each time because of it called the nine neglect.
And the nine neglect from that respective is decades of
elected officials blowing off short term what they think is
(19:26):
short term problems that then pile up and join on
top of each other until they're insurmountable objects that destroy
communities and bring blight. And I gotta tell you, I
want District four to remove that be nine neglect, sure,
but also I want District four to be the best
place in Baltimore County to start and grow a business.
(19:49):
And first and foremost that means cutting red tape. I
hear nothing but complaints at the doors from small business
owners closing their shop at five pm. Whatever it may be.
Folks come and they say, hey, I applied for a permit.
I've heard nothing. This is a great example, not necessarily
(20:11):
business related, but goes to show how deep this problem goes.
I had a constituent, and mind you, I'm not even
in office yet somebody called me and reached out to
me because during one of those massive may storms that
we had this past spring, a huge oak tree punctured
into their living room and this family and this disabled
(20:34):
child had to evacuate, and still since may have not
yet had the permitting approved to be able to repair
the roof of their living room. They've been living in hotels,
they've been living in you know, friends couches and friends' basements,
and that is simply unacceptable. And when we see that
grow to a larger scale, we see how it impacts businesses.
(20:56):
If somebody is starting a business and they're thinking where
should I start this business and they look at Baltimore
County and hear a story about that permitting delay, I
got to tell you, if I'm that business owner, this
would be the last place i'd look. I wouldn't look
for a place that would take eight months to approve
a permit for an awning. I'd look for a place
that says we want you here, and our permitting system
(21:19):
is set up to prove it. And you know, focusing
on key corridors is also part of that equation. We
have Liberty Road, we have Riterrous Town Road, Old Court,
Pikesville's commercial areas, places that were thriving before I was born, okay,
And at the same time they are now with great
(21:41):
bones as hubs for a walkable, mixed use development community
where people can live, work and shop close to home.
And I got to tell you that's the ballgame. If
I am starting a business, if I'm looking where to
move as a young person, as somebody starting a family,
I'm going to look for the that has the amenities
(22:01):
and the retail and the shopping and everything I could
possibly think of within walking distance. And we have the
bones in this county to do that on a mass level, okay.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
And that's a lot of people look for that when
they come to an area. Convenience in schools, so that's
a great thing.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Now, tax incentives, do you support tax incentives to attract
new companies, or do you prefer investment in the local entrepreneurs.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
Yeah. I think what's beautiful about the Liberty Road Corridor
is how many people self identify as an entrepreneur. I
think people are really excited about this age and technology
and the ability to make money from your own living room,
and I think that's really important. But talking specifically about
investment for local businesses, I'm absolutely open to tax incentives,
(22:58):
but again, the threshold question is only if they clearly
pay the community back. If a large company wants a
tax break. I want to see real local hiring commitments.
I want to see living wage jobs. I want to
see tangible investments on the block, not just a logo
on a building. But again, you know that said my
(23:20):
bias is towards investing in local entrepreneurs. The barbershops, the restaurants,
childcare centers sprouting out professional services, home based businesses like
I was talking about, woven into our neighborhoods, because I
gotta tell you, Brian, those are the folks who keep
showing up year after year, even after the headlines, and
(23:43):
we got to keep them or we're.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
In trouble, all right, that's a fact. And you mentioned
people coming into a particular area looking at the businesses there,
the things that they could do, what they could walk
to those amenities basically, and one of the things also
talking to people who used to come in and talk
(24:07):
to me about, you know, coming to Baltimore County, they
would ask about the schools. So what will you advocate
specifically for to improve Baltimore County Public schools, especially the
ones that serve your district.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Yeah, I mean, Brian, you know, and I know from
listening to your other podcasts with other candidates. Council members
don't run BCPs, right, But that said, the council has
immense power to hold people in front of them and
hold them accountable. And with that said, I believe education
is the single most powerful tool we have to break
(24:45):
cycles of inequity. And it changed my life. I wouldn't
be where I am without the privileges that I had
to be able to go to the school that I did.
And I feel like good schools bring that same chance
to everybody. And as I said, as council member, I
don't have specific jurisdiction over BCPs, but I'll tell you
(25:08):
right now, I will have the loudest voice on the
budget and in public oversight. We have to focus on overcrowding.
We have to make sure our West Side schools get
their fair share with capital investment, and not just told
again and again, wait just a little while longer, because
I gotta tell you, I'm sick of it, and every
door I knock on they're sick of it too. And
(25:29):
deck in his support staff and teacher funding and retention counselors,
social workers, para educators, bus drivers. They are essential for
student success. Just as a student needs a textbook to learn,
you need a bus driver to get them there to
learn in the first place. And if we're not looking
(25:49):
out for those support staff simultaneously with our teachers, I
think we're not going to have the education system that
our kids need and deserve. And I'm very fortunate and
glad that the current superintendent has seen that and has
acted accordingly. I really I just want to make sure
our schools are preparing students for real life. That's that's
(26:10):
the test for schools to me, not just teaching to
the test. Right.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
We've had conversations before in that regard. I think back
in the day before me, you know when schools, they
had curriculums and other programs to prepare, you know, students
for life, and a lot of parents don't feel that
schools do that now. So and of course now it's
(26:35):
a different day. So what are some of the specific
investments do you support in youth development?
Speaker 2 (26:51):
Well, I think when we talk about youth development, if
I'm understanding your question correctly, I think we're talking about
being serious about the resources kids have available to keep
them away from some of the negative influences too often
encroach on their lives. So I think if we're ever
going to be serious about reducing violence again, we have
(27:14):
to be serious about what we offer young people before
there's a problem in the first place. So you know,
we're crafting legislation to release on our website now that
pushes for evening and weekend hours at rec centers and
school facilities, for sports, for music, for ours, for mentorship.
And I gotta tell you, just campaigning, it has become
(27:36):
so clear to me our churches, our synagogues, our mosques,
our nonprofits, our alumni groups, whatever it is. We have
an immense social network in this county. We have people
that have devoted their lives to strengthening these networks, and
too often they feel like the county doesn't take advantage
of that. I got to tell you, we have to.
It is the number one requirement if we're to get
(27:57):
serious about Because government can't handle everything, Government isn't intended
to do everything. We empower these groups to help us.
The county saves money to use on the services it
already provides. And by supporting these other services, these church groups,
the alumni groups, We're able to put kids in with mentors.
We're able to give young people programs that feel comfortable
(28:22):
and that lead to summer jobs, that lead to internships,
that lead to apprenticeship programs, so teenagers can earn money,
they can build a resume, they can see a future
for themselves. It's all part of the equation. Alongside with
our schools, alongside with our public universities and our community colleges.
We spend so much money on the back end on courts,
(28:45):
on jails, on emergency response. I want to see more
than investment off stream in the prevention because we need
to be proactive.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Yeah, and one thing that a lot of people don't
realize sometimes those things the arrest and you know, not
looking at things in a proactive way actually costs more
money on the back end.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
Absolutely, and that's called efficiency in government. And if this
was about insurance and procurement, and we had an inefficient
method of procuring insurance for our county employees, this would
be dealt with. But because it is a different issue,
because there's a racial component, because of all these different factors,
(29:28):
it hasn't been dealt with in an equitable way. And
I gotta tell you it saves the county.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
Money, just as you said, Okay, so this is something
that that's important to me, and it was the roads,
and we mentioned it, we talked about it earlier. Have
anybody talked to you about their feelings on expanding public
(29:52):
transit options in your district and what's your position?
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Yeah, yeah, So I think folks know we have the
Towson Loop that runs a circuit in Towson, and there's
some nuance about that loop. It costs about five million
dollars a year, and the people using it aren't often
folks that frankly need it. And absolutely people use it
(30:21):
that do need it, But we're spending a lot of
money on a program that isn't necessary for some of
the folks that are taking advantage of it. But with
that said, the west side, the west Side is a
totally different story because we have so many job centers,
so many healthcare centers and rec centers that are simply
inaccessible to so many residents on the west Side. Whether
(30:45):
it's because you know, there's one car in a family,
whether it's because people live you know, so far from
where they work that they have to uber every day.
So I'm going to tell you on key areas in
Liberty Road and Riserstown Road, we have to focus on
Trent and I'll be honest with you, I'm not yet
(31:05):
convinced a west Side loop is worth the investment. I'm
also looking into things like uber vouchers, things that are
specifically tuned for folks that need it to be able
to use it to get to work, to get to church,
to get to rec centers, because that's more efficient. And
again I'm about efficiency, I'm about spending dollars where we
(31:26):
need to, and I'm going to tell you we need
to spend dollars here. The question is just who do
we target specifically?
Speaker 1 (31:32):
Ah? Okay, okay, So that'll lead me into another question
that's related, where do you believe taxpayer dollars are being
wasted currently, and what would you cut or just restructure.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Yeah, so the Baltimore County Council has the power to
amend or cut the budget as presented by the County Executive.
We don't have power to add. And with that said,
you know, answering your question directly, I think that's a
good premise because a lot of folks don't fully grasp
the dynamic of what happens in that council chamber when
(32:11):
it's budget season. But you know, flat out, I think
we waste money whenever we approve projects that don't actually
solve core problems, like the things that I was just
talking about when we fund programs, and this happens all
the time, when we fund programs without clear goals and
actionable outcomes that we can then measure and say did
(32:34):
we hit that goal? Is this the outcome that we wanted?
And I think we also waste money when we keep
paying for the same issue year after year without ever
saying hell, maybe we should take a look at this
and see if this approach isn't working. So with that said,
you know, I don't have a specific line item for you,
but What I do have is you know a statement, right,
(32:56):
I'm going to push for performance based budgeting. If a
program works, let's invest in it. If it doesn't, let's
reform it or redirect those dollars to something that does.
And I want more of our budget shifted towards this,
and shift it towards preventive investment, shift it towards youth programs,
towards mental health, towards infrastructure, so we're not constantly paying
(33:17):
again for reactivity or crisis response.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Okay, makes sense. That makes it more fluid instead of rigid,
so you get things done. Now, I'm a social media guy.
I'm always on social media, causing problems, arguing whatever, because
it's fun. Now, some of the things that I've heard
people complain about was property taxes, and and most of
(33:44):
the time they really don't understand how the property taxes work.
So for them, would you support raising or lowering property
taxes or income taxes? And if so, under what circumstances?
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Yeah, I'm not running to raise taxes. I think when
businesses decide where to invest, when people decide where to
move or where to leave to, they're looking at taxes.
And I'm going to tell you. If we are struggling
with our current budget and we're not providing the suitable
environment for businesses to come here already, and I argue
(34:20):
that we're not doing everything we need to do, then
raising taxes makes that problem one hundred times worse. People
in District four are already feeling squeezed, whether it's you know,
housing costs, groceries, utilities. I feel those pressures too. I'm
a young person and you know, at the same time,
(34:40):
I don't want to make irresponsible promises just to be elected.
I think folks deserve way more than that. I think
that's politics of the old. And if we hit a moment,
I think that's the truth. You know, it's funny, but
it's true. The bar is so low, and that's a
whole other conversation. If we ever hit a moment where
(35:03):
if we ever hit a moment where new revenue is
absolutely necessary, if it's the worst case scenario possible, you know,
it's a different conversation, and it always includes transparency. That's
the key to that conversation. And again my starting point
is simple, use what we have better before you ask
(35:24):
working families for.
Speaker 1 (35:25):
More, Okay, And I think that'll make a lot of
people happy according to social media. Well, you mentioned transparency,
and I've asked this question of the other candidates. How
will you maintain transparency with residents and keep them informed
about your decisions.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
Yeah. So I've grown up around politicians. I've seen the good,
the bad, and the ugly, and I gotta tell you,
the ugly is always associated with lack of transparency. It
is like a routine. It is like black and white,
yin and yang. When you have one, you have the
other right, and it makes it more than a buzzword.
We have to be and this is a controversial word,
(36:07):
we have to be radical about this because that's the
job description. You have to have regular town halls across
the county. I'm not just gonna talk to folks in
district for of course that's my priority, but I would
be failing at my job, just as a member of
Congress would be if they don't listen to what's happening
outside their district as well. Though not just one central spot.
(36:29):
We have to bring county services and county decision making
into churches, into community spaces, into synagogues, and we have
to be able to say, folks, you know this is
what I did. This is how I justify it, and
this is how I took your input into that decision.
And alongside that it means sending plain language updates. I
(36:52):
can't tell you how many times the county order has
dropped and folks ask me what does this mean? Right?
Or who does this affect? Yeah, it's unbelievable. We have
a county government that is you know, first of all,
it's a part time job. It's folks that also have
another responsibility often and you know, we're sending out language
(37:14):
that isn't interpretable by folks that they're spending their time
with outside of the council in the first place. Right.
You know, we need emails and social media and other
accessible formats, but the key is explaining what's coming up
for a vote and how I plan to vote ahead
of time. And this last thing is I think you
could tell I'm not a huge promise person, right, but
(37:36):
I will promise my schedule for public events will be
published regularly. People want to know what their council member
is doing. I'm going to be representing if I win
or when I win, I'll say ninety thousand constituents, and
I'm going to tell you. If any of those ninety
thousand people want to know what their council member is doing,
(37:58):
they shouldn't have to look through fifteen different web pages
and emails to figure it out. I'm chosen by the people,
and if I'm not for the people, fire me. And
I think transparency is the biggest key in that.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
Okay, ninety thousands a lot of people for one person
to be responsible for, that's a lot.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Yeah, that's I gotta tell you. Before redistricting it was
about one hundred and twenty thousand. So we're making some
progress there.
Speaker 1 (38:26):
Wow, Wow, I had a hot issue. It just escaped me. Now,
Carson Kemminets, that's a name that a lot of people
are familiar with. So what personal experiences shaped your desire
(38:48):
to run for office?
Speaker 2 (38:52):
Yeah? Absolutely, losing my father. He served in public life,
he was already in elected office before I was born,
and losing him at such a young age I was,
you know, fifteen years old, it forced me to ask
what am I going to do with the time I
have left. I said early in this conversation that I
(39:16):
started as a computer science major. I thought I'd go
into tech, but I couldn't shake that feeling of after
he died. In the Jewish religion, it's called Shiva. You
sit at your home and folks that are also mourning
this death come and share that with you, and it's
a seven day period for us. And during that Shiva period,
(39:39):
of course, my father, Kevin was running for governor when
he suddenly passed. People were walking in that I had
never met before and would have never met ever, folks
that were hugging me. I remember a nurse still in
her nurse's gown, coming straight from a shift, crying because
(40:00):
and kept the community program open for her. So hearing
all of that, hearing the impact of local government far
beyond something I can personally feel, really encouraged me to
continue that work of service in my own way. And
at the same time, the experience I've had that I've
(40:21):
articulated with you in this conversation, seeing where my teammates lived,
seeing how they were treated, it made it impossible for
me to ignore the gaps and opportunity. Your zip code
is predicting your future, and that doesn't sit right with me,
and I don't think it sits right with other folks.
So that's what pushed me to really switch to law
(40:43):
and government and politics, and I feel called to this.
I see privilege as a responsibility, and I see that
last name as something you have to earn every single day.
And now I feel free to give it everything I
have because I don't want my own kids to feel
like they are dictated by the five numbers at the
(41:06):
end of their address.
Speaker 1 (41:08):
Right. Yeah, I fully agree with that one. So it
was a pretty good interview. You've answered a lot of,
you know, pressing questions, but the main one that I'm
gonna leave you with is, and I asked this of everyone,
why should the voters trust you, especially in this political atmosphere.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
Yeah, I think District four voters should trust me. If
you're looking for someone who's in this not for a
title or a photo op before the work, okay, if
you're looking for somebody that has seen the advantages and
the inequalities in this county and refuses to accept them
(41:58):
as something that's normal or part of the pot. Someone
that's willing to listen the higher experience, to learn, and
to fight even when it's uncomfortable or politically inconvenient, or
may make me unpopular. And I can't promise I'll be
perfect again, I'm not a promised guy. But I can promise.
(42:22):
But I can promise I'll be honest, I'll be accessible,
and I will be relentless in trying to make District
four safer, more affordable, and fairer for everyone who calls.
Speaker 1 (42:32):
It home outstanding, and I think in this atmosphere, honesty
is something that everyone is looking for.
Speaker 2 (42:41):
So yeah, I mean, I gotta tell you, if a
politician came to me with the decision that I didn't
agree with and justified their line of thinking, that it's
far better for me to swallow than if the otherwise,
or if the opposite happened. If they came and made
a decision I wasn't happy with, they threw their hands
up and said deal with it. Honestly goes a long way.
(43:03):
And I feel like what the younger generation understands that
folks currently in office don't is that when you're honest,
the political stuff comes, it'll follow.
Speaker 1 (43:16):
Well, I like to thank you for taking time out
of your very busy schedule, and I know it has
been a busy schedule, and I know it's going to
get busier. And I think the residents of District four
in surrounding districts would appreciate this interview, and I'll make
sure that they, you know, get it out there.
Speaker 2 (43:40):
Yeah. Absolutely, yeah, thanks Brian, I appreciate it. I'm sorry
that you're not going to be a county resident to
see the beautiful things that we're going to be doing here,
but I'll welcome you back anytime my schedule is not
that busy for you.
Speaker 1 (43:52):
Thank you, I appreciate it, and good luck with a campaign.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
All right, thank you, thank you, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
Thank your family for listening to the latest episode of
Hot Topics. As usual, listen, like, share, subscribe, time
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