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May 2022
Following the Supreme Court’s pending decision to upend Roe v. Wade, I requested that additional funds be allocated to expand safe and legal abortions. These funds will support our most vulnerable residents, who are at risk of becoming even more vulnerable by the Supreme Court. We must do everything we can to protect them and a woman’s right to reproductive healthcare.
The County Executive will be sending a $1 million request and I will work with my Council colleagues to support and pass it immediately.
With the recently passed Abortion Care Access Act, the Maryland state legislature has safeguarded and expanded access to reproductive healthcare. This new law, which goes into effect July 1, increases access to abortion through Medicaid and private insurance, and expands the network of providers who are authorized to perform these procedures.
Individuals have the right to make decisions that impact their health and their bodies, and our role in government – at all levels – is to support these decisions.
It’s been almost two years since the tragic death of George Floyd. In the time since, Montgomery County and communities across the country have made significant efforts to reimagine public safety and support policies that improve racial equity and social justice.
As we emerge from the pandemic, the entire country is experiencing an increase in crime and violence. At the same time, the National Police Foundation recently reported that 86 percent of local police departments are experiencing a staffing shortage. Montgomery County is no exception. Our jurisdiction is facing significant police shortages, and about 65 percent of our officers are eligible for retirement.
Yet this challenge also presents an opportunity for us to invest in strategies that strengthen community-police relations by hiring more police officers who understand the communities they serve.
Working toward that goal, I have proposed funding to double the size of Montgomery County Police Department’s Cadet Program. The program gives local college students a firsthand experience within the police force, providing them with classroom knowledge as well as experience in the field that will better prepare them for the police academy, should they choose to enroll. I am confident that an expansion of this proven program will help diversify the ranks of our police department and expand our community safety efforts.
You can read my recently published Washington Post op-ed on the topic here.
 2020 MCPD Cadet Program Participants
Montgomery County is one of the most diverse communities in the United States and we celebrate that every day. Last month the Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution that I introduced with colleagues affirming Montgomery County’s support for the Francis G. Newlands Memorial Removal Act, a federal resolution introduced in the U.S. Congress by Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Representatives Jamie Raskin and Eleanor Holmes Norton. The federal legislation would remove Francis G. Newlands’ name from the grounds of the memorial fountain located in Chevy Chase Circle.
U.S. Senator Francis G. Newlands, who founded the town of Chevy Chase in the 1880’s, had been an outspoken white supremacist who actively sought to strip voting rights from African Americans, and later as a developer, built communities that excluded immigrants, Jews and others from living there.
I want all of our residents to feel a sense of inclusion and connection when they travel around our beautiful community and this legacy of hatred, bigotry, antisemitism and racism has no place in Montgomery County.
Mark your calendar for the Gaithersburg Book Festival on Saturday, May 21 at Bohrer Park. Our county is fortunate to host what has become one of the nation’s top literary events, attracting hundreds of award-winning and best-selling authors, poets and songwriters from across the country and offering writing workshops, author talks, and programming for all ages.
The festival is free to attend and is open to all. For details, go to: Gaithersburg Book Festival.
Over the past two years, COVID-19 has exacerbated economic insecurity for many residents and made it even more difficult for them to pay rent. Eligible renters can apply for additional COVID-19 rent relief through the fourth phase of the County’s Rent Relief program, which provides financial assistance for tenants that have experienced a financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The County’s Department of Health and Human Services will accept applications starting on May 16 through June 30.
To apply for funds, households must meet minimum eligibility requirements — visit www.mc311.com/rentrelief for more information and to apply online. People in households without internet access or who need assistance completing the application should call 311 (240-777-0311) to get connected with County staff or partners that can assist them in completing an application.
I recently met with residents of Woodmoor in Four Corners to observe unsafe road conditions. While walking through the neighborhood with residents, I observed cars rolling through stop signs and vehicles making wide right turns without looking for pedestrians. Residents also shared their anxiety as they watch their kids play outside alongside speeding cars.
Following the onsite meeting, I worked with MCDOT to discuss traffic design options and am pleased that flex posts and a crosswalk will be installed, helping slow cars in the neighborhood.
From major arterial roads to local neighborhood streets, we must do everything possible to ensure the safety of pedestrians across Montgomery County.
The theft of checks from home mailboxes and US Postal Service blue mailboxes has spiked across the country, and the D.C. region has become a new hot spot. Criminals are stealing mail to obtain checks and personal identifying information to commit bank fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud and identity theft. Eric Friedman, Director of Montgomery County’s Office of Consumer Protection advises that the safest way to send checks is to physically bring them to the Post Office and mail them inside, or to pay bills online.
If you have experienced mail theft, telephone or internet fraud, or other scams, contact the Office of Consumer Protection on Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 p.m. by calling (240) 777-3636. You can also email your questions to consumerprotection@montgomerycountymd.gov
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