Mary Washington
Office
Running for State Senate, Maryland, District 43 (2018)
Biography
Delegate Mary Washington has spent over 20 years working for Maryland’s 43rd District as a legislator, advocate, and student of public policy.
In 2010, she made history when she became the first openly LGBT African-American elected official in Maryland – and only the second such state legislator in the country. In her seven-plus years in the House of Delegates since, she has distinguished herself as a leader fighting for affordable access to water, protecting families at risk of losing their homes to unfair tax sales and foreclosures, making sure Baltimore city schools get the fair and equitable funding they deserve and helping unaccompanied homeless youth get the services and support they need.
After serving on both the House Appropriations Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, Delegate Washington as won the trust of her colleagues and constituents as an expert and a leader on budget and tax issues and on the impact of those funding choices on families across Maryland.
Born in Philadelphia, Mary Washington began her professional career teaching at a Catholic elementary school. Her dedication to serving at-risk students and drive to understand the needs of urban communities brought her to Baltimore to study sociology at Johns Hopkins University. She earned her PhD from Johns Hopkins in 1997, then taught sociology at Lehigh University before taking a post-doctoral fellowship at the Population Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
Washington has served as:
* First director of the Baltimore City Housing Department’s CitiStat program.
* Interim Director of the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance, a project that collects and analyzes data important to neighborhoods.
* Associate Director of the Parks & People Foundation, where she advanced urban sustainability and urban farming projects and helped connect city youths to good green jobs that can help open up a greener future for the city and a brighter future for their careers.
* President of the Abell Improvement Association, the community association for a diverse and vibrant North Baltimore neighborhood.
In Annapolis, Delegate Washington serves as House Chair of the Joint Committee on Homelessness and as a member of the Joint Committee on Children Youth and Families, the Regional Revitalization Task Force, and the Tax Credit Evaluation Committee. She served as Deputy Majority Whip in 2015-16 and on the Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Task Force in 2013-14. Today Delegate Washington is a member of Women Legislators of Maryland and the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and an Associate Member of the Latino Legislative Caucus.
Delegate Washington, a member of the part-time faculty at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) teaches public policy and sociology courses.
Source: Elect Mary Washington.com
Priorities
Education & Job Training
Our elementary, high school and university students deserve equal access to quality, 21st-century educations that prepare them for the workforce and beyond.
As State Senator Mary Washington will: (1) Use her background in social statistics in coalition with educational research and advocates to propose “Kirwan Commission” formula that provides increased funding for concentrated poverty, racial equity and students with disabilities; (2) Support the implementation of universal pre-K and the implementation of the “community schools strategy in every Baltimore City Public School; (3) Proposed guaranteed parental leave for school-based activities; (4) Oppose privatization of public schools; (5) Establish an emergency repair fund for all school districts, and restore the Capital Improvement Program allocation so we prioritize construction projects for the buildings in the worst condition; (6) Establish more career and technical programs, develop more curricula for high-achieving students, and ensure our college-bound students are truly college-ready; (7) Expand college access regardless of income, offer free tuition at community colleges and provide a state-level and income-based repayment plan if loans are necessary.
Safe, Affordable & Vibrant Communities
Delegate Washington supports efforts to prevent violent crime and attend to the needs of victims and survivors while addressing the socio-economic root causes of crime and preventing recidivism. Building strong relationships between the community and police where both constituencies feel respected, included, and safe is a good start.
Living Wages & Economic Security
Delegate Washington knows we must consider new, bold ways to make our economy work again for all Marylanders. No one should live in poverty, nor be consigned to a future of permanent stagnation or anxiety. This means Baltimore City must not only protect workers rights but also we must work toward benefits for a secure retirement for our seniors, and access to quality healthcare including affordable prescriptions.
Equity & Social Justice
Delegate Washington will continue to ensure women, people of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+, people of all immigration statuses, people of any or no religious affiliation, and every member of our community receive the respect, attention, and intentional action they need and deserve from our government. Delegate Washington believes every community should have a voice when addressing issues that concern the community as a whole.
Source: Elect Mary Washington.com
Mary Washington
...
Office
Running for State Senate, Maryland, District 43 (2018)
Biography
Delegate Mary Washington has spent over 20 years working for Maryland’s 43rd District as a legislator, advocate, and student of public policy.
In 2010, she made history when she became the first openly LGBT African-American elected official in Maryland – and only the second such state legislator in the country. In her seven-plus years in the House of Delegates since, she has distinguished herself as a leader fighting for affordable access to water, protecting families at risk of losing their homes to unfair tax sales and foreclosures, making sure Baltimore city schools get the fair and equitable funding they deserve and helping unaccompanied homeless youth get the services and support they need.
After serving on both the House Appropriations Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, Delegate Washington as won the trust of her colleagues and constituents as an expert and a leader on budget and tax issues and on the impact of those funding choices on families across Maryland.
Born in Philadelphia, Mary Washington began her professional career teaching at a Catholic elementary school. Her dedication to serving at-risk students and drive to understand the needs of urban communities brought her to Baltimore to study sociology at Johns Hopkins University. She earned her PhD from Johns Hopkins in 1997, then taught sociology at Lehigh University before taking a post-doctoral fellowship at the Population Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
Washington has served as:
* First director of the Baltimore City Housing Department’s CitiStat program.
* Interim Director of the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance, a project that collects and analyzes data important to neighborhoods.
* Associate Director of the Parks & People Foundation, where she advanced urban sustainability and urban farming projects and helped connect city youths to good green jobs that can help open up a greener future for the city and a brighter future for their careers.
* President of the Abell Improvement Association, the community association for a diverse and vibrant North Baltimore neighborhood.
In Annapolis, Delegate Washington serves as House Chair of the Joint Committee on Homelessness and as a member of the Joint Committee on Children Youth and Families, the Regional Revitalization Task Force, and the Tax Credit Evaluation Committee. She served as Deputy Majority Whip in 2015-16 and on the Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Task Force in 2013-14. Today Delegate Washington is a member of Women Legislators of Maryland and the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and an Associate Member of the Latino Legislative Caucus.
Delegate Washington, a member of the part-time faculty at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) teaches public policy and sociology courses.
Source: Elect Mary Washington.com
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Priorities
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Social