This is the third in a series of MacRo Report articles examining candidates who are contending for a county council seat as they debate the issues in the 2026 Frederick County election cycle.

The Democratic primary for Frederick County Council District 1 features three candidates: Jenn Alcorn, Louisa Conklin, and Eric Smothers. The winner will advance to the November general election against Republican Frank Hollewa.

All three Democratic candidates clearly care about Frederick County and its future. However, after reviewing their positions and priorities, I believe Jenn Alcorn offers the most balanced and practical vision for addressing the challenges facing both District 1 and Frederick County as a whole.

The most important issue in this election is not education, housing, public safety, transportation, or mental health services. Those are all critically important, and most candidates generally agree on their importance.

The real question is how we pay for them.

Frederick County continues to experience significant growth. Residents want competitive teacher salaries, modern schools, improved infrastructure, affordable housing, strong public safety services, and expanded support for seniors and families. At the same time, many homeowners are feeling the pressure of rising property taxes and increasing costs of living.

Those concerns are legitimate. But they create an unavoidable reality: Frederick County cannot continue expanding services while relying primarily on residential taxpayers to fund them.

Jenn Alcorn understands this challenge.

Throughout her campaign, she has consistently emphasized the need to broaden the county’s commercial tax base, attract quality employers, support responsible economic development, and use new commercial revenue to strengthen schools, protect farmland, and reduce pressure on homeowners.

That is not simply a campaign slogan. It is a governing philosophy.

What I find particularly compelling about Alcorn’s approach is that she refuses to accept the false choice between economic development and preservation. She recognizes that Frederick County can support agriculture, protect rural character, invest in education, strengthen human services, and create jobs at the same time.

Her platform reflects a belief that growth should be managed responsibly, guided by infrastructure, environmental protections, and long-term planning rather than ideology.

By contrast, much of Louisa Conklin’s campaign has centered on opposition to data centers and the Critical Digital Infrastructure Overlay Zone. Reasonable people can disagree about those issues, and public debate is healthy. However, opposition by itself is not a governing strategy.

The larger question remains unanswered: if Frederick County rejects significant commercial and industrial investment opportunities, where will the revenue come from to fund the schools, infrastructure, affordable housing programs, and public services that residents expect?

That is a question every candidate should be prepared to answer.

Alcorn’s life experiences, community involvement, advocacy work, and commitment to public service have given her a practical understanding of the challenges facing working families, seniors, students, and small businesses. Just as importantly, she appears willing to listen, collaborate, and focus on solutions rather than division.

The next County Council will face difficult decisions about growth, taxation, education, housing, and economic development. Voters deserve leaders who not only identify problems but also understand how to fund meaningful solutions.

For that reason, Jenn Alcorn has earned my support in the June 23 Democratic primary for Frederick County Council District 1.

Frederick County’s future depends not only on what we want to accomplish, but on how we choose to pay for it. Among the candidates in this race, Jenn Alcorn has presented the clearest vision for achieving both.

Don’t miss any of my posts on this year’s local primary election races:  County Executive, County Council At-Large, as well as upcoming articles on the contentious races in Districts 2 and 3.

Rocky Mackintosh is the owner of MacRo, Ltd., a commercial and industrial real estate brokerage based in Frederick, Maryland. Among many community organizational roles he has served on, he was a member of the Frederick County Charter Board from 2010 to 2012.