Dear Friends,
I have some exciting news to share with you all – today I was voted in to serve as the Council’s Vice President alongside our new Council President Andrew Friedson.
Watch my remarks here:
I congratulate Councilmember Friedson on his election to President of the County Council. Since joining the Council a year ago, I’ve worked closely with CM Friedson, along with CM Katz, on the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy committee. We have a great committee, and we’ve done great work.
I knew CM Friedson before I was elected to the County Council. Through our work together on the GO Committee, I’ve gotten to know him better this year. It has been a pleasure to work with both CM Friedson, and his top-notch staff, which is why I am pleased to have offered a second for his nomination and to vote for him. We don’t always agree on policy, but he is a fair and honest broker who respects this institution, and every member of the County Council. I know he will be a terrific president and will serve Montgomery County well. I am looking forward to continuing our work together in leadership.
This County Council has already, in its first year, recorded significant achievements. Specifically, the Audit and GO committees, which I chair, have advanced the way we do oversight. One of the highlights has also been coming to an agreement on retiree benefits known as OPEB, ending a major budget disagreement between the County Executive and the County Council that goes back years among many other successes.
This is a County Council that collaborates. We don’t always agree, but we all come to the table and find ways to work together. We are able to collaborate, despite some differences, because we are all here for the same thing: to serve the residents of Montgomery County.
The residents of Montgomery County include everyone who calls our county home, no matter the district, their voting record, their status, or their point in life. We are a county of major corporations and small businesses, entrepreneurs and civil servants, new immigrants and long-established communities, LGBTQ-plus folks, people of color, students, young families, and aging neighbors. Our diversity is a strength. And, it means we need to constantly be working to be an inclusive community where everyone not only is, but feels welcome and safe from hate.
Our success over the last year is in no small part due to the willingness of every councilmember to work together to solve problems and seek practical solutions. We treat each other with respect, as equals, and while we talk, we also listen -- to each other as well as to our community. I’m looking forward to continuing the collaboration with all of you as we look to continue our progress.
Looking to the upcoming year, some of the challenges I believe this Council will face include efforts to modernize our government to improve services, efficiency and public policy outcomes. We also find ourselves managing a serious mental health crisis, especially among young people. We need to find ways to make systematic changes to address this challenge. This crisis is cutting across nearly every area of our work, and we need to be laser focused on solutions.
We need to push back on the proliferation of hate that has been unleashed publicly to divide us. I appreciate the work begun by the Anti-Hate Task Force that just wrapped up their work. We must make sure communities are and feel safe. This extends to our Jewish communities, our Muslim communities, our residents who are LGBTQ+, our Asian residents, our Black and Brown residents, and more. Our County must make sure all are welcome and all are protected.
Another issue to address is our public safety. I am thankful to our public safety agencies for the way they have operated to improve and adjust since COVID. They are doing this in face of very challenging regional and national crime trends.
And, we must grow and strengthen the resilience of our county economy. We must make strides in economic development, to attract and retain businesses and other major employers here, as well as support and stimulate the opening of “home-grown” businesses.
We know people choose to live, work, and play in the county because of our commitment to environmental stewardship and climate action. We have once-in-a-generation federal funding, we have local experts with a global vision, and our young people are demanding we act to secure their future here. If we act together decisively, we can save residents money, cut emissions, and add good paying green jobs to make it all happen.
Finally, we need to continue to make progress towards increasing housing options, especially affordable housing options. This Council is making great strides in changing outdated zoning regulations, so we build more housing, and make sure people can live here. We must make sure our county is affordable for our next generation of residents, whether they are transplants working in the region, or the young adults who grew up here. If we do not welcome new residents we are harming our economy; we are harming the economic opportunity of Montgomery County. This is hard work, but our future and our ability to compete regionally depends on creating more housing.
I’m honored and excited to assume the role of Council Vice President. These are important jobs we have. It’s important we show up, we meet our responsibilities as caretakers of the county and its residents, and we do that with respect, knowing each of us is here for the right reason -- to serve.
Sincerely,
 Councilmember Kate Stewart
(she, her) why pronouns
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Office of Councilmember Kate Stewart
