By Benjamin Hong, Co-Editor-in-Chief
On October 27, 2024, in a bid to engage students in local politics, River Hill’s Young Democrats club hosted the “For the Future” Forum, a town hall-style meeting centered around this year’s candidates running for the Howard County Board of Education. Primarily led by four Young Democrats officers (sophomore Mark Li, junior Alvin Lee, and seniors Charan Bala and Evan Trost), the afternoon’s discourse involved three candidates: Julie Kaplan from District 4, Andrea Chamblee from District 5, and Jen Mallo from District 4.
Kaplan, who has been living in Howard County for the past 29 years, has seen her two children matriculate from HCPSS schools. Currently working as a marketing executive, Kaplan described her ability to “create order from chaos,” a skill she feels is essential as she seeks to help the county’s schools “level up.”
Kaplan emphasized that one of her core tenets is “rigor in decision-making,” which she defines as an approach to board policy that includes listening to all stakeholders, conducting extensive research, and implementing data-driven strategies. A large part of this approach involves adopting proven policies from across the nation and thoughtfully adapting them to fit the unique needs of Howard County. “You need to make sure that you thought through the execution and what the plan B and plan C is,” Kaplan explained.
Andrea Chamblee also shares Kaplan’s deep roots in the area, having grown up and gone to school in Howard County. Having previously worked directing enforcement policy at the Food and Drug Administration, she draws a strong connection between her extensive background in health policy and her current campaign. Her past experience, as she put it, “requires being able to write a policy that’s carefully written and balances multiple interests,” which she views as having strong parallels with the work of a board member.
Chamblee’s advocacy kicked off after she lost her husband to gun violence, joining the gun-control group Moms Demand Action. Chamblee is now running for the board position with the group’s endorsement, and among her top priorities is, quite fittingly, improving school safety, driven by the belief that “kids who don’t feel safe can’t learn, and teachers who don’t feel safe can’t teach.”
Jen Mallo, the final speaker at the town hall, has lived in Howard County for 34 years and is currently the incumbent board member for District 4. An avid hiker and amateur photographer, Mallo previously worked as a language analyst for the federal government. She explained that her responsibilities in that role, especially those regarding data analysis and research, have direct relevance to board responsibilities. “Data analytics is critical to the job of being on the board,” Mallo noted.
Mallo views the experience that comes with her incumbency to be one of the primary indicators of her candidacy’s viability. Mallo emphasized that “with a brand new superintendent, we need people that can guide and mentor and direct” with minimal “on-the-job training,” because “if you’ve not had a background in the school system, then it takes about two years” to get up to speed with the time commitment and the workload.
Over the course of approximately 90 minutes, these candidates took turns responding to both audience questions and those prepared in advance by the Young Democrats members who coordinated the event. Co-president Trost was thankful that the event ran smoothly, stating that “there were no disruptions, all candidates adhered to their time, and we vetted all audience questions to ensure respectful dialogue.”
Reflecting on the value of organizing the event, club members emphasized the importance of student engagement in local politics. “These Board of Education members represent us directly,” Young Democrats co-president Bala noted, adding that “they’re the people we go to when we have issues with policy or issues with our school.” Li, the club’s chair of events, added to the discussion of the event’s significance, highlighting how it gives students and community members “an opportunity to come to see if the candidates’ views align with theirs and to meet who will in the future be their voice on the board.”
Outside of the town hall, Young Democrats members are heavily involved in other activities centered around political activism and awareness. Lee, junior president of Young Democrats, is the founder of the Student Justice Alliance, which he describes as “a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting civic engagement among students.” Lee also co-hosts the podcast “Panorama: Taking a Wide-View Lens of Civics” alongside Bala and Trost, on which they have interviewed a wide range of prominent community figures, including Alexander Williams Jr., a former U.S. District Court Judge; Lisa Geraghty, the chair of Howard County’s Moms for Liberty chapter; and Natasha Dartigue, the Maryland State Public Defender. Li is similarly active in activism as the founder of AAPI Youth Ambassadors of Howard County, which advocates for legislation focused on AAPI representation and equity.
The event served as a testament to the ability of students to elevate voices in politics and increase awareness of pertinent policy issues. Jessica Nichols, the sponsor of the River Hill Young Democrats, praised the execution of the event, describing it as “a masterful job, both in controlling the crowd, controlling expectations, but ensuring, most importantly, that every voice from every constituency was heard and respected.” Alongside lauding the success of the event, Nichols also took the time to emphasize the significance of these kinds of events for students, and ultimately, for politics as a whole, noting, “Your voice counts, and I would love to see more young people showing up at events like this so they can ensure the people seeking your vote are the people who understand that you are a constituency not to be overlooked.”