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Below you will find updates on some of the recent activities and issues in the county. The summer has been busy, but I know that what happened in Charlottesville, Va. and the aftermath continues to weigh on our minds. I appreciate the Unitarian Universalist Church for hosting a place for many of us to come together soon after the event. There and elsewhere it has been good to be with others who are determined to show that racism and fascism have no place in a democratic society. I hope we can all find some solace among the many neighbors and friends who are working so hard to make our county, state and country a better place.
As always, please continue to stay in touch on issues of concern to you.
Sincerely,
Marc Elrich
Councilmember At-Large
Last month I, along with four of my colleagues, introduced a bill (28-17) to raise the hourly minimum wage to $15 by 2020. At the beginning of the year, the Council passed a similar bill of mine on a 5 to 4 vote, which was then vetoed by the County Executive.
Both bills set a phase-in schedule to get to $15 by 2020 for most businesses, with a 2022 implementation for businesses with 25 or fewer employees. The recently introduced bill includes a new provision allowing nonprofit (501c3) organizations and home health providers whose business includes 75% or more
Medicaid payments to have a phase-in date of 2022.
I also intend to propose an addition to my bill that would clarify that businesses that are eligible for the 2022 implementation date at the bill’s enactment would not lose that eligibility if their business were to grow enough to put them over the small business definition before 2022.
When I introduced Bill 28-17, I explained the importance of raising the minimum wage to give people a wage that allows workers to support themselves and their families. Raising the minimum wage is about ending poverty and giving dignity to work. Poverty wages are destabilizing to families, to our schools and to our communities. To listen to my statement, click here.
The public hearing on the bill is scheduled for Tuesday, September 26 at 7:30 pm. You can sign up to testify and to get more information about the public hearing here. You may also call 240-777-7803 to sign up. It may not be possible to sign up yet for the hearing. You may also submit written testimony - here is the link to the alternatives to testifying.
For more information you can read the bill and the Council staff memo.
Soon after I introduced the bill, the Executive branch released a report that asserted that increasing the minimum wage bill would cause major job losses of minimum wage jobs. The report has large and serious flaws, which render it essentially worthless. For more information on this, see this article in Bethesda Magazine.
As you may know, earlier this month, the Montgomery County Circuit Court ruled that the County’s cosmetic pesticides ban is preempted by Maryland law. Of course, I am disappointed with the ruling on the pesticide law that we passed for the County.
I continue to believe that this bill makes good sense for the environment and for the public health -- especially children. I am pleased that my colleagues and I agreed that the decision should be appealed. Too many people believe that because a pesticide is allowed for use by the federal government and by the state, then it must be safe. Yet scientists, medical researchers and physicians advocate for great caution when using pesticides.
I continue to believe that the Council’s bill was a commonsense approach to reducing pesticide use, promoting organic lawn and field care and educating people about pesticides and alternatives.Our bill prohibited pesticides on lawns, while allowing exceptions for noxious weeds and invasive species. Pesticide use simply is not necessary on lawns - it is not good for the environment, our children and even our pets. While the appeal proceeds, the legislation will not take effect. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing the process and results of the organic athletic fields pilots from our Parks Department.
For more information please see my comprehensive statement on pesticides , where I outline the top five reasons I believe this legislation is so important, including multiple studies, statements and more that support this position.
Earlier this week, I testified before the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) and urged them to disapprove Pepco's requested rate increase. As an at-large Montgomery County councilmember, I represent the interests of ratepayers and consumers all over this county and felt compelled, as the only county councilmember there, to register my opposition to another rate increase.
If granted, this rate increase would be the second rate increase since Exelon acquired Pepco. It would also increase the monthly bill by $7.00 for the typical residential customer.
Pepco is still not at the minimum level of reliability metrics regarding frequency of outages, as required by the Commission. A rate increase would continue to reward Pepco for its past imprudent behavior, which the Commission first condemned back in 2011, almost six years ago. In essence consumers would be paying for these improvements twice – first in rates from years past, and now in current rates where we’re being asked to pay for things that Pepco should have addressed with money from previous rate increases. Consumers should not be essentially fined for the past imprudent decisions of this company.
Utilities exist to provide a reliable, stable, and reasonably priced source of electricity for all of their customers. For years, the PSC failed to hold Pepco accountable to that mission. Pepco needs to focus on long-term service viability and price stability, not on increasing the rate of return for investors.
There should be no more rate increases until Pepco/Exelon meets required reliability metrics and expends the funds necessary for infrastructure maintenance and improvement. Enough Is Enough.
You can read my complete testimony before the PSC here.
You can also watch my presentation to the Commission.
A second crossing over the Potomac is environmentally and financially unsound and unwise
Recently, the issue of whether to build a second bridge crossing over the Potomac River has been raised by a regional planning group known as the Transportation Planning Board (TPB) of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. A committee of the TPB proposed including it in a group of initiatives worth further study and review – a terrible proposal, given the severe impacts that the route for a second crossing would have on the economic and environmental well-being of Montgomery County. In advance of the TPB discussion of the issue, the Council unanimously approved a resolution outlining the many reasons why there should be no further study of a second crossing – see this link to Resolution 18-870. You can also view my comments during the Council session.
At the TPB session, where I represent the Montgomery County Council, I moved that the proposal to study this option be eliminated. I cited some of the main reasons, which are also included in the Council resolution. I explained that it would destroy the integrity of the Agricultural Reserve, which is repeatedly heralded as a national model of preserving agricultural land close to our urban centers. I also pointed out that in addition to being prohibitively expensive, a second crossing would be generally destructive to the environment, violate our master plan, and encourage sprawl. If funds for bridge construction were to become available, a far better approach would be to widen the American Legion Bridge to accommodate high occupancy lanes. And priority transportation funding should go toward what is needed most - improved transit, especially for WMATA.
Perhaps most important, the entire Council, the County Executive and the State of Maryland have repeatedly opposed a second bridge crossing. I argued that a regional body should not impose this on a jurisdiction that clearly and decisively opposes it. I also pointed out that these studies represent a large investment of staff resources and time. Therefore, it is foolhardy and wasteful to study something that will not happen.
Although the motion at the TPB failed 12-17, it resulted in a robust discussion with a number of people voting for including a second bridge crossing as an option because they wanted to allow further review. While I strongly believe that it should not be studied anymore, I believe that when the report comes back to the TPB at the end of the year, the County and Maryland position will have much more support.
Earlier this summer, we had a presentation from Paul J. Wiedefeld, General Manager of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), on his plan for continuous improvement to the Metrorail system once the current Safe Track program is completed. The link to his Powerpoint presentation is here. After his presentation, each of the Councilmembers was given an opportunity to raise questions and issues. While there are number of issues to discuss, I used my time to raise two issues that I think deserve more attention. The first involves ongoing funding. WMATA clearly needs a dedicated, steady revenue source, and many seem to prefer a regional sales tax. While a sales tax may be necessary, it is a regressive tax (it puts a larger burden on poorer people), and we have an obligation to look at other possible sources as well. I share the position of the former interim General Manager of WMATA, Dan Tangherlini, that we need to capture the value of the real estate around metro rail stations. You can read more about his position in this article in Greater Greater Washington.
Metrorail was built with public dollars, but private real estate developers have reaped and continue to reap millions from the value of this publicly owned asset. We should be taxing commercial property that is immediately adjacent to metro rail. Jonathan O’Connell wrote an article in the Washington Post about this, and a WMATA report explained how the financing could work.
I also raised a concern about contracting out services, which may appear to reduce the number of employees but does not necessarily reduce expenditures. There are examples around the country of failed and expensive privatization efforts. LINK TO ATU INFO WMATA should be able to manage as effectively as a private manager - the private sector does not have a magic ability - if the private sector is spending less, then it is likely they are depressing wages or reducing benefits because they need to make a profit. I’ve looked at the scale of pay for unionized WMATA bus and train operators, and it is hard to argue that they are overpaid, which is backed up by this article by Robert McCartney in the Washington Post.
We need an emphasis on better management and a willingness to work with the unions and make them a part of the conversation. Employees understand that a failing system isn’t going to be employing them, and they need to be engaged as partners not adversaries.
You can view my full comments from the briefing at Council here.
I am delighted to announce that the residential parking permit program has been modified to address some of the problems with the program. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will now issue physical parking permits to all vehicles in the residential parking program and issue physical guest passes rather than requiring electronic or phone registration for guests.
Approximately a year ago, my staff and I began hearing complaints and concerns about changes that had been made to the residential parking program, and we had multiple meetings and communications trying to resolve the issues. Most recently, four of my colleagues joined me in writing to Al Roshdieh, the Director of MCDOT, asking for specific changes. I appreciate my colleagues joining me in this effort, and I appreciate Director Roshdieh for understanding the concerns and implementing the changes.
I realize there are some remaining concerns about the guest parking program, which we will continue to address, but these changes are important.
You can view more information, see the letter my colleagues and I sent, and view the response from MCDOT, on the Council website.
Earlier this summer, I toured Open Works in Baltimore. Open Works is a creative maker space encompassing a variety of creative options, including 3D printers large and small, woodworking, sewing and more. Their name “Open Works” and mission statement “to make tools, technology, and the knowledge to use them accessible to all” explains their focus. You can view their website here.
It was a building filled with fascinating creative possibilities and something I hope can inspire the expansion of similar projects in our county.
Thank you to Charter House residents for inviting me to speak with their group. I am always happy to come speak at resident association meetings, civic groups, and service organizations. It's the best way to stay engaged with those I was elected to represent and hear about the issues that are important to you.
I was pleased to attend the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce's annual Public Safety breakfast on July 14, which pays tribute to firefighters, police officers, and corrections officers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to protect our community. We are fortunate to have such dedicated staff and I thank the Chamber for its sponsorship of this annual awards recognition event. Awards range from the Medal of Valor for those who have put their lives on the line to Distinguished Service for those who have shown special dedication on an ongoing basis with members of the community and non-profit organizations. Among the awardees was Montgomery County Police Officer Jonathan Pruziner, who was part of a team of Montgomery County police officers who responded to a call to search for seven-year-old girl who had gone missing on a cold March day. Knowing that the child was autistic and non-verbal, Officer Pruziner recalled from his Crisis Intervention Training that individuals with autisim are often drawn to bodies of water, so he focused his search on a creek, which lead to a pond where he discovered the little girl, cold, wet, and suffering from hypothermia. We are grateful for his efforts that day to help save this child and reunite her with her family. Congratulations to all of the public safety employees honored that day.
Often it may feel that our county government is a large, bureaucratic entity that makes decisions that impact our lives without residents’ involvement. But you are the government, and I am here to be your advocate. County government affects our lives in many ways, from the roads and buses we use each day to our children’s schools, our local parks, and our taxes. If you have an issue, concern or suggestion, please take a moment to let me know, and I will do my best to serve you. My staff and I look forward to hearing from you.
Dale Tibbitts is my Chief of Staff and handles the budget, rapid transit and environmental issues, as well as happenings Up-County; Tiffany Ward focuses on Health and Human Services and Education Committee issues, as well as Mid-County; Mara Parker follows the Public Safety Committee and the East County and also handles my schedule; Debbie Spielberg focuses on transportation, environmental issues and landlord/tenant issues, Silver Spring and Western Montgomery County; Claire Iseli handles planning, land use, environmental and zoning issues. Please don’t hesitate to contact our offices at 240.777.7966 or via email at councilmember.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov.
Marc Elrich, Councilmember At-Large 100 Maryland Avenue, Sixth Floor Rockville, MD 20850 Phone: (240) 777-7966