Councilmember Andrew Friedson (Democrat, representing mostly Bethesda and points West in MoCo) is sometimes the most “grounded” in reality on the Montgomery County Council. Not exactly the highest bar. But now, Mr. Friedson has “ascended the throne” and moved up to become the Montgomery County Council President for the 2024 term. The position was recently held by CM Evan Glass (“At Large”), whose main legislative feats in 2023 were a “Safe Streets Act” and a near-pointless eventual “ban” on gas powered leaf blowers in Montgomery County.
Anyways, here is his [Friedson’s] e-mailed statement about becoming Council President, lifted verbatim, courtesy of the “Friedson Flyer” – another annoying attempt of Councilmembers to try and fill the role of local media…
The statement has glaring incoherence and inconsistencies. “Redouble our efforts to address our housing and climate crises…”? The recent efforts / public policy of the Montgomery County Council have led to an “affordable housing shortage” and this will continue into 2024. Rent “control” is proven to destroy the stock of middle-income rental housing wherever it is tried. Does Friedson propose doubling down on this terrible policy? As far as single family or multi-family home zoning, the County artificially limits new housing construction all across MoCo but particularly in the northern part, where some 90,000 acres are off-limits to new homes. What is the proposal here by CM Friedson? Same old, same old… just more can-kicking is likely.
Regarding “the climate crisis”, no amount of MoCo taxpayer money, time, energy or work orders proposed by the Council President are going to “change the climate”. Period. MoCo can go full solar, ban all gas cars, ban cows in the County, ban airplanes over the airspace and… the climate will still change and China will still burn coal and oil will still be drilled for. Montgomery County residents, the non-politicians, aren’t contributing even a rounding error to the issue of “too much” methane and carbon in the Earth’s atmosphere. Perhaps Mr. Friedson will propose a bill limiting the international travel of Marc Elrich, specifically the taxpayer support of it? Of course he will not.
Finally, the Councilmember brings up making MoCo “more equitable” but also more “competitive” (presumably he means more competitive with regional peers in terms of taxes and regulations and spending). Does he not see the contradiction? Sure, these impulses or public ideologies aren’t always in direct conflict… but a competitive, dynamic economy / civic environment with free people (given free will), will necessarily have some inequality – it may even have a fair amount of it. That is called reality – but the key is to create the conditions for broad based prosperity, not poverty and dependence. Even in the highly “equitable” but impoverished Soviet Union, there was a lot of inequality. We aren’t all bots or drones, equally endowed with doing the same exact things at the same exact talent level.
Does CM Friedson propose being paid the same salary as someone just hired in County government? Why then, even mention the word “equitable” in his kickoff statement? Is it a required word for any Montgomery County Council Member’s press release, at this point?
We are all hoping for intelligent, non-regressive public policy from Council’s quarters in Rockville, MD in 2024. But it doesn’t seem to be in the cards. No matter who the Council President is…
More to come.
