District 29B will have the chance to choose from two Democratic candidates for Maryland delegate next week, incumbent John Bohanan, and a new contender, James Cusick, Sr.
John Bohanan was born and raised in St. Mary’s County, a graduate of Ryken High School, he went on to earn a business degree from Towson. If reelected, it will be Bohanan’s 8th session as delegate. He lives in St. Mary’s with his wife and three sons.
James Cusick was also born in St. Mary’s County. He has one son. After some travel within the US, Cusick returned to St. Mary’s County in 1992. Since that time he has been incarcerated five times for failure to pay child support and spray painting the courthouse in Leonardtown, the child support building in Leonardtown and the
Maryland Statehouse in Annapolis. Cusick considers his crimes to be political acts against an unjust child support system, and consequently claims he was a political prisoner. His campaign focuses around two primary platforms: reforming child support laws and stopping the expansion of the local navy base.
The League of Women Voters recently submitted questions to the candidates on topics of importance. The questions and the candidates’ responses follow. For more information you might also wish to visit their websites, www.gowithboh.com and www.electcusick.bravehost.com.
HOUSING
With federal money for affordable housing drying up, should state fill the gap? If so, how?
Bohanan: The State will have to work with local communities to plug gaps left from federal housing reductions. Working with the private sector, state and local governments can create incentives for affordable housing to be built and refurbished in older communities where housing stocks have fallen in value due to lack of investment. Using its priority funding as leverage, the state can assist communities in creating more workforce housing stock.
Cusick: In St. Mary’s County the State government has already been filling much of the gap for providing affordable housing, but the true problem is that we have excessive growth that is causing super inflation to all of our housing and property prices. We need to control the reckless growth.
EDUCATION
How should state government work with local governments to solve the crisis in public school education affecting many Maryland communities?
Bohanan: Thornton funding is beginning to address the shortfall in operational funding support. We need to invest in newer more school construction funding to build more efficient schools in older areas of the state to help reduce some of the costs of operating older school facilities.
Cusick: We must first recognize that for District 29b and for St Mary’s County that our foremost problem in education is that our schools are severely overloaded and overcrowded because of the reckless growth being pushed onto our home town and put a stop to it.
TRANSPORTATION
Is current funding for transportation adequate? If not, would you support increasing it, and how? If you do not support increasing it, how should available funds be allocated?
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