In March, we held a successful community event, co-hosted by Council President Evan Glass. Joining us was Abby Hurst from Everytown for Gun Safety; Dr. Earl Stoddard, Assistant County Administrative Officer responsible for public safety; Carson Henry, Director of the Silver Spring Urban District; Tiffany Graham-Golden, Director Marketing and Events, AFI; and Courtney Hall, CEO of Interfaith Works. We came together with residents, business owners and public safety officials to discuss concerns about safety in Downtown Silver Spring.

Following the program we invited attendees to join us for a safety walk, led by Police Commander David McBain and Capt. Ed Reed, the MCPD leadership responsible for Downtown Silver Spring. 

Residents who joined us came away having a better understanding of what is taking place and how our police are addressing incidents of violence that have become a regional and national concern. Unfortunately, the rise in violence is not exclusive to one area, but what matters most to each of us is being safe and feeling safe in our own community. 

On the safety walk, police leadership were able to showcase the comprehensive approach they are taking to address safety including these specific actions:

• Increased the number of police officers in DTSS and added a District Community Action Team or DCAT;
• Officers and security guards added to garages;
• State troopers assisting on Friday and Saturday evenings;
• Foot patrols seven days a week from 4pm to 10pm;
• Increase partnership with businesses to hire security; 
• Additional cameras including mobile cameras placed around the central business district;
• The placement of cruisers in highly visible areas in DTSS to deter crime;
• The re-launch of Bike patrols by MCPD;
• And, surrounding neighborhood patrols.

If you missed the event, I invite you to watch these video recordings below:

Currently there are two bills introduced at the County Council related to rent stabilization that will be taken up in early summer. Bill 16-23 (the HOME Act) which is rent stabilization legislation and Bill 15-23 which is being touted as an anti-rent gouging bill. Currently, I am reviewing how we can best address the concerns raised by many residents. 

Since being elected, I've traveled across District 4 to speak with renters and gather their thoughts on the proposed bills. You may be interested to note that about a third of Montgomery County residents are renters, and the council district with the highest number of renters in the county is District 4. Just a few weeks ago, I was delighted to join Del. Korman and Del. Love in visiting the residents at the Grand in North Bethesda to discuss community concerns, including their concerns about rising rents.

Housing affordability requires more than one approach from policymakers. Housing affordability and stability are closely tied. I support rent stabilization as one tool to address housing instability because I have seen how it gives residents, like the seniors on fixed incomes we met at the Grand, the security and predictability they need to stay housed. With a modest and fair rent stabilization law, these folks will not be displaced from their home, and have their lives uprooted, because of large rent increases. Rent stabilization supplies some level of housing stability, which we need in Montgomery County.

But housing affordability requires additional policy tools to address this growing crisis. This is why I believe a well-designed rent stabilization policy exists in tandem with measures to eliminate exclusionary zoning laws, incentives to spur housing construction, and the availability of universal vouchers to help tenants afford their rent. These are the tools we can use to begin to make housing affordable again in Montgomery County. 

I believe the main factors in any legislation should insure renters have predictable, affordable, stable, safe housing. I pledge to do everything I can to deliver on those goals, and look forward to the upcoming discussions and working with all of you.

We partnered with Friends of Montgomery Hills and the Silver Spring Urban District to host a Small Business event in Montgomery Hills, where we brought together county agencies and partners to provide valuable resources to our local small business community. Our goal was to support our local merchants and foster a stronger sense of community among our district's residents.

In Montgomery County 95 percent of our businesses have 50 or fewer employees.  That makes small businesses the literal backbone of our county economy. Small businesses thrive here and contribute to our County in countless ways. The business corridor in Montgomery Hills is a case study in what makes our county great. I am excited about the work of the Friends of Montgomery Hills and our work together to help provide assistance and information to help our businesses in this thriving area take it to the next level.  

I was thrilled to join revelers at the inaugural St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Kensington, hosted by one of the community's newest gems: BabyCat Brewery. The event featured food by Jerry Hollinger’s excellent Kensington staple, the Dish and Dram, live music, a visit from our Kensington Volunteer Fire Department and perfect weather! We can’t wait to join Kensington again next year. 

I was thrilled to join County Executive Elrich, Council President Glass, Council Vice President Friedson, Pike District Partnership, West Montgomery CAB members, and county staff to formally celebrate the completion of the Executive Blvd realignment adjacent to Pike & Rose in North Bethesda. Many thanks to the staff involved in bringing this project with challenging construction to a conclusion.

The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) recently released interim data analysis conducted on Old Georgetown Rd (MD187) where it implemented bike lanes in December 2022. Our office has been working with the D16 state delegation and requested this analysis be conducted and made public before a final analysis SHA had promised in the summer. My staff and I are following up with SHA and MCDOT regarding questions from the community and commitments made and we will share our findings with you as they become available.

The green paint for the bike lanes that SHA could not install until warm weather is slated for installation beginning April 10, between 9 AM and 3 PM with the possibility of overnight work to reduce travel disruption. More details about that plan can be found here https://www.roads.maryland.gov/Notices/UPAN_MD187.pdf 

I-495 and I-95 milling and paving work

Beginning the week of April 23, overnight repaving road work on the Capital Beltway and I-95 in our area is scheduled. This work will take place between 9 PM and 5 AM and will result in overnight multiple lane closures. More details on the locations of the repaving and lane closures can be found here. https://roads.maryland.gov/mdotsha/pages/pressreleasedetails.aspx?newsId=4547&PageId=818