Home Ownership, Rental Properties, Business Investment

Incentives for Home Ownership

Home ownership is a goal for many families and young adults, and it can help bring stability and strength to a neighborhood. As Mayor, for those seeking to own their own home, I would ask the Council to consider ways to create incentives and pathways from renting to ownership. I believe this would give our children and young families security, a way to grow personal wealth and pride in their home, and a personal stake in Cambridge to bring it back to what I remember as a good place to grow up, raise a family, and retire.

As Mayor, I would ask the Council to join me in an effort to investigate these programs and possibly partner to add additional City incentives for any kind of program that would make home ownership a reality for more Cambridge families.

(There are many State and Federal programs to help people become homeowners, some are targeted to teachers, or law enforcement or for rehabilitated homes or designated neighborhoods. One program is called the Good Neighbor Next Door * program and it provides Flat 50% discount on your new home’s value for K-12 teachers, emergency technicians, firefighters and law enforcement officers for homes located in a “revitalization area.”)

The “Good Neighbor Next Door” program is for emergency personnel and K-12 Teachers that pays for half of the home’s value. To be eligible for this program, you must agree to make the home your primary living residence for at least three years. In addition, the house must be located within a “Revitalization Area,” which the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) designates. So long as you meet these terms, you can sell the home and hold onto any equity and profit three years down the line.

Upkeep of Rental Properties

All rental units in the City are already required to be licensed. As Mayor of the City of Cambridge, I will ask the Council to join me in working with landlords to legislate safety inspections of the units prior to new tenants moving in, or at least annually, to assure they meet life safety code requirements.

Maryland has many laws and options intended to protect renters. Therefore, to enhance the tenant’s knowledge, as Mayor, I will ask the Council to join me, in partnership with landlords, to legislate a required blanket disclosure that would be given to each new tenant that explains steps to take, procedures, laws, timelines, and resolutions regarding landlord-tenant disagreements.

Employment Opportunities & Business Investment

Employment provides for the basics of food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, transportation, and a sense of security. It also strengthens personal dignity offering an opportunity to build a better future for ourselves and our families. Sometimes we need a hand up, a good reference, a lead, training, an apprenticeship, or an internship. Sometimes we need more help.

We know employment opportunities are fundamental to the success of any community, so let’s start by partnering with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development and perhaps the Maryland Film Industry Coalition – we certainly have been blessed with an extraordinary landscape, waterfront, large body of freshwater and watermen and sailors fit for any movie; a dark sky with low ambient light to see the glorious stars at night and spectacular sunrises and sunsets over the marshes and lighthouse, as well as a small hometown business district with historical architecture. Films mean money and jobs, from technical support, to food for cast, along with lodging and recreation, to local people being paid a daily rate to work as extras as well as property owners being paid to use their home or business as a location or backdrop. We have farms, horses, historic churches, wildlife in the fields and running across our highway, ospreys, eagles, blue herons, swans and ducks all within one square mile – let’s preserve what makes us unique and special while allowing our blessings to help support our community.

As Mayor of the City of Cambridge I will ask the Council to join me in investigating, identifying qualifying organizations and people, and applying for State, Federal, and Private Industry programs to bring jobs and opportunities to Cambridge.

One program to investigate would be for Small Business Innovative Research/Small Business technology Transfer Grants. (SBIR/STTR) “The Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program, which provides one-year funding to organizations to execute state/regional programs that increase the number of SBIR/STTR (proposals leading to an increase in the number of SBIR/STTR awards. FAST currently provides $3 million in total funding (up to $125,000 per applicant) for outreach, financial support, and technical assistance to next generation research and development (R&D) focused small businesses. The program places particular emphasis on helping women, socially/economically disadvantaged individuals, and applicants from underrepresented or rural areas compete in the SBIR and STTR programs. Eligible applicants for FAST funding include state and local economic development agencies, Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), accelerators, incubators, Women’s Business Centers, Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs), colleges, universities, and more. Only one proposal is allowed per state, with an accompanying letter from a state’s governor or equivalent.”

There are many programs that incentivize employment and business development, but we need to have the will to identify a group in Cambridge and empower them to search for these opportunities on our behalf for the people of Cambridge. Let’s go find them!