November 26, 2025

Message from the County Executive


Dear Friends,

On Thanksgiving in 1938, during the height of the Great Depression, Eleanor Roosevelt wrote the following in her newspaper column:

“…you will be giving thanks for the fact that you are citizens of the United States; that under a democracy you still have the right of suffrage and may express your opinion freely and without any fear of interference unless you advocate the use of force in the overthrow of your government. For all these things we are deeply grateful, and those of us who have health are grateful for that, and those of us who have people to love, and interests which keep us mentally active are grateful for that. Above all, we are grateful for the hope of constant growth in vision and understanding as individuals and as a national group. Lastly, we are thankful for our faith in ourselves; for the feeling that we can meet and solve our problems; that we can look at ourselves honestly and finally do away with discriminations and injustices which now exist in our own country, and for the belief that we can eventually grow to the stature required of those who are citizens of a real democracy.”

I wanted to share with you her words as a meditation to reflect upon during Thanksgiving this year. We are living during a time when the President of the United States is leading an attack on the values that she held up then and that are still values that we hold up today. At the same time, I am so grateful to be able to lead this County and for the many amazing residents who live and work here. .

As we celebrate the holidays with friends and families, host dinners or travel to loved ones out of town, I hope everyone considers our neighbors throughout the County who may be struggling, and embrace this Thanksgiving holiday with gratitude, togetherness, and, most importantly, generosity.

Our County is facing unprecedented challenges. We have been hit harder than anywhere else in the nation by federal workforce layoffs and furloughs. The longest federal shutdown in history left thousands of federal employees and contractors without pay and delayed essential programs, including SNAP. Extraordinary pressure is on both our families and on the nonprofits that support them.



Next Tuesday, Dec. 2, is Giving Tuesday, and I encourage all those who can give to consider donating to local nonprofit service providers. This year, we launched the “Montgomery Gives Local” campaign to help promote and boost giving locally.

We, as a County government, have consistently invested to support our community:
  • $23.5 million for food assistance
  • $62 million for services to end and prevent homelessness.
  • $200 million for our local non-profits.
  • And just this past month, in partnership with the County Council, we invested an additional $7.75 million Public Service Support Package.
We are doing everything we can, but it is not enough. There are still families in Montgomery County waiting for food or housing help, the mother who isn’t sure she can put a Thanksgiving meal on the table, the father who wonders if he’ll be able to place a single present under the tree. And the nonprofits that open their doors every morning, hoping they’ll have enough funding to stay open because they know there is a line of people depending on them.

That is why I am asking our residents to give local because:
  • Our nonprofits are carrying a tremendous load.
  • A contribution, no matter the amount, goes further than ever before.
  • Financial donations allow nonprofits to stretch every dollar through bulk purchasing and targeted assistance.
Nonprofit Montgomery recently published a supplement to its State of Nonprofits report, focusing on the federal impacts on local organizations. They conducted a survey six months after Trump’s second term began and right after the Big, Ugly Bill passed Congress. This portion of the report stood out to me:

“Not only did respondents report concerns about federal funding sources, but the economic uncertainty facing Montgomery County has led to a decline in individual giving, noted by 74% of respondents. Nearly two-thirds of respondents reported declines in corporate and foundation giving.”

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Reduced individual giving comes on top of a loss of federal support. According to DOGE data from January to July 2025, at least 473 contracts and grants to our local nonprofits and businesses have been terminated. The impact on our non-profits has already been severe.

Our community will continue to feel the consequences of federal decisions, as we brace for deeper funding cuts and greater barriers to accessing housing, health care, and food. Federal actions are creating a situation where demand for help will continue to rise, just as the resources to meet that need is being reduced.

I always say our nonprofits are our greatest partners. They reach people in need quickly, often more nimbly than government can. They are our safety net, but they can’t do it alone. They need our support, and they need the community to give as well. And nonprofits stretch our dollars further by providing services for less than the County would be able to do. There is real value in residents supporting our nonprofits.



Every form of giving matters. If our residents cannot give financially, we ask them to please give locally with their time. We encourage residents to visit the Montgomery County Volunteer Center to explore available organizations and opportunities.

Nonprofit Montgomery Executive Director Brigid Howeand then Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Luisa Cardona joined me on my media briefing this week to discuss the current state of our nonprofits and “Montgomery Gives Local” campaign. You can view that discussion here.

For a list of Montgomery County nonprofits to consider supporting, please go to the volunteer center website here: Home - Montgomery County Volunteer Center. It lists both places to donate and volunteer opportunities.

Lakeforest Mall Redevelopment



This we announced our new transit center at the old Lakeforest Mall site; you can read the press coverage and positive feedback here:
Lakeforest Mall opened in 1978 and closed in 2023. It was the largest mall in the County for some time and was a well-known community gathering spot for shopping and dining for 45 years.



The Mall site is now being transformed by WRS – a developer from South Carolina - into a mixed-use development that will support residential housing, entertainment, shopping, and public gathering spaces. Under the first phase of the agreement, WRS will prepare nearly two acres of land for construction, including filling in a drainage pond and grading the site, ensuring it is build-ready.

The new transit center will serve the eight Ride On bus routes that currently use the existing Lakeforest Transit Center, as well as a stop on the planned MD 355 Flash Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor.



Building this transit center is critical to this redevelopment process and our BRT system. As some may know, I have been working towards a BRT system since 2008. We just did not have the money then to appropriately plan out and design what we are finalizing today. A BRT system (not just one line) is the best way to connect Our County that is not reliant on rail (which is too expensive to build a system) or more lanes for cars. If you think about it, Metro’s Red Line is a great way to get in and out of Montgomery County and is set up for those working in D.C. As we consider how to grow and expand our economy, we must also consider ways to easily and conveniently navigate around the County.

We have gone from our initial Flash bus route on US 29 to design five more routes along 355, Veirs Mill Road, New Hampshire Avenue, North Bethesda, and an extension of the US 29 line. Three of those lines will intersect at the Wheaton and North Bethesda Metro stations. There are hospitals, college campuses, and countless businesses on these premium bus routes. When we build it out completely, most of the lanes will be dedicated bus lanes to ensure that the ride is efficient and appealing.

The new Lakeforest Transit Center will be an important stop on the 355 BRT route. We will continue to update you on the progress of this redevelopment project in Gaithersburg. To view the website for this development, please visit: https://www.lakeforestredevelopment.com/

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY:



While we are asking folks to give locally this holiday season, we also want you to shop locally. This coming Saturday is the annual Small Business Saturday. Supporting small businesses matters. Studies show that for every dollar spent locally, approximately 67 cents stays within our County.





According to a PwC survey from September, U.S. consumers plan to spend 5% less on seasonal spending compared to 2024, the biggest drop in five years. The survey also found that there will be an 11% drop in average gift spending and a 23% drop in holiday spending among Gen Z.

This reduction in spending could have a profoundly negative impact on all our retail businesses, and an even greater impact on our local and small businesses. For many small businesses, particularly those in retail and dining, the holiday season provides a disproportionately large part of their revenues and profits, and they count on a strong holiday season to buffer them from lower sales outside the holidays. Your support for small businesses now is crucial if we want them to continue serving us.

To make shopping locally even easier, we will offer free parking in County-owned garages and lots on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 29th, and again on Super Saturday, Dec. 20th, one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Please note that parking at on-street meters is not free and will still be enforced. We hope that the free parking in the garages will help encourage residents to explore our local businesses and enjoy all that Montgomery County has to offer.

There are also several holiday fairs and markets on Small Business Saturday around the County, including:
For more local shopping events and happenings, please check out: https://visitmontgomery.com/shop-moco/

HOLIDAY SAFETY TIPS:

We want everyone to have a safe holiday. I would like to extend my appreciation to all County employees, including our first responders and transportation officials, who work during the holidays away from their families to ensure our safety.





The Thanksgiving holiday is the busiest day of the year for home cooking fires. Our fire department is reminding residents that unattended cooking is the leading cause of residential fires, and we’re asking residents to please cook their Thanksgiving meal with as few distractions as possible.

Please stay in the kitchen when using the stove top and use a timer. If you must leave the kitchen, even for a short time, turn off the stove. Keep anything that can catch fire at least three feet from the stove, toaster oven, or other heat source. This includes pot holders, food packaging, dish towels, paper/plastic bags, etc.



We also want everyone to be mindful of driving impaired during holiday events and gatherings. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) and the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) are warning residents to plan ahead and not drive if they choose to celebrate with alcohol or have used cannabis.

MCPD has activated a "Holiday Alcohol Task Force" to detect impaired drivers. MCPD established sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols in advance of Thanksgiving that will end after New Year's Day.

We wish everyone a joyous and safe holiday season.

As always, my appreciation for all of you,



Marc Elrich
County Executive
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