Response to Bethesda Today Article & False Claims

My response:

I am surprised by Delegate Shetty's characterization of my comments. They are false. I did not refer to Delegate Kaufman's disability or use of a wheelchair, nor did I suggest that his disability was disqualifying. I would not. Those are not my personal values or how I approach public service. My work has consistently centered on supporting caregivers, strengthening communities, and ensuring that those who need care, and those who provide it, are not overlooked.

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Here is the full statement on the D18 forum referenced by Bethesda Today:

I was happy to attend the debate this morning hosted by the Montgomery County Democratic Party Breakfast Club. Thanks to Susan Heltemes for scheduling the event. I appreciate the opportunity to give direct answers to questions from voters, and I am proud to say that I responded to every question I was asked and was thoughtful about the policies that I would support in the House of Delegates.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the incumbents were less interested in addressing the serious issues we are facing and more interested in touting their accomplishments in a way that made them seem out of touch with many voters in the district, the county, and the state. Since declaring my candidacy, I have learned how many of us feel forced into difficult choices made nearly impossible by the decisions of incumbent legislators in Annapolis.

I do want to respond to two specific attacks because they illuminate important aspects of my campaign and policy priorities:

1. That I did not vote in the 2014 or 2018 primary elections

I did not remember whether or not I voted, but I am registered and do vote, which is essentially what I said (and yes, there is videotape). I will now add that I was a full-time working parent for many years and, if I was in town and not at a client site, I likely decided that I could not take the time off work in order to vote in the primary. For many years, I hoarded vacation hours to save them for my children's illnesses and doctor's appointments or for trips to see my mother and other family members. And I had no intention of running for office at the time.

I believe that more democracy is a good thing and so, if elected, I promise to fight for statewide election holidays for primary, special, and general elections that cover all employees, not just those employed by the state.

2. That I talked about Delegate Solomon's excused absence from an important vote in the committee to which he is assigned and that my doing so was inappropriate because his absence was excused and hypocritical because he was serving as a caregiver for his wife at a doctor's appointment.

The quote from me was in direct response to a candidate questionnaire, not a news article. Here is the question and my answer:

“What is one recent vote by the General Assembly you would have cast differently?

The special elections bill was killed in GLE with the addition of a poison pill redistricting amendment. I would not have voted for the amendment, nor would I have gotten myself excused from the vote, as did Jared Solomon, the delegate in my district who is assigned to that committee.”

I am sorry that Delegate Solomon's wife had a brush with cancer. I am glad she is better, and I am glad that he was able to be with her when it mattered. I was not aware of the nature of this absence and have apologized for singling out his specific absence on the day of the vote. His is one of those impossible choices I talk about. No one should have to choose between acting as a caregiver to a loved one and, in these days of technology, participating in an important vote on a bill that could have strengthened democracy in our state but instead was amended in a way that guaranteed its failure.

If elected, I will sponsor a bill to enable legislators with excused absences to vote virtually in committee, as they did during COVID.

While, as an individual, my missed primary votes were certainly less consequential than the one that Delegate Solomon, as a delegate, felt compelled to miss, many of us regularly feel compelled to choose between employment and healthcare benefits and exercising our civic duty. This is why I initiated and led advocacy on a bill sponsored by Delegate Lopez and Senator Waldstreicher that would have prohibited employers from firing employees for engaging, while not at work, in civic activities such as political speech and protest. I testified on that bill in both the House and Senate. In the House, it was also heard in GLE, but Delegate Solomon was not present during testimony.

If elected, I will sponsor a bill to enable legislators with excused absences to participate virtually in committee, as they did during COVID.

I would also add that you will be hard-pressed to scrutinize the other District 18 delegate responses to voter guides. I was the only candidate to respond to The Baltimore Sun's voter guide, quoted above. None of the other District 18 incumbent delegates took the time and effort needed to complete voter guides for The Baltimore Sun, Bethesda Magazine, or WMAR 2 ABC. Only one District 18 incumbent delegate responded to The Banner's guide. One delegate did not even respond to the League of Women Voters guide.

This is not true of incumbents in other contested races. One might assume that District 18's incumbent delegates do not want informed voters. One might guess that they had hoped to run unopposed and trusted that voters would remember their names and not mine, allowing them to avoid campaigning altogether.

My name is Kate Stein, and I am running to represent District 18 in the Maryland House of Delegates. I would be honored to receive one of your votes.