Dear Friends,
I want to begin my letter this week commenting on a report in The Washington Post that first surfaced last Friday about a Montgomery County Public Schools high school principal with multiple sexual harassment allegations against him and who was subsequently promoted. That principal is currently on leave and the school system has hired an outside law firm to investigate.
These allegations raise many questions about how the accusations were handled. Did the school system conduct the reviews of the complaints before promoting this principal? And why is the school district now hiring a law firm to investigate the complaints if the complaints were properly reviewed when they were made?
There may be some serious problems that need to be addressed if this case is in indicative of how complaints are normally handled. We, as a County Government, have very little authority over the schools, but I want to see the right resolution.
If the allegations are true, we need people to be held accountable, and we need improvements. We know there are thousands of dedicated staff across our schools working with our children and they deserve better.
County Search and Rescue Deployed to Hawaii
Maryland Task Force 1 has joined ongoing recovery operations in the fire ravaged community of Lahaina in Maui County, Hawaii. The Task Force includes 70 rescuers and 10 support personnel, including 50 members from the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. We greatly appreciate them and the other first responders who have answered the call for help. They willingly put themselves in harm’s way and often sacrifice time with their families to lend help to others. We wish them the best on this difficult, but important mission.
Our thoughts are with them and their families as well the families and friends of all the victims.It is very concerning that there was a lapse of proper warnings and alerts provided to those on the island about these fires. I have asked our emergency management and public safety agencies to look at what happened in Hawaii regarding this lack of notification and to ensure that does not happen here in Montgomery County.
Massive and deadly wildfires are happening at a much higher frequency. From Canada to Greece, and now, Hawaii. It is why I am convinced that widescale changes must be made soon to decelerate the impact we are having on the Earth. Extreme weather events have gone from once in a generation event to monthly occurrences.
You can help and support relief efforts via the Red Cross. You can donate online at Donate Now - Online Donations | American Red Cross. You can also call 1-800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767) or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
You can help and support relief efforts via the Red Cross. You can donate online at Donate Now - Online Donations | American Red Cross. You can also call 1-800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767) or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week
The incentives include tax-free purchases for qualifying apparel and foot ware, and each item cannot exceed $100. Sweaters, shirts, underwear, belts and shoes are examples of items that qualify. The first $40 of a backpack or bookbag also is tax-free.
This promotion is unique to Maryland and not available in neighboring jurisdictions like Washington, D.C., or Northern Virginia. This is good for County retail businesses to attract shoppers from neighbor states to shop in our stores. This week, Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman joined my weekly media briefing to discuss how the sales tax break is good for our local businesses. You can watch her here. For families with limited means, these savings can make a difference in back-to-school expenses.
Health Update
Our COVID-19 numbers continue to slightly increase. This is happening across the nation, not just here in Maryland. The good news is that we have yet to see dramatic increases in serious illness or deaths. You can track that information on our COVID-19 Information Portal.
I am glad that our DHHS team and the County continue to monitor COVID and we report out information each week. Our society, and the media, is moving on from this virus as if it is gone. But it is still in our community, and we are going to continue to focus on it. It remains more deadly than the flu, but that does not have to be the case. COVID vaccines are widely available, and they are extremely effective in lessening the impact of the virus.
The new COVID booster vaccine is expected herein about a month. It is going to be a challenge for us to re-focus efforts to get people re-boosted. Last fall, fewer residents came out for the COVID booster shot than we normally see for the annual flu shot. We would like our residents to get both COVID and flu shots this year because that will reduce the number of serious illnesses we see.
Promotion of Human Rights Worldwide Comes to Montgomery County
Our Office of Human Rights, which is led by James Stowe, hosted this year’s conference. It featured a number of notable speakers and panelists. It was the 74th Annual Conference and the theme was “Embracing Truth and Healing: Securing Equity and Justice for All.” The conference included sessions that reflected on the 1963 March on Washington and the issues we are still grappling with as a society as we approach the 60th anniversary of the march.
I had an opportunity to address the conference participants and I talked about some of our efforts in Montgomery County. I shared that we have a Racial Equity and Social Justice bill that I championed and signed into law during my first term in office. It made Montgomery County the first County in Maryland to make racial equity public policy. You can watch my comments about the law and the bill signing for the event here. That led to my appointing the County’s first-ever chief equity officer to review policies and practices to ensure that they do not adversely affect racial equity and to begin to address the inequities of the past. You can read more about that office at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/ore/
I also shared with them the landmark rent stabilization bill law that I recently signed and the incredible partnership and teamwork it took among stakeholders, housing advocates and members of our County Council. This new law makes Montgomery County the only County in Maryland to have a permanent rent stabilization law.
These are a few examples of the achievements that I shared with the human rights leaders from around the country. I am proud of the policies we have implemented to help all our residents live in a more equitable and just County.
National Farmers Market Week
Using farmers markets is important to our sustainability efforts. Much of our food is unnecessarily trucked over vast distances contributing to the emission of greenhouse gases. By sourcing food locally, we can dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of food.
How our food is produced also makes a significant environmental impact as well. Through the use of Best Management Practices (BMPs), Montgomery County farmers are reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. You can read more about BMPs here.
Farming is evolving and we are seeing greater efforts to rebuild soil and use cover crops, maintain insect diversity, use less pesticides and create border areas for wildlife. These are practices that contribute to the conservation of resources and the long-term viability of our local ecosystems.
By attending farmers markets and speaking directly to the men and women that farm here, you can learn more about local practices. By understanding production methods, you can choose foods with lower environmental footprints that are grown with sustainable or regenerative agriculture practices.
Another often-overlooked aspect of the connection between local food sourcing and climate change is the reduction of food waste. When food is transported over long distances, it is more likely to spoil before reaching its destination. Locally sourced food helps reduce the time between harvest and consumption, minimizing waste and the associated methane emissions from decomposing organic matter.
Climate change is a pressing global issue, and the cumulative effect of small choices—like growing local and shopping local—are forces for positive change. Here in Montgomery County, we continue to forge ahead with our Climate Action Plan and continue to support farming measures that are carbon neutral.
By understanding the broader context and consequences of our everyday actions, we can all make more informed decisions that collectively contribute to a more sustainable and resilient future.
Vinyl Day at Library in Silver Spring
The event had some great community partners, like the Mid-Atlantic Scratch League, eager to show off their skills and share their love of vinyl records with the community. Visitors were able to search for albums to buy, learn to scratch and take part in breakdancing classes. The DJs also mixed in a little Hotel California per my request.
I want to thank the Friends of the Library Montgomery County, Levine Music and Classroom 2 Community for putting together this wonderful event. It helped those interested learn about music production and song writing and showed how the local DJ community works together and encourages others to participate.
This event was also a way to welcome families into a library—maybe for the first time. It introduced kids and adults to the services offered by our libraries. They have more than just books: our libraries lend music, audio books, movies and more.
Please keep up with events and news at our local libraries and check out the library closest to you soon as a source for all sorts of entertainment and learning.
Agricultural Fair Up and Running
The fair is a great way to celebrate all that happens throughout the year in Montgomery County’s agricultural community, and especially, in the Agricultural Reserve. Organizations like the Montgomery County Farm Bureau, the University of Maryland Extension and many others who participate in the fair help promote and protect agriculture in our County. There are 93,000 County acres designated as the Agricultural Reserve.
The Ag Reserve was conceived more than 40 years ago to stop suburban sprawl and protect farmland and agriculture. Our County is home to more than 550 working farms that add $281 million to our local economy.
We continue to find ways to help the agricultural community. This summer we celebrated the opening of The Crossvines in Poolesville, which is designed to help our growing wine industry. Crossvines provides a shared grape-crush facility and a restaurant and event space. We have the right kind of land to replicate what Virginia has done with its wine industry and now we have provided a grape-crushing facility to help our local farmers keep costs down while producing excellent, high-quality wines.
The Ag Fair gives everyone an opportunity to head to Gaithersburg and see some of our County’s Agriculture. Please enjoy the fair before it ends on Saturday, Aug. 19.
The Passing of Lonnie Luther
Our thoughts and condolences are with the Luther family, the Farm Bureau and those in our agricultural community who worked with him over the years.
As always, my appreciation for all of you,
Marc Elrich
County Executive
