Joshua Peters Breaks Down His 4th District Election Bid

ANNE ARUNDEL CO., MD — Ahead of the primary elections in June, Patch has invited candidates running to represent the Odenton-Severn areas on the Anne Arundel County Council to complete a questionnaire touching on a variety of key issues.

Candidate responses will be published verbatim in the run-up to the primaries on Tuesday, June 23.

Related: Who's Running For Annapolis In 2026 Primary

Questionnaire responses for Joshua Peters, who is running to represent the county's 4th District, can be found below:

Name: Joshua Peters

Age: 47

Hometown: Laurel

Political Affiliation: Democrat

Do you have any previous political experience? If so, please state and explain how that experience will influence your time in office.

None.

What do you believe is the single-most important issue facing voters in the district you’re looking to represent? How do you intend to address those issues?

Affordable housing.

How do you differ from other candidates running against you?

I am running to be a strong voice and advocate for my entire community and to help disrupt the system to help develop a more productive political discourse that focuses on constituents, not personal victories.

How would your work experience benefit the goals/objectives you’ve outlined in your campaign and/or the office you’re seeking?

I believe my background as a classroom teacher gives me a "boots on the ground" perspective on education and advocating for people and communities.

As a teacher, I was a parent, educator, counselor, coach, confidant, advocate and guide. I am comfortable using my voice for those that may not have one.

As a small business owner running a martial arts gym, I know what it is like to build a business from the ground up and all the trials and tribulations that come with that.

I have learned to "embrace the suck" as we say. To find ways to thrive when the hours are long and the work is hard. I have learned how to build bridges amongst many different type of people and how to bring them together to work on common goals.

What is your opinion of the work being done by the current office holder, and how will you improve on it?

To be honest, the incumbent and I will most likely have a very similar voting record. Where we differentiate ourselves is not just my willingness but my desire to engage face to face with my constituents.

I have lived in Laurel for over 5 years and never have gotten a phone call, text, email or any sort of literature. I will be sure that my office remains consistently and constantly in contact with the members of my community.

How do you believe Anne Arundel County should address data centers?

I believe that any data center constructed needs to be done with a very in depth impact research.

Do you believe there should be a data center moratorium or a temporary pause? Explain.

Yes, until we have developed clear and concise guidelines for not just the construction but also operation of data centers, construction of these should be paused.

Do you believe there should be data center regulations put in place? Explain.

Absolutely. The companies that run data centers should be forced to provide plans on how they will have, at the least, a net neutral impact on the local population.

What steps would you take to offset data center impacts to residents’ standard of living, such as rising energy prices?

Power use: Data centers are notorious for driving up the energy prices in communities due to their high use. The companies that run these data centers should be forced to provide a power plan for these buildings that is not shouldered by the surrounding population.

Water use: Even in a closed system, a great amount of toxic waste is produced. Data centers should be forced to be constructed with infrastructure that will ensure that this waste does not make it out into the local ecology. Also, they should be forced to be constructed with means that they are not sapping water from the local population.

Job impact: Data centers are only job creators during the construction phase and then only need to employ a skeleton crew to remain operational. A true economic impact study should accompany the creation of data centers that not only looks at building them, but impact on local jobs after construction.

How would you distinguish between a good vs. bad data center? Or do you believe no data centers should be in the county/district?

A good data center is one that does not drain electric and water resources on the community, driving up utility costs.

Gov. Wes Moore signed bills banning agreements between local police and federal immigration officials in February. What is your opinion of the legislation?

I am very much in favor of this legislation. ICE as it currently operates is almost a rogue militia force operated by the president. I do not believe that any local law enforcement should be involved with such a reckless organization.

What steps would you take to support or readjust that initiative?

I would sign legislation supporting local law enforcement not cooperating with ICE until they are reined in. I believe immigrants who commit violent offenses should be prosecuted according to the law.

What is your stance on the establishment of ICE centers in the county and/or your district?

I am 100% against concentration camps being built in my district.

What actionable plans would you undertake to address illegal immigration?

At the local level, we should be providing resources that lead to a path to citizenship. Now, citizenship legislation must come from the federal government, but we can provide local training and education for immigrants.

Education: What is the biggest issue facing Anne Arundel County Public Schools? How would you address it?

From talking to teachers, recruiting teacher assistants is a major issue. TA's generally start around $15/hour, which is much too low for such a valuable position. We should increase the pay to $20/hour and include benefits.

A student brings a gun/weapon to school, which is not fitted with any metal detectors. What security measures would you advocate for to ensure student and staff safety?

In order to detect weapons that do not have metal parts, we will need X-ray scanners or require that ALL bags brought in by students be see-through. I believe that having school security officers posted outside and inside the school is vital. These must be specially trained to deal with minors and go through psychological screenings as well.

Do you believe schools need stricter security measures? Metal detectors? Explain.

I believe that metal detectors can be PART of a school's security measures. Ensuring that robust mental health services are also a vital part to help prevent problems before interference is needed.

Anne Arundel County is experiencing a housing shortage. What steps would you take to address the crisis?

I believe in a multi-pronged approach to affordable housing.

First, we must create affordable homes, not luxury apartments or massive houses. I believe Councilman Pete Smith's cottage home legislation is a fantastic start.

Secondly, we must pass legislation preventing multinational corporations from purchasing tracts of homes and reselling them at a higher price.

Homes should first be put on the market to people who will live and work in the community. Part of affordability is access to money. We should be providing grants to first-time home buyers who are below a certain income threshold.

Regulation of utility markets will help control costs as well.

What will you do to encourage affordable/public housing?

To encourage the availability of affordable housing, we need to do a number of things.

First and foremost is we must increase the number of available units for purchase and rent. These units must be made first available to low-income households. We should also develop grants and/or tax breaks for first-time home owners.

How will you address crime in the county/your district?

I firmly believe that crime is a result of a number of factors. First and foremost are economics. When people are able to sustain themselves, crime goes down. Developing economic opportunities will help reduce theft, larceny and other such crimes.

For crimes committed by teenagers, we can help reduce this by giving them places where they can gather safely and engage in activities. After-school enrichment activities, work-study programs, internships and affordable camp options will help keep teens out of the streets and in positive environments.

We also need to hire more officers and give them chances to be more involved in their local communities. Part of this is a numbers game. We simply need to have fully staffed police stations so that we can have enough officers on the clock without burning them out.

I believe in working with the local police and having events when members of the community can interact with our law enforcement personnel to develop deeper relationships. Lastly, I believe that we need to have robust and affordable mental health services and drug treatment centers so that people can seek the help they need.