Myia Biggs Ends Quest for County Council Seat

The political process in our county has claimed yet another victim.

Myia Biggs, a local real estate broker and pre-law student at University of Maryland Baltimore County, has given up her quest for a spot on the Baltimore County Council. Ms. Biggs had been seeking the Republican nomination for the 7th District County Council seat.

My first impression of Ms. Biggs as a candidate was mixed. On one hand, she was the first candidate to announce her bid to me. However, on the other side of the coin, she confused me a bit when she never mentioned whether she would be running as a Republican or a Democrat and kept a low profile. After all, Ms. Biggs had spent time at the DRC, so one would assume that she would run as a Democrat. But, as she explained, their mission and goals were not in line with her belief system, so she left and choose another avenue.

I was intrigued when I received Ms. Biggs’ email announcing that she would forego running for the Council seat. I felt that I needed to get more information, so I used the “old fashioned” method of picking up the telephone. During our conversation, Ms. Biggs explained that this was a decision that she felt was in the best interest of the community.

“When I decided to run, I was wholly committed to my effort,” she said. So what changed? “I felt that in order for me to best serve my community, which will always come first, I decided to finish my studies and get my law degree and become an attorney. That way I can begin to comprehend the entire range on some the serious issues facing our district.”

Ms. Biggs struck me as an extremely knowledgeable person on just about every serious problem this community is facing. She ran a grassroots campaign effort that had reached out to various members of the community in order to get a solid handle on the 7th District’s pressing issues. Also, through her experience as a real estate broker, she was well aware of the area’s housing issues, including the impact of Section 8.

Ms. Biggs mentioned one particular community where the home values were relatively low—potential landlords have been buying these homes and renting them out, mostly to people with Section 8 vouchers. Ms. Biggs said it is an easy and lucrative deal for landlords because the houses are so inexpensive and the potential for profit so great.

To prove what a “hot button” issue Section 8 housing is, let me remind you that Delegate John Olszewski, Jr. made a recent attempt to back a bill that would deal with the issue. However, the bill failed to materialize in Annapolis.

Ms. Biggs was in tune with other current matters, such as the pending government center sale and the potential ethics investigation into Councilman John Olszewski, Sr.

I asked Ms. Biggs if Todd Crandell’s decision to run as a Republican for the Council seat affected her decision, to which she responded with a resounding no. “I always put the community first and felt this was my course of action if I was to have a ligament impact on future issues,” Ms. Biggs explained. “I know Todd, and we have spoken many times. I fully support his efforts in the upcoming primary election.”

Speaking of which, there is no word about any other Republican candidates running for the nod to take on the Democratic primary winner in the general election. However, there are still a couple of names out there on the fence assessing the situation before making any final plans.

Meanwhile, the 47-year-old Ms. Biggs has put her political aspiration on hold for another day. I do hope that the day will come when she feels ready to make, in her mind, what amounts to a 100% contribution to the 7th District constituents.