Housing prices in Southern Maryland have gone up dramatically. Salaries have not kept pace. The result is that working families, people who are employed, contributing to this community, doing everything right -- are still falling behind.

As a REALTOR working with first-time homebuyers in St. Mary's & Calvert County every day, I am not reading about this problem in a report. I am sitting across the table from it. I work with couples where both partners are employed, one on base, one in the community, and they still cannot find housing that is suitable and affordable. That is a policy failure, not a personal one.

I will fight for policies that make homeownership and stable housing accessible to working families, not just those who already have wealth. Southern Maryland should be a place where the people who serve and work here can actually afford to live here.