Three of the five Democrats running for Montgomery County executive were invited to a candidate forum hosted by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington on Monday.
All three candidates are currently on the Montgomery County Council and were asked about the council’s recent straw vote approving a nearly $8 billion budget.
County Council member Evan Glass explained that he rejected the proposed budget sent to the council by current County Executive Marc Elrich because it included a 6% property tax increase and a bump to the county’s income tax rate. However, he did vote to approve the council’s budget, which eliminated a $692 tax credit for county homeowners and a progressive income tax.
“While there were aspects of the budget I did not like, I did vote for the overall budget because, unlike Capitol Hill and unlike Republicans in Congress, we can’t hold budgets hostage,” Glass explained.
Council member Will Jawando said he also rejected Elrich’s budget proposal, but voted yes to the council’s version after suggesting $70 million in budget cuts.
“I took a lot of heat for that list, but I thought it was the responsible thing to do to put out a plan that could fund our critical services without raising taxes,” Jawando said.
Council member Andrew Friedson was one of two votes against the council budget plan. He said he was voting against any tax increase and the loss of the $692 credit. Friedson also noted that the plan approved in last week’s straw vote creates a nearly $300 million budget hole for next year.
“We didn’t solve the problem” of taxation and a budget gap, Friedson said. “Ultimately, it’s just not affordable or sustainable for families or for county government.”
JCRC moderator Ron Halber asked all three candidates about their plans to deal with incidents of antisemitism 鈥� many of which were reported at or around Montgomery County Public Schools.
Friedson said he was, “proud of the work we did together to push and grow the nonprofit security grant program,” referring to the county’s most recent grant of $1.7 million to prevent hate and bias incidents.
The grant program, Friedson said, “helps all the institutions outside of the public schools. That’s important, but ultimately, it’s not enough.”
Glass said that when served as the council’s president three years ago, there was a surge of antisemitic incidents in the county.
“I took action by creating the Montgomery County Anti-Hate Task Force, and I appreciate my colleagues’ support for that initiative,” he said.
Jawando answered the question by agreeing with Glass and Friedson that more should be done at the school level.
“There is some, obviously, Holocaust and antisemitism education happening, but we need to start it earlier,” he said. “The way you confront hate 鈥� one of the ways 鈥� is through education.”
Halber, chief executive officer of the JCRC of Greater Washington, explained that while there are five Democratic candidates on the ballot for county executive, the JCRC uses predetermined criteria to decide which candidates participate in its campaign forums.
The other Democratic candidates running for county executive are Mithun Banerjee and Peter James. The Republican candidates for county executive include Shelly Skolnick and Esther Wells.
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