Simply Bowie January 2022

SIA FINOH

Q

8 | January 2022

“Moving Prince George’s County into The 21st Century With 21st Century Solutions in Government, Business, and Technology”

Meet Sia Finoh: Candidate for Prince George’s County Council District 3

Article By Alyson Turner

9 | January 2022 We had the opportunity to speak with Sia Finoh – a candidate running for Prince George’s County Council District 3 in 2022 to learn about her platforms, her mission, and her love for Prince George’s County. Q Who is Sia Finoh? I am originally from West Africa –Sierra Leone. I came here in the early 90s, when the war was heating up. My dad went to Holland and then came to America. During the onset of the war, we were lucky enough that he was granted asylum and I came to Prince George’s County when I was 13 years old. I have raised two children here – a 24-year-old, he is currently in the military and I have a 22-year-old who is graduating with a Bachelors in Biology, and my 6-year-old who I am raising here. I was a teenage mother and a teenage wife. I feel that a lot of women in Prince George’s County can relate to my story. There are a lot of immigrants who come here that don’t know what to do, or who to go to, to ask questions. Many of us come from countries that don’t have the opportunity to ask questions to government officials. I went through a bad divorce and I had no idea how the court system worked. I met a lady at church who helped me connect with my senator and he took me to the Attorney General. From then on, I started working as an intern and a legislative aide which led me to where I am today. People can relate to me. I tell people ‘Don’t let the accent fool you, I have lived in America more than I lived in Africa. Prince George’s County is my home.’ This is where I found my spirit, where I found my soul and I want to give back. I want to help make

Prince George’s County better. Why not be a part of the change? I love Prince George’s County and when something you love is broken you roll up your sleeves and fix it. My first home was in Bowie and I always tell people that we Prince Georgians actually know the worth of our county. We have everything here, but we need a little bit of organization and leadership. What are your campaign plans for 2022? How are you reaching residents and voters? We have already started our campaign in full swing. My team and I are on the street in District 3. We are asking volunteers to help with phone banking and door knocking in District 3 to continue to connect with faith leaders, business leaders, and looking to connect with all souls in District 3, all communities, all races, everyone is included, no one is going to be left out. Right now, we have started our phone banking. We are going to be out there waving. I believe in grass roots campaigns. We get to know them and they get to know us; they tell you the issues that are affecting their family. I want to build a personal relationship with the constituents and I want them to know I am one of them. I started from the bottom. I am growing and we are going to grow together. We have to build that relationship with the constituents and we have to change the mindset of folks to let them know we are here for them. A

Q

A

Why are you choosing to run for Prince George’s County Council District 3?

This is my home and this is where my heart is. This is where I raised my family. I went to middle school, high school, and college here. I am a product of Prince George’s County school system and my children are in Prince George’s County Public Schools. We all have issues we need to fix. I want to bring my own knowledge from Prince George’s County to give back. I know that I will never be able to repay what Prince George’s County has given me, but I want to give back and that is why I decided to jump into the race.

What is your mission?

Our mission is to actually move Prince George’s County into the 21st century with 21st century solutions in government, business and technology. When all of three of these things work together in unison, not only will District 3 benefit, but the whole the county will benefit. We need to work for solutions.

Can you tell us which platforms you are running on?

My platform is working to create 21st century technology and to ensure our senior citizens are in safe housing and are secure. I want to root out corruption in zoning and other areas. Prince George’s County should not be a revolving door where everyone takes from the county and then leaves. We have to reinforce our educational system to empower our students to go into skilled trades. I was a teenage mom, after high school I had no idea what I wanted to do. Many people graduate from high school and can’t afford to go to college. Why not secure their future before they leave high school? My son, who joined the military, went into cybersecurity and there are many different jobs available. There are also a lot of skilled tech trades. We have to empower our constituents in District 3. We have to focus our efforts on renewable energy as well. These are the things I want to work on with my colleagues when I get elected.

What do you want Prince George’s County and District 3 residents to know about you?

10 | January 2022 I want them to know that, Sia is like no other woman you have met with the heart of an angel, but the spirit of a warrior. I am always sincere and my self-integrity means everything to me. I am not perfect, but I try to do things that are right so I can sleep at night. My integrity means the world to me. It is rooted in accountability. I am not perfect, but I will try to do right by my constituents because it is an honor and a privilege to represent them. It is the biggest honor coming from a country that doesn’t have a lot of women in leadership or respect for women. That is an honor that I will never take for granted.

What do growth and progress mean to you?

Benjamin Franklin said, “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning.” We cannot transform our society without changing the lives of our regular folks. We have to invest in our human infrastructure by improving the welfare of those who live in our community. Growth and progress are a necessary component because healthy and successful individuals are more likely to contribute to the community. We will go in the right direction by improving the lives of our constituents. They are depending on us.

How can we, as a community, continue to thrive and succeed even during challenging times such as the pandemic? How can we look towards the future?

11 | January 2022 In Prince George’s County and across our nation we are seeing devastation and the effect of COVID 19 on so many small business owners who saw their dreams crippled. While unemployment rates sky rocketed and hospitals and clinics suffered from short staff. COVID-19 has exposed many shortcomings in our health care system and we are seeing many more challenges in health in our community. Despite this, we need to leverage some of these challenges. I want to work to increase public partnerships and develop partnerships so families in need can access health care and free food. We want citizens to be well-informed. We have to support our small businesses, and encourage our residents to get vaccinated. This is not a one-sided thing. For our future, we need to refocus our view on education, businesses and helping seniors. I would like to start with education. We need to reinforce our education system for our students to go into a skilled tech trade for higher money. Many skilled labors are retiring and we need new young adults to fill in these positions, to better themselves and impact their family long term. The business climate in our county can be improved especially our minority women-owned businesses. I want to start a resource pool. We need to leverage economic development. Lastly, our seniors are counting on us as county leaders to protect their residency and their lives as well. Public safety and ensuring our seniors have access to me 24 hours a day via email or cell phone. They worked so hard to build our county. This is their home and we have to protect them. We all need to play a part in taking care of each other, our neighbors, friends, family members, and we are going to come out better in the end. We are stronger together and we all need to work as one. A