Dear Friends,
I want to wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday.
We kicked off the holiday season last weekend with the County’s annual Thanksgiving Parade in Silver Spring. It was great to be out and see people and people walking with me carried signs saying what they are thankful for.
I did not carry a sign, but I am thankful for the positive changes we are seeing in Montgomery County and grateful to you for the opportunity to be your County Executive.
I have been on three economic development missions to Asia this year, and consistently heard that Montgomery County is recognized as a diverse, inclusionary, safe and welcoming place. We have a reputation not only as a great place to do business, but also to raise a family and receive a world class education.
While we are thankful for so much about this County, we are also aware that there are still many among us who are struggling.
One such challenge is food insecurity. According to the Capital Area Food Bank, about 23 percent of people in our County experienced food insecurity at some point during the previous year. This is a shockingly high number and one of the reasons we have invested significant resources for food security.
Even with the additional support, we are hearing from our food resource partners that demand for food resources continues to grow. Many families have lost the Federal aid they were receiving during the height of the pandemic.
We also continue to see an increase in the demand for services to help those experiencing homelessness. I cannot imagine where we would be right now had we not built a new shelter that opened last year. It is consistently full, and there is a waiting list for people looking for transitional housing.
I know that we will work as a County to continue to help as many people as possible find a way out of homelessness permanently, find ways to end hunger and make greater use of our many resources here.
President Kennedy once said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
We partner with hundreds of community organizations throughout the year to provide vital help to our community. I am grateful to all our community groups, nonprofits, houses of worship and volunteers. I encourage you during this holiday season and throughout the year to volunteer your time or donate your resources to help neighbors in need. The Montgomery County Volunteer Center is a great place to find the best ways to use your talents to help out.
As we travel and gather for this holiday, I want to encourage everyone to continue to remember that we are still living with COVID-19, Please consider those amongst us who may be vulnerable to this virus.
I also want to remind everyone to not drive while impaired. Montgomery County and Maryland State Police will be on the lookout for impaired driving. Driving while under the influence is illegal, unsafe and potentially deadly. We want everyone to have a festive holiday and to celebrate safely.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Launch of MCPD Drone Responders
The Montgomery County Police Department launched a first responder drone pilot program this week. A team of pilots, video technicians and emergency responders will be able to assist on some 911 calls using the drones.
The drones will enable us to quickly get eyes on the scene even before police officers arrive. As the program begins, police will focus on using the drone in Downtown Silver Spring and Wheaton before potentially using it elsewhere in the County.
Police have said that using a drone could help determine whether or not police officers are needed on scene. A microphone and speakers will help remote first responders communicate with people at the scene. Drones can help provide responding officers with real time information about what is happening, improving safety. And a drone can follow a suspect if they leave a scene before police get there.
At the same time, there are clear guidelines for what the drones will not do. These guidelines will help protect people’s privacy. Cameras will be pointed up, until the drone arrives on the scene. Drones will not be used unless they are called to respond to an incident. They will not be flying constantly and taking pictures of people.
The Police Department will be tracking each flight and sharing details of those interactions through this website.
Update on Institute for Health Computing
I traveled to the University of Maryland last week to join leadership for the Institute for Health Computing (IHC). Project leaders listened to nationally noted AI expert Bratin Saha. His presentation on what is possible with AI in health care aligns with the work that IHC will do.
I also addressed the gathering about the importance of the Institute of Health Computing to Montgomery County.
We are the heart of the third-largest life science cluster in the U.S. However, we are the only cluster in the nation without an academic research institution. This will be our first.
We have brought this research institution to a location in the Washington Metropolitan Region, in between the large private sector cluster in Shady Grove and the wealth of intellectual capital at NIH and other institutions in Bethesda. This is an exciting collaboration with the University of Maryland College Park, University of Maryland Baltimore and the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS). This is an ideal partnership that will attract more talent, more capital and new, leading-edge companies to Montgomery County, the State of Maryland and this region.
When I was recently in India and Vietnam, I shared our vision and this video about the institute and found companies interested in locating in Montgomery, partnering with our university and health system partners and our growing life sciences base.
I want to thank the University of Maryland College Park, University of Maryland Baltimore and UMMS for inviting me to this important gathering.
Loss of a Civic Leader
Montgomery County is mourning the loss of Karen Cordry, a dedicated advocate for our community who died earlier this week. Karen was a champion on neighborhood issues and on behalf of the Kensington Heights Civic Association and the Montgomery County Civic Federation. She was pivotal in empowering local communities.
One of her most noteworthy successes was in winning a long battle against an attempt to put a mega-gas station at Wheaton Mall, too close to adjacent neighborhoods, schools and a swimming pool. Her hard work, leadership and success was also a success for the environment and the community. Recently she was serving as vice chair of the County’s Charter Review Commission.
Karen’s list of accomplishments are too long to list here, but suffice it to say, she was a remarkable, intelligent, kind, generous person and a dear friend. As we remember her tireless advocacy and leadership, her legacy will continue to inspire our path forward. My deepest condolences to all who knew her and had the pleasure of working with her over her many decades of work for our community. We will miss her dearly.
FBI Headquarters Congratulations
I was in Asia when it was announced that the new FBI headquarters is headed to Greenbelt in Prince George’s County. Having Congressman Glenn Ivey as my guest for this week’s media briefing allowed me the opportunity to congratulate him. This was a big win for the State and Montgomery County will benefit as well. Credit deservedly goes to all the officials and residents of Prince George’s County, which competed for this headquarters for more than a decade. Former County Executive Ike Leggett and I supported their efforts.
There has always been a clear disparity on where Federal office space was in this region with more Federal opportunities going to the west side of the District than the East. This decision helps correct this historical inequity. Regional balance of Federal office space also assists traffic flow by reducing choke points of commuting Federal workers.
Montgomery County has benefitted from being home to the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other Federal partners. Seeing this opportunity for Prince George’s County finally fulfilled is a benefit to our region. I look forward to seeing the impact it makes in the years to come.
Small Business Saturday
“Small Business Saturday” will be recognized on Saturday, Nov. 25. On this important day, I will continue my tradition of touring small businesses to do my holiday shopping, meet with owners and employees and learn how the County Government can better assist them.
I tour small businesses and meet with owners regularly throughout the year, but now is the time of the year when many of our small retail businesses make the bulk of their sales and revenue. A 2022 Quickbooks study showed that up to 65 percent of yearly small business revenue can come during the holiday season.
Shopping locally is important to our local businesses and is critical to our County’s economy. According to the National Federation Independent Business, of every dollar spent at a County business, about 70 cents stays local. Of every dollar spent at a national corporation, a little over 30 cents stays local. That is a significant difference.
Small Business Saturday was officially recognized by Congress in 2011. Projected spending across the nation at independent retailers and restaurants on Small Business Saturday has historically been close to $18 billion, according to the 2022 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey. It helps these businesses get recognized between Black Friday and Cyber Monday and supports the local business owners in our community.
I encourage you to go to Visit Montgomery’s website and look through its Small Business Saturday suggestions to find out where you can shop local throughout the holidays.
Shopping small and local is good for our environment, our efforts toward equity and our economy.
Health Report
We do not have any changes in the COVID situation to report. It is still with us and people are still getting sick, but the number of cases—and the number of fatalities—remain low. We continue to encourage people to get vaccinated if you are not current on your vaccines. COVID can still be deadly. It remains more deadly than flu, for example, so the threat to a person’s health remains very real.
This week the Federal Government renewed its program to provide free COVID tests by mail. Families that have not taken advantage of this program can now get up to eight tests per address by visiting covid.gov/tests.
As always, my appreciation for all of you,
County Executive
