Jen Mallo appears to be openly seeking & embracing endorsements, financial contributions & generous favors from developers (and politicians with heavy ties to developers) that have successfully influenced planning, zoning, and development practices that are directly responsible for the HCPSS school overcrowding crisis and the massive redistricting that took place in Fall 2019.
Some in the community have brushed off the low dollar amount of these campaign contributions to Jen Mallo compared to campaign contributions made by some local constituents & neighborhoods to other BOE candidates during this election cycle. Let’s be clear: what’s concerning here is not the monetary value of the contribution, but what it represents.
When developers have historically stayed away from local BOE races, why would they become involved now, when redistricting is central to much of the re-election focus? It is no coincidence that THHC, MBIA, and SDC are highly connected with the narrative put forth by Center Maryland, as detailed in this previous post.
Any dollar amount contributed by developers in non-partisan Board of Education campaigns is a signal of support, resources, and influence. When we have numerous bills coming before the county and school attendance area decisions being made by the BOE, any developer influence at this time in Howard County should be carefully scrutinized and questioned.
As has been seen with many current & past elected officials, developer influence often trickles in slowly and grows over time. These sort of influences have no place in education. The only way for us to eliminate that possibility of undue developer influence is to abandon the practice entirely.
For a candidate who has prided herself on her independence from partisan politics and special interests during her 2018 campaign (less than two years ago), this sudden flip-flop in Jen Mallo’s values raises serious red flags that every District 4 voter needs to be aware of and carefully consider.
