When I talk to voters throughout Montgomery County, the cost of living stands out as a top issue. Here’s my plan to lower costs on childcare, housing, and energy.

Work with Stakeholders Across the State for Clean, Affordable Energy: Energy prices are increasing in Maryland and our region, driven by increased demand from data centers and decreased local capacity. Meanwhile, Pepco continues to increase rates, putting even more pressure on Montgomery County residents. To help lower costs, I will work to enable clean energy generation here in Montgomery County and work with stakeholders across the state to develop new generation in Maryland that will reduce the excessive cost spikes we are currently facing.

Create Affordable and Available Housing for All: When it comes to housing, too many are priced out of calling our county home or face the difficult decision to leave because of rising costs. Seniors are unable to age in place with financial security. Renters cannot make the transition to homeownership. At one point in 2025, 95 percent of the 2,155 single-family homes on the market in our county were listed at $700,000 or more and 65 percent were listed at $2 million or more. 

My housing plan has three priorities: (1) Strengthen our affordable housing programs by continuing to support the Housing Production Fund and by reforming how Low-Income Housing Tax Credits are administered in Maryland, so Montgomery County can implement more projects to create affordable housing. (2) Help seniors age in place by lowering the required time in a residence from 40 to 25 years for our county’s Senior Property Tax Credit, opening up eligibility to more longtime residents to provide them with the financial stability to remain in Montgomery County. (3) Build the right housing in the right places, leveraging existing sites like the White Flint Mall that are ripe for redevelopment, to provide a strong mix of housing for our community.

Lower the Cost of Childcare: Montgomery County has fallen behind its peers in guaranteeing access to affordable, accessible childcare. Improving the system of childcare will require sufficient subsidies, increased educator salaries, timely access to space, and better coordination and navigation to link providers, parents, and available resources. In the near-term, I will support resources to public and non-profit partners to fill the 25% of licensed childcare seats that remain vacant and help the 33% of parents not accessing tax credits to get the support they deserve. I will promote an expansion of tax credits to help more parents and work with stakeholders to build a long-term sustainable funding model to enhance teacher salaries.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll be back in touch soon.

Drew