Alleria Stanley
DemocraticQ1 Maryland residents are facing sharply rising electricity bills driven by a combination of power plant retirements, surging market prices, and rapidly growing demand (including from the proliferation of data centers across the region). If elected, what specific steps will you take to address the causes of high energy costs for Maryland residents and businesses, including data centers?
“Soaring electricity rates threaten family budgets and local business stability across Maryland. This crunch stems from a growing gap between retired generation capacity and rising regional demand. We cannot address this problem with empty promises. We must solve it through sound engineering, regional advocacy, and practical policy. To deliver long-term relief and stabilize our energy supply, I will prioritize three initiatives: Protect Residential Ratepayers: Data centers bring investment, but they also bring enormous load demands. I will mandate that large commercial users cover one hundred percent of the grid upgrades and specialized generation their facilities require. If they want to be our neighbors, they must be good neighbors. Modernize the Grid for Reliability: Lowering costs requires expanding capacity. I will champion investments in advanced grid-enhancing technologies, battery storage facilities, and utility-scale solar and nuclear options that keep power reliable and cost-effective. Advocate Aggressively at the Regional Level: PJM decisions dictate market prices for our state. Decisions are made by those who show up. Maryland must show up forcefully before federal and regional regulators to oppose cost allocations that penalize our residents for regional power demands. By pairing innovation with accountability, we can build a resilient, affordable energy future for every community.”
Q2 Since early 2025, Maryland has lost nearly 25,000 federal jobs (more than any other state) as funding cuts to federal agencies including the NIH, NASA, and NIST take effect. How would you approach strengthening Maryland’s economy, and what steps would you take to ensure that workers across different roles and education levels benefit from those efforts?
“Federal cuts demonstrate the vulnerability of over-relying on federal agency budgets. Maryland possesses tremendous human capital, and we must channel that expertise directly into private industry, state infrastructure, and local enterprise. Decisions are made by those who show up, and Maryland must step forward to build an economy that serves every community. My approach focuses on practical execution across three fronts: Mobilize Community College Engines: Community colleges offer the fastest, most affordable bridge to good careers. I will champion state investments in short-term workforce training programs that connect workers directly to high-wage, in-demand technical fields without forcing people to take on burdensome student debt. Anchor Innovation in Maryland: We must incentivize private commercialization of research. By offering targeted tax incentives and streamlining laboratory and manufacturing permitting, we can encourage life sciences, cybersecurity, and defense tech firms to establish commercial roots right here in Maryland. Value Operational and Support Workers: Federal cutbacks affect not only scientists, but also administrative staff, facilities personnel, and logistics workers. I will ensure state retraining and re-employment programs explicitly serve support professionals, pairing their valuable experience with high-demand private sector operations.”
Q3 Maryland faces public health challenges ranging from stark socioeconomic health disparities, a behavioral health and opioid crisis that disproportionately impacts communities of color, gaps in rural mental health access, and a strained public health infrastructure. What evidence-based policies do you support to improve community health for your constituents?
“Health outcomes should never depend on a person’s zip code or background. When we lift others, we all rise. Tackling Maryland’s opioid crisis and mental health shortages requires practical, evidence-based solutions that meet people where they live. Having served in military healthcare and on local human relations and equity commissions, I know that lasting community health starts with accessible frontline care. In Annapolis, I will champion three specific initiatives: Integrate Behavioral Health into Primary Care: I support expanding the Collaborative Care Model across clinics statewide. Treating depression, trauma, and substance use disorders within routine primary care visits removes stigma, catches warning signs early, and dramatically improves patient outcomes. Close Rural Care Deserts: Rural communities face severe clinician shortages. I will advocate for permanent telehealth parity for both audio and video services, alongside state loan-repayment incentives to recruit and retain psychiatrists, licensed counselors, and dental professionals in rural Maryland. Expand Harm Reduction and Mobile Crisis Response: We must treat addiction as the complex medical condition that it is. I support utilizing our state Opioid Restitution Fund to deploy mobile crisis teams, expand access to medications for opioid use disorder, and sustain community peer recovery specialists.”
Q4 Across the state of Maryland, science and STEM education cultivate interest at a lower rate than intended, too few community-college students successfully transfer and complete bachelor’s degrees, and college affordability remains vulnerable to shifts in federal student aid and support. What evidence-based policies do you support to build a strong science and STEM pipeline from public schools and K-12 programs through colleges and universities for the next generation of Marylanders?
“A robust STEM pipeline powers Maryland’s economic future. When we lift others, we all rise. As a community college graduate, I know firsthand that two-year institutions offer an essential, affordable launchpad. Decisions are made by those who show up, and Maryland must eliminate the institutional silos that cause capable students to lose credits or disengage early. In Annapolis, I will champion three evidence-based priorities: Mandate Seamless 2+2 STEM Transfer Pathways: I will sponsor legislation establishing uniform statewide articulation agreements and common course numbering across Maryland public institutions. Community college students who complete approved STEM curricula must transfer into four-year state universities with full junior standing and zero lost credits. Expand Hands-On K-12 STEM and Cohort Mentorship: Project-based learning sparks lasting curiosity. I support state grants for public school laboratory, robotics, and coding equipment, alongside dual-enrollment tracks and co-advising cohorts that pair community college students with university advisors from day one. Protect Affordability with Targeted Completion Aid: Unpredictable federal student aid threatens completion rates. I will advocate for expanding the Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship and funding need-based completion grants for transfer students finishing critical STEM bachelor’s degrees.”
Q5 What policies, if any, do you support or envision for managing land-based resources in your district (i.e. water, open-space preserves, parks)?
“Managing land-based resources requires proactive stewardship and clear community standards. In our district, rural landscapes, working family farms, and sensitive waterways define our quality of life. Decisions are made by those who show up, and our communities must have an active voice in protecting local assets. If large industrial developers want to be our neighbors, they must be good neighbors. They cannot consume or contaminate our local water tables. In Annapolis, I will champion three specific land and water policies: Protect Aquifers and Potable Water Supplies: Large industrial projects, including data centers, can strain water infrastructure. I will sponsor legislation requiring rigorous hydrogeological reviews and closed-loop, water-efficient cooling technologies to protect municipal reservoirs and private agricultural wells. Defend Program Open Space and Working Farmland: I will oppose raiding Program Open Space funds. We must fully fund the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation and Rural Legacy programs to keep family farms viable, preserve contiguous forest tracts, and curb sprawling overdevelopment. Enhance Watershed Buffers and Park Access: When we lift others, we all rise, and green spaces support community health. I support cost-share grants for landowners to restore stream buffers and state capital investments that expand local parks, interconnected recreational trails, and river access.”
Q6 What advisory mechanisms will you implement to ensure that evidence and scientific findings play a crucial role in your policymaking process?
“Effective lawmaking requires intellectual humility. I know what I do not know. As a servant leader, I work for you, and my constituents will be my bosses. With a 90-day legislative session, minimal office staff, and only a few weeks to debate bills in committee before crossover, delegates cannot waste time on grandiose, unworkable proposals. We must integrate scientific expertise pragmatically. My approach relies on three realistic mechanisms: Leverage the Legislative Interim: The 90-day session moves too fast for deep research. I will use the nine-month interim to consult local scientists, healthcare clinicians, and engineers, vetting policy concepts and data well before bill-filing deadlines. Solicit Expert and Practitioner Testimony: Decisions are made by those who show up. When bills head to committee, I will proactively invite subject-matter experts, frontline operators, and community stakeholders to provide written and oral testimony, cutting through lobbying claims with empirical facts. Utilize Independent Analytical Staff: Rather than relying on partisan talking points, I will heavily lean on the nonpartisan Department of Legislative Services and state academic extension services. I will examine their fiscal notes and technical policy reviews to understand the real-world evidence behind each vote.”
Q7 What initiatives will you take to support investment in innovation via federal science funding?
“Strategic public investment in science drives economic growth and keeps Maryland competitive. When we lift others, we all rise. Decisions are made by those who show up, and Maryland must proactively invest to translate academic discovery into thriving local businesses. With federal research agency budgets facing real instability, our state must protect its innovation ecosystem and expand technical opportunities across all regions. In Annapolis, I will champion three concrete science funding priorities: Expand TEDCO Commercialization and Regional Hubs: I will support strengthening TEDCO and the Maryland Innovation Initiative to bridge the gap between university labs and startup commercialization. Furthermore, I will advocate for state capital investments in shared wet labs, maker spaces, and computing incubators across Frederick County and Western Maryland so local entrepreneurs can innovate without prohibitive overhead costs. Protect and Modernize the Small Business R&D Tax Credit: Early-stage research ventures operate on tight margins. I support raising the statutory cap on Maryland’s refundable Research and Development Tax Credit, specifically increasing the set-aside for small businesses and tech startups. Multiply Federal Innovation Awards: I will back state matching grant programs for Maryland small businesses that win competitive federal SBIR/STTR grants, helping local innovators scale their operations and create high-wage technical jobs right here in Maryland.”