Proven community leader.
Respected state legislator.
Cathi Forbes never intended to run for office. But after two decades as a successful community leader and education advocate, the office found her. She was appointed to fill a vacancy in the House of Delegates in 2019, and elected to the office in 2022. She leverages her position to get even more done for the people of Baltimore County.
Cathi does her homework on every issue she takes on, preferring to fight with facts rather than fury. From education to the environment to issues of race and social justice, she has pledged to always vote on the right side of history.
That’s why Cathi has earned the support of so many in Towson, and beyond!
FORBES FACTS
Member, House of Delegates, since 2019
Member, House Appropriations Committee
Chair, Oversight Committee on Pensions
Chair, Baltimore County Delegation Education Subcommittee
Member, Capital Budget Subcommittee
100% lifetime voting record, MD League of Conservation Voters
Towson resident, married with two grown children
Early community work
Cathi grew up believing that we all have a role to play in making our communities better. As early as 2001, she was speaking out on issues affecting our neighborhoods. She volunteered countless hours as a board member of the West Towson Community Association. And with two kids at Rodgers Forge Elementary, she was proud to co-chair “Tech Trek,” the school’s popular fundraiser.
By 2008, Rodgers Forge had become the most overcrowded elementary school in the state. Yet there were no plans in place to solve the problem. So Cathi founded Towson Families United, a coalition of residents and businesses.
Their efforts resulted in the construction of West Towson Elementary, where she co-founded “Westy’s Walk,” Mays Chapel Elementary, plus additions or major renovations at Stoneleigh and Hampton Elementary, and Dumbarton Middle.
Learn more about her efforts in this Baltimore Sun profile.
Serving in Annapolis
Cathi sits on the House Appropriations Committee, where she’s proud to have helped balance the state’s operating and capital budgets while ensuring that Maryland continues to have a healthy Rainy Day Fund.
She’s sponsored important statewide legislation that has since become law, and secured substantial capital funding for projects in her district — from large-scale construction at Towson University to helping the Assistance Center of Towson Churches expand to feed more people in need.
And Cathi has been a solid vote for education reform, climate change, health care access, voting rights and issues of social and racial justice. She is respected in Annapolis for her ability to tackle complex issues and find solutions to difficult problems.
Serving at home, throughout the year
Constituent service is one of Cathi’s highest priorities. She and her Chief of Staff, Susan Parts, take pride in resolving people’s problems, and try hard to answer every phone call, email and letter. From delayed unemployment claims to issues with BGE to helping a hungry family put food on the table, they get results. And with so many Marylanders impacted by cuts at the federal level, this help has never been more vital.
One early test of Cathi’s leadership came in March of 2020, when COVID hit and left many without jobs and food. Cathi took the lead in expanding the Student Support Network’s food distribution program, serving thousands of food-insecure residents every Friday for the rest of the year. Her efforts were recognized by the state, and more important, they made a real difference in so many lives.
