- The Aegis; September 1st, 2006.
So why was Paula Mullis the best candidate for our District in the Harford County Council? The answer is very simple. Paula's ideas and vision for our community transcended party lines. Paula not only gained valuable support among the Republicans in Joppa and Edgewood, but her ideas picked up support among many Democrat and Independent voters as well.
Why? Because Paula isn't about party lines. She's about results. She's about the people. These are the things that Paula wanted to bring to the Harford County Council.
What does this mean for us?
These new incoming jobs mean incoming families and income for the county. And it will have a direct affect on our community as these families will find homes and schools right in our district. This presents such a great opportunity for us, but it also demands leadership on the County Council to deal with the pending growth, and any growing pains that may arise from such a large change. We need to make sure we are keeping zoning and tax laws not just up to date, but fair to the Edgewood and surrounding areas so that new businesses can come in and have a chance. Higher tax rates and zoning laws that make it harder for a business to start up and grow in our District will be out of the question. We need to make sure our streets are safe and we attack the growing crime problem. We need to make sure our part of the Harford County Public School system is up to the task. Paula believes there are key aspects of our community that need to be strong and ready. And there are areas that need improvement so that when these new families arrive, they know they are coming to a wonderful and thriving area. Our current representation is falling asleep at the wheel. It's time for new leadership. It's time for Paula Mullis.
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Paula absolutely believes we need a stronger police presence and involvement to counter our growing gang and drug problems. But it's not just about throwing more resources at the problem and hoping it goes away. It's about empowering the community and giving them the tools they need to make their community safe and strong:
- It's about getting parents and neighbors involved in neighborhood watch and programs to send a strong message that crime and gangs are not welcome in our community. The police are vital to the fight against gang violence and crime, but the involvement of the community is just as vital. Paula will meet with the community on a regular basis to make sure our needs are being met and make sure the County Council is doing everything they can to help meet those needs.
- As a former member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Paula knows how to create and maintain support systems, and how effective they can be as an arm of the Harford County Sheriff's Department. Paula will work to establish an Auxillary Police Force to handle the calls that don't require taking an officer off the street where they are needed. The Harford County Council can help with resources. Paula intends on fighting for those resources, and working with both community leaders and directly with average families to make sure these programs get implemented.
- It's about working with the local churches and synagogues to help develop and maintain strong faith based programs to help regain our neighborhoods and bring families together. Paula's already begun this work on the Ministerial Alliance Committee of the Edgewood Community Council. As a Harford County Councilwoman, Paula intends on continuing to meet regularly with Clergy and volunteers to see how she and the Council can help with these programs and how the community can come together.
- It's about working WITH the Harford County and Maryland State Police in partnership for the greater good of our community, and the entire county; but not getting in their way. As a member of the County Council, Paula will work to make sure the Harford County Sheriff's Department has everything they need to do their jobs, and then letting them do it without interference. But Paula will also hold the Sheriff and the Sheriff's Department accountable for their actions and progress.
We have a problem. There are schools in our area that are showing signs of slipping in standards and educational quality. Two Edgewood public schools; Deerfield Elementary and Edgewood Middle School, have failed to meet the yearly progress goals mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. After failing to meet No Child Left Behind standards for the fourth year in a row, Edgewood Middle School has found itself in the “corrective action” category, according to the state Department of Education’s Web site. This means Harford is responsible for making changes such as replacing school staff, adopting a new curriculum or extending the school day or year. Edgewood Middle will have to achieve the minimum standards over the next two years in order to be in good standing!!
The question is, where has our County Council representative been for the last 4 years while our schools are failing? Who is minding the store?? Well the time to correct these problems is now. The time for leadership at the Harford County Council is now! If we don't do something about this now, the State Government can come in and do it for us. It's time to stop talking about it, put the politics aside, and do something about it! Paula intends to do more than just idle talk in an election year.
As Paula has gone door-to-door in our community, she has heard a very common concern among frustrated parents. They are concerned with the lack of accountability by the Harford County Board of Education. And it's not just Edgewood, it's Joppatowne as well. Paula shares those concerns and believes that because taxpayer money is going into the Board of Education, there needs to be accountability. Here is what Paula wants to do when she gets to the County Council:
- Paula will not only make sure our schools are getting all the resources they need from the county and the state, but make sure we are also holding our school administrators and teachers fully accountable for their results. One of Paula's priorities when elected as your Councilwoman is to quickly hold emergency meetings with officials and administrators from both the schools in corrective action and the Board of Education and find out what the problem is and how to solve it. If it's a lack of resources, Paula will work with the Board and the schools to come up with the proper plan to take to the County Council. And then she will see the plan through.
- While we must hold them accountable, we must also treasure teachers who are producing results and do everything we can to preserve their positions instead of losing them to other counties and districts because of things like lack of competitive pay and resources.
- Parents of Edgewood Middle and Deerfield Elementary School students are frustrated. And yet they have been without representation for the past 4 years. It's time those parents got their voices heard again. Paula's vision is to empower the community to help take back their schools. She will create an Educational Advisory Alliance made up of concerned parents and teachers from all sides of our diverse community so that their voices can once again be heard and actions can be taken to address their concerns. It's time to leave the politics of education where it belongs; well outside the walls of our schools.
- With the implementation of BRAC, the need for more school capacity in Joppa and Edgewood is very necessary. Not only will we need new schools to handle the incoming increase in student population, but many of our older schools in the community need to be renovated and retooled to handle more students.
- Though her work and leadership in the Harford County and Maryland Federation of Republican Women, Paula has cultivated strong relationships with elected officials all around the State of Maryland. And it's time to put that to good use. As your Councilwoman, Paula will continue to develop stronger working relationships with not only our Delegates and State Senators, but with the State Executive and Federal Government (when applicable) to insure our schools receive their fair share of available funding and attention. Our schools should have access to the same programs available as other schools in not only Harford County, but other successful counties across Maryland. And those programs shouldn't be "corrective action" programs. As our community continues to grow and strengthen, we can take advantage of programs offered to local governments by the US Department of Education to help with the influx of new students, as well as keep our schools both safe and at a high level of standards. These are our tax dollars being spent. And we should have a voice, so that our local schools who have prided themselves on their programs and quality of education can continue to grow and thrive. Paula will be that voice.
