As they spoke during a forum Saturday morning at the East County Community Recreation Center in Silver Spring, Montgomery County executive candidates Marc Elrich, Nancy Floreen and Robin Ficker all promised they would be more receptive to the concerns of a portion of the county that feels it doesn’t receive enough attention.
The debate was hosted by the nonprofit Our Voices Matter, which works to represent the interests of communities of color in Montgomery County.
Floreen, the independent candidate in the race, said the eastern part of the county has long been discriminated against, and that she would prioritize development projects there if elected. She also said there need to be better ways of providing communication to residents than a countywide phone service.
“Right now we’re dealing with a situation where you dial 311, and I don’t think that’s enough. Our service is to you, and you should be the ones telling us if you’re satisfied and are getting your questions answered,” she said. “I want to expand services available at our regional services, and think differently about service delivery in this part of the county as well.”
Elrich, the Democratic candidate, repeated a pledge he has made throughout the campaign to increase efficiency by restructuring county government.
“If you want more efficiency, you’re not going to get it out of the current structure,” he said.
Ficker, the Republican candidate, also reverted to previous pledges he has made, including answering every letter he receives from constituents and holding informal “office hours,” at 6 a.m. on Mondays where residents can discuss their concerns with him.
Many of the debate questions submitted by the audience focused on development issues in the eastern part of the county, such as how to achieve a balance between preserving green spaces and making it easier to build houses of worship.
Floreen said past church construction projects have been incumbered by strict water and sewer regulations.
“The rules have been employed in a way that makes it difficult for churches to expand and function well. As county executive, I plan to work with staff in order to address these issues,” she said.
Elrich agreed, and said it was important to make sure houses of worship were aware of limits to building on impervious surfaces, or those that do not easily allow water to seep into the ground.
Elrich and Floreen have frequently disagreed on development issues in the campaign, and during their time together as members of the Montgomery County Council. But Elrich praised his opponent for spearheading the creation of the Montgomery County Development Corp., a public/private partnership that helps spur economic growth. He said he wanted to expand the amount of incubator space in the county for new business.
“Even David Blair and I agreed on the importance of incubators,” he said, referring to the Potomac businessman he defeated in the June 26 Democratic primary.
The candidates also were asked whether they supported full county funding for the George B. Thomas Sr. Learning Academy’s Saturday school program. Elrich said he would, but that it needed to be a part of a broader education strategy that includes expanding early childhood education.
Elrich, a former teacher, said he wants to see more afterschool programs provided than just those for students who struggle to pass standardized tests.
“I want to make sure we have more programming for our children in schools,” he said.
Floreen said she would support more public/private partnerships to help fund special programs in Montgomery County public schools, while Ficker said he wanted to increase physical education from 30 minutes per week to 30 minutes per day.
The candidates also weighed in on an issue not yet raised in the county executive race—the legalization of recreational marijuana. Floreen said she had “mixed feelings” on the issue, but that it was worth looking at states such as California and Colorado where “a lot of revenue is being generated and employment is being created.”
“As you know it’s a state issue, not a local issue. The real question is can it be controlled appropriately,” she said. “I think that’s a real referendum issue if you ask me.”
Elrich said he favored legalization of recreational marijuana in addition to medical marijuana, which Maryland has already legalized. But he said only adults should be able to purchase it, and revenue should go into education and mental health services.
Ficker said marijuana should be decriminalized because it was leading to too many jail sentences.
“It should not be criminal matter for possession of small amounts of marijuana. There are more important things such as opioids, fentanyl and violent crime,” he said.
Dan Schere can be reached at Daniel.schere@moco360.media
