I have the utmost respect for our elected officials. The ones who are genuine public servants who want to do good for the community. Not the "politicians" whose speeches sound like lies and BS. I hear their guarantees that I know are just empty promises to help get this person elected. Below you'll see the list of issues I feel are important and are actually things I will work on if elected to the County Council.
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LIST OF ISSUES
NO UNNECESSARY PROJECTS AND SPENDING
This county spends millions a year on things that nobody asked for and nobody needs. Projects that benefit very few people are pushed through because one person has decided that they want something done. A great example of this is the University boulevard 193 bike lane project. Although it was a state project, it would not have happened without the support of the county. No one asked for bike lines, no one used the bike lanes when they were there, and now some people want to make them permanent. This is ridiculous. Thousands of cars a day had to sit in more traffic congestion so that a dozen people a day could ride in these bike lanes. Special interests like these need to go. I am not against bike lanes in general, but put them somewhere where they will actually be used.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Montgomery County has consistently been behind our neighbors in Maryland and Virginia in terms of economic development. Why are businesses staying away from Montgomery County? What impediments do we have that are preventing businesses from starting and growing here? We need to make it easier for businesses to start and to succeed in Montgomery County. That begins with simplifying our permitting process and cutting the red tape so that it's easier for businesses to operate here. There were thousands of empty stores and empty floors in office buildings even before Covid affected businesses in 2020 and beyond.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Without proper infrastructure, we can never achieve the economic development we're hoping for. Fixing potholes, putting in enough street lights, keeping buildings and facilities up to date, and having ample trash and recycling bins cannot be forgotten. When a community has these things, then they can build around it. Many parts of the county don't even get the grass cut in medians for months at a time.
DEER MANAGEMENT
Deer continue to be a problem in Montgomery County. Nearly every person I know has either hit a deer or come close to hitting a deer with their car. There are over 1.5 million car accidents in the U.S. every year caused by deer, resulting in over $1 billion in damages and 200 fatalities. We need to work with Montgomery Parks to continue to expand the deer management programs with controlled hunts and tracking of deer populations in specific areas. I am not a hunter but I do eat meat. It's not just a senseless killing of deer. The deer meat is harvested and is donated to the Capital Area Food Bank.
ENVIRONMENT
I'm not going to solve climate change and all of our environmental problems. No one person can. But there are some simple things we can do in Montgomery County to do our part. The county owns thousands of structures (offices, facilities, schools, parking garages, fire stations, etc.) Any new construction should have solar panels on the roof. While we have had several projects that have utilized renewable energy, we can do more.
SNOW DELAYS
We need to revise our policy on snow days. Too many times, Montgomery County has changed its mind on a snow day, from a 2 hour delay to closed. This affects not only the 160,000 students, but also tens of thousands of parents who have to change their plans. Working parents, single parents, and parents with multiple kids in MCPS all are inconvenienced by this. I want us to make a decision by 5:30am and stick with it. Of course the safety of students is the number one priority, and I understand erring on the side of caution, and that it could be snowing in Damascus and completely dry in Silver Spring, but we need to have a snow policy that parents and students can rely on. While this may not seem like a big problem to many people, it's one that can actually be fixed and with a simple solution.