Council President's Update: May 13

Dear Resident,

This is an exciting time at the Montgomery County Council, as last week we unanimously passed important legislation that will impact our residents in positive ways for years to come: measures to increase transparency and trust in law enforcement; to help ensure pay equity between women and men in County government; to reduce levels of lead in drinking water in our public schools well beyond the state-mandated maximum accepted levels; and to promote clean energy. My colleagues on the Council’s Audit Committee and I also introduced a bill to strengthen the County’s fiscal oversight and ensure taxpayer dollars are being used efficiently, effectively and appropriately.

County Operating Budget

We are also only days away from finalizing the County’s Fiscal Year 2020 Operating Budget. Many items have already been resolved and voted on by the Council, and all have been reviewed by our six Committees, which have made recommendations about whether to approve or amend the County Executive’s recommended budget. Some items, including Montgomery County Public Schools, Montgomery College and several early care and education programs, will be the subject of reviews this week by the full Council. We will meet in full Council every day from today until Thursday. We will officially vote to adopt the budget on May 23. On behalf of the entire Council, I thank all of you who have told us, in public hearings, in written testimony, on social media and in face-to-face meetings, your vision for the areas this year’s budget should prioritize. The budget should always represent the will of the residents, and we have each done our utmost to make it so.

As always, you can view the Council’s agenda here, read our Council Coming Attractions for an overview of everything that’s coming up, or visit our Council meeting portal to stream Council and Committee meetings live or after the fact.

Incident Involving Racist Remarks by a Police Officer

Last week a video was circulated widely allegedly showing a Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) officer using racist, offensive language in an interaction with residents. My colleagues at the Council and I immediately demanded a transparent investigation of the incident and a full disclosure of findings to the public. MCPD has since released the full footage taken by one of the young men who was detained by police officers, as well as the full footage from the officer in question’s body-worn camera, in order to be transparent with the public as the investigation into the officer’s conduct begins.

We simply cannot accept an ounce of prejudice in our policing, and we are working diligently to ensure that our police are culturally sensitive and engage with the community in a positive way. Our present search for a new police chief and director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is a key part of that, as is our ongoing racial equity and social justice outreach and dialogue with the community.

You can read my official statement on this incident here.

Finally, in case you missed it, last week I was the keynote speaker for almost 800 bright, talented and motivated students graduating from the Universities at Shady Grove’s partner universities. Here is a video of my remarks. I wish all of them, as well as all university graduates in and from Montgomery County, a lifetime of success and prosperity.

Thank you, and I hope you have a wonderful week.