Debbie Campbell Bio

Creating solutions that work -

• Selected as one of Maryland's Top 100 Women 2007 for "outstanding achievement...as demonstrated through professional accomplishment, community leadership and mentoring."

• Recognized by the governor for developing and supervising summer programs for youth in two neighborhood parks

• Honored by the Wicomico County Commission for Women for her work in the field of housing and revitalization

Insight into issues facing our city and solutions that have worked in other communities across the country -

• Selected as one of four members nationwide selected for the first Leadership Forum organized by the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders (NAAHL)

• Founding officer of the National Neighborhood Housing Network, a national trade association serving 230 non-profit housing groups across the country

• Past member of the Governor's Summit on Violent Crime & Neighborhood Issues


Working to improve our community -

• Salisbury City Council Member for District 2 since April 2005

• Salisbury Crime Task Force Sub-committee leader, Fall 2008

• Served as council liaison to PAC14 Board from April 2005 to 2009

• Served as council liaison to Airport Commission, April 2005 to April 2007

• Past president of the Camden Neighborhood Association

• Jaycees' Outstanding Young Marylander, 1996

A Driving Force for Positive Change


Taxpayer Protection - Debbie Campbell's focus on fiscal responsibility in budgets and audits resulted in finding $130,000 owed to taxpayers, reducing a 17% general purpose tax rate hike to 14%, moving the budget process toward line-item approval, promoting ways to reduce the $2,884 per person city debt, commissioning an operational review of Internal Services to increase efficiency and obtain an on-time audit, and moving the city toward a more taxpayer-friendly take-home vehicle policy, to name a few initiatives.


Public Safety and Crime Reduction - Debbie Campbell has raised the awareness to keep police, fire and EMS personnel previously lost due to poor salary levels, resulting in increases that have helped retention. Her action-oriented leadership as a sub-committee leader on Salisbury's Crime Task Force yielded identification and remedial action on trouble spots in just the first two weeks.


Environmental Protection - Debbie Campbell stood up for the Wicomico River by tireless requests for storm water filtration for the installation of larger outflow pipes to the river. She identified storm water intake systems that provide filtration at less cost than ordinary intake grills.


Affordable and Workforce Housing Development - Debbie Campbell convened a forum in March 2008 to bring developers, lenders and state agency representatives together to help developers understand financial paths to success in providing this type of housing. She worked with business leaders and the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore to develop a potential model for maximizing annexation agreement contributions toward affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization.

Homeowner and Tenant Safety - Debbie Campbell has met continually with neighborhood residents on problems facing their areas. Her efforts resulted in the posting of landlord licensing information on the city website so homeowners and tenants could be aware of compliant rental properties in the city. She has supported the addition of tenant protections in city codes.


Growth Management - Debbie Campbell's efforts led changes in annexation policy to increase protections for city residents from "bait and switch" annexations. She was the only council member in the first two years of her term to identify an illegal rezoning.


Open, Transparent Government - Debbie Campbell led the way in citizen outreach with a newsletter, website and public input meetings and continues to press for better access to information and input for the public.

information obtained http://www.campbell4council.net/meet-debbie/accomplishments.html