Stephen Duckett

Happy Pride Month! 🌈

Pride Month is a time to reflect on the progress that has been made, recognize the work that remains, and celebrate the many people who have helped make our communities more welcoming and inclusive.

Wishing everyone a safe and joyful Pride Month.

Thank you to everyone who attended last night's MDE public comment session regarding the proposed Amazon data center permit for 99 additional backup diesel generators.

While the CHERISH Act did not advance this session in the form many advocates hoped, there are still actions that can be taken now.

One of the recurring concerns raised by residents is that these projects are evaluated individually, while communities experience them cumulatively. This is now the third major generator-related permit action tied to large-scale data center development in this area, raising important questions about how cumulative impacts are being considered.

The legislative session may be over, but the work is not.

Call to Action:

1. Find and contact your Maryland State Senator and Delegates:
https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Members/District

2. Ask your legislators to exercise their oversight responsibilities by working with the House Environment and Transportation Committee and the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee to:

• Request an MDE briefing on cumulative impacts associated with large-scale data center development.
• Hold an informational or oversight hearing on the current permitting framework.
• Request reports and data from MDE regarding cumulative environmental impacts, monitoring, and mitigation efforts.

We should not have to wait until the next legislative session to begin asking important questions. Let's keep the momentum going and encourage our elected officials to exercise their oversight authority and ensure communities have a voice in decisions that will affect them for decades to come.

Tonight, I attended and provided public comment at a Maryland Department of the Environment hearing regarding a proposed data center diesel generator permit application in Frederick County.

What stood out to me most was the diversity of voices in the room. Residents came from different backgrounds, professions, neighborhoods, and political perspectives, yet many shared common concerns about air quality, public health, environmental impacts, and the future of their community.

The room was passionate. At times, it was frustrated. But above all, people cared enough to show up and participate in the process.

Issues like clean air, public health, and quality of life don't belong to one political party. They affect all of us. Tonight was a reminder that community concerns can bring people together across ideological lines.

Thank you to everyone who attended, testified, listened, and engaged in the process. I've attached the written comments I submitted for the public record.

Most people don’t campaign publicly for this position — but I believe voters still deserve to know who is asking for their support and what they stand for.

That’s why I wanted to share a little about who I am, what experiences I bring, and why I’m running for the Frederick County Democratic Central Committee.

I believe our local party should be more transparent, more accessible, and better prepared for the future. My focus is on strengthening communication, improving digital infrastructure and outreach, and helping build a stronger pipeline of future candidates, volunteers, and community leaders.

Even though this role largely works behind the scenes, the decisions and organizational culture it helps shape have a real impact on how we engage voters, support candidates, and grow our local Democratic community.

I’d be honored to earn your support in the Democratic Primary.

Back in 2009, during my first summer living in Houston, I made a trip down to Galveston during Juneteenth weekend without fully realizing at the time the significance of where I was or what the day represented historically.

Only later did I come to understand that Galveston holds a deeply important place in American history as the site where news of emancipation finally reached enslaved African Americans in Texas on June 19, 1865.

That experience has always stayed with me and gave me a deeper appreciation for why Juneteenth matters — not only as a celebration of freedom, but as a reminder of resilience, culture, community, and the importance of remembering our shared history.

I’m glad to see the City of Frederick continuing that spirit with this year’s Juneteenth celebration at Mullinix Park on Friday, June 19 from 11 AM – 3 PM.

The event is free and open to the public and will feature music, food, vendors, art, and family-friendly activities celebrating culture and community.

Happy Juneteenth, Frederick.

As someone who ran hospital infection prevention programs, I want to offer a little perspective amid the panic around Ebola and hantavirus.

These are serious illnesses, but the average American is not at high risk of suddenly contracting Ebola in daily life in the United States.

What I learned working in the field is that fear often spreads faster than viruses themselves.

Hospitals and public health agencies prepare extensively for these situations through screening, isolation protocols, PPE, contact tracing, and trained response teams.

The viruses most likely to impact Americans are the ones we often normalize:
• flu
• COVID
• RSV
• norovirus
• measles

The best protections are still the basics:
wash your hands, stay home when sick, keep up with appropriate vaccines, and rely on evidence-based information — not social media panic.

Preparedness matters. Panic doesn’t.

Honored to have been recognized as a new member of Frederick Healths Order of the Good Samaritan this year.

Healthcare is more than hospitals and clinics — it’s about community, dignity, access, and making sure people are supported during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. I’m grateful to be able to contribute, in some small way, to that mission here in Frederick County.

I’m especially proud that these efforts help support important initiatives like mental health services, which are near and dear to me, and expanded care access for our community. As someone who believes deeply in public service and community stewardship, this level of giving means a great deal to me.

Thank you to everyone at Frederick Health for the work you do every day — and to the many healthcare workers, advocates, donors, and volunteers who continue showing up for our community.

Frederick is stronger when we invest in each other.

These photos take me back to 2009—Power Shift, in Washington, D.C., where I first got a real sense of what collective action on energy and climate could look like.

Even then, it was clear this wasn’t just an environmental issue. It was about infrastructure, jobs, and the long-term strength of our communities.

This year’s Earth Day theme—“Our Power, Our Planet”—captures that well. Progress doesn’t just happen at the national level. It happens in communities like ours, through the decisions we make and the priorities we set.

This has been part of my perspective for a long time—and it continues to shape how I think about growth and sustainability today.

What’s one area where you think Frederick can lead on this?