GOP governor candidate Dan Cox promises to cut taxes, reduce crime, give parents a voice in education at Linthicum meeting

At a hotel meet and greet in Linthicum Thursday, Republican gubernatorial Dan Cox laid out his vision for the state, including promising to cut property taxes, crack down on crime and give parents more of a say in their children’s education.

“People need to be able to have access to education for their children, make sure that they can keep their income levels at a profitability so they’re not losing money by staying in Anne Arundel,” the one-term Frederick County Del. Cox told a group of about 30 hoteliers and business owners at a Country Inn & Suites ballroom.

Without tax relief residents, particularly seniors, will be forced to leave Anne Arundel County, “the heart of our state,” Cox said.

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While campaigning in Anne Arundel County, Cox said the number one concern he’s heard from voters is a a perception of subpar education. If elected, he said he’ll give parents more oversight in education. A parental rights act that Cox introduced to the General Assembly this winter, failed to pass out of committee. The bill would have allowed parents a larger role in their kids’ education including notifying them when curriculum changes are made.

It’s something Cox has a personal stake in as well as he has ten children.

Cox also promised to create an office for parents’ rights on his first day in office, which will be staffed with caseworkers who can work through issues with parents.

Hearing his plans for education was music to Dana Schulze’s ears. The newly elected Anne Arundel County Republican Central Committee member has homeschooled her three kids for 23 years.

“Parents love their kids,” Schulze said. “They want what’s best for their kids.”

Schulze, a Millersville resident, said she doesn’t support the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, the sweeping education reform package passed by the state legislature because it drives a wedge between parents and kids, she said. Cox, who voted against the reforms, has been a vocal critical for years.

County residents have also told Cox they’re worried about crime overflowing from Baltimore City into Anne Arundel.

“I intend to work very hard to back the blue, boost the funding and ensure we have enough officers on the ground so they respond promptly and make sure that we’re safe again,” he said. “We need to get the violent criminals off the streets.”

Hiring more officers isn’t something he thinks will break the bank due to the state’s budget surplus that is projected to continue for years, Cox said. He also sees places in the budget where funding can be cut such as the social welfare budget, which Cox said has ballooned at a rate that isn’t commensurate with the increase in need.

“My focus is [to] increase prosecutions, use the Office of the Governor to coordinate the prosecutions and expose those who let them back out like a revolving door and use the Maryland State Police and, even if necessary the National Guard, to clean up our streets in Baltimore City,” he said.

Cox’s promise to activate the state police echoes a vow he made in August to use Maryland state resources to “stand against” the federal government following an FBI raid on former President Donald Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

A Cox supporter Charlie Fritsch, a hotel real estate broker, organized the event to introduce the business and hotel community to the candidate and let them raise concerns they may have.

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“The lockdowns were harmful,” Fritsch said of public health orders issued during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I feel this is a different race. There’s more at stake because there’s a more divergent view, particularly on the Democratic side from what has been traditionally the middle of the road. I feel like Dan represents a more moderate position for working people and business people.”

It was a fitting location for hoteliers to meet Cox as dozens of hotels surround BWI Marshall Airport, an important business sector in the northern part of the county, Fritsch said.

“For two years the small business community and hoteliers were unfortunately locked down through COVID lockdown orders,” Cox said. “I’ve been advocating on their behalf and I’ve really been wanting to do these kinds of outreaches and connections.”

Jennifer Charlton, Cox’s campaign scheduler, was one of the business owners personally affected by the COVID restrictions. Her Edgewater gym, Total Fitness at South River, which was at the time a Soldierfit franchise, suffered great financial losses during the pandemic, causing her to reach out to Cox, her delegate, she said. He helped her coordinate an effort through the media to raise the concerns of gym and restaurant owners to local leaders.

“The stress and the strain and the crushing effect it was having on our employees, our staff, our morale, our bank accounts, our prosperity and our families was just untenable,” Charlton said. “I wouldn’t be in business today if it weren’t for Dan Cox.”

Cox acknowledged he is down in certain poll metrics and is dealing with a fractured party, making it necessary for him to appeal to fans of Gov. Larry Hogan, who has publicly criticized him and refused to support him, but he said he’s more than a party representative. He’s an experienced Maryland leader in touch with the needs of people from all across the political spectrum and across the state, he said.

“The people of Maryland are fed up and they’re tired. It’s like that song: ‘Can you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry men. Music of the people who will not be slaves again,’” Cox said, quoting Les Miserables, a musical about the French Revolution. “This is the feeling of Maryland.”