Stein Talks Budget Cuts, Owings Mills Development, Republican Primaries

Del. Dana Stein, who’s served District 11 in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2006, is one of participating in a Maryland General Assembly session where Gov. Martin O’Malley’s tax initiatives and budget cuts are taking center stage.

Stein, a Sudbrook Park resident, sat down to talk about his thoughts on the state’s proposals, development in Owings Mills, supporting small businesses on Main Street and more. Here’s what he told Patch: 

Patch: Personally, what are your top upcoming priorities for this upcoming session?

Stein: One is to set up a national education commission that would need to review public and private initiatives on financial education in the state. It’s something I’ve worked on a lot over the past few years. I was coach of a task force which made a number of recommendations—some of which have been implemented—so, given all the ongoing interest in this topic, I’m putting in a bill that will set up a standing commission to review and make recommendations.

Another bill I have would be to strengthen the child safety seat law in a number of respects. There are a few different items, one of which is saying that children under two have to sit in a child safety seat that is rear-facing.

Outside of what’s paramount to you, what do you think is going to engender the biggest debates?

I’m sure it’s no surprise for you to hear me say the budget. The governor’s budget and the number of provisions including a number of tax increases as well as some of the budget cuts he is proposing are controversial, such as shifting part of the obligation for paying teacher pensions to the counties.

Another issue that brought about a lot of debate centers on gay marriage. What is your stance on it and how do you foresee it going?

I support it. I supported it last year and I support the bill again this year. At this point, I don’t know. I guess there are a few more delegates that need to be persuaded to vote yes. It’ll pass in the House. It’ll be a very close vote. That’s my uneducated guess at this point.

What are your hopes for all the development going on in Owings Mills and the revival on Main Street? What do you foresee for those two regions on the horizon?

Certainly all the new developments at the old Owings Mills and the old Solo Cup site are exciting, but at the same time we have to make sure that there is sufficient infrastructure, especially when it comes to traffic and economy to everything. We need to take a close look at that.

And then, there’s support for businesses on Main Street. The state, at minimum, should do no harm or do anything that would make it more difficult for small businesses, especially retail. At the same time, there are more incentives that could be offered. However, at minimum, [the state] should do no harm and not make it harder for businesses to come out of this uncertain economy that we’re in.

I’m sure you’ve been following the Republican presidential primaries. Who do you see coming out on top?

I guess it seems that in the long run Romney is set to win. Newt Gingrich is saying he’s going to continue all the way to the convention so it could be a long, divisive primary process, even though it seems it seems like Romney—between his financial resources and his organizational superiority—in the end, will win.

Any thoughts on the end of the Ravens' season?

The loss was heartbreaking. I was stunned. It was a very, very good season...But, there’s always next season, and they’ve got a good shot of making it to the Super Bowl. I’ll just have to be patient and wait until next year, as they say.

Editor's Note: This conversation, which took place Feb. 1, has been lightly edited and shortened for clarity and brevity.