Cesar Diaz - District 2
1. Addressing Social Inequities
What economic, educational, or resource access disparities exist in the district(s) you seek to represent? How do these disparities affect residents’ daily lives, and what specific measures would you pursue to address them?
According to data published by Frederick County and the Ausherman Foundation, the Golden Mile area, which makes up a large part of District 2, has a poverty rate nearly double the rest of the city, with one in three children living in poverty. Hillcrest Elementary has a poverty
concentration rate of 93%. The area also has a population density nearly double the rest of the city.
This economic disparity places a burden on the residents of District 2 and an increased use of public services. As an example, 40% of the bus ridership comes out of the district. High poverty rates among school age children can have a significant impact on their educational success.
The city can take steps to address the issues caused by these economic disparities. Rising housing costs are growing at a faster rate than income levels. The cost of transportation outside the district and childcare costs put a strain on household budgets.
To address the rising cost of housing, the city needs to adopt a rent stabilization policy that limits the amount of rent increase from year to year, allowing families to stay in housing longer, reducing their cost and providing stability to families and the community. Zoning and permit reforms are also needed to allow for faster construction of affordable housing.
Childcare costs are also increasing faster than wages. The city of Frederick can work with local groups like the Asian American Center of Frederick that have existing childcare and early education programs to increase their services to the area.
2. Healthcare Access and Equity
How would you assess access to healthcare in your district(s)? Are there particular barriers that limit residents’ ability to obtain quality care? What policies or initiatives would you support to promote preventive care, expand health education, and improve health outcomes across all communities?
Access to healthcare in District 2 is limited. The only healthcare facilities in the district are the school-based health center at Hillcrest Elementary and the small County Health Dept facility at the strip mall at the corner of Hillcrest and Patrick. Neither one of those locations provides comprehensive health services to the community.
It is vital that this access is improved. The city should look at the many vacant commercial spaces in the area as potential locations to establish a health care facility. The planned Community Center at West Side Regional Park is another opportunity to provide space for health
services. Staffing and services in those facilities could be a public/private partnership with NGOs in the area that are already trusted by the community and are already providing health related services to the community.
3. Environmental Concerns
What environmental issues—such as pollution, climate impacts, or loss of green space— are most pressing for Frederick City? What strategies or policies would you advocate to promote environmental sustainability and protect public health?
The impacts of climate change affect all parts of Frederick City. Rising average temperatures means higher utility bills. Stronger and more frequent storms mean property damage, lost work time and safety risks. The loss of green space means less opportunities for outdoor recreation,
the loss of cooling and air pollution filtering provided by tree cover and loss of natural habitat.
Much of District 2 was developed before current regulations were put in place to ensure that green space was a part of development plans. The Golden Mile doesn’t have any area of sidewalks covered by trees, most of the landscaping that has been put in place is in the medians. There are few areas of tree cover in most of the commercial properties along route 40.
As the effects of climate change are made more obvious, the city needs to review the forest conservation section of the Land Management Code to determine if any changes need to be made to provide more protection to existing tree cover or reforestation requirements. Stronger enforcement of current rules needs to emphasize the quality of green space that is protected during development. When existing public infrastructure is renovated or improved, such as
schools, parks and especially walking paths including sidewalks, consideration needs to be given to using that opportunity to provide more green space and tree cover.
4. Access to Child Care
Many families in Frederick City face challenges finding affordable, high-quality child care. What role should the City play in addressing these challenges? What steps would you take to improve access and affordability for working families?
Maryland ranks 11th in the country for childcare costs, with some families in Frederick spending close to a quarter of their income on childcare. This problem has been exacerbated by the loss of licensed childcare workers and the enrollment freeze in the State’s Child Care Scholarship program.
Frederick City should evaluate ways it can fund a childcare assistance fund. This could include emergency vouchers for families who are facing an unexpected cost from the loss of childcare facilities or long waiting periods to enroll in State programs.
To encourage new childcare facilities the city should streamline the zoning and permitting process for new facilities. Reducing fees for childcare providers who will be serving lower income areas would also encourage the growth of new childcare providers. Public/Private partnerships with groups in the city that already provide childcare services can also increase the options for families.
5. Public Education and the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future
What do you see as the most significant challenges currently facing Frederick City’s public schools? How would you address them as a local elected official? What is your perspective on the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and its impact so far?
The most significant challenge to Frederick City Schools is the budgetary burden caused by the city’s rapid growth. County school budgets are drawn up at the beginning of the school year based on enrollment numbers at the time. With the population growing at a rate of close to 3% a year, that is approximately 900 new students added each school year that are not budgeted until the following year. This keeps FCPS perpetually playing catchup with per student budgeting.
Frederick City government needs to evaluate the effects of this rapid growth in enrollment and work with county officials to ensure that city schools are funded at appropriate levels. This could mean school budget increases based on population growth, so that city schools are budgeted at levels that account for growth, better forecasting of the impact of new developments on school enrollment levels, or the city contributing to the FCPS budget to specifically fund schools within the city that are experiencing faster growth.
Budgets are also having a big impact on the success of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. One of the pillars of the blueprint is to raise the starting salary of teachers to $60,000 a year. While Frederick County has made progress towards this goal, many FCPS teacher position have a starting salary below this amount. The city needs to advocate for teachers in city schools to achieve the salary mandated by this pillar.
6. Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Please share an example of a time you supported or led an effort to advance diversity, equity, or inclusion. What was your approach, what outcomes resulted, and what did you learn from the experience?
I have worked in the Information Technology field for more than 20 years. When I started in the early 2000’s the was little representation by members of marginalized communities. Many times, I was the only Person of Color on a team. As my career path took me into leadership positions, I made it a priority to mentor other POC, female and other marginalized folks to help them in their own careers. When I have had the opportunity to form my own IT teams, I have
made hiring decisions with an eye towards diversity and inclusion. Working on IT contracts in the federal space, having diverse teams allowed my teams to provide support to the federal workforce, which in many cases had very diverse representation.
7. Housing Affordability and Neighborhood Change
How are Frederick City residents affected by the availability and cost of housing, including issues related to gentrification or displacement? What policies or programs would you support to expand housing affordability and stability? Do you support implementing a rent stabilization initiative to slow rising costs of rental units in Frederick City?
Rising housing costs is the #1 issue I hear from voters. Housing costs in Frederick have risen 33% while the median income has only gone up 23%. This has left nearly half of renters paying 30% or more of their income in rent.
There is no silver bullet to bring housing costs down, several strategies will need to be implemented to address the issue.
- Rent stabilization policies like those adopted by Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties that tie the rate that rent can increase to Consumer Price Index or the rate of inflation
- This type of policy will allow renters to stay in a rental property long term,
providing housing security and help foster a sense of community
- Zoning and permit reform
Reviewing the Land Management Code to allow for use of ADUs, higher density development and expediting the permitting and zoning process for developments that provide affordable housing
- Reviewing the use of fee-in-lieu for affordable housing in new developments
Currently developers must dedicate 12.5% of new developments as Moderately Priced Dwelling Units or pay a fee to fulfill the requirement.
The city needs to study the effectiveness of the policy and how it impacts the number of moderately priced units available.
Pros and cons of fee-in-lieu vs mandating the percentage of units to be built
Review the way the City Housing Fund is used and how it can better facilitate more affordable housing units in the City.