Anne Arundel County Council
District 6
Mike Pantelides
Republican
38
Annapolis, Anne Arundel County
Executive Director for the Small Business Office at the Department of Labor
Bachelor of Arts from West Virginia University. Graduated from Archbishop Spalding High School
I have an extensive background in politics and community activities. I was the former Mayor of Annapolis from 2013 to 2017. As member of Maryland Municipal League legislative committee, I have successfully lobbied on behalf of all cities before the Maryland legislature. I have testified in front of congressional hearings as Mayor. Last I have volunteered and been involved in many campaigns.
What do you see as the most pressing issue the county faces and how would you address it?
The single most important issue that I hear from the community is crime. People don’t feel safe in their homes. There have been 14 shootings and 12 people shot since November. As Mayor I did a number of things to address crime. We started a body camera program, established community policing programs to help build trust in the community and partnered with the state police. We also worked to create more jobs and opportunities as reducing crime can’t be solved by law enforcement alone. We need more services for mental health and drug addiction. We worked together on the County’s Safe Stations initiative to combat the Opioid Crisis by making our Police and Fire Stations a place where people could seek treatment with no questions asked. I will think outside of the box, and keep working until we fix the problem. We cannot accept the status quo.
Will you invest in projects to unclog the county’s crowded roads?
Yes we will invest more money to improve our roads and critical infrastructure. I have a record of doing this as Mayor. Traffic is one of the main concerns for people living in district 6 which is from Bay Ridge to Crownsville. There’s only one way in and one way out when you live on a peninsula. We have seen 1 road shut down and people waiting in their cars for hours. It’s unacceptable. We need to improve public transportation and promote ride sharing programs.
What plans do you have to help the county and its businesses successfully emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic?
We need to realize that small business is the backbone that provides 90% of the jobs in America. The county could offer more financial assistance like the state did with grant and loan programs to help businesses get back on their feet. The government needs to do a better job of communicating as there was too much confusion about which business could be open and what the capacity limits were. The government was wrong when it allowed big box stores like Walmart to remain open but wouldn’t let mom and pop stores operate.
What steps should the county government take to address opioid overdoses and deaths?
The opioid epidemic is one of the biggest challenges that we are facing. As Mayor, we partnered with Anne Arundel County on the Safe Stations program where people could go to a police or fire station and get help. There is no magic bullet. People fighting addition need more mental health assistance and the hospitals must provide more mental health beds. Employment is part of the answer and I started a second chance program and brought in the private sector to offer jobs and transportation. We need to have a stronger relationship and better coordination with our faith-based community who are already providing services. Each of us have been affected by this epidemic and I have lost a cousin to an overdose 6 months ago.
What role can the county government play to improve education in county schools?
The county spends over half of its budget on education. The school system budget is over $1.5 billion. So, it’s important the county is very involved to make sure we have a world class education for our students. We have a good school system with many hard-working teachers. I would like to take it from good to great. The County government needs to make sure there is accountability and transparency in what is being taught in schools. Parents’ opinions matter. We need to do more to support vocational education as many are well paying jobs. I believe everyone should have a great education regardless of the zip code they live in. We need to make sure that our students have a safe environment. The county should also support more after school programs.
What efforts does the county need to make to address systemic racism in government services?
Government should treat everyone fairly. While we have made progress in stopping racism there is still more work to do. When I was mayor, I appointed the city’s first African-American and Hispanic liaison to help guide me on issues affecting those communities. We switched to a community policing model where the officers were forced to get out of their cars and walk the community to build trust with the residents. In addition we also implemented a body camera program that was supported by both the community and law-enforcement. I ended the last legal form of racial discrimination in the city by having the city inspect public housing units. I took this action because of the horrible conditions people were living in and the city historically ignored the residents. After my term, the city ended those inspections and lost a million dollar lawsuit for discrimination against African Americans.
What steps must the county take to improve public safety?
Community policing is the model for the future and I embraced it as Mayor with good results. We had officers walking the community and interacting with residents which built trust. I implemented the city’s first body camera program which insured accountability and built additional trust. I oppose efforts to defund the police. The solution isn’t less money and officers on the street, it’s concentrating resources on more robust especially mental health awareness. I would also have every officer trained in crisis response. More officers on the street will help but it will not solve the problem. By investing in job training in high crime areas we give our residents an opportunity to get a good job and break the cycle of hopelessness, As Mayor, we improved our Fire Department to Class 1. There are only 2 cities in the state that have earned this designation.
How is climate change impacting the county and what can be done locally to address the effects?
Climate change has affected the community. It’s most noticeable with flooding. When I was mayor, we initiated a comprehensive short and long-term flood mitigation program. We successfully got $1 million from Governor Hogan to address the problem. To reduce carbon emission, we built an award-winning solar energy park on the city’s closed landfill. It has 55,000 solar panels and it created green jobs, green energy and will make the city $4 million. The city retrofitted a number of city buildings to reduce our energy use and carbon emissions. I was endorsed by the Anne Arundel County chapter of the nonpartisan League of Conservation voters for my strong environmental record in 2017.
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