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Dear Friends,

With the support of my colleagues, I was honored to accept the nomination to serve as Council President for the upcoming year. As I step into this role, I’m reflecting on all we’ve accomplished together over the last year and excited to build on the progress we’ve made.

The Council worked collaboratively to balance many urgent needs in our community, increasing funding for essential social and health services, providing record funding for our public schools, strengthening tenant protections, and addressing our urgent affordable housing crisis. We continued to attract new businesses to our County and support those businesses who are already here. And we’ve worked with Montgomery County Police to enhance community safety through advances in the use of new technologies.

While we know there will undoubtedly be obstacles ahead, I’m confident we can overcome them by staying true to our values and working together to keep Montgomery County moving forward. It’s how we’ve overcome the many challenging periods we’ve faced over the last few years. As we’ve done before, we will continue to succeed in the face of adversity. I look forward to rolling up our sleeves and working together to support the common good.

As always, feel free to contact my office if you have any questions or need assistance.

Sincerely,

Kate Stewart
Council President

Services and Support for Residents

In light of changes coming at the federal level, we know that our local communities will be uniquely impacted. That’s why we are working hard at the local level to ensure everyone feels safe and welcome in our community, and that all residents have access to information about essential community services.

We invite the community to join the County Council and County Executive at the United in Service and Support Community Resource Fair on Sunday, Dec. 8 from 1-4 p.m. at the Executive Office Building in Rockville, where we will have a wide range of information and resources available to residents. Free Ride On bus service to the resource fair will be provided. Visit the Montgomery County website for more information.

I’m also a proud cosponsor of the Uplifting Victims and Immigrant Safety Act (U Visa Act), legislation recently introduced by my colleagues which will remove barriers for victims of violent crime to qualify for legal protected status under the U visa process. This legislation reinforces Montgomery County’s commitment to protect victims of crime, regardless of immigration status. Learn more.

North Bethesda – A Vibrant, Transit-Oriented, Cultural and Innovation Hub for the County

Exciting developments in and around North Bethesda are boosting the area’s reputation as a vibrant, transit-oriented center to live, work and play. I was thrilled to attend a groundbreaking event at Montgomery Housing Partnership’s project The Chimes, which will be the site of 163 high-quality, environmentally sustainable, affordable rental units, once completed in 2026. This fall, we also cut the ribbon for the first of two new housing projects  at Strathmore Square, a unique transit-oriented, arts-focused neighborhood made possible by the partnership of Fivesquares Development, Strathmore Music Center, Metro, the Amazon Housing Equity Fund and Montgomery County. 

As we build more mixed-used, mixed-income housing in North Bethesda, I’m also excited about the collaboration, research and innovation happening at the University of Maryland’s Institute for Health Computing, which just marked its second anniversary anchored here in North Bethesda! Their cutting-edge research is attracting top talent to Montgomery County while creating better health outcomes for people globally. The future of health is being created in North Bethesda!

Kate in the Community

Committee for Montgomery

I had a wonderful time at the annual Committee for Montgomery breakfast. This special event, which brings together Montgomery County’s nonprofit, faith, business, and elected leaders, was a reminder of all the outstanding groups working together to support and serve Montgomery County’s diverse community. I was glad to sit with the folks at Montgomery College and catch up with Dr. Williams and all the great happenings at MC. 

Thanksgiving Food Distribution with Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington

Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, I was honored to join volunteers at the Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington in preparing bags of food for their annual Thanksgiving distribution. It’s always great to see so many friends and community volunteers dedicating their time and resources to help those who need it most.

Mental Health Corner

Did you know that volunteering can offer significant health benefits? In addition to making an impact in others’ lives, volunteering can improve your mental and physical health! You can make a difference this holiday season through volunteer opportunities at a variety of local organizations. Find a holiday volunteering opportunity that works for you this season through the Montgomery County Volunteer Center.

For more community resources, check out Council President Kate Stewart's website.