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November 2021
As a member of the Council’s Health and Human Services Committee, I am committed to working with our public health officials to ensure that all communities and families have safe and easy access to the Covid-19 vaccine. Keeping our residents safe and healthy has been the most important and rewarding work I have ever done. I’m fully committed to this public health effort and to you and your family.
Vaccines for children are available at County-operated clinics (East County Rec Center, Montgomery College-Germantown Campus and the Silver Spring Civic Building), private medical practices and pharmacies. In addition, the County’s Department of Health and Human Services is partnering with Montgomery County Public Schools to offer free vaccination clinics for children at schools on weekends. Other family members who have not received a COVID-19 vaccination or who need a Pfizer booster, will be able to do so at these clinics as well.
Legislative bodies across the country are constitutionally required to realign their district boundaries every ten years after the Census. The County’s non-partisan Commission on Redistricting recently finalized its report and shared it with the Council. You can watch that discussion here. The Commission’s work was not easy, given it had to accommodate a population increase of 90,000 people and redraw the five existing districts into seven new ones, per a charter amendment approved by voters in 2020.
These district changes only include County Council and will have no impact on which schools students attend or which police precincts neighborhoods are served by. Residents can examine a detailed version of the Commission’s proposed map here.
After months of effort by the Commission, the Council is now beginning its own work to examine this issue, and my office has already received numerous emails regarding the proposed map. The Council held a public hearing on Tuesday and a second one is scheduled for Thursday, November 18 at 7 pm. You can watch that hearing live on YouTube and Facebook.
One of the silver linings to the pandemic has been our ability to pivot and provide new services and experiences for residents. The Shared Streets program, initiated during the COVID-19 health crisis, is one of those programs that has allowed us to support residents and businesses by modifying public spaces for walking, biking and outdoor dining. I’ve been working with municipalities and other property owners to expand the program to all areas of the County.
Whether we call them "streeteries" or "streateries," I fully support their extension through March and beyond.
 Photo Credit: Bethesda Beat
Finding your first job is hard, but WorkSource Montgomery is making it easier with the launch of the MoCo YES! program. This new partnership with Latin American Youth Center and Identity will prepare and train our youth for exciting new career opportunities. The program will serve 16-24-year-old residents by providing training, employment, and support services that will enable them to thrive in today’s workforce. Investing in young people with extraordinary barriers to employment is an investment in Montgomery County!
The Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade will take place this Saturday, November 20 in downtown Silver Spring. The parade will include floats, marching bands, scouts, dancers and even performing dogs. Hope to see you at the parade!
Food insecurity is a year-round struggle for many families and the holidays are no exception. Food insecurity has affected every corner and every zip code in Montgomery County throughout the pandemic. Nonprofit organizations that support our community are in need of volunteers for food packaging, distribution and site support –– in addition to donations of food, supplies, and funds. Learn more about the amazing work being done by our food providers by visiting the Montgomery County Food Council website.
You may remember that earlier this year I highlighted a constituent’s concerns about the state of her local park’s basketball hoops. I immediately reached out to Montgomery Parks and requested them to repair the hoops, but I also inquired about potential long-term improvements to the aging basketball court.
I am pleased to share that the basketball court at Long Branch-Wayne Local Park recently received significant repairs and improvements so that residents can more fully enjoy the space.
Please let my office know if your local park is in need of long-overdue repairs so we can push to get it upgraded.
The recycling center at the intersection of Rockville Pike and Shady Grove Road is conducting public tours again. This 57,000 square foot facility plays an important role in the recycling system, making recycling easier for our residents.
You don't have to sort your glass, cans and plastic bottles because the recycling center does it for you. At the recycling center, glass, cans and plastic bottles are inspected, sorted, baled and trucked to mills and plants where the recycled material is made into something new. Once recyclable materials are made into new products, then you can close the recycling loop by buying products made with recycled materials.
 Photo Credit: Department of Environmental Protection
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