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Read more: Non-Competitive Knowledge Transfer Contracts
Non-Competitive Knowledge Transfer Contracts
Though briefly mentioned in the last article, here we will take a deeper dive into the 5 most expensive of the 13 knowledge transfer contracts that the county currently has in place. Each of these contracts were direct awards to an individual. We have redacted the names of the contract recipients. Person 1 – Awarded…
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Read more: Mini DOGE on MoCo Contracts
Mini DOGE on MoCo Contracts
Under the Montgomery County Code, § 11B-14, the County can award non-competitive contracts. With these contracts, multiple businesses or entities are not required to compete on the price of services. The results of a recent Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request were recently sent to CleanSlate MoCo that outline the 154 non-competitive contracts that the…
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Read more: Jawando’s and the Teachers’ Union’s Questionable Morals on Housing Policy
Jawando’s and the Teachers’ Union’s Questionable Morals on Housing Policy
Scenario: Maria’s child is running a 103℉ fever. She rushes the child to the nearest urgent care facility. The receptionist asks for an insurance card and a $100 copay. Maria stalls: if she pays the $100, she won’t have enough money to buy herself beer and cigarettes. Instead, Maria gambles on the child’s recovery and…
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Read more: Finally, MoCo can diversify its economic base (and Marc Elrich is helping)
Finally, MoCo can diversify its economic base (and Marc Elrich is helping)
Prior to Trump II, study after study recommended that Montgomery County dilute its reliance on the federal government as a primary employer. For example, in the Sage Policy Group’s 2018 report The Coming Storm: How Years of Economic Underperformance are Catching up with Montgomery County: Between 2006 and 2016, Montgomery County lost 12,511 private sector…
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Read more: Is there empathy anywhere in America for Montgomery County?
Is there empathy anywhere in America for Montgomery County?
Uber drivers are a variegated bunch. Some of them are overworked, some of them have too much free time. Some are chatty, some are sullen. Taking an Uber ride from Denver’s charming Union Station, I scored one of the overworked, chatty ones. “Where are you coming in from?” he asked. “Just outside the Washington, DC…
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Read more: Does Andrew really care about your wallet?
Does Andrew really care about your wallet?
After nearly 8 years of saddling MoCo residents with increased taxes and higher costs of living, a pending announcement to run for County Executive has Andrew Friedson pivoting to “care about the financial burden of living in Montgomery County.” Marc Elrich released his proposed budget this year, once again asking taxpayers to agree to have…
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Read more: At a minimum, developers deserve a “thank you.”
At a minimum, developers deserve a “thank you.”
Mandy enters the Gaithersburg My Organic Market and buys a bunch of fresh, locally sourced broccoli (crowns only). She goes to the cashier, effects payment, then walks up to the on-duty manager and snaps, “You manipulative wheeler-dealer, you should be ashamed!” Next, Mandy drives to Wonderland Books in Bethesda where she picks up the book…
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Read more: Evan Glass Turns Financial Advisor
Evan Glass Turns Financial Advisor
On March 5, Evan Glass sent a letter, using his official designation, to the Executive Director of the Montgomery County Employee Retirement Plan. In the letter he says that Elon Musk has created the potential for widespread economic disruption in Montgomery County. Which on the surface is interesting in that what has actually caused the…
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Read more: MOCO’s Big Problem
MOCO’s Big Problem
“As a culture, we have lost the ability to engage in fruitful, edifying discussions with people from opposing viewpoints. The moment the conversation shifts to a hot topic, respect flies out the window and that person becomes the enemy.” This is from an editorial assignment for my eleventh-grade AP Language class. I was speaking specifically…
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Read more: Community Profile: A Charter School Comes to Montgomery County—Interview with LaChaundra Graham
Community Profile: A Charter School Comes to Montgomery County—Interview with LaChaundra Graham
The MECCA Business Learning Institute (MBLI) is a public charter school opening in Germantown, Fall 2025. The school’s founder (and president/CEO of the parent organization MBEF College & Career Academies, Inc.) LaChaundra Graham effuses the energy, passion, knowledge, and determination required to provide the county’s school children with a solid middle-school experience. She took a…