Maryland Gov. Wes Moore visited Montgomery County this week to speak at the annual Committee for Montgomery breakfast and he thoughtfully addressed this very challenging time of transition. He talked about how his team has been planning for scenarios at the Federal level, and he also talked about the importance of continuing the work on economic development in our County and in the State. You can listen to his remarks here.
When I spoke at the breakfast, I pointed out how important it has been to work with Governor Moore and to have a real partner at the State who understands the importance of infrastructure to the vibrancy and economy of Maryland. He has the drive and the initiative to help Maryland live up to its potential and our expectations. It is front and center in the work he does and it makes a difference—for Montgomery County and for Maryland.
Like the State, we are struggling and worried about what the future holds with the new Presidential administration. Regardless of what happens at the Federal level, we will stay focused on raising the revenue to build the infrastructure that we need. We know that investing in infrastructure is crucial to attracting private investment and to a growing economy.
Even as we worry about the future at the Federal level, we do not intend to stall and simply tread water. There is still a path for us to move forward and be successful. We have companies interested in coming to our Institute for Health Computing in North Bethesda, we are looking at our first AI incubator and much more.
At the same time, we are clear that nothing that happens at the Federal level will change who we are. We will continue to stand up to hate and intolerance and we will do what we can to minimize the harm.
This is who we are. This is what we believe. And together, we will continue to build a Montgomery County that leads with its values and makes a difference in the lives of its people.
You can listen to my remarks here (including a quote from one of my favorite songs).
County Council Hears Summary of Residents’ Comments Regarding Attainable Housing Strategies Proposal
The County Council on Tuesday was briefed on public comments regarding the Attainable Housing Strategies recommended by the Montgomery Planning Board. A record number of residents attended listening sessions and sent emails—and the vast majority voiced concerns with the Attainable Housing plan.
According to the summary by Council staff (which you can read at AGENDA ITEM #), the Council received more than 2,000 comments in person and via email. Twice as many of the comments in the listening sessions were against this proposal as were for it. And, in the written correspondence to the Council offices, more than five times as many were against it than for it.
Most of the feedback and concerns mirror the arguments I have raised over the last few months. A number of Councilmembers raised similar concerns during the Council session. You can watch the session here.
There are some major concerns with this proposal that would rezone 82 percent of the single-family homes in the County.
The Planning Board has never clarified what problem it is trying to solve. Many people who voiced support for the plan say they support it because we need more affordable housing. We do. Unfortunately, this plan would not help.
Don’t take it from me. That is what the Planning Board document says:
Source: AHS-Explainer-2024-Final.pdf
And its plan does not address, and did not study, the increased stress on:
- Our infrastructure
- Traffic
- Parking
- Tree coverage
- Stormwater and flooding
- Schools
It was also noteworthy that, in response to a question from a Councilmember at the Council session, Council staff was not aware whether there was information from Pepco and WSSC about the implications of increased density on their infrastructure.
That information must be central to any conversation—what is the impact of increased density on the neighborhoods? We need answers to these and other central questions first.
This entire discussion is a distraction to the real work that must be done to increase affordable housing and we are moving forward on a number of affordable housing projects. We have provided record funding for affordable housing.
This week, we broke ground on yet another impressive project, “Chimes,” that is led by the Montgomery Housing Partnership and is supported by the County and a number of other organizations. (You can read more about it below.) Additionally, in just the last two fiscal years, more than 2,500 affordable units have been preserved or produced.
To repeat: we know there is a problem with housing affordability. We are devoting staff and resources to help address it. Is there more we can do? Certainly. However, re-zoning of 82 percent of the single-family homes will not bring more affordable housing. If done in this thoughtless manner, this will bring a slew of unintended consequences.
I appreciate the Councilmembers asking many questions about this plan. I hope it leads to careful consideration of the recommendations and that nothing is enacted until all the questions are clearly and carefully answered.
That will make this a transparent process in which residents are truly engaged. I am consistently impressed with the knowledge, skills and abilities of our residents. Listening to them and working with them will actually help us make this a better County for all of us.
‘The Chimes’ Groundbreaking at North Bethesda
We continue our work to produce affordable housing. This week, we held a groundbreaking ceremony at “The Chimes at North Bethesda.” This complex will have 163 affordable units.
The apartments will be a half-mile from the Red Line Metrorail Station on Nebel Street and will deliver housing options for residents earning 30 to 80 percent of the Area Median Income. It will include three-bedroom, family-sized, affordable units, which are especially hard to find.
Our County has committed nearly $20 million to the $86 million project. Montgomery Housing Partnership is leading this effort with support from the Amazon Housing Equity Fund, from the State and many others. You can learn more about it here.
Creating new housing that allows working families an opportunity to live in Montgomery County has been one of my top priorities as County Executive. This project advances environmental goals and gives more working families a way to remain in our County so they are not priced out by the high market rents that are the norm. We appreciate MHP’s leadership on this project.
Generative AI for County Workers
Montgomery County announced a new partnership this week to help hone the use of artificial intelligence. We will work with InnovateUS to offer our employees free training that will benefit customers and residents. In this video, the nonprofit explains how it has developed its course for public service professionals. InnovateUS has worked with more than 100 other State and local governments on this training, but we are its largest client.
In some ways, the County Government can be like the private sector with the use of AI having the potential to make us more efficient and effective. However, implementing AI in a government of our size must be taken very seriously and deliberatively. Although there is no question that AI is ultimately going to revolutionize how many people work – there are also risks that we have to be conscious of and that we take into consideration as we design new uses.
To implement AI across our government, we must pay attention to privacy issues with the data. Additionally, we want to be cognizant of environmental and sustainability impacts of AI in terms of energy usage and the building and operation of data centers. And, as is often true for new technologies, there is some fear and frustration with learning and understanding how to adapt to working with it.
However, the potential is great to use these generative AI tools responsibly and ethically to better support our residents. For example, a member of the business team can use AI to quickly organize information from multiple sources into personalized support for a small business owner.
In my weekly media briefing, I was joined by the lead for InnovateUS Neil Kleiman and the County’s Chief Innovation Officer, Michael Baskin, to talk about the benefits of this partnership. You can watch that conversation here.
I am proud of the work our technology department—Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions—is doing with enterprise-scale AI like Monty 2.0, our 311 chatbot. I am also looking forward to discoveries by our employees about ways the new tools can improve their work.
I want our employees to be able to take advantage of the benefits generative AI can provide in delivering better service to our residents and making our organization more productive.
In my weekly media briefing, I was joined by the lead for InnovateUS Neil Kleiman and the County’s Chief Innovation Officer, Michael Baskin, to talk about the benefits of this partnership. You can watch that conversation here.
I am proud of the work our technology department—Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions—is doing with enterprise-scale AI like Monty 2.0, our 311 chatbot. I am also looking forward to discoveries by our employees about ways the new tools can improve their work.
I want our employees to be able to take advantage of the benefits generative AI can provide in delivering better service to our residents and making our organization more productive.
We do not know all the ways to use these tools, so we are unleashing the diversity of our workforce to explore what is possible and shape the future.
Statewide Fire Ban Restrictions Lifted
A ban on campfires and charcoal grilling that had been in place since Nov. 1 was lifted this week. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources enacted the ban after an unusually dry October combined with warm temperatures and windy conditions increased the wildfire risk across the State. The department reported more than 100 acres were burned in wildfires statewide since the start of October.
In the latest review, conducted by the Maryland Forest Service, forecasters reported they believe regular rain patterns and normal temperatures have helped alleviate the risk of wildfires across the State. Due to persistent drought conditions, impacting some parts of Montgomery County, the State still recommends limiting outdoor burning, if possible.
The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spent several hours Monday putting out a wildfire that started on an island in the Potomac River. As its social media posts show, firefighters had a tough time getting to and putting out the fire. Because the area near Great Falls was so remote, the fire was fought by boat and helicopter, but no injuries were reported.
Though this is typically a great time to be outdoors, I urge you to use caution with all fires. Also, pay attention to alerts about days that may carry an increased fire risk due to high winds. Sign up for “Alert Montgomery” and stay up to date with any weather developments that may impact your life.
Small Business Saturday
Statewide Fire Ban Restrictions Lifted
A ban on campfires and charcoal grilling that had been in place since Nov. 1 was lifted this week. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources enacted the ban after an unusually dry October combined with warm temperatures and windy conditions increased the wildfire risk across the State. The department reported more than 100 acres were burned in wildfires statewide since the start of October.
In the latest review, conducted by the Maryland Forest Service, forecasters reported they believe regular rain patterns and normal temperatures have helped alleviate the risk of wildfires across the State. Due to persistent drought conditions, impacting some parts of Montgomery County, the State still recommends limiting outdoor burning, if possible.
The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spent several hours Monday putting out a wildfire that started on an island in the Potomac River. As its social media posts show, firefighters had a tough time getting to and putting out the fire. Because the area near Great Falls was so remote, the fire was fought by boat and helicopter, but no injuries were reported.
Though this is typically a great time to be outdoors, I urge you to use caution with all fires. Also, pay attention to alerts about days that may carry an increased fire risk due to high winds. Sign up for “Alert Montgomery” and stay up to date with any weather developments that may impact your life.
Small Business Saturday
Two days after Thanksgiving, we will join in the celebration of “Small Business Saturday.” It is a great time to remind everyone to patronize our retail and small businesses throughout our area. I want to emphasize the importance of shopping locally for our economy and keeping our tax revenue in Montgomery County.
More than half of consumers surveyed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said they shop with small businesses because they can find unique gifts that are not available with big retailers. Nevertheless, consumers are more likely to shop online rather than visit a local retailer.
Each year, the County tries to highlight some of the wonderful mom-and-pop businesses open on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. Last year, I visited MegaMart, Kharis Lavender Farm, Omega 3 Nutrition, Twin Valley Distillers and the Maryland Women's Business Center, a retail incubator for women venturing into entrepreneurship. These are only some of the visits I make during the year, which allow me to talk to owners and learn about the relationships they have built with our Business Center team.
After I was elected County Executive, we developed the Business Center to help local businesses, and especially to focus on the small business owners in need of guidance to help grow, expand or overcome hurdles. I want to make it easier to do business in Montgomery County. The focus and assistance provided by our Business Center team has allowed many operators to connect to the right resources and find the help they need to succeed.
Gov. Wes Moore is taking the same approach on the State level. His administration is focused on supporting small businesses, creating and retaining jobs and fostering growth. Gov. Moore recently announced that Maryland has been named the top state for minority-owned businesses in an analysis by Lending Tree. Maryland earned top 10 rankings in three of five Lending Tree metrics, including the percentage of minority-owned businesses in the State, the ratio of pay relative to all businesses and the longevity of business operations.
The vast majority of businesses in Montgomery County are small businesses. I hope you support Small Business Saturday (the Saturday after Thanksgiving) and local businesses as you complete your holiday shopping.
Religious Diversity Capital
The Public Religion Research Institute has recognized Montgomery County as the most religiously diverse County in the nation. Its Census of American Religion is said to be among the most reliable sources of data on religion since the U.S. Census does not ask about faith.
The reporter behind this article from NPR turned to the County’s Faith Community Outreach Manager Kate Chance for information. Our County is fortunate to have someone who works so well with people of all faiths and is able use her deep understanding of their backgrounds to help communicate. Her outreach is a crucial element in the cooperation we receive from our vibrant religious community. She helps them work together so you may find someone from a Ukrainian church being helped in Muslim health clinic. New Hampshire Avenue on the County’s east side is a good example of the diversity. Within a few miles, there is the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, the Cambodian Buddhist Society (pictured above), the Muslim Community Center and the Maryland Hindu Milan Mandir. There also are churches that deliver their messages in Spanish and Vietnamese.
The distinction is not about being home to more mosques, temples and synagogues than other places. It is about what their presence here represents. We help communities build strong foundations, even when a majority of families speak another language other than English at home.
In my travels around the globe, I consistently hear about our reputation as a safe and tolerant place. People from Korea to India know about Montgomery County because family members have come and found a second home here.
Next week is Thanksgiving when so many families in our County—no matter their religion, race or ethnicity—will gather around tables to celebrate their families, their history and their heritage. It is wonderful to know that in this County, so many of these tables will have people of different cultures, foods and beliefs coming to celebrate the things for which they are thankful.
Thanksgiving Travel Week
If you are among the nearly 80 million people expected to leave home for Thanksgiving, I wish you well in your travels. AAA expects more people on the road and in the air than ever, surpassing last year’s record-breaking travel numbers.
Air travel is seeing a resurgence: the 10 busiest travel days in TSA history all occurred this year. Lower gas prices are expected to fuel a record number of family road trips, with close to 72 million people expected to drive between Tuesday, Nov. 26, and Monday, Dec. 2.
Please be patient with your fellow travelers. I hope you get a chance to spend time with family and loved ones.
As always, my appreciation for all of you,
More than half of consumers surveyed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said they shop with small businesses because they can find unique gifts that are not available with big retailers. Nevertheless, consumers are more likely to shop online rather than visit a local retailer.
Each year, the County tries to highlight some of the wonderful mom-and-pop businesses open on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. Last year, I visited MegaMart, Kharis Lavender Farm, Omega 3 Nutrition, Twin Valley Distillers and the Maryland Women's Business Center, a retail incubator for women venturing into entrepreneurship. These are only some of the visits I make during the year, which allow me to talk to owners and learn about the relationships they have built with our Business Center team.
After I was elected County Executive, we developed the Business Center to help local businesses, and especially to focus on the small business owners in need of guidance to help grow, expand or overcome hurdles. I want to make it easier to do business in Montgomery County. The focus and assistance provided by our Business Center team has allowed many operators to connect to the right resources and find the help they need to succeed.
Gov. Wes Moore is taking the same approach on the State level. His administration is focused on supporting small businesses, creating and retaining jobs and fostering growth. Gov. Moore recently announced that Maryland has been named the top state for minority-owned businesses in an analysis by Lending Tree. Maryland earned top 10 rankings in three of five Lending Tree metrics, including the percentage of minority-owned businesses in the State, the ratio of pay relative to all businesses and the longevity of business operations.
The vast majority of businesses in Montgomery County are small businesses. I hope you support Small Business Saturday (the Saturday after Thanksgiving) and local businesses as you complete your holiday shopping.
Religious Diversity Capital
The Public Religion Research Institute has recognized Montgomery County as the most religiously diverse County in the nation. Its Census of American Religion is said to be among the most reliable sources of data on religion since the U.S. Census does not ask about faith.
The reporter behind this article from NPR turned to the County’s Faith Community Outreach Manager Kate Chance for information. Our County is fortunate to have someone who works so well with people of all faiths and is able use her deep understanding of their backgrounds to help communicate. Her outreach is a crucial element in the cooperation we receive from our vibrant religious community. She helps them work together so you may find someone from a Ukrainian church being helped in Muslim health clinic. New Hampshire Avenue on the County’s east side is a good example of the diversity. Within a few miles, there is the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, the Cambodian Buddhist Society (pictured above), the Muslim Community Center and the Maryland Hindu Milan Mandir. There also are churches that deliver their messages in Spanish and Vietnamese.
The distinction is not about being home to more mosques, temples and synagogues than other places. It is about what their presence here represents. We help communities build strong foundations, even when a majority of families speak another language other than English at home.
In my travels around the globe, I consistently hear about our reputation as a safe and tolerant place. People from Korea to India know about Montgomery County because family members have come and found a second home here.
Next week is Thanksgiving when so many families in our County—no matter their religion, race or ethnicity—will gather around tables to celebrate their families, their history and their heritage. It is wonderful to know that in this County, so many of these tables will have people of different cultures, foods and beliefs coming to celebrate the things for which they are thankful.
Thanksgiving Travel Week
If you are among the nearly 80 million people expected to leave home for Thanksgiving, I wish you well in your travels. AAA expects more people on the road and in the air than ever, surpassing last year’s record-breaking travel numbers.
Air travel is seeing a resurgence: the 10 busiest travel days in TSA history all occurred this year. Lower gas prices are expected to fuel a record number of family road trips, with close to 72 million people expected to drive between Tuesday, Nov. 26, and Monday, Dec. 2.
Please be patient with your fellow travelers. I hope you get a chance to spend time with family and loved ones.
As always, my appreciation for all of you,
Marc Elrich
County Executive
County Executive
