Q&A with Gubernatorial Candidate Alec Ross

Alec Ross (Handout)

In a crowded field of Democratic gubernatorial candidates, Alec Ross stands out.

A 46-year-old resident of Baltimore’s Homeland community, Ross spent four years as senior advisor for innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He also served as a technology policy advisor to President Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign.

Considered a technology policy expert, Ross wrote the New York Times best-seller “The Industries of the Future” (Simon & Schuster), which examines the next waves of innovation in cybersecurity, robotics, genomics, digital currency and data analysis. The book was named the 2016 “Book of the Year” by the Tribeca Film Festival’s Disruptive Innovation Foundation.

Before serving as tech czar in the State Department, Ross taught sixth grade for two years at Booker T. Washington Middle School in Baltimore as a Teach for America AmeriCorps member. In addition, he co-founded in 2002 a nonprofit called One Economy that helps deliver high-speed Internet access and educational content to low-income communities around the globe.

A native of Charleston, W.Va., Ross graduated from Northwestern University in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in history. He is a distinguished visiting fellow at Johns Hopkins University and serves as an advisor to investors, corporations and government leaders.

Ross and his wife, Felicity, a teacher, have three children.

Jmore: Your qualifications to be governor?

I’ve served in the executive branch of the federal government, where I was in charge of innovation at the State Department. I had a wide variety of experiences that caused the government to innovate and perform at an incredibly high level. For example, my responsibilities included work on Project Iron Dome, the missile defense shield for Israel.

My experience driving innovation as a federal appointee lends itself well to the office of governor.  My perspective has also been shaped by being a former Baltimore City Public Schools teacher, married to a Baltimore City Public Schools teacher, with three children currently in that school system.

Can you defeat Gov. Larry Hogan?  

Larry Hogan’s single greatest accomplishment as governor is reducing tolls on the [Chesapeake] Bay Bridge. I’m not very impressed by that. We live in a scary world, and Marylanders need our governor to make bold moves in areas like education and the environment.

People want new faces and new ideas in politics. I can defeat Larry Hogan by offering solutions that will shape the future. I have a $1 billion inclusive innovation agenda. Take education as just one example. I’d bring a European-style apprenticeship program to Maryland. It’s hard to get middle-class jobs if you don’t have an undergraduate degree. An apprenticeship program would make sure that young people who aren’t going on to college have access to skills that would give them access to middle-class jobs.

Could you manage thousands of state employees?

I managed thousands of people at the State Department, so I can do the same thing at the state level.  I was in charge of a wide range of functions, including programs related to human resources. In the last two years that I was at the State Department, Deloitte & Touche [accounting and auditing firm] ranked it the number one cabinet level agency in terms of innovation.  I got this large organization to perform at a very high level, and I can get state government to do the same.

Here’s just one example. We pioneered a program where you could make a charitable contribution over your cell phone. We did this after the earthquake in Haiti.  In January 2010, we raised $40 million in three weeks. This program is now used by nonprofit organizations across the country and around the world.

Are you refusing campaign contributions from anyone?

I’m refusing contributions from anyone with a history of violence against women.  In my book, I said societies that elevate women are best positioned for the future. I am proudly feminist.

Can you get more women involved in politics?

When I was at the State Department, I managed a superstar team of women. Now, Julie Verratti would be my lieutenant governor. She would be the first statewide official who is gay. Julie is the co-owner of a small business [Denizens Brewing Co.] and formerly ran the Boots to Business program as senior advisor at the Small Business Administration.

How would you manage the opioid epidemic?

We need to take two bold steps. First, we need treatment on demand. Typically in this state, there is a four-to-six-week wait for treatment for opioid addiction by drug-addiction specialists. As soon as someone walks into a treatment facility and says, “I’m here for help,” we need to have the capacity to give that person immediate treatment.

There is a blueprint for this that has been developed by several health commissioners, including Dr. Leana Wen, the health commissioner of Baltimore City. I would seek to implement this blueprint.

Second, Maryland should pioneer non-opioidal pain treatment. Opioids should only be given in severe cases. Instead, we need to create incentives for the non-opioidal pain treatment programs being pioneered by Maryland’s universities.

Environmental policies?

We need a level of boldness in our environmental policies that is lacking. Here’s one example: damage to the Chesapeake Bay is being caused by manure runoff. We have the technical tools to closely monitor this runoff, and we would hold farmers and agricultural companies to account.

Policies to combat violence in Baltimore?

When I was a sixth grade teacher at Booker T. Washington Middle School in Baltimore City, I worked in one of the poorest and most violent communities in the United States. My wife and I saw the pain of gun violence through the deaths of students that we taught, the lives that were taken from us.

Baltimore is overrun with guns.  I would work to give Maryland the strictest gun safety laws in America, and to punish those who violate these laws.

What values play a role in your life?

We have an obligation and responsibility to one another and to the world. That’s why I believe in public service. Our world and our state need healing. We need people in public service who have empathy and compassion.

Pete Arnold is an Olney, Md.-based freelance writer.

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