By Brendan Straub
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The race for seats in the Maryland House of Delegates has begun to intensify in District 42B as candidates from both parties continue to revamp their campaign on such issues as safe communities, opiod addictions, redistricting and supporting families.
Democrats Michele Guyton and Sachin Hebbar are running against Republicans Tim Robinson and Nino Mangione for two open seats in the very rural district that extends from northern points of Towson up to the Pennsylvania state line, passing through the Loch Raven and Pretty Boy Reservoirs.
With the election coming up in about seven weeks, all four candidates are out in the community knocking on doors, waving signs on county corners and looking for other ways to publicize their campaigns. Political pundits predict that swing votes in the district will be the most important and the candidate who successfully collects these voters will have the best chance of holding office in Annapolis.
Michele Guyton, who lives in Phoenix with her husband and three children, is a developmental psychologist and a member of the Maryland State Board of Education. Her goal is to bring solutions to issues dealing with mental health patients and opiod abuse/addiction
“I am an evidence-based person in my day-to-day work and these problems are having an effect on second generation persons in households,” said Guyton, who is so busy juggling her unwieldy schedule that she could only find time for the interview while driving to work.
“Unless we can stem the tide on these issues, then we can’t move forward to other issues,” she said.
Guyton has become a champion for her own family as her three boys all suffer from disabilities, prompting her to co-found a support group for families with disabilities. She now chairs the Mid-Atlantic chapter of the National Tourette Association of America.
Despite her challenges at home, Guyton preaches in her campaign that treatment for opiod addiction needs to be addressed in an evidence-based but compassionate way.
Sachin Hebbar, who lives in Lutherville with his wife and two school-age children, works with “big data” in healthcare where he also has been awarded several grants for research in cancer, cell and molecular biology. He said his goal is to bring some solutions to the public education system that needs better school facilities, optimal student-to- teacher ratios and student resources.
GOP opponent, Tim Robinson has set his sight on changing certain aspects of health care and improving education. With expertise in pediatric anesthesiology, Robinson focuses his skills on surgeries of dwarfs and little people at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson. He lives nearby in Timonium, with his wife and their four children who are all graduates of Dulaney High School.
“Out of all the 10th graders who took the PARCC Assessment in Baltimore County this past year, over 50 percent failed the English section and two-thirds of those students failed the math section,” Robinson said.
“Ninety four percent of Baltimore City students had to take a remedial English and/or math class at their community college,” he added, stressing the numbers are “very concerning.” “We are failing the kids in our district of a good education.”
During the campaign, Robinson insists there needs to be more transparency and accountability in education with school districts being more careful in the ways money is spent per student.
Nino Mangione, a lifelong resident of Baltimore County and a graduate of Calvert Hall High School, works as a live-radio show host he produces, called The Six at 6 on Friday evenings. He said his main focus has been on safe communities with zero tolerance for drug dealers or so-called doctors who operate “pill mills” in the area.
The race has become more controversial as Guyton in September published a rebuttal to an article in the County Chronicle, which implied that a Democratic candidate could never win in this year’s 42B election. Guyton said district voters were being underestimated.
“I feel people should not be predicting what is going to happen in the election before it begins,” said Guyton. “It was not giving my friends in independent districts a chance to be confident in who they are voting for because the article was targeting against them crossing political lines.”
Robinson responded that the efforts of Republican Gov. Larry Hogan cannot go unnoticed and that people of the district will vote for the kinds of change they want to see.
Addressing all constituents’ concerns will be a challenge for the candidates. For example, resident Benjamin Berger is focused on illegal fishing, not the issues frequently touted by the Guyton, Robinson and others.
“When it comes to the reservoir at Dulaney Valley Road, there is a lot of illegal fishing and boating going on and the Maryland Natural Resources Police never really does anything about it,” said Berger.
“I hope one of the candidates can help dissolve these illegal activities because that is drinking water for residents of the county which is being contaminated,” he said.
Guyton acknowledged that once elected to office, the concerns of all residents should take priority.
“I’m excited about the work for the people if I am elected because I feel I can make honest and good decisions for the district,” Guyton said. “I know I have the support of the community behind me in the process.”
Robinson said, “If I win the election it means that the people of the district will have someone who will flex their political beliefs in Annapolis. This is a Republican conservative district and I feel am a good fit for the entire district as a whole.”
The district 42B election will take place on Nov. 6 at polling stations across the district from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. More information on where to find a polling station can be found here: https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/PollingPlaceSearch.