Cathi Forbes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theMaryland House of Delegates from the43B district | |
| Assumed office October 29, 2019 | |
| Appointed by | Larry Hogan |
| Preceded by | Stephen W. Lafferty |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1965-06-15)June 15, 1965 (age 60) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | John Patterson |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Towson, Maryland |
Cathi Forbes (born June 15, 1965) is anAmerican politician of theDemocratic Party who represents District 43B in theMaryland House of Delegates.[1] GovernorLarry Hogan first appointed her to succeed former state delegateStephen Lafferty in 2019, in what was then District 42A.[2] She was then elected to a four-year term in 2022, representing District 43B,[3] which was drawn based on the 2020 Census.[4]
Forbes was born on June 15, 1965, inCleveland, Ohio. She graduated fromCharles F. Brush High School inLyndhurst, Ohio and attendedAllegheny College inMeadville,Pennsylvania, where she earned aB.A. degree in English language and art history in 1987.[1] She worked inWashington, D.C. as an editorial assistant at a magazine and as administrative assistant with an advertising agency, where she met her husband, John Patterson.[5]
In 1990, Forbes and Patterson moved toBaltimore, where she worked for Barton Cotton, a company that makes greeting cards. They moved toTowson in 2000.[5]
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.[5] 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.[6]
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 executiveJames T. Smith Jr.[5] In May 2008, the school board voted to build a new school on the campus of the Ridge Ruxton School.[7]
In 2014, Forbes became a mediation coordinator for the Baltimore County Orphans' Court.[1]
In September 2019, following the resignation of state delegate Stephen Lafferty, Forbes applied to fill his vacancy in the Maryland House of Delegates.[8][9] The Baltimore County Democratic State Central Committee voted to recommend appointing Forbes to fill the vacancy on September 25,[10] and Governor Larry Hogan appointed her to the House of Delegates on October 9, 2019.[11]
Forbes was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on October 29, 2019.[1]
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Forbes supports theBlueprint 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.[12]
Forbes has been a vocal advocate in favor of replacing Towson High School, the oldest and most overcrowded high school in the county.[13] Two new high schools ware included in the 2022 budget.[14]
Forbes introduced legislation in the 2020 legislative session that would require all state-owned buildings to installsolar panels on their roofs. The bill did not receive a vote during the session.[15] 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.[16]
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.[17]
In September 2020, Forbes resisted a planned 57-unit affordable housing complex, due to the possible loss of a historic Black neighborhood that was currently there.[18]
Forbes introduced legislation in the 2021 legislative session that gave Baltimore County Public Library staff the right to form a union and receivecollective bargaining rights.[19] The bill passed and went into effect without Governor Hogan's signature. The employees voted in March 2022 to form a union.[20]