Filing Deadline Extended to March 22 for Candidates for Local Offices in Primary Elections

The deadline to file as a candidate in a local office for the 2022 primary election has been extended by court order to Tuesday, March 22.

The decision could impact individuals interested in running for the Montgomery County offices of county executive, county council, state’s attorney, clerk of the circuit court, register of wills, sheriff, the Montgomery County Board of Education (Districts 1, 3, 5 and At Large), Republican Central Committee or Democratic Central Committee.

Candidate may file a certificate of candidacy with the Montgomery County Board of Elections at 18753 N. Frederick Ave., Suite 210, in Gaithersburg. An appointment to file for a local office is required.

Candidates for all other offices on the 2022 primary ballot should contact the Maryland State Board of Elections for deadlines and filing locations.

Candidates must provide an up-to-date financial disclosure as of the date of filing. Candidates who filed a certificate of candidacy prior to Jan. 1, 2022, must file a new financial disclosure statement with appropriate ethics agency prior to Thursday, March 24. Failure to meet any of the requirements prior to the deadlines will invalidate the certificate of candidacy and remove the individual from the ballot.

The Montgomery County Board of Elections is open from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and will be open to accept filings on Tuesday, March 22, from 8:30 a.m.- 9 p.m. To arrange an appointment, contact Christine Rzeszut at 240-777-8585.

For more information, call 240-777-VOTE, visit www.777vote.org, the Maryland State Board of Elections’ website at https://elections.maryland.gov or follow the Montgomery County Board of Elections on Facebook or Twitter.

Montgomery Parks to Host ‘Acoustics and Ales’ Winter Happy Hour Series Featuring Evenings of Live Music, Locally Crafted Beer and Food

Montgomery Parks will turn several of its parks into evenings of music, beer and food that will be suitable for all family members (excluding the beer part). There is no charge for admission for the “Acoustics and Ales” winter happy hour events, which will include an event in Elm Street Urban Park in Chevy Chase on Thursday, Feb. 24, but there are charges for beer, food and non-alcoholic beverages.

Advance registration is not required. Parking availability may vary based on location. Parks are accessible by public transportation.

Due to County guidelines, alcohol sales will end at 7 p.m. at every event. Dogs are welcome at each event, but must be kept on leashes and picked up after.

Additional information about the series is available at https://montgomeryparks.org/event-team/acoustics-ales/.

The schedule for Acoustic and Ales:

• Thursday, Feb. 24, Elm Street Urban Park, 4600 Elm Street in Chevy Chase. 5-7:30 p.m.
• Craft beer vendor:True Respite Brewing
• Food vendor: Pop Up Poutine Food Truck.
• Musical guest: Capital Effect
• Friday, Feb. 25: Arora Hills Local Park in Clarksburg, 5-7:30 p.m. 
• Craft beer vendor: Elder Pine Brewing and Blending Company
• Food vendor:  Vittles in the Pines
• Musical guest: Ted Garber
• Friday, March 4: Acorn Urban Park in Silver Spring,  5-7:30 p.m.
• Craft beer vendor: Silver Branch Brewing
• Food vendor: Big Greek Food Truck
• Musical guest: Ted Garber

  

Shoppers Can Save Money by Purchasing ENERGY STAR Appliances During ‘Maryland Energy Weekend,’ Feb 19-21

Maryland shoppers who want to save money and help protect the environment will have that opportunity by purchasing ENERGY STAR rated appliances during Shop Maryland Energy Weekend, which runs Feb. 19-21. During the weekend, appliances bearing the ENERGY STAR label, purchased in-store or online, will be exempt from the State’s six percent sales tax.

Appliances that may qualify for the savings include air conditioners, washers, dryers, standard-size refrigerators, furnaces, heat pumps, boilers, compact fluorescent and LED light bulbs, dehumidifiers and programmable thermostats. Solar water heaters are tax-exempt year-round.

To receive the ENERGY STAR label, a product must meet strict standards for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 2018, ENERGY STAR-certified products helped consumers save 200 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, avoid $35 billion in energy costs and achieve 150 million metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions.

The tax-free weekend for energy-efficient appliances began in 2011 and its impact has grown ever since.

More information about Shop Maryland Energy Weekend is available at https://tinyurl.com/56jdk98d.

Mental Health of Children and Teens in Military Families Will Be Focus of Attention at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Easterseals in Silver Spring

Children and teens of Montgomery County-based military families can find support at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Easterseals in Silver Spring. The clinic will be offering the “Teen Stress Resiliency” program starting on Wednesday, March 2.

Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Easterseals is located at 1420 Spring St., Suite 300, in Silver Spring.

The Teen Stress Resiliency program for students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades will run for six consecutive weeks from 4:30-5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. It will teach participants how to build resiliency skills in order to meet life’s challenges and take positive actions to reduce stress. The program is structured to understand the need for specialized care to address the unique needs of children and teens.

The free workshops are available to teens from veteran and active-duty families. For more information, contact the Cohen Clinic at 240-847-7500 or info.mfc@eseal.org.

County Releases Second Quarter Updates of Climate Action Plan Implementation That Include Progress on Dozens of Actions

 

Montgomery County has released its Quarter 2 updates of the Fiscal Year 2022 Climate Work Plan. The updates highlight the progress that is being made to implement actions in the County’s ambitious Climate Action Plan that was unveiled last year. Through the second quarter of FY22, the County has made progress on dozens of actions to help reach the goals of the plan.

The Climate Action Plan (CAP) is a strategic plan to cut community-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 80 percent by 2027 and 100 percent by 2035. The plan also seeks to reduce climate-related risks to the County’s residents, businesses and the built and natural environment. The annual climate work plan describes the actions that the County is making progress on in the near-term in support of the CAP.

“Implementing the Climate Action Plan is an all-hands-on-deck effort and requires concerted action to address emissions from the buildings, transportation and energy sectors and to also enhance climate resilience, all while prioritizing racial equity and social justice in the community,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “County departments have rolled up their sleeves and are already actively implementing many of the actions that were identified in the Climate Action Plan—from developing policies to reduce energy use in existing buildings to expanding the County’s bus infrastructure. We will continue to accelerate our climate efforts to meet the biggest challenge of our time.”

Adriana Hochberg, acting director of the Department of Environmental Protection and the County’s climate change officer, said an important element of the Climate Action Plan is to keep residents informed of actions that are being put in place.

“The quarterly progress updates on the Climate Action Plan are an important tool to share with the community all of the work that is taking place across Montgomery County Government,” said Ms. Hochberg. “These quarterly updates provide a near real-time view into the climate actions taking place right now and how they relate to the County’s climate goals.”

Highlights of Quarter 2 progress include:

• Clean Energy: The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) selected EV Advisors, LLC, to assist with the development of a Community Choice Energy Program.
• Buildings: Montgomery College installed submeters to monitor and track thermal energy (chilled water and hot water) in 37 buildings across its three campuses. Using real-time data, this effort will generate accurate benchmarking data and allow building operations diagnosis.
• Buildings: Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has issued a Request for Proposals for Energy Savings Performance at two schools.
• Transportation: The County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) implemented the first dedicated bus lane project in the County (in Germantown) and expanded micromobility services to the Germantown area.
• Transportation: The MCPS Electric Vehicle school bus charging infrastructure is complete and operational for the first location at the Bethesda Depot. Fourteen buses have been delivered to MCPS and are in the process of road-testing.
• Carbon Sequestration: MCDOT is administering a tree-planting grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, with approximately100 trees planted in the right-of-way in Q2 and an additional 150 planned for planting in spring 2022.
• Carbon Sequestration: Montgomery Parks held its first-ever urban wood sale, making wood slabs and lumber from its portable sawmill available to the public for purchase. Montgomery Parks’ urban wood reuse program turns hazardous trees removed from parkland into lumber and other wood products.
• Climate Adaptation: The County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS) has signed a grant agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to receive 24-34 new flood sensors. The new sensors will be placed on or near road crossings that frequently flood and at privately owned dams that do not currently have flood sensors.
• Governance: The County Department of General Services (DGS), MCDOT and DEP are working with the Department of Defense/Walter Reed and the surrounding community to identify climate change-related vulnerabilities in the transportation, energy and stormwater sectors and develop a Resiliency Implementation Plan for the installation.
• Public Engagement, Partnerships and Education: The Maryland Coalition of Counties and Cities for Climate Action, a statewide climate coalition of local governments, has launched and is meeting regularly.

To view the Quarter 2 FY22 Climate Work Plan progress report, visit: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/green/Resources/Files/climate/fy22-climate-work-plan-q2-updates.pdf.

For more information about the Climate Action Plan, visit: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/green/climate/index.html.

Sharing What They Like About County’s First Rapid Transit Service Can Win Residents Prizes in ‘Love Flash’ Bus Photo Contest

Montgomery County residents can win a prize this month by sharing what they love about the County’s first rapid transit service—the Flash bus—in the County Department of Transportation’s “Love Flash” photo contest on Twitter.

In the contest, residents are asked to post a photo or comment on Twitter sharing what they love about the Flash, or other Ride On bus services, for a chance to win a prize pack. Entries must be posted to Twitter by Feb. 28 and tag @RideOnMCT or @MCDOTNow. Entries must include the hashtags #LoveFlash and #RideTheFlash to be entered into a drawing for a chance to win.

The first Flash line operated by the County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) serves Colesville Road/Columbia Pike (US 29) and connects the Downtown Silver Spring Transit Center with White Oak and Briggs Chaney with stops along the way.

Flash service—which uses 60-foot-long articulated buses—carries more than 2,100 riders per day. Flash buses feature bike racks inside, free Wi-Fi service and USB ports. At full capacity, the buses can transport up to 80 passengers and are more frequent and time-efficient than traditional buses.

“It did not take very long for Montgomery County residents to 'Love Flash' and we hope that they share their thoughts and photos with us through this creative contest," said County Executive Marc Elrich. "I am proud that we are investing in our transportation infrastructure, which helps alleviate traffic and improves our environment. I’ve made transit a priority and recently recommended funding for the final design and construction of both the Flash corridors on Veirs Mill Road and the central section of 355. Expansion of our Flash bus corridors is important for residents to have equitable access to jobs, educational facilities and access to essential services."

The prize pack for the photo contest winner includes a large box of Godiva Chocolate, a $25 Visa gift card and a fresh cut roses-scented Yankee Candle. The winner will be announced on March 1 through direct message and on the @MCDOT Twitter page.

“Thousands of people rely on public transportation daily as it offers a safe, convenient and cost-effective means to get where they need to go,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. “This is a fun way to draw attention to our buses and thank our customers. If you don’t normally use the bus, we are encouraging you to try them out. Bus fares are free for everyone at least until July 2022.”

The US 29 Flash was the first step in creating a network of Bus Rapid Transit lines (BRT) in the County. The route celebrated its one-year anniversary in October 2021 and already has one of the highest ridership counts in the County.

The County Executive’s proposed Capital Improvements Budget includes advancing additional Flash corridors. These include routes on Veirs Mill Road and the central section of 355.

Post a Flash picture or testimonial on Twitter by Feb. 28 and tag @RideOnMCT or @MCDOTNow and include the hashtags #LoveFlash and #RideTheFlash to be entered into a drawing for a chance to win.

Message from the County Executive

 

Dear Friends,

As we continue to celebrate and honor Black History Month, I want to comment on a hate incident that Councilmember Will Jawando experienced. He was attacked with hate-filled verbal assaults during an online forum about police reform policies. This attack follows threats made last week to historically black colleges and universities around the country; this is not where this society should be in 2022. I know this isn’t the first time Councilmember Jawando has dealt with attacks of this nature, and it is a testament to his character and strength to continue fighting for what he believes is best for Montgomery County in the face of this vile opposition. People making these attacks are cowards and should put their name on any statements and own it. It’s disgusting. I offer my unwavering support to Councilmember Jawando, his family and staff. 

I also want to thank Councilmember Jawando for sending a request to my office to honor the late Brig. Gen. Charles McGee by renaming the Silver Spring Library after him. Gen. McGee was a member of the 332nd Fighter Group, famously known as the Tuskegee Airmen, who lived in this County for 30 years and died last month at the age of 102. I support this action and will work to make it happen as quickly as possible. Learning the history of trailblazing African Americans like General McGee is vitally important, and another opportunity to learn will be an oral history discussion about Lyttonsville, one of the oldest one of the oldest African American neighborhoods in Montgomery County. Patricia Tyson is hosting the discussion with other residents on Tuesday, Feb. 15 – you can register for that discussion here.

CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. MONIFA MCKNIGHT, OUR NEW SUPERINTENDENT

I want to congratulate Dr. Monifa B. McKnight on being selected by the Board of Education as Montgomery County Public School’s (MCPS) new superintendent. I have worked closely with Dr. McKnight during her time as acting superintendent - she has had to deal with the tremendous challenges that COVID-19 has created, and that is not an easy task – there was no off-the-shelf playbook to guide any of us.

She is fortunate to work with teachers, principals, and support staff who, like Dr. McKnight, have demonstrated a great sense of compassion for our children’s education and well-being. This is a historic moment as the first woman, and second person of color, steps up to lead Maryland’s largest school district where 73 percent of the students and families are people of color. I look forward to working with her as we recover from this pandemic and address the myriad challenges that COVID-19 has amplified. Addressing these challenges will require continued investment in our school system, which is why I recently recommended a record level of capital investment to provide resources for response and recovery efforts. These investments are important to ensure that the school system she leads has the resources they need.

Dr. McKnight brings a wealth of experience to the position, and I look forward to supporting her work to ensure that all our children are college- and career-ready and have equitable access and opportunity to learn. 

COVID RATES DECLINE BUT COUNTY REMAINS IN “HIGH COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION” CATEGORY:

The good news is that our COVID-19 rates continue to decline. Our test-positivity rate has dropped to around 3.5 percent and our case rate has also dropped to 17.82 per 100,000 residents – the lowest rates we have seen in the last two months but still multiples of rates we had last summer during that brief period when we thought COVID was done. Just a month ago our case rate was 305.25 per 100,000 residents. However, it is important to note that we are still in “high transmission” even though our rates are below the State average.

This week, Governor Hogan asked the State Board of Education to rescind the mask mandate in our schools. I wish the Governor would be more patient – our trends are good, but we’ve not yet returned to a level of moderate transmission. I hope the State Board of Education waits to rescind the mask mandate until the rates of jurisdictions around the State are in the moderate transmission category. We have seen far too many times during this pandemic, that when the numbers go down, our guard goes down, and that makes the numbers go right back up. We need to use what we learned over the last 23 months in order to get out of these negative patterns.

IT SHOULD HAVE NEVER GOTTEN TO THIS POINT

This week, our nation marked another grim milestone – we have lost 900,000 Americans to COVID. It took our nation only 50 days to register 100,000 deaths, after 75 days to go from 700,000 to 800,000 due to the Omicron variant and strains on our health systems. These are sobering numbers and unnecessarily large. From the onset, the country did not respond the way it should have to this virus, and we continue to have a significant portion of our population not believing in the science and facts leading to bad health practices. Stunningly, after a year of having the vaccine available, 35 percent of our nation remains unvaccinated. Some of these deaths could have been prevented if more people had been vaccinated.

Montgomery County has lost 1,945 residents to this pandemic; but if our death rate matched the rest of the nation, we would have seen 2,709 deaths at this point – that is 40 percent more deaths if we had been like the rest of the nation. Additionally, for our County 80 percent of the deaths occurred before vaccines were widely available. That lower number is due to this County’s government, health care, school system, businesses, and, most importantly, our residents, doing what was right for ourselves, our families, and our communities. I continue to be appreciative of our residents understanding, patience, and vigilance to keep our County as safe and healthy as possible.

1.5 MILLION RAPID TESTS DISTRIBUTED

As we turn the page from this surge, I am very proud of and pleased with our ability to be flexible and adaptable in our government and throughout our community. One such success over the last month has been the distribution of our take-home rapid tests. We have distributed about 1.5 million rapid test kits. About half of those we have distributed through our libraries along with nearly 700,000 face masks. And we continue to provide rapid tests to our schools – both public and private, childcare providers, senior facilities, and many of our community partners. This volume of rapid test distribution is more than all the other counties in Maryland combined.

‘BOOSTERAMA’ RETURNS

Our vaccination and booster numbers continue to slow down. Just two weeks ago, 22,000 individuals received boosters. Last week it was only 10,000. Our 18- to 64-year-old Black and Latino residents are only 44 percent and 39 percent boosted respectively. And 25 percent of our 65+ group still need their booster. This age cohort is more likely to have pre-existing conditions and weaker immune systems leading to serious and severe symptoms if they catch COVID – even if originally vaccinated. The bottom line is everyone needs to understand the importance of getting boosted.

The Governor announced that the State is going to do another lottery to help promote boosters and I hope this effort helps increase turn out. We are also focusing our County efforts to get more people boosted. We are hosting our second “Boosterama” on Saturday, Feb. 19 – Presidents Day weekend - at Westfield Wheaton Mall from 1 to 4 p.m. Our first Boosterama in December vaccinated 420 people in just three hours and was a great success. We are hoping that we can do even better this time.

‘GHOST GUNS’ GOT TO GO

This week, I testified in support of House Bill 425 and Senate Bill 387 in the General Assembly that would ban “ghost guns.” Ghost guns are guns that are unregistered and untraceable firearms. In fact, the recent shooting of a student at Magruder High School was done with a ghost gun. The suspect in that case allegedly ordered the ghost gun from the internet and had it delivered to his house in three packages. He simply put this gun together himself, and it ended up being the first known weapon discharged in a Montgomery County public school.

These weapons are specifically designed, manufactured, and sold to avoid sensible gun-ownership laws. I applaud Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh for his leadership on this issue and want to recognize Maryland Delegate Lesley Lopez for her tireless commitment to stop the supply of these guns that are increasingly making their way onto our streets and into our communities and schools. I encourage you to lend your voice to this issue, and please encourage our State legislators to pass this bill and for Governor Larry Hogan to sign this legislation.

LOVE MONTGOMERY COUNTY THIS WEEKEND

I want to wish everyone a wonderful Valentine’s Day and Super Bowl Weekend. We have three Montgomery County high school alums playing in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday – Damascus High School’s Jake Funk is a running back for the Rams while former Quince Orchard student Zach Kerr and Good Counsel’s Keandre Jones will be suited up for the Bengals.

As you make both “the big game” and Valentine’s plans and gift purchases - please remember to keep your money in Montgomery by shopping local, dining local, and celebrating local. This week, I read this beautiful but sad article in The Washington Post Magazine about the Yu family, owners of the Hollywood East Cafe in Wheaton; I have known Janet Yu for a long time. This article explains the obstacles and challenges, and perseverance of this Montgomery County family and business owners in face of the pandemic. This article demonstrates the commitment this family has to each other and their customers. The Yu’s demonstration of love is the type that needs to be focused on during a Valentine’s Day weekend. I hope you take the time to read this article and that it inspires you to support the many wonderful locally owned restaurants and businesses in our county. Our County businesses were hit hard once again by the Omicron surge, and we need to help them as we can. Please check out VisitMontgomery.com for great places, events, and locations to spend this time with your loved ones throughout Montgomery County.

Our County’s Department of Transportation is having a “Love Flash” photo contest on Twitter where residents can win a prize this month by sharing what they love about the County’s first rapid transit service— the Flash bus. It did not take very long for Montgomery County residents to ‘Love Flash,’ and we hope that they share their thoughts and photos with us through this creative contest.

This Sunday, Feb. 13, the Wheaton Urban District and Montgomery County Recreation will celebrate Valentine’s Day with “I Love Wheaton” – an afternoon filled with free, outdoor fun and activities from noon - 4 p.m. at Marian Fryer Town Plaza. Please join us for ice skating, art, crafts, along with food and fun for everyone. There will also be outdoor heat lamps, a fire pit, and a DJ.

And if you love poetry and history, please tune in this Saturday at 3 p.m. for the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological & Scientific Olympics (or ACT-SO) of NAACP Montgomery County’s 7th Annual Poetry Read-In celebrating Black History Month. I am honored to participate and read a powerful poem by Langston Hughes. Please click here to register for this event.

FINDING YOUR FAVORITE SLICE

Finally, this Wednesday was National Pizza Day, and an unfortunate reminder of a meal that I miss so much due to my diet. Montgomery County is home to some of the best pizza places around. There are a lot of best-of lists on the internet; but the MoCo Show’s Alex Tsironis has listed his favorites here, though you may have your own.

As always, my appreciation for all of you.

Marc Elrich
County Executive

Maryland to Have New Booster $2 Million Promotion for Boosted Marylanders, with $50,000 Awarded for 10 Weeks and $1 Million Grand Prize

Maryland will have a new booster action plan to get more residents fully protected from COVID-19 and its variants. The plan includes a $2 million “VaxCash 2.0 Promotion” that will award cash prizes to a total of 12 Maryland residents who have received their booster shot. The promotion kicks off Tuesday, Feb. 15, with a special initial drawing of $500,000.

After the initial $500,000 drawing on Feb. 15, prizes of $50,000 will be awarded weekly for the following 10 weeks. On Tuesday, May 3, one Marylander will be awarded a grand prize of $1 million.

Maryland residents 18 and older who have received their primary COVID-19 vaccinations and their booster shot in Maryland at any time are eligible to win. No registration or entry is needed.

In addition to the VaxCash 2.0 promotion, the new booster action plan also includes:

• Expanding call- and text-based outreach to all Marylanders who are eligible for boosters through the State’s GoVAX campaign.
• Offering booster shots at many hospital-based testing sites in addition to the 539 pharmacies and clinics across the State that currently offer boosters.
• Expanding the mission of the Vaccine Equity Task Force to offer clinics with community partners that are focused on booster shots.

Montgomery Recreation and Montgomery Parks Spring Programs Registrations Begin Monday, Feb. 14; Summer Camp Registrations Open Tuesday, Feb. 22

There may be a few more weeks of winter weather, but Montgomery Recreation and Montgomery Parks are hard at work planning spring programs and summer camps. Registration for their spring programs will open on Monday, Feb. 14. Registration for their summer camps will open Tuesday, Feb. 22.

The Montgomery Recreation Spring and Summer Camp Guide has been combined and can be viewed on its website.

Information on registration for Montgomery Park's summer programs and camps is available at https://montgomeryparks.org/classes-camps/.

All County ABS Stores Return to Regular Hours

All 26 of Montgomery County’s Department of Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) retail stores have resumed their normal operating hours. Store hours had been reduced since Jan.12 due to COVID-19-related staffing shortages.

Starting this week, 25 of the ABS stores are open from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. every day. The Poolesville spirits-only store is open from noon-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It will be closed on Sundays.

A complete list of all ABS stores, including locations, hours, and phone numbers, can be found at https://montgomerycountymd.gov/ABS/stores/.

ABS is the alcohol wholesaler of beer, wine, and spirits for Montgomery County and operates 26 retail stores throughout the County. In addition, ABS manages alcohol licensing, enforcement, and education for more than 1,000 businesses. Generating more than $30 million in net income annually, its profits are used to pay down County debt with a large portion deposited in the general fund to pay for resident services that would otherwise be funded by County tax dollars.