Michael Bell
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Wanted: Rent-Control Stories
Read more: Wanted: Rent-Control StoriesCouncil Members Mink and Jawando are pushing hard to get rent control passed in Montgomery County. CM Stewart is on board, because she really believes that rent control gives renters a “predictable housing,” an outcome that didn’t happen in Takoma Park. It’s hard to know what the final version will look like, but one thing…
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The Fallacy of the Small Business Narrative
Read more: The Fallacy of the Small Business NarrativeWhen I think of MoCo’s small, home-grown businesses, the first one that comes to my mind (and should come to yours) is Carmen’s Italian Ice. And when I think of Carmen’s, the first flavor that comes to my mind (and should come to yours) is Chocolate Rum Cake. Mercifully, Carmen’s has only two locations (Rockville…
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MoCo’s Sierra Club: It’s not about the trees, it’s about the control
Read more: MoCo’s Sierra Club: It’s not about the trees, it’s about the controlYou’re a Clarksburg parent of two young children. You spend your first 20-minute commute dropping them off at Snowden Farm Elementary School, and now you start your next 60-minute commute into Tyson’s Corner (total 80 minutes). After a day of “work” (in the DC sense of the word), you start your 75-minute commute back to…
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Kate Stewart’s Public Campaign Funding (and do we abbreviate Board of Elections “ATM?”)
Read more: Kate Stewart’s Public Campaign Funding (and do we abbreviate Board of Elections “ATM?”)In a previous post we explored the possibility that Council Member Kristin Mink’s campaign took almost $9,000 from the public election fund beyond what it was allowed. In this post we explore the possibility that CM Kate Stewart took about $7,500 in the same manner. Recall that MoCo contributes up to $125,000 of matching funds…
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A Look At Kristin Mink’s Campaign Finances: Part 2
Read more: A Look At Kristin Mink’s Campaign Finances: Part 2In this post we explore the possibility that Council Member Kristin Mink’s campaign took almost $9,000 from the public election fund beyond what it was allowed. Page 17 of the summary guide for public funding, published by both the state and county boards of elections, states that a district candidate cannot receive more than $125,000…
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A Look At Kristin Mink’s Campaign Finances: Part 1
Read more: A Look At Kristin Mink’s Campaign Finances: Part 1Based on downloads available from the state’s board of elections, we can get a good characterization of who financially supported Council Member Kristin Mink during her 2022 campaign, and who received monies from that campaign. Contributions The Mink campaign reported total contributions of $208,683. Who was the number one contributor to that campaign? You were.…
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Opt-Out Rally #2: “We Love Everybody”
Read more: Opt-Out Rally #2: “We Love Everybody”Progressives, all 10% of you in the general population, you may want to consider something. You can insult us, you can tax us for your projects, you can appoint your friends to positions, you can deny us jobs, you can lecture us, you can judge us, and to a large extent you successfully control us.…
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To Our LGBTQIA+ Students: It’s Not About You
Read more: To Our LGBTQIA+ Students: It’s Not About YouTo the LGBTQIA+ students in the county’s public schools, in the private schools, and everywhere you are— You are just as human as anyone else. You deserve everything that everyone else deserves. You deserve love, opportunity, equity, equality, and above all, respect. You are entitled to the inalienable rights mentioned in this nation’s Declaration of…
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The 2024 Budget Vote, When the Reformers Failed Us
Read more: The 2024 Budget Vote, When the Reformers Failed UsAndrew Friedson is by far a more compassionate, thoughtful, and caring member of the County Council than its progressive members, and CM Marilyn Balcombe has earned well deserved credibility as an advocate for a much neglected up-county population. Tragically, when it came to their votes for the 2024 budget, both let us down. Before we…
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Looking for Someone to Admire? Try Esther Wells.
Read more: Looking for Someone to Admire? Try Esther Wells.Of Montgomery County’s approximate 675,000 voters, less than 1% (far less than 1%) are Libertarians. That means pretty much everyone reading this column isn’t familiar with a pro-choice stream of consciousness, so I’ll share with you mine as I take an escalator down to a Metro station. “Why am I paying $7.50 to get to…