THE MERCER PLAN
A GOVERNING BLUEPRINT FOR THE FREDERICK COUNTY WE WANT TO BUILD
Politics is full of promises. Campaigns consist of candidates discussing the issues. But I want to talk about what I'd actually do …
Frederick County is growing, and that growth creates enormous opportunities. But it also brings enormous responsibilities.
We need more housing. We need good jobs. We need infrastructure. We need strong schools. We need to protect our farms and water. And we certainly need a government that plans beyond the next election cycle.
GROW SMART. INVEST IN PEOPLE. PROTECT WHAT MAKES FREDERICK HOME.
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ADDITIONAL HOMES NEEDED BY 2035
Frederick County's housing assessment projects approximately 32,000 additional homes across income levels.
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AFFORDABLE HOMES NEEDED
Approximate additional affordable homes needed for households earning under $75,000.
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SCHOOLS AT OR ABOVE CAPACITY
14 elementary, 1 middle, and 4 high schools were at or above 100% of state-rated capacity as of December 2025.
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ACRES OF FARMLAND PRESERVED
Approximately 78,000 acres permanently preserved countywide as of July 2026.
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ACRES IN THE DATA CENTER OVERLAY
The adopted Critical Digital Infrastructure Overlay.
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FY2027 OPERATING BUDGET
The county's FY2027 operating budget.
GROWTH
01.
MAKE DEVELOPMENT PAY ITS FAIR SHARE …
Frederick's Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance is supposed to ensure that roads, schools, water, and sewer infrastructure can support development. The county already has the framework.
I WANT TO STRENGTHEN HOW WE USE IT.
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Every major development proposal needs to have a publicly accessible summary showing …
School capacity
Road capacity
Water capacity
Sewer capacity
Required mitigation
Who pays
When improvements will happen
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Continually evaluate whether impact fees reflect actual infrastructure costs.
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Required mitigation needs to be funded, enforceable, and tied to measurable improvements.
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Prioritize appropriate growth near existing infrastructure, transportation, employment centers, and community services.
Within my first year …
I’d work to create a public, district-wide development and infrastructure dashboard showing all major projects, their projected impacts, any required mitigation, and current status. The People need to know what’s going to happen around them before it is happening around them.
HOUSING
02.
BUILD 32,000 HOMES … WITHOUT CREATING 32,000 PROBLEMS.
Frederick County's housing assessment projects approximately 32,000 additional homes by 2035. Approximately 20,000 additional affordable homes are needed for households earning under $75,000.
THAT GIVES US A TARGET.
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Housing must be accessible to working households.
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Housing growth cannot be separated from infrastructure planning.
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New housing near jobs, transportation, schools, and infrastructure.
THESE ARE THE THREE PRINCIPLES OF MY HOUSING STANDARD …
… AND AS A COUNCIL-MEMBER I WILL PUSH FOR …
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Strengthen requirements for meaningful affordable housing.
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Make appropriate ADUs easier to create.
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Don't segregate affordability.
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Direct appropriate density toward transportation and employment centers.
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Protect existing affordable housing.
LET’S CREATE AN ANNUAL HOUSING SCORECARD TO TRACK …
TOTAL HOMES
AFFORDABLE HOMES
INCOME LEVELS SERVED
ADU’S
PRESERVED UNITS
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
Schools
STOP BEING REACTIVE TO GROWTH … PLAN FOR IT !
As of December, 2025 14 Elementary, 1 Middle, and 4 High Schools were at or above 100 percent of the state-rated capacity.
That isn’t a surprise we can afford to discover after the development is already approved.
03.
development + school planning
EVERY MAJOR RESIDENTIAL PROPOSAL MUST CLEARLY IDENTIFY:
CURRENT CAPACITY
PROJECTED ENROLLMENT
CAPITAL NEEDS
EXPECTED TIMELINE
MITIGATION
FUNDING
WE CAN NOT APPROVE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT A CLEAR SCHOOL CAPACITY REPORT.
Agriculture
04.
PROTECT THE LAND WE CAN NEVER REPLACE …
Approximately 78,000 acres of farmland have been permanently preserved. But Frederick's long-term goal is to be at 160,000 acres by 2051 ! The Walkersville Priority Preservation Area alone encompasses approximately 11,000 acres.
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Preservation works best when it creates viable agricultural landscapes.
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Use existing planning tools more aggressively.
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Our rural communities aren't empty space between development centers.
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Preservation needs to include the economic reality of actually farming.
as a COUNCIL MEMBER I will fight to make sure frederick continues toward that 160,000 acres … (and more)
water & green infrastructure
05.
Finish the plan. Use the plan.
Frederick already has a Green Infrastructure Plan that identifies important networks of …
NATURAL AREAS
WORKING LANDS
HABITATS
RECREATION
WATER RESOURCES
CLIMATE-RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE
BEFORE ANY MAJOR LAND-USE EXPANSIONS OR REZONING WE MUST IDENTIFY …
CRITICAL GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES
CLIMATE RESILIENCE
WATERSHED IMPACTS
FOREST IMPACTS
NO MAJOR LAND EXPANSIONS OR REZONING WITHOUT A GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE REVIEW.
data centers
06.
we need facts before we make commitments …
I opposed the current county council’s December vote to expand the Critical Digital Infrastructure Overlay to 2,614 acres, and I personally signed the petition. As a council member, I will do everything in my power to bring that map back down to the Planning Commissions recommendation.
There is a current data center development application pause until December 31, 2026. This needs to be extended.
The recent Development Rights and Responsibilities Agreement, or DRRA, that was proposed is inadequate and potentially harmful to the community it’s supposed to be benefiting. More time to both analyze and amend this agreement is required.
We do not have to sacrifice our county for billion dollar industries.
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What will the project consume and where is it coming from?
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What infrastructure is required and how much are the People burdened?
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What land use impacts exist?
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What happens to the water, forests, habitats, and surrounding communities?
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What infrastructure will the People be asked to fund and why?
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How many jobs does the project provide? Are they livable wages? What’s the long term viability?
That’s the standard before any more commitments are approved
I’d like to see every major data center project get an individual public cost benefit report.
and if the costs out weight the benefits …
i’ll vote no!
The County Budget
07.
$1.45 billion deserves a real plan …
$1.45B Operating Budget, $349.6M Capital Appropriations, $1.61B six year CIP … That's our taxpayer money, and it deserves transparency.
WHAT ARE WE BUYING?
WHO BENEFITS?
FOUR BASIC BUDGET QUESTION
WHAT DOES IT COST OVER TIME?
WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DON’T DO IT?
I WANT A PUBLIC CAPITAL DASHBOARD TO Track …
Planning → Funding → Construction → Completion
MAINTENANCE FIRST … Don't build new infrastructure while ignoring existing infrastructure.
MEASURE OUTCOMES … Programs should be evaluated by results … not simply whether the money was spent.
CREATE A COUNTY BUDGET ORDINARY PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND.
infrastructure
08.
BUILD FIRST. GROW SECOND.
Housing and Schools. Roads and Water. Sewer and Stormwater. Transit and Emergency services … They are all connected!
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What already exists?
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What will the development require?
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What is missing?
my development sequence
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Who is paying and why?
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When does it start and how long will it take?
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Only after these steps are taken and a full report is done.
let’s stop putting the cart before the horse.
Workers & Jobs
09.
We need to measure job quality … not just job quantity.
Frederick's workforce strategy is already moving toward better coordination between employers, workers, education, and economic development. I want to make that connection stronger.
The Mercer workforce pipeline
SCHOOLS → CAREER TRAINING → APPRENTICESHIPS → LOCAL EMPLOYERS → GOOD PAYING JOBS
CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION
SKILLED TRADES
THE PRIORITIES
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
APPRENTICESHIPS
SMALL BUSINESSES
when the county supports economic development …
We need a report on the jobs created, their starting/median wages, the training opportunities presented, the percentage of local hires, and the investments the public will bear.
Transparency
10.
if we want people to trust government, show them what it’s doing …
I want Frederick County government to become easier to understand. Not because residents should have to become policy experts, but because government should be understandable to residents.
If Elected, I want residents to be able to track …
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Preservation progress.
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Major water and green-infrastructure priorities.
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Projects, impacts, commitments, and approvals.
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Major projects and infrastructure commitments.
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Progress toward 2035 housing needs.
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Growth and capacity.
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Major capital spending and outcomes.
So they know exactly what their government is doing for them.
Because government is supposed to be for the people, by the people!
Before I vote yes ON ANYTHING, I’ll ask …
CAN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE HANDLE IT?
WHAT DOES IT COST LONG TERM?
WHAT DOES IT DO TO OUR FARMS, WATER, AND ENVIRONMENT?
DID THE PUBLIC HAVE A REAL VOICE?
CAN WE MEASURE WHETHER IT WORKED?
WHO BENEFITS?
WHO PAYS?
I don’t want you to just take my word for it. I want you to measure me against it. If I’m elected, let the pages within this website become a living record of the promises I made, the actions I took, and the results measured, all while keeping the public informed throughout.
And if I fall short …
call me out!
Seriously. That’s what accountability is supposed to mean. I am there to represent YOU! So if at any point you feel I’m not doing that adequately, please let me know. Let’s talk. Let’s figure out a path forward. Let’s do it TOGETHER.