 As Maryland's first woman Lt. Governor, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend took on the issues that Marylanders cared about most, from improving schools to fighting crime, from economic development to ensuring that children and seniors get the quality health care they deserve. Every step of the way, she sought to draw citizens into the process and remained focused on getting results. As Lt. Governor, Mrs. Townsend had financial oversight for several cabinet departments and government agencies with combined budgets of over two billion dollars. She was responsible for managing the everyday functions of government as well as overseeing ten thousand employees. As Chair of the Cabinet Council on Business and Economic Development, Lt. Governor Townsend led Maryland 's economic development initiatives. Her leadership helped reduce or eliminate over 30 separate taxes, returning over $2.6 billion to State taxpayers, including the first reduction of Maryland 's personal income tax rate in 30 years. During this same time, Maryland 's job creation rate rose from 44th to 15th in the nation, with 258,000 new jobs created since 1995. When it came to education, Lt. Governor Townsend realized that it was not just what we taught our kids, it was how we taught them. That is why she created the first statewide office of Character Education to make sure that our schools focused on values and taught our students right from wrong. It's also why she led Maryland to be the first State in the nation to require that all high school students perform community service. Programs like this ensure that the next generation of citizens learns the habits-and rewards-of citizenship and civic involvement. As Maryland 's point person on criminal justice, Lt. Governor Townsend created the HotSpots program, which brings together law enforcement and community leaders to fight crime in some of Maryland 's toughest neighborhoods. Hailed as a national model, HotSpots achieved real results, reducing violent crime at record rates. In addition, Lt. Governor Townsend began the Maryland Police Corps, recruiting young people to serve as police officers and training them with community policing techniques designed to build trust between citizens and law enforcement.
|
