Pittman and Friends Podcast
Welcome to Pittman and Friends, the curiously probing, sometimes awkward, but always revealing conversations between your host, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman - that’s me - and whatever brave and willing public servant, community leader, or elected official I can find who has something to say that you should hear.
This podcast is provided as a public service of Anne Arundel County Government, so don’t expect me to get all partisan here. This is about the age-old art of government - of, by, and for the people.
Pittman and Friends Podcast
State Senator Shaneka Henson on Her Journey and Service
When Senator Shaneka Henson found herself living in subsidized housing as a young mother at 19, she never imagined that experience would one day inform her work as a Maryland State Senator. Yet that pivotal chapter in her life—navigating parenthood while pursuing her education—gave her a perspective few legislators possess.
Senator Henson's conversation with Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman takes us through her remarkable journey from preacher's daughter to public housing resident to attorney and now state senator. Her path wasn't the traditional political trajectory; it sprouted from necessity and firsthand experience with systems many only legislate about from a distance.
"Where you live teaches you how to live," Senator Henson shares, explaining how her housing advocacy stems from understanding affordable housing not just as shelter, but as a springboard for opportunity. Her work representing domestic violence survivors at the YWCA and later at the Maryland Attorney General's Office further shaped her approach to community service—one that prioritizes those most often overlooked.
The discussion explores her transition from Annapolis City Council to the House of Delegates and now to the Senate, where her expanded district includes both urban Annapolis and rural South County. Senator Henson and County Executive Pittman delve into pressing issues including gun violence prevention initiatives, affordable housing preservation in rural areas, and supporting small businesses across diverse communities.
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Welcome to Pittman and Friends. The curiously probing, sometimes awkward, but always revealing conversations between your host, Anne Arundel County Executive Stuart Pittman - that's me - and whatever brave and willing public servant, community leader, or elected official I can find who has something to say that you should hear. This podcast is provided as a public service of Anne Arundel County, so don't expect me to get all partisan here. This is about the age-old art of government of, by, and for the people. Al right, well, I am here today with my friend Senator Shaneka Henson from District 30 in Arundel County, formerly Delegate Shaneka Henson from District 30A. Welcome.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:Welcome. Thank you, Steuart. I appreciate it. Formerly Delegate. Formerly Alder woman. Always Shaneka Henson.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Al right, yeah, you've had a few formerlies, but haven't we all? Yes, okay, okay. So you are in session right now, so we'll talk a little bit about that. You are new in the Maryland Senate, so we'll talk a little about that versus House and how all that works. And you have a bigger district now?
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I do.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Alright, so it includes not just Annapolis, which was 30A, right?
State Senator Shaneka Henson:That's right.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:But pretty much all of South County as well?
State Senator Shaneka Henson:That's right. I go all the way through.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, yep, the rural part. But I want to get to first a little bit about you and why you got involved in this political thing and your background, where you come from, and what you're trying to do.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I appreciate that question and I really love sharing with folks my entry to politics. Because I didn't grow up in a super political family. I know folks who kind of grew up knocking doors and protesting and politics.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:I've got to say the political now, because your dad is your number- one fan.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:Oh, he's amazing, my dad is with me always. He does my signs. He's at all my stuff. He'll put together a parade float in a heartbeat and he is campaign dad du jour.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, he is.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:He's amazing, but growing up, my dad was a pastor, and so we would be in local communities in Annapolis doing whatever people needed. If people needed food, we were giving away food, school supplies, clothes, prayers, encouragement, whatever it was. That's what we were doing. So we spent a lot of times in communities that really needed help in Annapolis.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Here in Annapolis, okay.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:Here in Annapolis, some stuff in Odenton West County area as well. We were kind of all over wherever the need existed.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:So that's how I grew up serving my community. Fast forward, I found myself living in one of those communities.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:I've got to say preacher's daughter now totally makes sense, because you're one of the best speakers in politics today. I hate speaking after Shaneka.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I appreciate that. No, I tell people. I'm an attorney by trade and people assume it was law school. That kind of taught me how to put two words together. I'm like it's sitting in the back of church for days and days and Sunday after Sunday when you hear a good word and a message and you figure out how to structure yourself. Yeah. So growing up we were in all the communities that needed help giving back, doing what we did as a family. For my dad, it was important for us to do it as a family. So, even though I was a kid, I was there and very hands-on and engaged. I then found myself living in one of those communities when I became a young mom. I got pregnant at 19 with my son, who's now 21 and is in college himself.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:But I was a young college kid and came home with a surprise for my parents. And they said, "you know we've given you a great and now it's your turn to give that great life to the son that you're about to have.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:So, kicked out of the nest, but not without the love and support of my family. But, you know, really encouraged to find my own way in life, and I found my way in one of our.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:So where did you live?
State Senator Shaneka Henson:When I came out of my family home and got my own place? I was in Bay Ridge Gardens, which is one of our subsidized housing communities in Annapolis. So this is a community I used to go back to give back to in charity, and then I found myself living there as a young mom with my son, and so I was then in need of assistance. I was in lines to get toys for Christmas and to get Thanksgiving baskets and to get the same sort of support I used to give to other people. So it was a very humbling experience to be there.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:But I was never without the love and support of my family, and I think that was the deciding factor for me. So I always could rely on them when I was in a jam. So I was able to go to law school, finish with my degree, study and pass the bar exam, become an attorney, and then I moved out days after I passed the bar exam. Well, my son had developed relationships. I developed friendships. So we went back to the community to kind of check in on folks who I knew had goals and dreams, just like I did. And when I went back, I realized far too many people weren't getting the opportunity to realize their goals and dreams. So I tried to figure out. You know, what's the disconnect here? Why can't people find help if you don't have a great family? Like, where's the resource?
State Senator Shaneka Henson:So, I wandered into a city council meeting one day and I listened to the discussion. I heard the decisions that were being made. I figured out things like you know, this place on the corner, that's an empty lot, and it gets developed. It is not a gas station, not a daycare, not a restaurant. It is what it is because of a zoning code and that code is being decided by council members and a mayor who are sitting at a table and who are figuring out what to do with this city. So it's really when the light bulb went off for me that politics was kind of that way that you could help people and transform lives if you didn't get blessed with the good fortune of a family that could support you.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Wow, wow. So you ended up on the city council, yeah.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:That was it for me. So I observed those council meetings. I kind of slipped in the back door for a solid year before I developed the courage to approach the public comment section and stepped up to the microphone and kind of shared my years-long observation with my alderman. And then, as I left the room, really fired up and excited about the chance to engage, a young lady followed me out and said you should go into politics.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Oh yeah, you wowed them,
State Senator Shaneka Henson:It was like a light bulb went off. Like I could observe the problem, or I could engage and I could be a part of the solutions to the problem. So that's what really drew me in.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:No, kidding, and you were working at that time. After you got you passed the bar. What jobs did you have as an attorney?
State Senator Shaneka Henson:So, I did a couple of things. My first job was. I was at the YWCA in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County representing survivors of domestic violence. So it was standing shoulder to shoulder with survivors in peace and protective order hearings, helping them get custody of their children, use and possession of their homes. The ability to have that powerful tool and shield called a protective order to be able to keep yourself safe from abuse.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:So that was really trial by fire. I mean, you get the best criminal defense attorneys on the other side and you get the best family law attorneys on the other side. And then I'm this new kid straight out of law school, you know going to these hearings in Anne Arundel County. But it was deeply meaningful work that stays with me today.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Wow.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, and didn't you also work attorney generals?
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I did.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I went to the AG's office after that. I went to the AG's office. After that I got to serve with both Gansler and then Brian Frosch as well. Brian Frosch was actually the AG after. I then fast forwarded to House of Delegates that I had to have the conversation with about. You know, what do I do with this new opportunity in my job? What does it mean for my future? So yeah, I got to serve under two different attorneys generals here in Maryland.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:But did you have to then step down, once you got elected, from working for the AG?
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I did.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:You did?
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I did, so I served on the city council from 2017 to 2019. In 2019, the then- Speaker of the House, Mike Busch, was our delegate. Mike, you know this was arguably the second or third most powerful person in the entire state and we had the good fortune of having him as our delegate for 32 years. He was Speaker of the House for 16 of those years and I was a freshman on the Annapolis City Council. I got a call that said Mike wasn't doing well. I mean, he had had some health challenges, but he always bounced back.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:So I think we always assumed he would and when the reality kind of sank in that perhaps he wouldn't, you know, people started to have the conversation about what does this mean for, you know, our district and our representation? And someone asked me if I would put my name in for the delegate seat and I remember just the panic that ran through my body. Like city council, I thought was attainable for me. My city councilman, who I challenged the incumbent, he used to be my camp director. He was like a community guy who I knew, but I thought who can live up to Mike Busch? Like you know, you want someone to follow him. So, after doing a lot of soul searching, I put my name in for the delegate seat and I was chosen by the central committee in an appointment process and then I had to run for it in 2022.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:But when I was chosen in 2019, I was, you know, kind of hitting a good stride in my legal career. I was at the AG's office. I had some seniority. I was on a good track. I was, you know, doing other things that were meaningful in my job and then when I sat down with AG Frost, she said you can't keep both of them. You can't write the state budget as our delegate and then also serve in this position at the AG's office. You're going to have to make a choice on what you want to do. And I mean my, you know, pension was tied into it. The way I repaid my student loans was tied into it. There was a lot going forward in my career and I had to decide. Was I going to jump off that train and take a chance on being delegate? And I jumped off that train and took a chance at being delegate.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Al right. Yeah, well.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:I'm glad you did. I'm glad you did.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:And then you served there. And then, well, Senator Elfrith got elected to the United States Congress. Amazing, yeah, yeah. I, I knew she would. She's outworks everybody. Yeah, um, she's going to do an amazing job there. She's in the thick of defending us against, uh, what this administration is trying to do to our people, but, um. So then, you had to go back to the central committee again, right? Same old process.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:Yeah, I try to explain it to young people. I said two elections and two appointments. Yeah, so I was elected to city council in 2017, appointed to the House of Delegates in 2019, elected to the House of Delegates in 2022, and then appointed to the Senate in 2025.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Okay. Well, I got to say that I've campaigned alongside you in the year that I got reelected, 2022. And one of the things I noticed was that you did a lot of events that I guess weren't considered conventional. Now, I do remember your dad making a float. That was really sort of like an old-fashioned, like whistle-stop tour politician thing, like a place for you to stand and make your speeches and would take it to places. But you were often in housing developments where they were primarily low-income, where probably the voter turnout was pretty well below half not participating. And you seem to really focus on trying to increase the pool of people voting as much, or maybe even more, than going to the people who had voted before and trying to convince them to vote.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:Agreed.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I appreciate that observation that I think politics. A lot of people think, because you see the campaign colors, you see the candidates, you see the logos, that it's more about what you see on the surface. But I've learned that politics is really mathematical. It comes down to identifying who your likely voters are, persuading those likely voters, and then it's a turnout campaign on getting those voters that you've ID'd as your voters out to vote. But because it's mathematical, sometimes I feel like it loses the heart and the soul and the compassion.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:And I've always felt like it's a duty and a responsibility to chase those voters who sometimes aren't as engaged. I can remember when I was living in our public housing in Annapolis and I think back to that time and think what could Mike Busch have done to kind of capture my attention and to get me to make voting a priority. While I was trying to take care of my kid, get us to a better place in life, finish my schooling, make sure we were safe every day? How could someone have kind of interrupted that flow and got me excited and engaged about voting?
County Executive Steuart Pittman:So that's what I try to do. That's exactly right meet you where you are. Yeah, yeah. Um, so your district is grown? Uh, it's, it includes South County.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:That's right.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Now. And, um, I live in South County and I'm looking forward to introducing you to some of my farmer friends and some of the people I know down there, um, and you're going to be serving them.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:So, let's talk about some issues. I mean, I know housing is going to be one that is going to be top of your list, top of mine as well. I know gun violence is another. I think we can also talk about some of the things that are going on in South County. That'll be issues for you to work on. Where do you want to start? Let me guess.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:Housing.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Okay, okay. Why housing?
State Senator Shaneka Henson:It's important. My mom always says where you live teaches you how to live, whether it's you absorb, kind of, the characteristics of your community or you critique and observe your community in a way that you want to be much different than your community. But where you live does fundamentally teach you how to live. People you hope would have a lot of pride in the communities that they come from. But every community is different.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I know that's true in Anne Arundel County, particularly in District 30. We kind of have all of it. We have Annapolis, which is this really metropolitan place to live, with universities here, a historic district. Then we have the Annapolis suburbs, which kind of are on the corners of the city but are more suburban. And then we have the rural areas in South County as well. And I'd like to think as I travel between them that folks are really proud of the place that they come from, and they want it to be the best community, and they want their kids to have opportunities to own property and live there too.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:That is really cool that you started out talking about that. Because I thought you were going to say housing for people who don't have it, housing to get people into that place, and I know that's probably where you want to go next. But I often find myself reminding myself and reminding others in government that when people love where they live and they love their community, they fight for that and that's actually a good thing, and they engage in government. Now, sometimes it's awkward because they love it and they don't want anything to change. And we're trying to put a park in there. That's going to bring, that's going to bring people into the neighborhood.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Or, or there's a housing development. Maybe that that is going to bring people, new people into the neighborhood or more people, or just change, change the look, and and when people love their place, they don't want change, um and um. But uh, I I know that you, knowing that you respect that, that um, that feeling of loving where you live, um to me means that you're probably going to be better at dealing with some of those challenges. So what about housing that is actually affordable for the essential workers that make this county run? I know you've been involved in that. I know you've been involved in some specific housing developments even, yeah.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I appreciate that and I appreciate your distinction. There's a lot of terms in housing. It's one of those like terminology, rich fields of study, and you have affordable housing, which has a specific like definition. You have like workforce housing, which is more for folks who are our working class people, people who get up every day, work really hard. We used to call them blue collar workers. In the pandemic, we call people essential workers, but they're the folks that really keep our societies moving forward and making sure that this housing that's affordable for them is critically important to being able to have a well-rounded society. But affordable housing, those things that have specific federal definitions and specific dollars attached to them is something that I've really been focused on because I know what it meant for my life when I had a place to go where I could raise my son. I could continue my education. I could focus on that and it was a springboard to the rest of my life. But that's because we had affordable housing that was subsidized with federal dollars so that the people who live there are only asked to pay exactly and no more than what it is that they can afford.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:So I've tried to work really closely with our Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis to make sure that we have adequate housing. I think the biggest challenge that they faced in recent years. Annapolis has some of the oldest public housing in the nation. We had the second public housing community ever built, was built right here in the city of Annapolis. And for a long time, those properties really got older and more dilapidated and they languished. We couldn't keep up with maintenance needs. We couldn't keep them up in a way that they were still safe and decent places to live. So, some of those communities who haven't gotten the opportunity for redevelopment yet, they really struggle with a lot of lingering long-term maintenance issues. So working with our housing authority is something that I've done and I've been able to do it in partnership with you in a way that I think is really going to be a lifeline for them.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, yeah. You were the first person I went to when we knew that we wanted to help as a county. We didn't want to be in a position of telling the Housing Authority how to do its job. We had somebody who'd run our Housing Commission of Anne Arundel County and Cliff, who we knew could be helpful because he had retired and he was being a consultant. But I went to you first to help to make the connection and assure everybody on the Housing Authority that we were serious about providing some resources. We just needed to have an outside assessment of what the needs were, and that worked out really well. And we ended up, as a result of that, getting state money as well, and then there was city money that was already committed and then we put in some of our own. So hopefully, we're on a path there.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I agree.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, yeah. So, you want to talk about gun violence. I mean, no one ever wants to talk about gun violence.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:It's kind of the conversation that we hope we can work our way out of having to discuss, because you just don't want to find yourself in the position where you get that 2 am phone call and on the other line is your police chief telling you that yet another person has lost their life to gun violence. I mean, you and I were just together in the community of Meade Village at a peace rally over the weekend. And hearing from the mothers who have lost their children to gun violence, it was just gripping and soul-stirring in a way that I think nothing else is it. Just you hear the pain and you, as an elected official, you want to do something that makes sure that there's never another mother that's in that position, you know.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, it was an amazing on Saturday up at Mead Village gathering and a march through the neighborhood. Yeah, and I was kind of shocked when one of the mothers was handed the bullhorn.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:Yeah.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:And it took her a while to get any words out. And, apart from what she said, it was just in her voice. Everybody there was with her, in her heart, and we were really there to honor two people, two young men, and what they might have been able to do with their lives. And it especially was disappointing, I think, in Meade Village where so much good work has been done.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:That's right.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:With Tunnel Vision and some of the sports leagues that they've done. Man Up, that, I think, is one of the most effective crime prevention strategies. It's violence interruption. It's folks from that community talking to everybody. Potential victims, potential perpetrators, people who are involved in gangs and different groups that are seeing each other as the enemy, when the enemy is really not on the inside, it's on the outside. And we know that they have prevented a lot of gun violence but not everything gets prevented.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I have to commend you, though, Steuart. The rally wouldn't have been possible without the intervention work, and you have dedicated resources to gun violence intervention. I mean, from the task force that you formed at the very beginning of your time as county executive and committed yourself to really listening to folks in the communities, community leaders, and said you know where are we getting it wrong? Where are we missing out on opportunities to prevent gun violence? You committed yourself to that work. It resulted in some legislation that came out. It resulted in the intervention work that you see. That's being done in a really meaningful way. So I don't want people to think that this sort of work happens haphazardly. It's a result of real focus and a commitment, and I appreciate that you're committed.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Well, and I know that when Cure Violence Global came in and went to Annapolis, the health department kind of brought them in as an outside expert in how to do this violence interruption. I think you were involved early on in that and they set up an operation that we funded in Eastport and I went to, at my request, one of the meetings. It was Apostle Antonio Palmer, who is overseeing that, because he started Man Up, so he knew how to do it and he's been working with the group there in Eastport. And, in the meeting, the staff. There were five or six of them went around and talked about progress from the previous week and the people who they had been meeting with and the connections that they had been making. They didn't use names. I think they used numbers so that they wouldn't use names.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:But it was very clear from the conversation that shootings didn't happen. That would have happened and what they were telling me was okay, we've got these groups to stop killing each other, and the data showed that that was the case. Now we've got to get them jobs. Got to get them jobs and they're ready. So then you connect them with the agencies and it's not easy work, and it's dangerous work too.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:That's right.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:But I know that we've got now Cure Violence Global has gone into North County, Brooklyn Park area and Glen Burnie and started to do an assessment to see whether that's an area of the county where we need a program like this. So I'm hoping we can figure out a way to pull it off.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I agree. I'm encouraged by the work that's being done.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, yeah.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:And then there's South County, yeah. So rural, right?
State Senator Shaneka Henson:Rural.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:You've got family connections in South County, don't you?
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I do. Growing up, I went to a small church school in South County off Muddy Creek Road called the House of Prayer. And so that was the first little church school I went to for kindergarten and they made a lot of really good friendships and relationships there. They kind of carried me over time. So I spent a lot of time in South County, the part that's out of my district. My son's a graduate of Southern High School. He did high school at his dad's house and so I spent a lot of time down in South County with him at the school. So it's a place that I feel deeply connected to.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Okay, I didn't realize you were even that connected. Your first school, your mom and his kid going to school in Southern High School.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:So, as you know, it's people down there of all stripes. Like the fact that it's rural, there's still farms, yeah, there's marinas, you know, it's kind of like going back in time a little bit. I got to say, though, that there has been. When we talk about housing and the need for affordable housing, most people don't think of it like this. But I think there's been more displacement of working people and low income people and gentrification in South County than any other part of the county. Farms that used to operate as businesses, and they had multiple homes on them, got taken over by people who built these. They have this 20-acre zoning and they build these multi-million dollar houses with these huge lawns and they tear down the affordable housing that's there. And now the only affordable housing in South County practically is in the mobile home parks, which we're trying to protect. Have you been down there to the mobile home parks by Waston's Corner?
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I have. I've not spent as much time as I would like to down in those areas of South County, but I've definitely been down there. I've heard some of the concerns from some of the residents. The issues they've been working on with you in terms of water quality, and the other sorts of minerals that are being mined, and the other things that are happening in that area where, because it's also a resource-rich area. Residents down there have really bared the burden of some of that extraction and what's happening down in South County.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, yeah, and I'm quite worried because there was a comprehensive rezoning done the last time around that for the areas that were mobile home parks, where it's, it's zone residential agricultural. But, they had grandfathered in mobile home parks and um, which is affordable housing.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:It's not the best housing in the world, but but for some people it is their housing.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:That's right.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:And ,and um. So, uh, you know, the owners of those mobile home parks could potentially shut them down and build very expensive townhomes now and make a lot of money doing it. And they have violations of the wastewater system that they have. It's not working well going into the Patuxent River. The EPA has called them out on that. Yeah, yeah, so we are. Our Public Works. People are working on a plan to clean up the water and clean up the wastewater in return for only if they maintain that as affordable.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:Because that's great. We can't afford to lose it. That's great. I think you need the help on both sides. We certainly want to make sure our targets and environmental goals are adhered to, but we certainly don't want to do anything that would incentivize just packing up and taking that valuable resource of affordable housing out of South County. We want to be able to do both.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, yeah, so you'll be. I'm sure we'll be working together on that one, because it's going to be. It's going to be a little complicated.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:Yeah.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:And, we're going to need some state support. So, we didn't talk about this before, but I've noticed that you have been a huge advocate for small businesses in your district.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:Absolutely.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Personally involved, and connected in some and looking out for them when you get into South County. The small businesses that are not in the City of Annapolis. Well, some of them are actually. But, we've got farms that are businesses to people who don't think of it that way, but there are still people making their living on the farm. That's right. We've got marinas. We've got that whole industry of people who work on boats, sure, and so we have a lot of little operations scattered around South County. Are you going to be able to help them out and represent them?
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I sure hope so. What a loaded question, Steuart.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:We need you.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:Yes, no. You're right.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:Helping small businesses has been a really important part of what I've tried to do. I kind of see it as part and parcel of the way that all of my legislation and kind of policy focus has been rushing help to the folks who kind of need help the most. You know, and I think when we look at businesses, our small businesses are the ones who really need government to be on their side. I mean, the big guys will figure it out. They've got deep enough pockets to be able to ride the wave and figure out what comes next. But for our small businesses being sure that they can rely on what programs and services we're putting out, that they can rely on what we're doing in terms of taxing or regulation or you name it. It's the predictability that makes our small businesses really able to thrive. So I've always tried to be a clear communicator with them and then also a good listener and a champion for the things that they're telling me they need to be successful.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Good. Well, having you as an attorney and with the heart and the life experience you've got, I think it's going to be great down there.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:Thank you.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:When we connect you with the right people and you're going to get to know the Farm Bureau, you're going to get to know the South County Chamber.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:Looking forward to it.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, as soon as session's over. So let's end by talking about session and how people can engage in what you're doing there. But let me first ask you is it different being in the Senate than it is to being in the House? I know there's a smaller number of representatives. How does that feel different?
State Senator Shaneka Henson:It feels, even from my days on city council, going from council to House of Delegates, now delegates to the Senate. Each body has been different and unique and kind of each has their own benefits. When I was on the city council, I used to commute back and forth to Baltimore so I'd catch the light rail. I would be on the light rail typing out amendments to a bill that we would be hearing that evening at the council meeting. I'd forward them to the clerk and they'd be on the desk for us to consider. That would never happen in the House of Delegates.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:City Council, we were a body of nine. House of Delegates, we were a body of 141 people and what happened is you learn to rely really heavily on the committee system. So the bills come to your subject matter committee. Every bill that's filed gets a hearing. You hear that bill, you do work on it in committee. But if it's not in your committee, the opportunities to engage in the House of Delegates were really, really limited. And then I come to the Senate, where it's a much smaller body. It's one third less, because you get three delegates for every one senator, so there's just 47 of us. So you get to do a lot of really deep and meaningful work in your committee, but you also get the opportunity to participate and collaborate on bills that aren't in your committee. So I've really enjoyed it thus far.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:That's why, even though you're not on budget, you were explaining to me some budget proposals. And we won't get into it because we all are trying to figure out how to do a state budget with a $3 billion-plus deficit right now and I don't want to get too involved there. But some proposals that were potentially had big impacts on some of your small business. Small business, not clients. Small business. Constituents. So if people want to influence what's going on in the Maryland Senate through you, how do you recommend they do it?
State Senator Shaneka Henson:First, I would be really delighted. I love when constituents engage, whether it's for or against whatever position I've taken. I love to hear back from people. I think the worst thing we could do in these jobs is to do them in a vacuum, without public input, and we'll only know what people want and need if they kind of let us know. So people are always free to follow me on any of the social medias. I'm Shaneka Henson. On all of them. Sign up for my newsletter.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I try to put out good information in my newsletter that lets people know what bills are coming up, what my positions are on some things. I'll give them opportunities to come in and testify and support bills and just share and engage about the process, because the 90 days happens really really quickly. And if you want to jump on board of this like moving train, there are ways to engage. And I think my newsletter probably is the place where I kind of slow down a little bit and share with people the most detail. But I am always open to feedback. You can shoot me an email. You can send it to Shaneka Henson dot com. You can shoot it to my house.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:My Senate account at Shaneka Henson at Senate StateMDUS. My very long email address. You can give us a call 410-841-3578. If you get somebody on the phone or leave a voicemail, we log every response that we get from constituents, whether they're for or against a bill, and my staff compiles this big data chart for me that says what people are calling about and what they're thinking and what they're feeling. So I would love to know.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Okay, okay. So all of those ways they can do that and that'll get them onto your email list too, right?
State Senator Shaneka Henson:That's right, any of those. That's right.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Any of those, that's right. Okay, and if you call the staff and you really want somebody who will get things done for you, you ask for Burl Downs, right.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:Amazing.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:She's an institution of her own.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:I have the best chief of staff. Shout out to Burl Downs. She is amazing. She keeps me on task, yeah.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Good, good, All right. Well, I just want to wish you all the success in the world in this new gig that you've got. Thank you, Steuart.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:And, I know that you're actually- this is only your.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:I mean, this is a full-time job for a lot of people, but it's designed as a part-time job. Yeah, and you're a practicing attorney as well.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:That's right. So you know, and all that free time out there, I maintain my own business. I still practice law. I've been an attorney for 15 years in the state of Maryland and I think that it totally enriches the work that I do as Senator. Because I sit down with my colleagues, we make the law and then the day that session is over, I go back to being a practitioner of the law. So I think that both of them work together hand in glove.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:Yeah, hadn't thought about that. Okay, well, we're lucky to have you.
State Senator Shaneka Henson:Thank you.
County Executive Steuart Pittman:And, thank you for joining us. Thank you, and if you are listening to this and there's a little button that says subscribe, put your finger on it and it'll ask for your email, I suppose. And then you'll get a notice of who our guests are coming up, and then you won't miss any. So thanks for joining us, everybody.
