Schuh: Managing our lands is one of County Government’s most important duties. I am dedicated to an open and transparent process as we begin our once-in-a-decade General Development Plan. I am committed to citizen input and engagement, as well as smart growth strategies that guide development to areas with adequate infrastructure and to protecting our rural lands. I support the current mix of 51% rural/protected and 49% developed/developable land. As County Executive, I recently proposed legislation that would impose a moratorium on up-zoning, tighten up the permitting process and re-establish small area planning.

Schuh: County Government must take an active and aggressive approach to combating opioid abuse and use whatever tools are available to slow and stop this epidemic. We must educate all members of our community about the dangers of opioids and addiction, commit human financial resources to support prevention and treatment programs, we must adjust our laws to protect victims, and we must utilize our legal system to hold those who perpetuate this epidemic accountable. As County Executive, combatting opioid abuse has been my top priority, and our Administration has engaged government agencies, law enforcement and the public, private and non-profit sectors to form partnerships and devise creative solutions to this epidemic. There is not a single solution. Our Administration’s “Not My Child” Program has been a tremendous success in educating parents about the dangers of opioids and has become a model for the State and Country. Our Safe Stations program has been utilized by hundreds of citizens looking to take the first steps to recovery, and additional Crisis Team members have been hired to respond to the increase in demand. We are taking a hard stance against pill mill doctors and have filed a lawsuit against opioid manufactures and over-prescribers to hold them accountable for their role in this epidemic. Fighting this crisis will remain my top priority for the next four years, and I will continue to work with our partners to put pressure on all levels of this epidemic and to expand our prevention efforts and access to treatment.

Schuh: I support the County’s property tax revenue cap. I believe government at all levels costs too much. By better managing the money we have and making County government more efficient, we can improve County services without raising taxes and placing additional financial burdens on working families. In the past three years, our Administration has instituted the largest tax cut and the largest fee cut in County history, reduced or eliminated seven taxes, and enacted cumulatively more than $67 million in tax and fee relief. While doing so, we have simultaneously launched the largest school construction effort in County history and have implemented three years of pay increases for teachers. We have budgeted three straight years of record education funding and have bailed out the nearly-bankrupt teacher health benefits program. Our Administration also launched the largest public safety infrastructure program in County history with construction of a new police academy and a new central booking facility, purchase of 550 new police vehicles, development of four new fire stations and purchase of 10 new fire suppression vehicles. In addition, we have also increased police and fire pay by 10% over the last three years and have added 80 new public safety positions to combat heroin and gangs. We have also launched a major crack down on MS-13 and have proposed a $15 million school safety initiative.