★★ Our Priorities ★★

Baltimore County works best when government is easy to reach, neighborhoods are safe, and families can afford to stay. For the first time in over a century, residents are leaving at higher rates than they are coming. Too many residents feel squeezed by rising costs, frustrated by slow or unclear county processes, and worried about safety and quality of life. Karson is running to deliver a county that’s responsive, accountable, and focused on the basics, so working families can build stability, seniors can age with dignity, and every community feels heard and protected.

★★ Seniors First ★★

The Problem: Too many seniors in Baltimore County are being priced out, isolated, or forced to leave their homes because basic supports are simply not there. A cracked sidewalk can mean a fall. Losing the ability to drive can mean losing independence. And when services move online, too many seniors are left behind. Seniors shouldn’t have to fight through red tape just to stay safe, connected, and stable in the very communities they helped build.

Our Solution: Karson’s Senior First platform is built around one promise: if you built this community, you deserve to age with dignity, right here at home. That means investing in aging-in-place supports, reliable transportation, safer streets and sidewalks, and a real “front door” to county help. When Karson is in office, seniors won’t be bounced between agencies or left to navigate complicated systems alone.

What does this mean?

1. Aging-in-Place and Home Safety: Karson will expand practical, common-sense help so seniors can safely stay in their homes. That means easier and more cost-efficient access to ramps, railings, grab bars, lighting, and fall-prevention upgrades, because preventing one fall prevents a medical and financial crisis.
2. Tax Relief and Benefits Navigation: Too many seniors qualify for assistance but never receive it because the process is too confusing. Karson will make benefits enrollment a core constituent service, meaning hands-on help applying for property tax relief and other programs that seniors have already earned.
3. Transportation You Can Count On: When seniors can’t drive, the County has a responsibility to work for them. Karson will protect and expand senior transportation options, cut red tape, and improve safe access to stops and crossings. Seniors should be able to get to the doctor, pharmacy, grocery store, and community centers without relying on luck.
4. Senior Centers as Wellness Hubs: Senior centers should be more than activities, they should be the easiest place to get connected to services. Karson will strengthen programming that fights isolation, supports health, and connections seniors to transportation, meals, resources, and community.
5. Community Connection and “Someone Checks In” Program: Public service means making sure seniors aren’t alone. Karson will support and amplify volunteer networks and community partnerships that provide check-ins, small errands, and connection, ultimately seeking to build a neighborhood “safety net” that reduces isolation and improves quality of life.

The Bottom Line: A seniors platform isn’t charity, it is basic dignity. Safe sidewalks, a safe home, a reliable ride. Real help navigating the system. Karson will deliver a Baltimore County where seniors can stay independent, stay connected, and stay in the neighborhoods they call home. 

★★ Constituent Services & Accountability ★★

The problem: I have heard from too many that feel Baltimore County government just doesn’t hear them. You send an email about a pothole and you don’t get a response. You wait months for a permit and can’t seem to get a straight answer. You try to get clarity on a zoning notice and you’re thrown from office to office. It’s not that people don’t care, because they do.  This happens because our system is not equipped to respond quickly or transparently. Residents lose faith in county services as a result, ultimately widening the gap between government and our communities.

Our solution: Navigating county government should not feel like walking through a mirror-maze. As your Councilmember, calls or requests will get a clear answer, timely action, and follow-through you can rely on.

What does this mean?

1. Personal Accountability: You will always know where and how to reach me, because that’s the job. And when you call, you will hear back directly, clearly, and with a tangible plan to resolve the issue.
2. Transparency and Follow-through: My office will establish an online dashboard so you can track service requests sent to my office, be it a pothole or permit, so you know what to expect and when to expect it.
3. Efficiency: I will put a “shot clock” on county services, creating deadlines that agencies should target when responding to residents. No more run-around, and no more endless waiting.

The bottom line: County government should be easy to reach, quick to respond, and reliable. If you call, I’ll answer. If you need help, I’ll be there. That is the standard I will set for Baltimore County government.

★★ Building Sustainable Communities
& Tackling Affordability ★★

The problem: Baltimore County is at a crossroads. Young people in our county choose to leave for neighboring jurisdictions because they can not find a place here that fits their needs. Our seniors who want to downsize often struggle to find somewhere local to do so. Vacant houses and retail sit empty along our corridors, draining life from our neighborhoods. And the farms, streams, and green spaces that shape Baltimore County’s character are being put at risk by the threat of unmanaged sprawl. We must change course, because without action, we risk shrinking our tax base, straining county services, and losing the next generation to other places that seem more welcoming and affordable.

Our solution: We can grow our taxbase without unchecked sprawl, and growth certainly doesn’t have to mean high-rises in neighborhoods that don’t want them. As your Councilmember, I will advocate for sustainable growth; building places that families want to move into, young people want to stay, and seniors can age with dignity.

What does this mean?

1. Smarter Zoning: The key to a sustainable Baltimore County is modernizing our outdated zoning system and removing red-tape in the permitting office. We will look at how we integrate the State’s ADU legislation so families can safely add in-law apartments or accessory units that let seniors age in place and give working families a foothold in the community.We will encourage “missing middle” housing near town centers and transit lines, while respecting neighborhoods that aren’t equipped to support large projects.
2. Revitalizing Vacants: My office will incentivize the redevelopment of empty shopping centers and struggling economic corridors into mixed-use communities with housing, retail, and green space. It is time to get serious about revitalization in our communities.
3. Preserving Green Space: We have a beautiful county with 200 miles of waterfront, 400 miles of streams and tributaries, green space, and farmland. I will protect the Urban-Rural Demarcation Line (URDL) because growth belongs inside where county services are nearby, not sprawling beyond it.
4. Focusing Growth Where it Belongs: County investments in infrastructure, including roads, schools, and transportation, should be tied to areas where we want growth to occur. By doing so, we can build new communities that are affordable, livable, and attractive, without cutting down trees or paving over farmland. With that newfound tax revenue, we can ensure the wrap-around services for our seniors, children, and families stay put.
5. The Pikesville/Reisterstown Road Economic Corridor: The success of the Pikesville Armory will bring new feet to the streets for years to come. Now we have to match that momentum by reviving a corridor that’s been neglected for decades. It shouldn’t feel like an extreme sport to cross to Jilly’s after a movie at The Pikes. Karson will partner with county and state agencies to fix broken crosswalks and sidewalks, offer façade grants to small businesses, and bring the strip back to life with lighting, public-safety upgrades, and storefronts open after 5 o’clock. Visiting the Armory should flow naturally into safe, welcoming dining and window-shopping.

The bottom line: Sustainable growth means more housing options available for working families and seniors ready to downsize, reinvigorating once-thriving neighborhoods with mixed-use development, and preserving green spaces. We can build a Baltimore County where young people are incentivized to stay, families can build a foundation, and seniors can age in dignity.

★★ Public Safety ★★

The Problem: Too many residents in Baltimore County don’t feel safe. Be it reckless drivers in their neighborhood, streets that feel unsafe, or concerns about kids falling through the cracks, the problem is vast. At the same time, people also feel like our system isn’t doing enough to prevent crime before it happens. Break-ins and property theft are increasing County-wide, and residents don’t always feel the County has their backs.

Our Solution: We can’t afford a one-dimensional approach. Karson will always work to ensure our law enforcement officers and auxiliary units have the resources they need to adequately perform their duty, but he also recognizes that funding is not the whole story. Public safety is also about strong communities, youth opportunity, mental health, and a justice system people can trust. So Karson will be tough on crime, absolutely, but even tougher on what causes it in the first place.

What does this mean?

1. Traffic & Neighborhood Safety: At almost every door, I hear that speeding and reckless driving is a top concern. I’ll fight for common-sense solutions like traffic calming, better crosswalks, and stronger enforcement in high-risk areas. Every family deserves to feel safe walking, biking, or driving in their own neighborhoods.
2. Support Law Enforcement: I will work to make sure our police and first responders have the resources, staffing, and training they need to keep communities safe and earn public trust. We also must support our volunteer firefighters by increasing the loan program to ensure their equipment is up to date and also taking a hard look at the CAD system to reduce inefficiencies. On the career side, our firefighters have long operated “on the cheap,” with less than half the budget of neighboring jurisdictions despite having more than double the amount of residents and land. This is simply unacceptable, and will change when Karson is in office.
3. Tackle Root Causes: My office will partner with our county stakeholders to provide youth programs, job training, addiction services, and mental health resources so fewer people enter the justice system in the first place.
4. Community-Based Prevention: We can expand neighborhood watch groups in our communities alongside policing efforts that build trust between officers and residents.
5. Smart Justice: Baltimore County is behind when it comes to reentry and diversion programs. Karson will bring us closer to neighboring jurisdictions by strengthening these programs to reduce repeat offenses and create pathways back into society for those who’ve served their time.

The Bottom Line: Being tough on crime also means being tough on the causes of crime. True public safety is when people feel secure in their homes, confident on their streets, and proud of their neighborhoods. Baltimore County deserves both accountability for those who break the law and opportunity for those who want a better path forward.