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Candidate Questionnaire 
Name:
Douglas B. Riley
Office Sought: Senate
District: 42
Party Affiliation: Republican
Have you previously held public office?
Yes
Councilman, Fourth District, Baltimore County, 1990-1998 Chairman, Baltimore County Council, 1991
What is your Occupation?
I am an attorney with 26 years experience, principally engaged in business and commercial litigation, creditors rights, and bankruptcy.
What are the three key issues of your campaign, and why are they important to the business community?
The three key issues in my campaign are, first, providing quality schools and safe streets; second, ameliorating traffic congestion; and third, ensuring that redevelopment respects neighborhood character and preserves amenities such as open space. Thoughtful planning and effective leadership in all three areas are solely lacking right now in the 42nd legislative district. Each of these issues goes to the strength of our communities, and strong communities are good for business.
More important than specific issues is my political philosophy: I am a Republican because (1) I believe in fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets (notwithstanding the horrendous example of the Republican-controlled Congress), (2) I believe that, for most of us, the best thing the government can do is to ensure a strong private sector so that everyone can have a good job and meaningful employment (therefore, my voting record is very pro-business), and (3) I believe that the government should stay out of our private lives as much as possible. These three tenets will guide my decision-making in the State Senate.
Why are you the best person to represent the people of your district?
During my eight years as a councilman, I was most proud of my ability to work collaboratively with others, forging alliances across party lines, and building partnerships among diverse groups. Founding organizations like The Towson Partnership to implement the Towson Community Plan, and the Town-and-Gown Committee to resolve student/resident issues led to a time of respectful cooperation and creative problem-solving among all factions in my councilman district. Among my goals as a State senator is to bring this same kind of bi-partisan, collaborative leadership to Annapolis.
As a result of my cooperative approach to governance, Baltimore County adopted the Towson Community Plan, a document that has guided Towson’s growth and development for the past 14 years (only just now being replaced by the UDAT planning process). It also led to creative transportation solutions such as the Towson Roundabout, which greatly enhanced traffic flow and improved the appearance of a particularly unattractive intersection where seven different roads or alleys came together under a hodgepodge of wires, signs, and traffic signals. My experience in long-range planning and interest in tackling difficult land-use problems, particularly as the Baltimore region prepares for the arrival of at least a million more people in the next 20 years, will give me an important place in the General Assembly.
I also count among my accomplishment the preservation of hundreds of acres of open space in Towson, first by working with County and State officials and land preservation groups to acquire the Cromwell Valley Park; second, by purchasing Towson Manor Park; and third, by stopping a housing development on the Genstar property off Register Avenue and acquiring that land for what is now Overlook Park. I also worked closely with the school department, parents, and State legislators to alleviate school overcrowding by spearheading the renovation of Towson High School and the reopening of Cromwell and Lutherville Elementary schools.
I am also proud to have worked closely with the Catholic Archdiocese to build affordable housing for seniors in East Towson, and to have been the instigator of Baltimore County’s stream restoration program, which has meant so much to the communities through which these streams run and to the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
I have a proven track record of working well with others and getting things done.
Fiscal Responsibility
Despite the temporary surplus resulting from robust economic expansion, funding of current state services and new accounting requirements impacting state retiree health insurance costs will consume all available state revenues. The State continues to have a long-term structural deficit.
| Which of the following actions would you support to balance the state’s budget? |
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Support |
Oppose |
Undecided |
| Contain state spending |
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| Cut state spending |
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| Avoid new unfunded or under-funded state spending mandates |
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| Authorize slot machines |
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| Increase taxes |
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Other:
The State must address the structural deficit in its upcoming budgets in order to stand on firm financial ground. Windfalls from capital gains taxes in the 1990s and huge tax revenues from the robust real estate market more recently have masked the need to change our ways of raising and spending money. A bi-partisan commission is needed to (1) review how government revenues correlate to government spending and (2) recommend alternative approaches to addressing the structural deficit. Absent this analysis, I cannot speculate as to how the predicted gap between revenues and expenditures can best be closed, but it will not happen if the State focuses solely on how to increase revenues without also resolving to contain spending.
| Do you support any of the following measures to increase state revenue? |
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Support |
Oppose |
Undecided |
| Income tax increase |
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| Income tax increase on high wage earners |
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| Corporate income tax increase |
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| Sales tax increase |
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| Broadening the sales tax base to include professional services |
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| Regional sales tax increase for mass transit |
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| Dedicating one cent of the existing sales tax to transportation and/or transit needs |
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| Gas tax increase |
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| No new spending mandates |
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Other:
With regard to funding our transportation needs, traffic congestion will only worsen as area populations rise, unless significant investments are made in providing alternative methods of transportation and promoting work-where-you-live lifestyles. Transportation funding needs to be reallocated to (1) better maintain our existing roadways, (2) address failing intersections to enhance traffic flow, and (3) expand the reach of safe, convenient, and affordable mass transportation. New construction and redevelopment should occur only where adequate services, including transportation routes, are already in place. Alternative funding sources such as tolls on HOV lanes should also be explored. Reducing the fare-box recovery mandated for mass transit and promoting clean, on-time, interconnected transit should help convert drivers to transit riders, and get some cars off the roads.
Health Care Affordability
Health insurance costs are rising at levels nearly three times the overall rate of inflation. Employers and employees are increasingly unable or unwilling to purchase health insurance coverage as it is currently offered.
| Which of the following steps do you support to make health care insurance more affordable and available? |
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Support |
Oppose |
Undecided |
| Enact meaningful medical liability reform |
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| Enact association health plan legislation |
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| Reform the small group health plan |
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| Enact a single-payer, government-run health care system |
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| Review and repeal unnecessary health care mandates |
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| Employers should contribute to HSAs and leave the health care decision to the individual |
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| Tax employers who don’t offer health insurance, or whose plans don’t meet state requirements |
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Other:
We are just beginning to see worsening health care due to a shortage of health care professionals, a trend that will affect not only the poor but all Marylanders. As quality health care becomes harder to find, its costs are also going to rise, further exacerbating an already difficult situation. The Wal-Mart bill was wrong in part because it targeted a single employer, but also because it was a band aid solution to a more serious problem. The majority of Maryland workers are employed by small firms that cannot afford to pay the staggering, and ever increasing, costs of health care for their employees. A single revenue source like the cigarette tax cannot begin to fund the cost of providing health care for all Marylanders, nor should we count on such revenues when our objective ought to be discouraging tobacco use. Governor Romney's approach in Massachusetts certainly deserves a careful look, while promoting healthier life styles is a critical part of any funding strategies we eventually agree on.
Do you support expanding the “Wal-Mart bill” payroll tax to more employers in the future?
No.
Civil Liability Reform
Maryland’s fair and predictable laws governing tort liability are an essential part of Maryland’s business climate, and are important in business retention and attraction.
| Which of the following do you support? |
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Support |
Oppose |
Undecided |
| Support reforms to civil liability law that will help moderate medical liability insurance rates |
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| Restore the cap on non-economic damage awards in latent disease and latent injury cases |
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| Enact legislation to provide reasonable limits for appeal bonds |
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| Make it easier for a person filing suit to receive punitive damages |
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| Lower caps on non-economic damages. |
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Miscellaneous Do you support indexing Maryland’s minimum wage to inflation?
No.
In 2004, Maryland de-coupled its state estate tax from the federal estate tax. Should this change be repealed to bring Maryland law back in line with the federal law?
Yes.
Should the Governor be authorized to impose price controls when products are in short supply?
No. |
