As one crosses over the county boundary into Montgomery County from Howard County, near Ashton-Sandy Spring, you’ll see a road sign that says “Welcome to Montgomery County: Building a Drug-Free Community”. It is a pretty standard sign – and has been there for years. A throwback to a time when MoCo – and Maryland –…
The most common justifications for school choice and school vouchers are curriculum and quality. Parents and students want a curriculum that has an emphasis different from what the public schools offer; parents and students are desperately seeking a way out of their failing neighborhood school. There are significant populations within Montgomery County that fall into…
On August 2nd, disgraced College Park mayor Patrick Wojahn pleaded guilty to 140 child pornography charges. Via a plea deal Patrick will receive 30 years in prison for his actions, which were uncovered by officials investigating several social media accounts. Patrick has long been a character in PG County politics, serving as mayor since 2015,…
“Never let a crisis go to waste” seems to be the governing ethos of far too many elected politicians in Montgomery County (and nation-wide). That, and “never let a good ol’ taxpayer-funded trip to an exotic locale go to waste”. Now, over seven years on from an eyebrow-raising, taxpayer funded trip (over $11,000 in today’s…
A lot of CleanSlate supporters bemoan the progressives’ coercion, hypocrisy, and anger. In conversations with them, I always effuse optimism, saying the progressives’ bigotry will flame out, and America’s great, tolerant, centrist majority will prevail. I’m not optimistic today. Last June, Council Member Evan Glass sponsored a resolution to establish an anti-hate task force. We’ll…
In these needlessly divisive times, it’s easy to despair for the future. If you need a dose of optimism that doesn’t need a prescription, join the ranked-choice voting movement, where participants are enthusiastically working to reclaim our democracy at the local, state, and federal levels. The Maryland state chapter of Rank the Vote came to…
Watch the video below. It has been trimmed to start around min 58:00. On August 4 2020 the resolution to expand the County Council to 11 seats was introduced and adopted on the same day. This was in violation of County Council Rule 7 County council Rule 2 allows them to suspend their other rules.…
We received permission to publish the following letter sent to Councilwoman Stewart. As of 7/30/23 a response has not been received. The letter provides an argument and supporting evidence for the Council to remove current BOE member Lynne Harris. 7/24/2023 Good evening, Councilwoman Stewart: Thank you for speaking with me several nights ago at the…
I enjoy reading Adam Pagnucco’s “Montgomery Perspective” posts from time to time. Anyone who wants a helpful perspective on Montgomery County government machinations, Democrat machine “insider baseball” deliberations and some interesting takes on the ramifications of MoCo Council policy should read it. Adam was a former chief of staff for former Councilmember Hans Riemer. Yes, the…
Are you taxed enough already in Montgomery County? Most people, certainly most homeowners or property owners, would say “yes”. In late May, the Montgomery County Council voted to approve a new fiscal year operating budget, and with it, yet another property tax rate hike. On top of hitting MoCo families and taking more money from their…