Dear Next Contestant –

Steve Schuh says he wants to lower my property taxes. That’s nice, as long as it doesn’t mean less money to pay my son’s teachers. I’m more worried about them leaving than our losing a few businesses to another county. Businesses come and go. My son has only one shot a getting a great education.

Besides, isn’t one of the reasons companies move someplace because the schools are good there? Maybe, instead of reducing property taxes, we should be improving the services our county government offers to attract employers.

You know what I’m wondering? I read in the Capital that Mr. Schuh just sold his $4.5 million house and bought a $1.5 million home near by. He calls it downsizing. $4.5 or $1.5 million, I know he and his Gibson Island constituents stand to gain more by reducing property taxes by 3% than I do.

Do I fault Mr. Schuh for being wealthy? Of course not. In fact, figuratively speaking, I want to be like him when I grow up. That said, it’s still reasonable to ask whether or not he’s able to relate to the problems most of us Anne Arundel County families are up against.

I looked up his voting record in the House of Delegates. Turns out he voted against increasing state income taxes for families making over $150,000 per year, of which he is one, but against increasing the minimum wage to give our lower income families a chance to make a “living wage.” Why am I not surprised?