Priorities

Over the last decade, job growth in Montgomery County has been flat. Now, as many as 40,000 jobs are directly and indirectly impacted by the Trump Administration’s federal cuts. That means that more people in our community will be struggling to afford to live here in Montgomery County. Already, social service providers are telling me that people who once donated to our County’s non-profits are now relying on their services. These job losses will also erode our tax base, making it harder for us to invest in needs across our community. I’ll work to grow, good-paying, private sector jobs in the County in the following ways:

Highlight Our Talent to the World

Sixty-one percent of Montgomery County residents have a Bachelor’s Degree and 34 percent have a graduate or professional degree, far outpacing state and national rates. We are home to uniquely talented people, including leading researchers in biotech and energy. In this challenging moment, we have the opportunity to highlight this talent to companies across the country and globe. Our message should be clear: If you have a vacancy, Montgomery County has the talent to fill it.

To tell that story well, we will need to invest in the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation’s ability to build out a talent attraction and retention program – just like others around the region have done. 

Partner with and Invest in Competitive Industries

When I talk to local business leaders in our community, too often they tell me the same thing: “No one calls.” Igniting economic growth in Montgomery County will require developing partnerships with the businesses that want to invest and grow here. That means building a team that is laser-focused on supporting businesses in the County. 

Our economic future depends upon creating the ecosystem to support the growth of businesses where Montgomery County already has a unique competitive advantage. We can grow our  strong biotech sector by investing in new innovations created at federal research centers. We can also position effectively to attract companies in the energy and atmospheric science spaces. And as a hub for major hospitality companies – Marriott, Choice, Host – we should be the home to the entrepreneurs and companies serving and innovating in the hospitality space. 

Help Small Businesses with Permitting Reform

When businesses do invest in Montgomery County, they often encounter a cumbersome, challenging permitting process that makes it difficult to open quickly or to grow later. I have met with business owners who have had their openings delayed by months over permitting processes where different inspectors provided conflicting information. This process must change. 

We need to make the Department of Permitting Services and the Planning Department organizations that are partners in helping new small businesses open and thrive. The culture has to shift from “Here is what the law says” to “How can we help?” Managers need to better “own” the permitting process to help anticipate and resolve issues quickly. And when requirements become recurring sticking points, we will make the needed adjustments to our laws to  get projects moving.

Advance More Opportunities for All through Effective Workforce Development

I have created innovative programs that provide family-supporting job opportunities that don’t require a college degree. On the Council, I will work to protect important workforce programs, like the automotive tech program at Damascus High School, and make sure that Montgomery County is leveraging available state programs to help more students and prospective workers get the training that they need to access good-paying careers.

When I talk to voters throughout Montgomery County, the cost of living stands out as a top issue. That means skyrocketing energy costs. That means childcare costs that put pressure on young parents and their families. That means housing costs that place Montgomery County out-of-reach for too many and make it increasingly difficult to stay here for longtime residents. I will work to address these high costs that keep residents from achieving their goals for their families and their children.

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. A decade ago, while working for Councilmember Roger Berliner, we organized opposition to the Pepco-Exelon merger to fight for consumers, required Pepco to improve reliability, and pushed back against rate hikes. I will work with the County Attorney’s Office and the Office of People’s Counsel to fight Pepco rate increases, saving Montgomery County residents real money while ensuring the reliability of Pepco service 

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. 

This issue is personal for my peers and me, who increasingly see owning a home as inaccessible not only to low-income residents, but to teachers, firefighters, and even federal workers and upper-middle class professionals. 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. 

• Strengthen our Affordable Housing Programs. My master’s thesis is about the economics of low-income housing. Today, the largest source of federal support for low-income housing is the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. However, rules at the State level have meant that Montgomery County has been largely boxed out of this program. I will reform how Low-Income Housing Tax Credits are administered in Maryland, so Montgomery County can implement more projects to create affordable housing. I will continue to fund the Housing Production Fund, which is generating new mixed-income housing throughout the County. And since our high land costs stand in the way of affordable housing construction, I will work to leverage publicly and non-profit owned land to make more projects possible. 
• Help Seniors Age in Place. I will work to modernize our county’s Senior Property Tax Credit to give longtime homeowners relief from climbing assessments. By lowering the required time in a residence from 40 to 25 years, we can open up eligibility to more longtime residents and provide them with the financial stability to remain in Montgomery County.  
• Build the Right Housing in the Right Places. The dream of homeownership that was achieved by our parents and grandparents is out of reach for too many. I will work to leverage existing sites like the White Flint Mall that are ripe for redevelopment to ensure we grow without causing county residents unnecessary growing pains. Neighborhoods like King Farm, Crown, Kentlands, and Pike & Rose offer us successful, thriving, and vibrant blueprints. When we center growth in business districts, we see businesses grow and become neighborhood staples. I will work to unlock the pipeline of projects and address policies standing in the way of already approved housing actually happening. 

Lower the Cost of Childcare

For young families and grandparents, the high cost of childcare is a major burden. And it’s a place where 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, and timely access to space. 

The value of quality early childcare is proven: Children are more prepared to learn once they enter kindergarten, parents have the flexibility to work and advance in their careers, and early childcare educators have the stability they need to pursue their calling.

We need bold solutions. I propose a $1,000 childcare tax credit for families seeking childcare to help meet the urgent challenge. Concurrently, we’ll work to fix the systems already in place in order to expand the viability and amount of quality providers.

Today, one in four of all licensed childcare seats go unfilled, meanwhile one in three income-eligible children in the County are not taking advantage of childcare subsidies. We can better align incentives to fill those empty seats and maximize use of existing subsidies. We also can show better urgency in spending money we do have. In the County’s FY2025 budget, the Department of Health and Human Services Early Childcare Initiative proposed to roll over $11 million in unspent funding because they had not spent it on critical subsidies and support. We must do better. We also can work with MCPS to better leverage school spaces for childcare, through reforms to the Community Use of Public Facilities (CUPF) process.

Our public school system is at the core of our County. On the Council, I will work to make sure that our school leadership is held accountable for a system that delivers for every student. Today, the system faces new and more complex challenges. The percentage of students qualifying for free and reduced price meals has grown from 24% to 44% over the last two decades. An aging building portfolio is in real need of repair. By working smarter, we can address these issues. 

Make Sure Our Dollars Drive Progress

The investments we make in our schools are some of the most substantial of the entire Montgomery County budget. We need to make sure those dollars go where they are needed most. On the operating budget, we need to focus dollars in the classroom to address class sizes and growing student needs. On the capital budget, we need to take a concerted effort to address the MCPS repair backlog. 

That means addressing the most critical schools serving District 1, like Burning Tree ES, Cold Spring ES, and Wootton HS. That means identifying a way to fix the severe need for HVAC upgrades throughout the system in a way that is financially achievable. I will lend my experience in overseeing budgets to help us solve for and deliver on these needs. I’ve worked to implement creative approaches to finance and implement projects and to enhance oversight of existing projects to make sure that they are delivered effectively. I’ll do the same at the Council.  

Create a More Deliberate Process for the Future of our Schools

Parents and teachers are passionate about our schools and their programs. Over the past year, MCPS has decided to tackle too many large decisions at once, and Board of Education leadership has not provided the governance we need. At the same time, MCPS is looking at a boundary study to change school lines, a complete re-thinking of how local schools work through the programs analysis, and major school closures.

I believe we should have effective, neighborhood schools that deliver excellence for all. And I think that the Board of Education and the Council need to work together to build trust, engage fully with parents on decisions, and build the future of the system together instead of through processes that are rushed and not transparent.   

Provide Needed Accountability and Oversight

Over the past four years, serious shortfalls, repeated mistakes, and abuses have undercut confidence in MCPS. That has included this past summer, where teachers were not paid for summer school for weeks. Or this past school year, where it emerged that background checks were not being properly conducted for individuals with access to students. And there continues to be fallout from fraud associated with the electric school bus procurement. Alongside the Inspector General, the Council has stepped up to provide necessary accountability and oversight to make sure that MCPS is following their own rules and procedures. I will be an advocate for accountability on the Council.  

Address Safety and Security in the Schools

Safety in schools is paramount. We all want our children to be safe, but recurring incidents at schools require Councilmembers who are prepared to engage on substantive safety policy and on forcing MCPS to improve communication and transparency with parents. I will continue to be an advocate for making sure MCPS is taking all appropriate steps to address school safety issues compassionately and effectively.

With over a decade’s experience helping to fund and implement infrastructure projects, I’ll work to help us make more progress, more quickly on the infrastructure projects needed to balance growth and improve our everyday quality of life.

Deliver on Promised Community Infrastructure

I have spent over a decade working with stakeholders to make infrastructure projects actually happen. Montgomery County has fallen behind peers like Fairfax County in actually delivering on promised projects and our infrastructure has failed to keep pace with growth.

I will lend my expertise to help deliver on long-promised community projects. That means advocating for critical District 1 priorities such as the Bethesda Women’s Farm Market park and civic space and a new recreation center for Bethesda andChevy Chase. It also means being realistic with you, the public, and identifying ways to implement more financially feasible fixes to address congestion and mobility more quickly and consistently. 

Advance Transit and Green Transportation

I have helped to create new transit initiatives throughout Montgomery County. That includes developing the Great Seneca Transit Network to link jobs and opportunities in our biotech hub to the Metro. It also includes the Route 301 Tobytown Shuttle to connect that historic African-American community with schools and jobs in the County. I will work to continue to strengthen and speed up Ride On and Metrobus to provide more people with access to reliable transit. I will also work with the state to protect funding for Metro and to begin to make real investments that can turn the MARC Brunswick Line into a “Cross-Montgomery Express” that will ease I-270 congestion. 

At the same time, a key goal for our transportation and environmental objectives is to ensure the transition of our private vehicles to hybrid and Electric Vehicles (EVs) as quickly as possible, an effort made harder by the elimination of federal EV tax credits. I will leverage state and federal funding sources to ensure that Montgomery County has a comprehensive network of EV chargers so that you can feel confident driving an EV anywhere in the County. 

Address Traffic Safety 

A decade ago, we were confronting tragic deaths in District 1 and brought Montgomery County into the Vision Zero movement to address traffic crashes. Now, we are beginning to see results of safety projects. Still, far too many people die and are injured on our roads. I’ve led safety initiatives to “bend the curve” at the state level. At the County, I’ll make sure we invest in improvements that make driving, walking, biking, and rolling safe.

Montgomery County is an environmental leader. Throughout my career, I have worked to advance green energy and support environmental protection. While the Trump Administration threatens to roll back 50 years of environmental regulations, we can lead on the environment and the green energy economy right here in the County. 

Fully Fund and Leverage the County Green Bank

A decade ago, I worked to create the Montgomery County Green Bank. Today, the Green Bank is helping more businesses, residents, and organizations install clean energy generation and reduce energy use, and supporting local economic development along the way. As the Green Bank starts to come into its own, we can make sure it delivers on its promise by consistently funding it and by guaranteeing that funding so the Bank can issue bonds to make its dollars go farther. 

Help Montgomery County Pick Clean Energy

When I knock doors on the campaign trail, I hear repeatedly from residents who are concerned by the current lack of clean energy supplier options for their power. A series of State-level reforms resulted in the departure of these suppliers from the Maryland market. The County is currently working to implement community choice aggregation, which will allow residents and businesses to buy into a clean power purchase. I will leverage my experience working on energy policy to make sure this program delivers on its promise, resulting in more clean, affordable power for our community. 

Get Our Zero Waste Efforts Back on Track 

Montgomery County has been a leader on recycling and waste reduction, but now faces a critical challenge in closing its incinerator and implementing curbside composting to tackle food waste and reduce the waste stream. I will work to work to create a food composting program that works for residents and businesses and puts us on track to achieve our goals of zero waste.