Lexington Park, MD – Following his first term in public office, John O’Connor is seeking re-election in St. Mary’s County District 3. The Long Island native and former U.S. Army Military Police Officer moved to St. Mary’s while working on the Prince George’s County police force.
O’Connor has an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Kaplan University and a Bachelor of Science in Management degree for John’s Hopkins University.
During his four years in office, O’Connor has been a part of a board that has worked to diversify St. Mary’s economy. On O’Connor’s website, he outlines his disdain towards the “costly and principle role of the county government in economic development.” He states that he believes the “DED should coordinate a public-private partnership of business and economic development groups.” O’Connor believes that the county should help the private sector invest in business projects, instead of the county using taxpayer dollars. The incumbent also outlines some ways to approach the county’s economic development from a “bottom-up approach that builds on existing local resources and keeps the return on investment (ROI) local.” O’Connor believes this will be achieved through, “Protecting farms from property and inheritance taxes,” improving access to “retail, institutional, and commercial food service markets,” he also proposes using the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds as a farmers’ market.
On taxes, O’Connor would like to reduce property taxes from “5 percent to 2.5 percent” and would like to eliminate the county’s Energy and Fuel Tax. He also stresses the need for the commissioners to differentiate between “how much is ‘a need to have’ and how much is ‘a nice to have.’”
In addition to the above issues, O’Connor outlines how he’d like to manage and control growth in the county on his website here.
Election day for the 2018 Gubernatorial election is November 6, 2018. Please check the Maryland voter service website here to find your polling location.
Contact Jerold at staffwriter@thebaynet.com.