What made you decide to run for County Commission?
The past few years our county has been so consumed with fighting we have failed to solve serious problems impacting our county. Our county needs more than ever people who are willing and able to have constructive conversations on our county issues with the knowledge needed for the job. I feel I am the right person who will be able to lead critical changes in our county government to head in a better direction.
Why should residents trust you with governing Jefferson County?
As a newcomer to local politics, I believe I can help our county government move past the strife of the past year and begin tackling the critical issues before our community. Before beginning this campaign, I have helped Jefferson for many years as a volunteer and local civic nonprofit leader. I feel this experience, connection to our community, and the time I have spent listening to residents on all sides of the aisle has allowed me to get a clear picture of the problems we face, where things went wrong, and what can be done to get us back on track. Many of our most critical county issues have a clear consensus from the people of Jefferson County on what they want and deserve. That consensus is that the County needs to curb solar development, address severe EMS/Fire coverage issues, and bring transparency into the way the Commission does business. I have a good track record with people who have volunteered and worked with me. I would like to bring the same good will with strong ethics into our county commission.
What specific experience and expertise do you have that is relevant to performing the role of County Commissioner?
First and foremost, I am a growing small business owner with experience leading and hiring employees in a professional field. For over a decade I have been a certified general commercial real estate appraiser. I believe I am currently the only one who resides within Jefferson, and one of the few in the Eastern Panhandle. This profession is what I believe provides a clear distinction between myself and my opponent when it comes to relevant experience that can be used from day one to begin addressing the land use issues facing Jefferson. A few folks running fail to grasp the basic understanding needed regarding zoning ordinance. Commercial Appraisers, in order to stay licensed, are required to comply with a rigorous code of ethics that mandates I be unbiased in all aspects of the services I provide. Because of this, I have a deep working understanding of local zoning ordinance and how these ordinances can be changed effectively to curb future Solar development, without the conflict of interest or implicit bias someone who works in real estate or land development may have.
For other non-land use aspects of county government, I think my community leadership and small business ownership experience provides me with the foundation needed to form part of a new trustworthy, effective, and transparent County Commission. While we will not always agree on every detail, there is a lot of common understanding among the candidates on what issues need to be addressed by the newly elected commission, and I believe I can help forge this understanding into actionable changes for the betterment of all.
What changes would you make to how the Commission conducts its business?
Time and time again when speaking to people in Jefferson about the commission, the concern is a lack of understanding on when, how, and why an action was taken. It can sometimes take months or years of postmortem review to understand what went wrong after an almost universally unpopular result was reached. I want to cut through that ambiguity and put county residents at the heart of any action taken by the commission. People should have a clear understanding of what is being discussed, how it affects them, and then given an opportunity to provide input that receives meaningful consideration.
As part of that effort, I believe commissioners should be better connected to the local municipal governments in the district they represent. From my magisterial district of Shepherdstown, I have often heard from town leadership that they feel like they do not have a seat at the table in county discussions, even those with a direct impact on the town. This new two-way communication would go a long way towards my ultimate goal of bringing much needed transparency to the Commission.
At the end of your term, what is the one thing that you would hope people remember most about your service on the Commission?
I would hope that at the end of my term, people remember that I fought for them to fulfill the promises I have made. I believe that Jefferson at the end of my term will have the solar zoning loopholes closed, common sense brought into where and how we are allowing residential development, and a large and robust commercial tax base built on business that want to partner with our wonderful community, not exploit it.
Candidate info:
Age: 33
Residency: I live in the Shepherdstown Magisterial district between Shepherdstown and Harpers Ferry off 230 and have lived in our home since 2016. My husband and I are from Frederick County, Maryland.
Volunteer experience: The past ten years I have spent around 25% of my work week devoted to volunteering. I am the President of a local civic organization. I have served in this non-partisan organization for close to ten years. I volunteer regularly in my church at Covenant Baptist, youth exchange volunteer counselor with state department annual background checks close to ten years, past host parent, have coached several seasons in sports, and help with several youth programs in our county fundraising and supporting title 1 schools, scholarships, literacy initiatives, SANE department at WVU, AWS of Jefferson County support, JCCM support with winter gear the past several years, reading to classes every quarter, and regularly volunteer at my kids public school in Jefferson County Schools. I work in many mentorship capacities ranging from young kids to young adults at Shepherd University.
Work experience: Growing small business owner of an appraiser firm. I am a certified general real estate appraiser in West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia and have worked in this field for over ten years.
Education / Military / Other experience: Professional Certification: Certified General Appraiser in three states; bachelor’s in communication with business focus from the University of Maryland College Park.
Website: votecarakeyscommissioner.com
Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561697767422
Email: votecommissionercara@gmail.com
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By Staff Contributor