Roughly two months remain before the primary election, with early voting starting on July 7 and Election Day arriving on July 19. Who are the candidates on this year’s ballot? The Voice asked each of them to submit a short bio to share their respective backgrounds and priorities.
Here are candidates for state delegate in District 31.
Kevin Burke
Inspired by former NFL player Pat Tillman, and others less well known, Kevin Burke joined the military after September 11, 2001. In the military, Burke volunteered to serve in Iraq and worked on the staff of the commanding general for the United States Forces in Iraq. He has also served as a federal prosecutor, leading investigative teams and prosecuting criminal drug, gun, fraud and sexual assault offenses.
Burke currently works as a lawyer representing individuals, families and businesses in the areas of retirement, investment, tax and estate planning. He also volunteers as a baseball coach with the Green Hornets and as a member of the Anne Arundel Commission on Disability Issues, which reviews government spending and legislation for impact on the special needs and senior communities.
He is running for the House of Delegates to improve the quality of life of the residents of District 31. As your delegate, he would make your economic success and financial security his chief priority. Burke is also disturbed by a report from the Environmental Protection Agency that calls into question the safety of our drinking water and would monitor this situation like a hawk and correct it. He also believes his opponents have failed in the environmental protection and public safety areas. Specifically, he is concerned one opponent is a leading advocate for the private manufacturing of untraceable firearms.
Burke will genuinely put the interests of District 31 above any political party. He believes we need to focus on renewing our democracy. He will continue to fight against unethical gerrymandering, for requiring elections for political vacancies, and advocate to allow independent voters to vote in primaries to moderate our political discourse.
Burke resides in Severna Park with his wife, Megan; sons, Aidan and Griffin; and dog, Franklin (“Frank the Tank”).
To learn more, visit www.votekevinburke.com.
Brian Chisholm
Brian Chisholm is a lifelong Anne Arundel County resident who has entrenched himself into the fabric of the community as a steadfast and reliable friend, family member, neighbor, small-business owner and trusted leader. He is seeking re-election for his second term as a Maryland Republican delegate representing Severna Park, Pasadena, Millersville, Gambrills and Glen Burnie.
Chisholm attended Folger McKinsey Elementary, Severna Park Middle and Severna Park High School prior to attending Clemson University. He excelled on the athletic fields in both baseball and football, retaining those immeasurable bonds built with teammates, coaches and friends that were forged in his young adult years. He takes tremendous pride in the friendships, connections and involvement he has bolstered within the community spanning several decades. He has consistently proven to be a faithful and reliable leader in supporting charities, small businesses, community members and colleagues without fail.
He currently serves on the Health and Government Operations Committee and was at the forefront of analyzing and disseminating a deluge of data throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. He worked relentlessly to help countless Marylanders who needed quick assistance with supplies, resources, unemployment insurance help and information. He stood strong to keep restaurants and small businesses open prior to the 2020 holidays by garnering national media attention. He was a key component of successfully keeping many of these indispensable members of our community employed and businesses operating during these difficult and confusing times.
Chisholm has earned immense respect from his friends, family, community members and colleagues in Annapolis for his passionate dedication to serve his community and all Marylanders. He is often referred to as “Braveheart” by his colleagues for his fierce defense of individual freedom and liberty. He is unapologetic about his unwavering love of God, country and American citizen.
Delegate Chisholm would be honored and respectfully asks for your support in his 2022 re-election campaign to serve you and your family.
For more information, go to www.chisholmformaryland.com.
Nic Kipke
A lifelong resident of Anne Arundel County, Nic Kipke lives in Pasadena with his wife and three children, who all attend St. Jane Frances Catholic Church. Kipke is a businessman, working as a manufacturer representative for the last 23 years, and he and his wife own a small business in Millersville. Delegate Kipke is known for dedicated constituent services and is always responsive and active in the community.
He is a caring and conservative legislator who is opposed to illegal immigration, fights for tax cuts, supports first responders, votes for tougher penalties for violent criminals, and received an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association for his support of the Second Amendment. This session, he authored legislation to expand school choice, expand charter schools, provide a tax credit to homeschooled students for educational expenses, and he is staunchly against the political agenda currently corrupting our public-school system.
Some of his legislative accomplishments on record include cutting the cost of the Anne Arundel County permit fee for replacement wells by 50 percent, eliminating the statewide soda fountain tax, prohibiting welfare cards from being accepted at Maryland casinos, many pharmaceutical reform initiatives to support community pharmacies, reciprocity with other states in offering complimentary hunting licenses for former prisoners of war or disabled veterans, a law that will assist the prosecution of election fraud, as well as a law expanding access to oral health care in long-term care facilities, and this year he passed legislation to expand access to substance abuse treatment for adolescents. He was recently awarded the Maryland Military Coalition’s Legislator of the Year award for his work to support active duty and veterans.
He will continue to be a respected conservative leader who cares about the community and works to solve problems in our community and state.
Learn more at www.kipke.com.
Travis Lerol
(Nominated by party to appear in the General Election only)
Travis Lerol grew up in rural Minnesota, attended college there, and joined the U.S. Air Force, which stationed him in Fort Meade, Maryland. As a software engineer working in defense contracting, he is familiar with how our government works, and he’d like to see a lot less of it.
After living in the area for almost two decades, he has chosen to run for office for the first time because of the increased partisanship he’s seen in politics. With thousands of bills considered in the Maryland government every year, and hundreds adopted, very few seem to help most citizens, despite this worsening partisan struggle. Lerol hopes to provide folks who feel similarly with a seat at the table, and to promote the Libertarian way of a smaller government that focuses on just the essentials. Lower taxes, fixing roads, and getting back to normal after COVID-19 all feature in his campaign, which he runs from his home in Pasadena, where he lives with his partner, two rabbits and one hedgehog.
He is currently canvassing to ask citizens what they would like to see change in government, and welcomes your answers, either via Facebook, or via the contact information on his website, www.travislerol.com.
Rachel Muñoz
Rachel Muñoz is a devoted wife, mother, and hard-working and caring legislator.
Muñoz was raised in Severna Park, where she and her husband, Andrew Muñoz, are blessed to be raising their four children with her fifth due any day. After graduating from Severna Park High School, she attended the University of Maryland, College Park, majoring in psychology with a minor in philosophy. Afterward, while studying counseling at Loyola University and working with the Anne Arundel County Crisis Response Team, Muñoz learned firsthand of the diverse issues that affect our residents.
Inspired by the need for advocacy in the community, Muñoz studied at the University of Maryland School of Law, where she explored, in depth, the issues Maryland is facing today. Muñoz had the opportunity, in her first year of law school, to work at the Anne Arundel Circuit Court with Judge Cathy Vitale. Muñoz has been active in her children’s school, on her community homeowners association board, and as a board member of the Severna Park Republican Women’s Club.
As a new delegate, Muñoz has more than proven to be an effective leader with helping hundreds of constituents, speaking out on the important issues and working to pass legislation. She is not someone to ever rest on her accomplishments. Her plans for the next session include holding the line against tax increases, repealing taxes that drive businesses out of Maryland, lowering the cost of living, helping small businesses that create so many local jobs, improving the environment, supporting constitutional rights, strengthening public safety, and protecting parental rights and the education of our children.
Muñoz would be honored to have your vote in the Republican primary on Tuesday, July 19, and in the general election on November 8.
For more information, visit www.voterachelmunoz.com.
LaToya Nkongolo
LaToya Nkongolo is running in the Republican primary for the Maryland House of Delegates, District 31. Nkongolo is a conservative and small-business owner with a history and expertise in addressing mental health and addiction issues. She has a strong track record of community involvement in building overdose outreach programs in Anne Arundel County. She has used her leadership and expertise to serve thousands of residents while building relationships with local elected officials.
She is a graduate of the University of Maryland-Baltimore School of Social Work; a graduate of Springfield College with a concentration in organizational management and leadership; and also a graduate of Delaware State University. Nkongolo serves as an adjunct professor in the human services department at Anne Arundel Community College. She resides in Severna Park with her husband, Bamoyo, and their two children, Victoria and Solomon.
Nkongolo is often described by community members as being a bridge builder and gap filler. As a mental health therapist, she has the opportunity to hear from Anne Arundel County residents from all walks of life, and she has found that many of us have the same goals: emotional stability, physical stability and financial stability.
In her daily work as a therapist and community advocate, she empowers individuals to strengthen their families, communities and businesses. As a state delegate, she would meet these goals by being a staunch and powerful conservative voice and advocate for supporting law enforcement to ensure that our communities are safe; lowering taxes for all residents, especially the forgotten working class; less bureaucracy for small businesses and entrepreneurs; addressing mental health and addictions, access to prevention, treatment and recovery; and empowering parents to make the choice for their children’s education.
For more information, visit www.latoya4maryland.com.
Milad Pooran
Dr. Milad Pooran is a physician and veteran whose goal is improving the quality of life for all Marylanders. On the front lines of the COVID pandemic as a critical care physician and chief medical officer for PHI Healthcare, Pooran knows firsthand the critical infrastructure gaps in our health care system that limit access to care, while driving up costs for all citizens.
Pooran knows that issues of childhood poverty and food insecurity within Anne Arundel County will only get worse with current economic pressures. The downstream effects of failing to cure these social deficits will result in stressed safety nets and impacts on the safety and welfare of all county residents.
A colonel in the Air National Guard and a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, with nearly a quarter-century of service in the United States Air Force, Pooran is a leader who has shown through action to be able to identify and solve problems, and not just to argue about ideological issues with little impact on the average family. A staunch advocate for individual liberties and freedoms, safe work environments, and quality public education from preschool through college and vocational programs, Pooran will work every day as a delegate for the families of Maryland and District 31.
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