Meet Erin Hughes, Candidate For Bel Air Board Of Commissioners

BEL AIR, MD — Residents will be voting Nov. 7 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. to elect officials to three seats on Bel Air's Board of Commissioners. Meet Erin Hughes who is running for the Bel Air Board of Commissions. Hughes shared with Patch information about herself and why she's running for office.

What ways can people contact you with questions?
My email address for my campaign is eshugh1@gmail.com. If they have specific questions about the town, my commissioner email is ehughes@belairmd.org.

Campaign website?
I have a Facebook page: Erin Hughes, Bel Air Town Commissioner

Age as of election day?
47

Place of residence?
Williams Street, Bel Air MD, 21014

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
No

Education?
I graduated from Bel Air High School and currently hold three bachelors degrees in biology, nursing and computer science.

Occupation?
Clinical research nurse for the pediatric allergy team at Johns Hopkins

Previously held elected or appointed political positions?
I have served as a Bel Air Town Commissioner for the past four years, since November of 2019.

Why are you running for office?
I think it's important to bring a level-headed approach to the sustainability of Bel Air. I feel as a commissioner, it's my duty to make decisions based on what is best for the town as a whole, not just certain neighborhoods or streets.

The single most pressing issue facing voters is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.
Bel Air is at an important crossroads and I believe it's crucial to choose a path that leads to a vibrant, economically healthy and age-diverse community. I intend to accomplish that by continuing to prioritize these goals in my decision-making process.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
I'm open minded when it comes to evaluating new projects and ideas. My opponents believe "Saving Bel Air" can only be achieved by slamming the door on any sort of progress or advancement.

As an incumbent commissioner, in what way has the current board failed the community?
As an incumbent commissioner, I take an oath and am tasked with the duty of upholding the town charter and making decisions within that framework. I had to do this during the town's comprehensive zoning process when a group of town residents presented the Board of Commissioners with a "petition for referendum" that did not comply with the requirements of the town charter. They also inaccurately listed the prior zoning for two of the contested properties as R2 (Residential) instead of B2A (Business). Intentional or not, I viewed this as presenting the signers of the signature sheets (the residents/voters of Bel Air) with misleading, inaccurate information. That is why it was deemed inadequate and rejected. This decision was not made lightly, but a petition for referendum should contain accurate, factual information and this one did not.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform. What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
I believe it's important to embrace thoughtful, sustainable, economic growth for the town to continue to provide the same high level of services our residents enjoy. We have been able to maintain these services with minimal disruption through a global pandemic, which I feel is a great accomplishment, but I also recognize that costs for everything from goods and services to labor have gone up significantly in the past few years.

The Town of Bel Air has an excellent police force that responds within minutes to public safety concerns and a department of public works that provides a level of service that is unparalleled in Harford County, ranging from bulk trash and yard waste pick up to street and sewer maintenance to street sweeping and dumpster drop off for residents. All of these services come at an expense
so we need to be open to growing our existing revenue sources and finding new ones. Despite the economic uncertainty of the past few years, I have worked with the other commissioners and town staff to continue to provide services, reworked the compensation scales for BAPD and DPW to retain and recruit talented, capable employees, and completed a comprehensive cycle of renovation and improvements to our parks and public buildings.

The best advice ever shared with me was:
Change and advancement are inevitable. Steering that change in a positive direction that will benefit the town now and in the future is a much better strategy than clinging stubbornly to the past and the way things have always been.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
I truly love Bel Air and I feel like I demonstrate that in numerous ways. I have given literally hundreds of hours of my time over the past several years volunteering for organizations that help others and make our community a great place to live including the Bel Air Downtown Alliance (BBQ Bash, First Fridays), Winter Wonderland in Bel Air, Wine Festival at Rockfield, LASOS and the Harford County Historical Society (Haunts and History Tours), public food distribution during COVID, community clean ups and regular blood donation. During COVID, I walked every single road in the Town of Bel Air to better understand our community and to get a better sense of what people needed from the town. I also tirelessly spread to word about new, exciting things happening in Bel Air and support our business community. I live and breathe Bel Air I will never stop doing so.