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Issues

Management and Fiscal Policy

As the Chair of the County Council’s Management and Fiscal Policy Committee, I have the solemn responsibility to help manage the County’s revenues and expenditures in as prudent a manner as is possible, while working closely with the County Executive and my County Council colleagues. Montgomery County’s residents and commercial business owners should expect that the County Government will collect revenues—only to the extent needed—to provide for the County services that protect the community and maintain our quality of life. We will continue to improve our management and fiscal policies to make sure that they are effective, efficient, transparent and accountable.

Economic Development and Jobs

The people of Montgomery County want their County government to do all that it can to preserve and retain the good jobs that we have and to attract new and quality jobs for the future. Sustaining Montgomery County’s economic development is the key to better services and lower taxes for residents. We need to support our small businesses who account for most of the County’s jobs by promoting an environment where entrepreneurship can flourish. We need to support businesses of all types—minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, veteran-owned businesses—and we need to support our large employers and non-profit organizations too. From Germantown to Fairland, from Silver Spring to Poolesville, Montgomery County must continue to work hard to attract dynamic and innovative businesses in the biotechnology, energy, and financial sectors to grow our economy.

Affordable and Quality Housing

The people of Montgomery County need quality and affordable housing, and a County government that will do what needs to be done to protect the housing that we have and supports the new housing that we need for the future. We need to support our County’s builders through reasonable fees and streamlined licensing procedures. We need to support our Housing Opportunities Commission and its mission to provide affordable housing for our senior, disabled, low-income, and homeless neighbors. We need to support our County’s thousands of tenants by ensuring that their residences remain safe, attractive, and affordable. And working with state and federal agencies, we need to help families that face the risk of foreclosures.

Transportation

The people of Montgomery County want transportation improvements and alternatives. It’s time to focus on public transportation projects, including the Inner Purple Line and the Corridor Cities Transitway. This fall the Council recommended to the State the construction of the Purple Line, the Corridor Cities Transitway (with a light rail option), and the addition of two reversible lanes to I-270. Our transportation priorities must include the increase of community bus routes and the improvement of existing roadways. County residents wanting to lessen their dependence on foreign oil should be accommodated with safer sidewalks and bike paths.

Education

The people of Montgomery County want educational investments that build a better future for our children and community. Teachers need the tools to get the job done – smaller class sizes, ESOL services for every family that qualifies, and innovative programs based on community dynamics and not standardized achievement goals. We need to get our children out of aging facilities and develop a sustainable plan for school modernizations.

Health and Human Services

The people of Montgomery County want a responsive and effective public health system that is prepared for ongoing needs as well as emergencies. We have made good progress in this area, but there is so much more to do. For example, providing support to our neighbors who live with mental illness, and to the families, friends, and non-profit providers who work with them and care for them is an important part of our County’s responsibility to those in need. Comprehensive mental health care must address prevention, early intervention and case management. Our juvenile justice programs and county jail must no longer serve as the primary treatment option for those afflicted with mental illness and substance abuse. We must improve and expand the special services that are available to those residents with these disabilities, and help the provider community do their work through grants, technical assistance, and improved contract management.

In 2009 I sponsored a bill that allows the county to use monies seized in drug forfeiture cases to be used in drug treatment and prevention programs. (Bill 35-09). I have also sponsored a measure to ban the use of trans fats in restaurants (Res. 16-134) and supported a bill requiring restaurants to provide nutritional information to their patrons. (Bill 19-07).

Domestic Violence

The people of Montgomery County want a coordinated and efficient community response to the tragedy of domestic violence. Families must have access to comprehensive and responsive services. Critical needs, such as children’s counseling and mentoring, affordable housing, and job training must become immediate priorities as domestic violence knows no boundaries and permeates every level of our society. The criminal justice system, HHS, MCPS and the County Council must work together to find better solutions for children in families where violence is occurring.

In 2009 I spearheaded the effort to create a Family Justice Center (FJC) in the county. The center consolidates services for victims of domestic violence in one location in downtown Rockville. This model has been shown to reduce domestic violence homicides, increase safety for victims and their children, and improve cooperation with prosecutors. The Center provides domestic violence victims with a comprehensive range of services. In the first six months operation, the Montgomery County FJC has served over a thousand families coming from over 100 countries.

Veterans

Montgomery County’s nearly 60,000 veterans of our Nation’s military services deserve our undying gratitude for their service and their sacrifice. They also need our support. We can do much more to support our veterans and their families to ensure that they receive the care that they need and the services for which they are eligible. We must continue our work with the federal, state and non-profit agencies that are providing medical, housing and employment services for America’s soldiers, sailors and guardsmen and women that call Montgomery County home. In 2008 the Council established a county Commission on Veterans Affairs to advise the County Executive and the Council on ways to better meet the needs of veterans living in Montgomery County. (Bill 23-08).

Agriculture and Rural Montgomery

With nearly one-third of the County’s land area reserved for agriculture, we need to protect and support Rural Montgomery and the Agricultural Reserve. The Agricultural Reserve is an enormously important resource for the County, providing good jobs and services, and quality food and agricultural products for consumers throughout the metropolitan region. We must remain committed to the maintenance and protection of the Agricultural Reserve for its historical legacy and for its vital contribution to a healthy environment for our families.

Environment

The protection and improvement of our natural environment must remain a high priority for Montgomery County’s residents and public officials. We have taken good steps to protect the quality of our water, air and soil, but we can do more. We can take additional steps to conserve energy, reduce emissions, protects trees and forests, maintain our parks, improve the management of storm water, and improve our County-wide recycling. We also need to invest more in our water supply and sewerage facilities.

During my tenure on the Council, I have supported measures that encourage homeowners to make energy efficiency improvements (Bill 6-09E); allow the installation of solar panels in residential side yards (ZTA 08-04); require the Planning Board to assess potential greenhouse gas emissions (Bill 34-07); require the development of a Renewable Energy Action Plan; establish a work group to evaluate water quality in the Clarksburg area; and establish a special protection area to protect water quality in the Upper Paint Branch (ZTA 07-11)

Arts & Entertainment

Montgomery County’s many talented and gifted residents need an environment in which their creative abilities can grow and flourish. We should continue to support the arts and humanities so that all our neighbors can learn and take advantage of creative community resources. We should also continue to support our entertainment community that supports the County’s economic development and improves the quality of our lives.

Our “Quality of Life.” Montgomery County’s residents deserve the best quality of life that its neighbors and government, working together, can provide. We must continue to our efforts to improve code enforcement so that neighborhoods can be safe, clean and attractive places to live. I supported the “Mansionization” measure adopted by the Council in 2008 which helps to protect neighbors from overbuilding on small lots. (ZTA 08-11).

Growth and Land Use Policy

Montgomery County residents want the county to grow in a way that balances jobs, housing, and transportation. I supported a growth policy in 2009 that maintains a tougher test for school overcrowding, encourages development near Metro stations, and continues to require measures to mitigate the effects of increased congestion on our roads.

Equity and Fairness

Montgomery County has a proud tradition of protecting the rights of all its residents. Throughout my career I have fought for economic justice and equal rights, including women’s rights and the rights of people living on the margin. As a Councilmember I sponsored a law to ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity (Bill 23-07); and have supported several measures that would give hiring preference for county employment to qualified persons with disabilities.