About Shamieka Preston
I’m Shamieka Preston, a mom, advocate, and proud member of the Howard County community.
I’m not a career politician. I’m a neighbor who stepped up when my community needed a voice. When W.R. Grace proposed a toxic plastics incinerator near our homes, I got involved to protect my family and neighbors. That fight showed me how much local decisions matter, and how often residents are left out of the process.
I’m running for County Council to bring that voice to local government, with a focus on lowering costs for families, fully funding our schools, and making county government more transparent and accountable.
I’m proud to run a publicly financed campaign powered by people, not big money or special interests.
My commitment is simple: I'm working for the people of Howard County.
Our Priorities for District 4
Preston for the People - Building a stronger community in Columbia, Maryland
Fully Funded Schools
As a mother of two children in Howard County public schools, one in elementary and one in middle school, and an active PTA member, I understand what well-funded schools mean to the success of our community. Every child deserves access to quality education, not by chance, but by design. Our school system is carrying roughly $194 million in deferred maintenance. Last budget cycle, the County Executive denied most of the school board's request, forcing $11.3 million in cuts and 127 eliminated positions. Meanwhile, our county keeps growing, and the children who need the most support, including students in special education and multilingual learner programs, are too often the first ones affected when budgets tighten.
The County Council controls the budget that funds our schools. On the Council, I will:
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Advocate for full County funding of the Board of Education's budget request, closing the gap the County Executive's cuts have created.
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Protect special education and multilingual learner programs from being the first cut when budgets tighten.
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Prioritize the $194 million deferred maintenance backlog, including HVAC, ventilation, and improving/maintaining the infrastructure our kids spend time in every day.
​Lowering Costs for Working Families & Seniors
I know firsthand how hard it is to balance work, family, caring for loved ones, and keeping a good quality of life. Our families, seniors, and small businesses are the backbone of Howard County, and they deserve stability and opportunity.
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Howard County now has the most expensive housing in the Baltimore region. Our median home sale price tops $600,000, well above the regional median, and most homes still sell within days of hitting the market. Even though we have the highest median household income in Maryland, too many residents can't afford to live near where they work, and growing instability in the federal workforce is putting even more pressure on District 4 households.
The Council has to address this head on and for that reason, I will do the following:
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Exceed the minimum standards for number of affordable units in every new housing development the Council approves.
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Expand housing options (rental and purchase) to include different housing types and price points (missing middle)
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Expand job training and workforce programs that help working families weather both federal instability and rising costs.
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Fight for more flexible aging-in-place policies so the people who built this community can afford to stay in it.
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Expand county funding and resources for small businesses, from microloans to permitting support to clearing up the red tape across the county departments.
Accountable & Transparent Government
When Howard County's government spends your hard-earned tax dollars, you should know your money is being used wisely. Good government is transparent, responsive, and accountable, and that starts with knowing who your representatives actually work for. When elected officials take money from the industries they are supposed to oversee, objectivity gets compromised. That compromise shows up everywhere: in budgets, in policy choices, and in votes residents never see coming. I commit to never accepting money from special interests while in office. On the Council, I will:
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Post my votes on social media in real time, so residents can see exactly how I am voting and why, without waiting for a news article or meeting transcript.
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Meet with residents in our neighborhoods before legislation passes, not just after, so community input shapes decisions before they are final.
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Publicly report on the issues that matter to District 4 families, including school funding gaps, cost-of-living pressures, and how community input is being incorporated into Council decisions.
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Publish transcripts of Council meetings and hearings, and post all documents presented during meetings so residents who aren't present have full access to what their government is doing.
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Share content in multiple languages so all residents can participate in our government.
District 4 Areas
Celebrating the diversity and vibrancy of our neighborhoods
Learn More About Shamieka
Watch her inspiring story unfold in this powerful video.
