In 2016, voters approved a process that would lead to an automatic review of our charter, the governing document for Baltimore County. The County Council will consider several 
changes recommended by the charter review commission.
I will introduce legislation to amend the county charter to create a Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. The new agency would replace the current Department of Public Works. Under the change, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure would have a expanded mission of promoting bicycling, pedestrian features, and transit where appropriate.
While Baltimore County has an outstanding record of engineering highway projects, I believe we need a Twenty-First Century focus that looks across transportation modes. I also think Baltimore County can do a better job of responding to community concerns about safety on higher-order routes. There are these types of corridors all around the county—routes where there are clearly problems, but an unwillingness to creatively work to slow down traffic and improve pedestrian safety.
I have long been interested in these issues; before my election in 2010, I worked in senior positions at the state and federal departments of transportation. In 2011, the Baltimore County Council sponsored legislation that created the Baltimore County Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee. Our office helped secure funding for new bike lanes in Towson and a trail in Perry Hall, and we worked with the Maryland Transit Administration on a feasibility study for a Towson circulator.