MoCo Archives - Page 425 of 630

Councilmember Nancy Navarro Endorses David Blair for County Executive

Published May 23, 2022 at 10:13AM

Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Navarro has endorsed David Blair for County Executive. In a press release from the Blair campaign, Navarro is quoted as saying, “I heartily endorse David Blair for County Executive because I believe he will bring the right leadership ability and experience that will move us forward towards a more innovative and economically vibrant county as he builds on the progress we have made in many crucial areas,” and “This COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated our challenges, but it has also opened exciting opportunities for innovation, equity and shared prosperity. David understands the importance of bringing everyone into the conversation, including traditionally underrepresented communities, and has a proven record of visioning and executing big, bold ideas. This seminal moment requires strong leadership that will leverage our assets in order to expand opportunities for all. We need David’s bold and enterprising leadership in the office of the County Executive.”

Navarro, the first and only Latina to serve on the Montgomery County Council, has represented District 4 since 2009, twice been chosen by her Council colleagues to serve as Council President, and is well known for her strong leadership on expanding early childhood education, advancing economic development in Wheaton and East County, ensuring racial equity and social justice are part of County policymaking, improving fiscal sustainability and government operations, and more throughout her impressive career.

Transportation Schedule for Memorial Day Holiday on Monday, May 30

By MCS Staff

Published May 23, 2022 at 7:56AM

Below is the transportation-related holiday schedule for Memorial Day, Monday, May 30.

View more schedule changes here

Montgomery County Council Reappoints Carol Rubin to the Montgomery County Planning Board

By Patrick Herron

Published May 22, 2022 at 10:54AM

“The Council was delighted that Planning Board Member Rubin reapplied to serve on the Planning Board for a full term, after completing a partial term in this role,” said Council President Gabe Albornoz. “Her experience, professionalism and commitment to the job are outstanding. The Council is grateful for her public service, and we look forward to continuing to work with her on important land use and planning matters that impact our entire community and the future of Montgomery County.”

Ms. Rubin was first appointed to a partial term on the Planning Board in Oct. 2021 after she retired as a special project manager for the Montgomery County Planning Department. Prior to that, she served as acting deputy planning director with oversight responsibility for the Divisions of County wide Planning and Policy, Management Services, Information Technology and Innovation and Research and Strategic Projects.

Montgomery County Expands Local Cable Programming by Adding New MCPS-TV High-Definition Cable Channel on Comcast

By Patrick Herron

Published May 22, 2022 at 10:48AM

The new HD channel joins four other County HD channels and nine standard-definition (SD) channels available through Xfinity TV. The channels are part of the Connect Montgomery Alliance (CMA) that provides a variety of programming focused on local issues.

MCPS-TV airs mental health awareness programs such as “Mindful Moments” and “MCPS Waymaking,” as well as live coverage of County Board of Education meetings and Superintendent’s Community Conversations.

Winners of Fifth Annual Girl Power Contest Announced

By Patrick Herron

Published May 22, 2022 at 10:43AM

CFW Commissioners and representatives from Montgomery County Public Libraries judged over 30 entries ranging from short stories to drawings based on creativity and content. Winners were selected from four categories: elementary, middle, high school, and adult. The 2022 winners and honorable mention recipients are:

Elementary

Montgomery County is Providing 40,000 Chromebooks to Residents Who Do Not Have Computers

By MCS Staff

Published May 21, 2022 at 7:25AM

Montgomery County is providing 40,000 Chromebook computers to residents who do not have a computer. Eventbrite is being used to create appointment tickets to manage computer pick-ups. Every person receiving a computer:

There is a limit of one computer per person. You do not need to be a U.S. Citizen to receive a computer but you must be a Montgomery County resident. EVERY PERSON, INCLUDING CHILDREN, MUST HAVE THEIR OWN APPOINTMENT AND APPEAR ON THEIR APPOINTMENT DAY IN PERSON WITH ID TO RECEIVE A COMPUTER (For Example: If a parent wants a computer for the parent and two computers for two children, the parent must make 3 appointments and bring the two children with ID to receive the computers. If you make an appointment for June 21, you cannot show up on a different day.)

Montgomery County wins 31 National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Awards

By Patrick Herron

Published May 20, 2022 at 5:44PM

“I want to congratulate all of our NACo Achievement Award recipients,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “Our government is committed to being innovative, equitable, transparent and responsive to our residents, businesses and visitors. These awards are a national recognition for the incredible work that is being achieved by our departments and employees. I want to thank all of our employees for their hard work to earn their Achievement Awards.”

“The Montgomery County government strives to have the best services of any local government in the nation,” said Montgomery County Chief Administrative Officer Richard Madaleno. “I am very appreciative of the ingenuity and persistence to consistently improve our services. Congratulations to all the employees and departments for this notable recognition.”

‘Feed the Fridge’ Adds Baby Formula to its Fridges

By MCS Staff

Published May 20, 2022 at 3:16PM

Feed the Fridge, started by Medium Rare’s Mark Bucher, places refrigerators in local communities and fills them with donations from area restaurants to stock them daily with fresh meals. Starting Wednesday, they’ve added baby formula to the fridges.

There are fridges in the following areas in MoCo:

Harold Maldonado Announces Candidacy for New Council District 7

By Patrick Herron

Published May 20, 2022 at 7:57AM

Republican Harold Maldonado has announced his candidacy for the newly created District 7 county council seat. According to his website, Maldonado says the current council has “ignored the concerns of residents all over the county that have produced erroneous, ill-advised policies that have and continue to deteriorate the quality of life in our communities by lowering the quality of education in our schools, deteriorating the economy, and seriously undermining security in our streets.”

Mr. Maldonado’s campaign will focus on using his professional background to promote economic growth, quality education, family values, and personal freedoms. “I believe our quality of life is deteriorating at an alarming rate because the concerns of parents and businesses have been ignored by county officials. It’s time for competent and honest leaders on the Council who hear the concerns of upcounty residents and find commonsense solutions.”

Council President Gabe Albornoz’s Statement on the FY23 Operating Budget and FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program

By Patrick Herron

Published May 19, 2022 at 7:36PM

Below is Council President Albornoz’s full statement:

This week, as I reflected on the budget we are about to approve, it occurred to me that this is the eighteenth budget I have had a hand in shaping. My early experience with the County budget was as an executive for a non-profit organization, then later as a cabinet official and now, as Council President. Those experiences provide valuable context that helps me see this budget from multiple angles.

Statement from Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich on the County Council’s Preliminary Agreement on the Fiscal Year 2023 Operating Budget

By Patrick Herron

Published May 19, 2022 at 1:56PM

All of us are focused on improving education, expanding affordable housing opportunities, enhancing public safety, combatting climate change, and committed to equity. This proposed and preliminarily approved FY23 budget will also grow our reserves, helps preserve our AAA bond rating, and provides improved compensation for our employees. This budget makes historic investments while not raising taxes on our residents during these volatile economic times.

After two years of operating in crisis mode in response to the pandemic, nearly 15 years since the beginning of the Great Recession, and, for the first time since I have been a County official, our revenues have returned stronger than even predicted. We finally have the revenue we needed to make key investments as well as right sizing many priorities after years of cuts and similar budgets. This is a long way from just three years ago when we inherited a $90 million dollar deficit in our first budget, a same service budget in our second year at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a budget last year that was supplemented by federal funds that allowed us to have another same services budget that limited our ability to address increasing needs.