Meet 7th District Council Candidate Caridad Santiago

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — Ahead of the primary elections in June, Patch has invited candidates running to serve on the Baltimore 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 Perry Hall In The 2026 Primary?

Questionnaire responses for Caridad "Cari" Santiago, who is running to represent the 7th District, can be found below:

Name: Caridad "Cari" Santiago

Age: 43

Hometown: Glen Arm

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.

My experience is rooted in community-based leadership rather than career politics. I have served on three School/PTA executive boards, operated a small business in Baltimore County, and currently volunteer at a food pantry in Parkville. Since 2021, I have served as a Student Support Network lead at Pine Grove Elementary and then a general volunteer.

These roles reinforce a "servant leadership" mindset:

-Listening over speaking: Effective policy begins with hearing the quietest voices in the room, not just the loudest.

-Intentional Transparency: You cannot satisfy everyone, but you can build mutual respect by empowering constituents through education and honest dialogue. This is more than posting bills and resolutions and moving on; it’s about giving constituents digestible information. We don’t all have time to sit through 4-hour legislative or work sessions or the experience to realize that we should be paying attention to what our local representatives are doing. We need to normalize talking about local politics and inviting more people to get involved.

-Focus on Commonality: While I am firm in my values, I know we must seek common ground to move the County forward. My political experience isn't in a statehouse; it’s working directly with community members, solving problems where they actually happen.

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?

Oversight and Accountability. Whether it is the BCPS budget or County Council operations, we need robust checks and balances.

What we need:

-Empower the OIG: Roughly 50 cents of every tax dollar goes to BCPS. I will lobby the General Assembly to grant the County Office of the Inspector General (OIG) the explicit authority to independently audit BCPS funds.

-Charter Reform: We need an amendment to link compensation and pension scales to that of other County positions, removing the Council’s ability to set their own raises. As it stands right now, the compensation for County Council positions are voted on separately from other County positions, and while there is a salary review board that makes suggestions, the Council gets final say over their own compensation in the next term.

-Full-Time Accountability: I will work with the Charter Review and Ethics Commissions to make the Council position "full-time" in the County Charter, not just in compensation.

-Campaign Finance reform: Public funding was a great start, but we must go further. Currently, a business can donate $6,000 (per election cycle) to a Council candidate while their project is under review—and the owner(s) and employees can do the same. I will fight to dramatically lower donation caps for anyone with active business before the Council. We must ensure that 'pay to play' has no place in Baltimore County.

-End Councilmanic Courtesy: We need to end the unwritten rule that gives a single Council member uncontested power over land use in their district.

How do you differ from other candidates running against you?

The difference is perspective. I’m a neighbor and an advocate, so when I saw a gap in our system, I didn't stand by and wait for someone else to fix it.

-"Councilmanic Courtesy": I oppose this both as an unwritten rule and as written policy. This undermines checks and balances and divides the County. An elected official should encourage meaningful pushback and be able to effectively advocate for their stance based on merit, not "courtesy." When districts operate as independent entities we lose sight of the bigger picture: if we fail as a County, those district designations are meaningless.

-A Common-Sense URDL Strategy: While I live in and value our rural areas, the Urban Rural Demarcation Line (URDL) is already well-protected by existing infrastructure limits. I offer an "Infrastructure-First" approach. We must shift our focus to improving the quality of life for the 80% of District 7 residents who live within the URDL, ensuring their neighborhoods receive the same level of advocacy as our rural "vocal" areas.

-Path to the Council: I come here not as a career politician, but as a Baltimore County resident who saw a need and stepped up to fill it. I started as a volunteer within BCPS and saw the disproportionate needs that were not being addressed. I am proud to have this service on my record, but I realized that this is not sustainable. We cannot so heavily rely on and pressure our non-profits to do the work that we need to be doing. I have the opportunity to bring a new perspective to the County Council, one of seeing Council actions through the eyes of the people, not politicians.

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

My approach to public service is built on a foundation of professional rigor and local experience. Currently completing a Master’s in Project Management, I bring a technical edge to community advocacy—the ability to analyze fiscal reports, manage complex timelines, and navigate multi-stakeholder budgets with precision. As a former small business owner in Baltimore County, I also understand the grit required to sustain a local economy.

In office, I will merge this technical expertise with a mindset rooted in honesty and growth. I view every interaction as an opportunity to lead by listening, and I enter this race with the firm belief that common ground can be found with every constituent and coworker. My goal isn't to be a career politician; it’s to make sure the Council office works just as hard for you as you do for your own family and business.

What is your opinion of the work being done by the current office holder, and how will you improve on it? If you're running for reelection, please explain the lessons of your previous term and how they would impact your next term.

District 7 deserves more than the status quo. For years, I was one of the thousands of volunteers working at the micro-level, trusting that our local government was advocating for our schools and safety at the legislative level. However, after reviewing hundreds of hours of County Council sessions, that trust has been replaced by a sobering reality: oversight has been reactive, not proactive.

While I appreciate the incumbent’s recent resolution for OIG oversight of BCPS, we must ask: Why did it take 15 years? We watched budgets balloon while proficiency rates dropped and class sizes grew. Advocacy shouldn't be a last-minute correction; it should be the standard.

Similarly, while I support the expansion of green spaces, my focus will be on the long-term sustainability of our current assets. I will work directly with the Departments of Recreation and Parks and Planning to ensure we aren’t just re-classifying green spaces but executing a future-proof plan to maintain them for generations.

Ultimately, I believe a political seat belongs to the community, not the individual holding it. I am running to restore the focus to the values and accessibility of the office itself. Whether I am partnering with grocers to cut food waste or ensuring our students have winter coats, I will be in the streets supporting neighbors as your peer, not a politician.

How do you believe Baltimore County should address data centers?

Data centers are an inevitable evolution in technology, but we do not currently have the infrastructure or legislation in place to support them. At the very least we need a moratorium on them until we can introduce impactful legislation designed to co-exist with them.

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

Absolutely. No proactive steps were taken by those who govern electricity production and distribution. Right now, the cost of the increased grid infrastructure and the cost of natural resources are all paid for by us. We need to rectify this.

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

Yes. As stated above, we do not have the infrastructure or legislation in place to effectively coexist with data centers yet. We need to work with the PSC to establish guidelines for approvals of data centers so that residents are not shouldering the bulk of their cost or impact.

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

Energy is a commodity, if it is in high demand it’s going to be more expensive. When you consider that residents are currently subsidizing the infrastructure for these centers, it adds insult to injury. We need the PSC and the Government to work together to put protections in place for our residents.

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

Right now, we need a moratorium, full stop. There needs to be accountability in not only how they’re built, but how they impact communities and our resources.

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

I’m assuming the question is referring to SB 245/HB 444. If so, I support the bill. This does not stop the criminal cooperation between local and federal officers. This bill aims to support our local police department by letting them focus on public safety while the federal government focuses on immigration status. I don’t want to give our already overburdened local law enforcement offices one more job to do that isn’t even theirs.

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

Public discourse on this topic is often clouded by misinformation. My first step would be ensuring our residents have access to the facts: this legislation is about jurisdictional boundaries, not a refusal to cooperate on public safety.

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

On a moral level, I disagree with how ICE is being wielded right now, and that includes their use of inhumane ICE Detention Centers. I support the County Council’s previous vote to stop the proposed detention center in Hunt Valley.

What actionable plans would you undertake to address illegal immigration?

Again, this is something that is controlled on a federal level. I would have loved for the bipartisan bill from 2024 to pass. It was a step in the right direction to create a more functional system for those seeking citizenship. At the local level, my focus is on community safety and ensuring county resources are used for county priorities.

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

For years, we have funded BCPS with zero oversight or true accountability. I will lobby for oversight of BCPS at both a state and county level. We cannot continue to treat our largest budget item as a 'black box' while proficiency levels decline and class sizes increase.

A student brings a gun/weapon to campus without setting off any red flags. What security measures would you advocate for to prevent such an incident?

While we utilize visual detection software like Omnilert to identify weapons on camera, it is a fail-safe, not a solution. Technology is a tool, but the ultimate security measure is a teacher who has the time and bandwidth to notice when a student is in crisis. Lowering class sizes isn't just an academic goal; it is a public safety mandate.

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

We have technology, so we need to focus on people. In areas where this is more of a concern, additional security measures may be needed, but overall: unsupported students and families, larger class sizes, and overburdened teachers feed directly into the safety and behavioral concerns of our students.

What will you do to encourage affordable/public housing in the county?

Push back against single-use legislation that confuses zoning, delays permitting, and signals to potential homeowners that our regulations are not consistent. We need a County Council that moves past the era of Councilmanic Courtesy and follows the guidelines laid out by the Department of Planning in the 2030 Master Plan.

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

This is two fold.

1. We need to investigate why recruitment is lagging despite historic signing bonuses. We must ensure our officers feel supported so that the job is attractive to the best candidates again.

2. We need to focus on community engagement. When people feel supported, they are more likely to be engaged and take an active role in the safety and viability of their communities.

The county has seen a spike in incidents involving teen brawls. What steps would you take to curb incidents?

This, again, ties back to our schools and communities. When our adults have time to support and engage with students/teens, we start to shift from reacting during and after fights to proactive intervention. We need to further develop programs that already exist within our government that work to help build these relationships and positive adult engagements.

What role does the county play in clamping down on the fights, or what's become known as "teen takeovers"?

The County’s role is to connect resources to residents, business owners, and across departments. We also need a healthy and fully staffed police department so we can switch from reacting to focusing on proactive intervention, such as the Youth and Community Services Unit, which monitors 'link-up' calls on social media so we can have intervention before escalation.