MoCo Archives - Page 382 of 605

Council Passes Bills Requiring Paid Parental Leave for County Employees and Lactation Rooms in County Buildings

Published July 26, 2022 at 2:15PM

ROCKVILLE, Md., July 26, 2022—Today the Montgomery County Council voted to enact two bills, introduced by Councilmember Andrew Friedson and cosponsored by all other Councilmembers, that will benefit working parents in Montgomery County Government.

Bill 10-22, the Paid Parental Leave Act, will provide six weeks of paid parental leave for County employees at 100 percent of the employee’s salary. Bill 11-22, the Right to Nourish Act, will require the County to provide lactation rooms or alternative accommodations for employees in its buildings.

County Council Unanimously Approves Legislation to Establish Gender Inclusive Restrooms in Public and County Facilities

By Patrick Herron

Published July 26, 2022 at 12:11PM

“This bill is supported by many advocacy groups including those representing the disability community and the LGBTQ+ community,” said Councilmember Katz, who also serves as chair of the Public Safety Committee. “It is well reasoned, will not be burdensome to implement and will help everyone feel more comfortable.”

Bill 4-22, Human Rights and Civil Liberties – Public Accommodations – Gender Inclusive Restrooms, aims to increase accessibility for anyone to use a single-user restroom, regardless of gender, gender identity, or expression. Existing law allowed an owner of a business or County-owned building to restrict single-occupancy restrooms to a specific gender.

County Council Asking Residents to Complete Thrive 2050 Community Survey as Part of Racial Equity and Social Justice Review of the Plan

By Patrick Herron

Published July 26, 2022 at 9:54AM

The Montgomery County Council is currently reviewing the Thrive Montgomery 2050 Draft Plan. Following the guidance of the Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO), the Council has begun a comprehensive racial equity and social justice review of the Plan.

Please consider responding to the Thrive 2050 community survey. The survey will be used to inform a racial equity and social justice review of Thrive 2050 and the development of a new racial equity and social justice chapter for the plan.

David Blair Regains Lead Over Marc Elrich in Latest Democratic Primary Update By State Board of Elections

By MCS Staff

Published July 26, 2022 at 7:55AM | Updated July 26, 2022 at 10:24AM

As mail-In/provisional ballots are counted in the Democratic primary for Montgomery County Executive, David Blair has taken the lead over incumbent Marc Elrich by just 134 votes after trailing by 141 votes on Sunday morning, according to the latest update by the Maryland State Board of Elections at 9:16pm on Monday night. David Blair (42,705, 39.33%) holds a lead of 134 votes over Marc Elrich (42,571, 39.20%). David Blair led by 1,191 votes when early voting and Election Day votes were tallied, and has received 13,351 mail-in/provisional ballot votes compared to 14,543 for Marc Elrich. Marc Elrich defeated David Blair by just 77 votes in 2018.

In a presser, @DrZ_ElectionNut
provided some numbers on the count… keep in mind these are all ballots, not just Democratic…
1) 30,218 ballots have been canvassed and sent to state board to post vote results
2) 32,312 mail-in ballots through USPS (more on that in a bit) 🧵

Montgomery County Minority Health Initiatives Seek to Raise Awareness of the Importance of Mental Health Through Storytelling and Community Activities

By Patrick Herron

Published July 25, 2022 at 7:52PM

County residents who identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander, African American/Black or Hispanic are encouraged to share their stories at Minority Voices- Personal Stories. Multiple languages are available by clicking on the drop-down menu at the top of the page. The stories will be collected through Aug.19.

The stories will be combined into a report to highlight both similar and unique challenges in mental health across minority groups.

David Blair Narrows Marc Elrich’s Lead to 141 Votes in Latest Update By State Board of Elections

By MCS Staff

Published July 25, 2022 at 11:19AM | Updated July 25, 2022 at 5:43PM

As mail-In/provisional ballots are counted in the Democratic primary for Montgomery County Executive, David Blair has closed the gap and now trails incumbent Marc Elrich by just 141 votes after tailing by 276 votes on Saturday night, according to the latest update by the Maryland State Board of Elections at 9:39am on Sunday morning. Marc Elrich (39,117, 39.30%) holds a lead of 276 votes over David Blair (38,976, 39.16%). David Blair led by 1,191 votes when early voting and Election Day votes were tallied, but has received 9,622 mail-in/provisional ballot votes compared to 11,089 for Marc Elrich. Marc Elrich defeated David Blair by just 77 votes in 2018.

Approximately 115,000 mail-in ballots were sent to voters in Montgomery County. According the State Board of Elections, there were 25,453 Democratic mail-in ballots received by the county when polls closed (all ballot drop off boxes were also locked shut on Tuesday at 8pm). Ballots are still coming in via the mail and will be counted as long as the envelope was postmarked by July 19 and arrives by July 29. A final result could take days due to how close the race is and the amount of ballots left to count.

Health Officials Urge Continued Prevention as New COVID-19 BA.5 Variant Is Now the Predominant Strain

By MCS Staff

Published July 25, 2022 at 6:46AM

Per Montgomery County: COVID-19 cases are increasing in Montgomery County and throughout the nation as Omicron’s BA.5 variant has become the predominant strain circulating. The BA.5 variant spreads easily, and while symptoms are generally not severe, it is still important to practice recommended COVID-19 prevention steps. Montgomery County’s Department of Health and Human Services recommends residents follow these precautions:

Marc Elrich Maintains Lead Over David Blair in Close Democratic Primary for Montgomery County Executive

By MCS Staff

Published July 24, 2022 at 7:39AM | Updated July 24, 2022 at 3:11PM

Incumbent Marc Elrich has maintained the lead he gained over David Blair from the counting of the Mail-In/Provisional Ballots in the Democratic primary for Montgomery County Executive. As of the latest update at 9:01pm on Saturday night, Marc Elrich (38,859, 39.36%) holds a lead of 276 votes over David Blair (38,583, 39.08%). David Blair led by 1,191 votes when early voting and Election Day votes were tallied, but has received 9,622 mail-in/provisional ballot votes compared to 11,089 for Marc Elrich. Marc Elrich defeated David Blair by just 77 votes in 2018.

Approximately 115,000 mail-in ballots were sent to voters in Montgomery County. According the State Board of Elections, there were 25,453 Democratic mail-in ballots received by the county when polls closed. All ballot drop off boxes were also locked shut on Tuesday at 8pm. Ballots are still coming in via the mail and will be counted as long as the envelope was postmarked by July 19 and arrives by July 29. A final result could take days due to how close the race is and the amount of ballots left to count.

Marc Elrich Takes the Lead in Montgomery County Executive Democratic Primary

By MCS Staff

Published July 23, 2022 at 8:53AM | Updated July 24, 2022 at 7:26AM

As Mail-In/Provisional Ballots continue to be counted, incumbent Marc Elrich has taken the lead over David Blair in the Democratic primary for Montgomery County Executive.

As of the latest update at 11:10pm on Friday night, Marc Elrich (35,300, 39.30%) holds a lead of 296 votes over David Blair (35,004, 38.97%). David Blair led by 1,191 votes when early voting and Election Day votes were tallied, but has received 6,043 mail-in/provisional ballot votes compared to 7,530 for Marc Elrich. Marc Elrich defeated David Blair by just 77 votes in 2018.

Montgomery County Leaders and Officials to Announce Resolution to Address and Define Antisemitism

By Patrick Herron

Published July 22, 2022 at 2:39PM

The resolution, introduced by the Council and led by Councilmember Friedson, comes in response to the disturbing rise of antisemitism and acts of assault, vandalism and harassment against Jewish community members and Jewish organizations across the County and nation.

The resolution adopts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism and reaffirms the Council’s commitment to combat all forms of hate and extremism and reflects the Council’s strong support for and solidarity with Montgomery County’s Jewish community.

County Council Seeks Applicants for Policing Advisory Commission

By Patrick Herron

Published July 22, 2022 at 12:33PM

The public members on the Commission should reflect a range of ethnicities, socioeconomic status and places of origin to reflect the racial and economic diversity of the County’s communities, including religious creed, age, sex – including on the basis of gender identity or orientation, disability and geographic location, with emphasis on those disproportionately impacted by inequities; and have an interest or expertise in policing matters. Public members must participate in the Montgomery County Police Department’s Citizen Academy.

The 15-member Commission consists of nine voting public members nominated and appointed by the County Council; four voting public members nominated by the County Executive and appointed by the County Council; and two non-voting ex officio members appointed by the County Council: the Police Chief or the Police Chief’s designee, and the President of an employee organization certified under Article V of Chapter 33 (Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35) or the President’s designee.