Neil Harris
Harris, 68, is a 35-year Gaithersburg resident who has served on the City Council since 2014, according to his candidate profile. He is a senior program manager for Amazon Web Services and serves on the Metropolitan-Washington Council of Government’s Transportation Planning Board.
Why are you running for this position?
After 9 years on the council there have been many successes as we make Gaithersburg even better – I’ve been focused on infrastructure needs including new schools, transportation, housing and economic development. I read every line on the budget and found ways to add $3 million in revenue and cut unnecessary expenses, without raising taxes. There is more work to be done – to make sure the redevelopment of Lakeforest is the best it can be, to grow our police department as county police are redirected to high crime areas, and more.
What makes you the best candidate (qualities, attributes, experience, skills, etc.)?
Prior to my years on the council, I spent 5 years as a leader in one of the largest HOAs in the city, where I led the re-architecting of the budget, managed the effort to reduce use of pesticides and herbicides in favor of organics, and discovering ways to manage a feisty community without making enemies. Just before that, I earned my MBA from Wharton and leveled up my analytical skills, and that helped to bring data-driven decision-making to many new aspects of Gaithersburg government. I spent about 20 years as a partner in a software company that made the Inc. 500 magazine’s list of fastest growing companies. On the council, I read the packet before every meeting and always do the homework.
What would be three priorities for you if elected?
#1 is Lakeforest’s redevelopment, a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform a failing mall into a vibrant community with a balance of housing, jobs, dining, and retail.
#2 is public safety. The county police force has been serving 1/3 of the calls in Gaithersburg for many years, but as they are currently quite short-handed, they need to reallocate those police to high crime areas. We are going to need to increase the excellent Gaithersburg PD and find the funding to pay for it.
#3 is economic development, making sure that we continue to encourage investment in our biotech and other job-creating sectors along with a mix of housing, while balancing that with the necessary infrastructure – transportation and schools, so we reduce crowding.
What is the most important issue happening in the city, and how do you plan to address it?
As I speak to the residents, by far their most common concern is crime. The crime rate here in Gaithersburg had been falling for many years, but recently there has been an uptick, particularly in property crimes and also in traffic issues like speeding and extremely loud vehicles. We need to help our police force to deal with these issues so people are safe/
What is the best aspect of the city and how will you enhance it?
There is a park within ¼ mile of almost every resident in the city, and parks constitute 15% of the land area within the city. And the tree canopy shades almost 40% of our city. We should continue to look for opportunities to provide recreation in natural settings. The new Pleasant View park will open soon, and we are going to create a new trail system in Blohm Park. We also need to let the people know about the trail systems within the city – they are great but less well-known than I would like.
In July, the County Council passed the rent stabilization bill, which will go into effect in Spring 2024. However, Gaithersburg is exempt from the law. Where do you stand on the issue of implementing rent stabilization in your city?
This is a thorny issue. The current situation is going to be a great way to prove whether or not that is a good idea – will the county improve or reduce housing availability over time compared to Rockville and Gaithersburg? I hear from renters whose rates have increased now that the caps imposed during Covid have expired, and I also hear from real estate investors that rent control makes it nearly impossible to get financing for new projects, leading them to invest elsewhere. We need to make sure we have housing for everyone.
Lastly, a fun question: Where is your favorite place to grab a bite to eat/favorite recreation place in Gaithersburg?
When I first came to Gaithersburg in 1988, going out to dinner usually meant driving to Rockville or Bethesda. Now folks from surrounding areas come here for the restaurants in Rio, Crown, Kentlands, Olde Towne, and more. I live next door to Sin and Grin, and their crab cake sliders during happy hour make me very happy! But I also like variety, so I enjoy the truly excellent Japanese cuisine at Kenaki, the ambiance at Vasili’s Kitchen, the amazing tapas at Boca Botanas, Mexican at Guapos, a quiet meal at Ted’s Bulletin, coffee and food at Barking Mad Café, central American dining at La Casita, and burritos from the food truck Burrito Ranchero. There are so many more, and I apologize to the great places that I did not mention.
