Cathi Forbes

Cathi Forbes (born June 15, 1965) is an American politician of the Democratic Party who has represented district 42A in the Maryland House of Delegates since October 29, 2019.[1] Governor Larry Hogan appointed her to succeed former state delegate Stephen Lafferty, who resigned in August 2019.[2]

Cathi Forbes
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from District 42A.
Assumed office
October 29, 2019
Preceded byStephen W. Lafferty
Personal details
Born (1965-06-15) June 15, 1965
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)John Patterson
Children2
Residence(s)Towson, Maryland

Early life and career

Forbes was born on June 15, 1965, in Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from Charles F. Brush High School in Lyndhurst, Ohio and attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, where she earned a B.A. degree in English language and art history in 1987.[1] She worked in Washington, D.C. as an editorial assistant at a magazine and as administrative assistant with an advertising agency, where she met her husband, John Patterson.[3]

In 1990, Forbes and Patterson moved to Baltimore, where she worked for Barton Cotton, a company that makes greeting cards. They moved to Towson in 2000.[3]

In 2000, Forbes established the Coalition for Open Government to oppose a $75 million expansion of the Baltimore County Detention Center, the county's main jail center. She argued that county officials had decided to expand the jail without seeking public input.[3] In addition, she pointed to a 1995 study that called for building a new jail on a much larger 40- to 50-acre plot to accommodate expansion.[4]

In December 2007, Forbes and a few others formed Towson Families United, seeking to pressure school and county officials to either build a new school in Towson or reopen one of the three that closed in the late 1970s, a plan that was opposed by county executive James T. Smith Jr.[3] In May 2008, the school board voted to build a new school on the campus of the Ridge Ruxton School.[5]

In 2014, Forbes became a mediation coordinator for the Baltimore County Orphans' Court.[1]

In September 2019, following the resignation of state delegate Steven Lafferty, Forbes applied to fill his vacancy in the Maryland House of Delegates.[6][7] The Baltimore County Democratic State Central Committee voted to recommend appointing Forbes to fill the vacancy on September 25,[8] and Governor Larry Hogan appointed her to the House of Delegates on October 9, 2019.[2]

In the legislature

Forbes was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on October 29, 2019.[1]

Committee assignments
  • Member, Appropriations Committee, 2020–present (education & economic development subcommittee, 2020–present; oversight committee on personnel, 2021–present)

Other memberships
  • Member, Maryland Legislative Transit Caucus, 2019–present
  • Member, Women Legislators of Maryland, 2019–present
  • Member, Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus, 2021–present
  • Honorary Lifetime Membership Award, Maryland PTA, 2012–present
  • Member, Board of Directors, Children's Playhouse of Maryland, 2015–present
  • Member, League of Women Voters
  • Member, Sierra Club

[1]

Political positions and legislation

Education

Forbes supports the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, a recommendation from the Kirwan Commission. She also supported legislation introduced in the 2020 legislative session that would provide $2.2 billion for local school construction.[9]

Forbes has been a vocal advocate in favor of replacing Towson High School, the oldest and most overcrowded high school in the county.[10] Two new High Schools ware included in the 2022 budget.[11]

Environment

Forbes introduced legislation in the 2020 legislative session that would require all state-owned buildings to install solar panels on their roofs. The bill did not receive a vote during the session.[12] In January 2022, Forbes introduced legislation, HB1165, to require new state-funded construction or renovation projects—including new schools—to be high-performance “green” buildings.[13]

Social Issues

After hearing about racist and anti-Semitic language that continues to exist on older property deeds, in the form of covenants, Forbes introduced HB1077 in 2020. It made such language easier to remove by homeowners, by waiving any fees associated with the removal. Her bill passed unanimously into law in 2020, and received national media attention.[14]

Housing

In September 2020, Forbes resisted a planned 57-unit affordable housing complex.[15]

Labor rights

Forbes introduced legislation in the 2021 legislative session that gave Baltimore County Public Library staff the right to form a union and receive collective bargaining rights.[16] The bill passed and went into effect without Governor Hogan's signature. The employees voted in March 2022 to form a union.[17]

References
  1. "Catherine M. Forbes, Maryland State Delegate". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  2. Nobles III, Wilborn P. (October 9, 2019). "Hogan appoints Forbes, Jackson to fill Baltimore County House of Delegates vacancies". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  3. Davis, Gina (May 12, 2008). "Homework brings results". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  4. "County executive forcing council to rethink jail vote". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  5. Davis, Gina (May 7, 2008). "Board votes for new school". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  6. Kurtz, Josh (August 26, 2019). "2nd Democrat Seeking Appointment to Lafferty Seat". Maryland Matters. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  7. "Baltimore County Democrats have to fill two House of Delegates vacancies. Get your applications ready". The Baltimore Sun. September 5, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  8. Nobles III, Wilborn P. (September 25, 2019). "Baltimore County Democrats recommend appointing Jackson, Forbes to fill vacant seats in House of Delegates". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  9. Boteler, Cody (January 6, 2020). "Building schools, banning coal and protecting vulnerable adults: Towson legislators outline their 2020 priorities". Capital Gazette. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  10. "Baltimore County school board seeks money to replace Towson, Dulaney high schools after removal from proposed capital plan". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
  11. "Baltimore County Board of Education narrowly affirms support for replacing Towson, Dulaney high schools". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  12. Boteler, Cody (March 20, 2020). "School construction funding lauded by Towson legislators, as session in Annapolis ends early". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  13. "Legislation". Delegate Cathi Forbes. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  14. "Racist housing covenants haunt property records across the country. New laws make them easier to remove". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  15. DeVille, Taylor (September 25, 2020). "Opponents to affordable housing development in Towson say project would further erode historic Black neighborhood". Capital Gazette. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  16. DeVille, Taylor (January 12, 2021). "Baltimore County librarians seek to unionize through legislation that's going before General Assembly". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  17. DeVille, Taylor (January 7, 2022). "Baltimore County library staff votes to form union". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
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