I don’t know Rushern Baker personally but looking at his past records as a County Executive from 2010 to 2018, I give him a 2 out 3.
His fiance, Kathy I do know personally and she is a trustworthy person, well respected in the community and she speaks very highly of Rushern Baker, which is to be expected.
I think during his time in Office, he lowered crime in Prince George’s County and supported the Rural Tier and helped create Plan Prince George’s County 2035 to preserve land in the rural areas and shift development in more populated areas of County and was responsible for the MGM coming to Nation Harbor.
He also wanted to raise property taxes, I know and checked and found he proposed to raise property taxes 15% to fund the school system
Google was used for the below publications.
Baker strongly emphasized public safety and generally supported the police, citing a 50%+ drop in the county’s crime rate during his two terms. He created the Transforming Neighborhoods Initiative (TNI) to bring targeted police presence and social services to the county’s highest-need areas. However, his administration also had to navigate periods of intense scrutiny regarding police department misconduct, corruption scandals, and public demands for increased accountability.
Limiting Growth in Rural Areas Baker supported the preservation of the Rural Tier, which restricted dense development in favor of preserving agricultural land and open space. During his tenure, his administration and the Prince George’s County Planning Department implemented Plan Prince George’s 2035, which intentionally directed the county’s commercial growth and dense development into transit hubs and urban centers rather than rural or agricultural areas.
Baker did not succeed in raising property taxes by the double-digit amounts he wanted, but he did sign off on the first property hike in over 30 years. In 2015, he proposed a massive 15.6% property tax increase explicitly earmarked to boost funding for public schools. After a fierce battle with the County Council, he settled on an 11.45% request, but the council ultimately overrode him and passed a compromise budget with a 4% increase.
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