The Activist - Montgomery County, Maryland & Beyond

You’ll Learn About: BIO Elected at age 18 to Democratic Party County Committee Seat Facilitating Social Change Founded Witness Justice / Ran it for 14 years As a crime victim; recognized there were many gaps in publicly funded programs / systems Federal Advocacy work (Addiction Treatment, Jail Diversion, Addressing Trauma for Crime Survivors) Led to advocacy for addressing trauma for a lot of issue FINANCING CAMPAIGN So far all funding from private citizens On systemic bias to support candidates who have raised the most money Without money, despite principled positions, you don’t get endorsements PRIORITIES Safety & Civility Upticks in bullying, school violence, vandalism since Trump election ENVIRONMENT We are in a climate emergency; potential effects Agriculture DC Underwater Need to use clean / green energy Key: Must educate the community Key: Get the right incentives / penalties Launched own low carbon emissions efforts Not doing yard signs since they aren’t recyclable / biodegradable Need to reduce carbon footprints / carbon emissions Emergency Preparedness Every state / city should have a chief resilience officer (for severe weather) Transport (Green Options) EDUCATION School system is still punitive; there are better ways to solve these issues Restorative Justice Understand what is wrong with kids that act out / not just punishing Other states have had success: Social  / Emotional Learning JEFF WALDSTREICHER INCIDENT Suggested Helga run in the state Senate race before to do him a favor and split the vote in the Senate race Says that Waldstreicher lied on the record to Bethesda beat with an indirect legal threat to Luest SOCIAL / EMOTIONAL LEARNING IN SCHOOLS Kids / teachers become more aware of their emotions Restorative Justice Approach Witnesses, victim, perpetrator all discuss the issue to build understanding Empowering kids to take simple actions can drastically reduce bullying Expand curriculum to cover many more religions to reflect diversity in Montgomery County Religious bullying is one of the biggest types of bullying The data says these techniques work There are lots of opportunities in Maryland to borrow from other jurisdictions with successful programs TRAUMA INFORMED CARE Holistic approach on where trauma came from, treating it and preventative approaches to many issues How childhood trauma lessens life spans Trauma prevention is key for a health society Opioid Abuse Not only affects individuals but also effects: Kids w/ opioid addicted parents Foster Care System SERVING VICTIMS IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM Much more is needed than just crisis intervention CAIR Coalition Collapse in Montgomery County (Deportation Defense) IMPROVING VOTING ACCESS / AWARENESS Systemic issues figuring out for whom to vote AMAZON HQ2 IMPACT

You’ll Learn About:   Residents Don’t Know About County Services   On Non-Profits Offering Integral County Services / Needing More Funding   On the Precipice of an Economic Collapse in Montgomery County   Need to generate more revenue - We’ve expanded to fast - Infrastructure is behind development / schools overcrowded   County Should Not Be In The Alcohol Business   On Taxes Not Being Spent for Declared Intent   Campaign Finance   Not taking public financing - Funding for campaigns should be used for residents instead - Lower the amount allocated for financing campaigns - Will not take PAC, corporation or development money   Development   Halt New Development - Using energy efficiency mandates to decrease cost of real estate ownership - On Sweetheart Developer Deals / Real Estate Money Supporting Candidates   Macedonia Baptist Church / Graveyard of Formerly Enslaved - Planned parking lot over top of the cemetery - Macedonia Church excluded from decision-making   How Halting Development Helps Improve Budget Outlook   Living Wage = More County Revenue   On County Reserves   On Fighting For Our Planet’s Survival   Need to retrofit buildings / build green buildings - Long term savings and lowering costs in county justify this investment - On Green Economic Development   On Council’s Sex Trafficking Task Force   
On Social Work Experience   
Supporting the Immigrant Community   On DC Model for Attorney Assistance for Immigrants   Supports Deportation Defense for County Residents   On Support for Ranked Choice Voting   Supports Constitutional Amendment to Get Corporate Money Out of Politics   The US Has Never Come To Terms With Slavery, Jim Crow and Continued Oppression of Blacks   On a $17 Minimum Wage ($15 Isn’t Enough)   On the Achievement Gap ​

Ron addresses the following: Criminal Justice System More rehabilitation needed Cash Bail System TRUST Act (To Protect Immigrants) Education School Construction Funding Kirwin Commission Restorative Justice Affordable Housing Financing of His Campaign Not seeking PAC money Will refuse contribution from companies Work on County Executive Advisory Boards Budgets Should Reflect Priorities On Tax Equity Environment Move to 50% Renewable Energy for Electricity Legalize Marijuana Senior Residents / Livability / Taxing of Retirement Income On Decriminalizing Drugs War on Drugs is an Absolute Failure On Canvassing in D18 as an African-American Male On Campaign Finance Exclude Corporations Implement Public Financing The Social Contract for Working Families On Governor Hogan Troublesome for appointees to state agencies / courts Doesn’t reflect progressive priorities

Hear about Meredith's priorities including: Schools Transportation Environment

You’ll Learn About: Experience Real Estate Agent Insurance Consultant (Series Six) Priorities Education Pay Teachers More Close Achievement Gap Public Safety Transportation Affordable Housing Local Economy Raise Revenue Progressive Action Green Culture Financing Campaign Taking Public Financing Restricting any Donations? Yes to PACs, Not Yet Received NRA - No Hasn’t had the need to refuse donations yet Teacher Pay Raising teacher pay means a better school system / more attractive county After School Programs - Need More Funding / Improvement (to help low income families who can’t afford after school care) => provide a boost to at-risk youth to stay out of trouble Support Art Programs The Best School Districts Tend to Pay More Helping Working Families How Universal Pre-K or Free Community College Helps Finding Funding for Programs is Critical and a Major Challenge Need support in Annapolis Legalize Recreational Marijuana / Monetize It (State Level) Proven profitable in other states Countywide Internet Service Provider Green District Move us towards: Clean Energy Organic / Vegan / Vegetarian / Healthy Food Education component in schools Education is the Great Equalizer Social Media Awareness Challenge with Police / Minority Relationship On Being Stopped / Harrassed by Police as a Child Community Oversight Needed De-escalation Training Need highly qualified police officers Most police officers are great Affordable Housing / Public Transportation Link Transit Oriented Development Rollback Mandates on Accessory Developments Development Impact Fees Needed Employer / Employee Incentive Programs Compassion in Government M83 - 200 Extension Past Clarksburg Cuts through a lot of low income neighborhoods Climate Emergency We need incentives / mandates to make change Ensure that our stormwater runoff permits aren’t privatized Incentivize composting / look at waste Educate the community Incentivize biking / car pools Expand the agricultural reserve

Links to stuff from the interview: Lessig talk on money in politics Exclusion of Bernie Supporters from Local News Broadcast On Reckless Development & Money In Politics Has favored developers Has not favored residents Has created a lot of problems Overcrowded Schools Broken Water Mains Dwindling Affordable Housing Have not been collecting impact taxes Why? - many candidates are funded by real estate developers On Support / Work for Bernie Sanders On Money in Politics Money is the root of problems in our politics; until that is fixed, we can’t solve a lot of problems Favors public financing statewide and more transparency in reporting requirements on donation sources There should be more scrutiny of here candidate funding comes from Several of the top candidates in District 1 are getting money from developers It is unclear where the money is coming from even for candidates taking public financing - need more transparency in reporting donations D1 Issues: Overcrowded schools - projected 160% over capacity by 2020 Poolesville is dilapidated, yet was taken of construction list (because it is not over capacity) Schools: The number 1 magnet in MoCo relative to other counties If we lose that, we lose our draw and justification for higher taxes Priorities Reforming our land use decisions Observe our rules for impact taxes; no more exemptions Raise the impact taxes for new development Make sure our council reps aren’t beholden to special interests / developers Will yield better advocates on residents appointed to the planning board Path to incorporating towns should be easier to provide better representation for citizens School construction should be a priority in the county’s budget Support and encourage public transportation Via dedicated funding / subsidies BRT More amenities on buses (e.g. wifi) Roads Explore tech solutions and re-engineering to improve efficiency Income Equity Need to do more to raise wages Improve working conditions / worker rights Using project labor agreements for county work 15 is good, but is not a livable wage (17 / 18 is closer to livable in MoCo Supporting unions - making them available to workers Revenue: Explore taxing things that have negative effects (e.g. soda) On Activism and Change On Election Reforms Same Day Registrations Ranked Choice Voting Open Primaries Climate Move aggressively to get off of fossil fuels Close Dickerson power plant / incinerator Yes on divestment of fossil fuel companies Zero Waste Limit trash output Allow unlimited recycling

On January 18, 2018, I sat down with Evan Glass who covered: Montgomery County is HUGE 1.1 million people 5.5 billion budget Yet - education received, varies (need to close the achievement gap) Metro needs to work and safety is in question How do we pay for this stuff? Expand tax base by bringing more economic development to the county More businesses means more tax revenue On dedicated funding for metro / and how to get revenue for that Expanding the tax base Science gateway in White Oak Anchors: FDA and hospital Should attract new businesses Benefits of bringing jobs to East County On the need for holistic solutions On residential growth / development Need better planning among: MCPS Planning Department Other Departments How can we make change? Creative conversations / thinking with a new county council and county executive On small businesses 96% of jobs in Montgomery County are from Small Businesses Therefore, we need to support them Residents should patronize our establishments County procurement should prioritize small business How to improve education Modernize our schools Resolve overcrowding Build more schools Teachers should have support to serve various populations Address food / housing / economic insecurities at home On Transparency The county needs to be transparent On the Purple Line Ensure tax dollars are used efficiently Mitigate disruption in neighborhoods Don’t start construction before community is aware On Legislative Body Functions Write laws Oversight There is not enough internal oversight being done Family resources to improve student performance On non-profits providing these services After-school activities Affordable housing On Citizens Stepping Up to Make a Difference On Evan’s Local Civic Association Activism Fixing sidewalks Installing Crosswalks Getting greenspace Working with the county Public Financing of Campaigns Testified in support Taking Public Financing Is complicated for candidates / treasurers A better system than making promises to do something once in office in exchange for a big check Only MoCo Resident Donations Get Matched Requires that a candidate connect with more people On Previous Campaign 80% of donations were from MoCo residents Accepted real estate / other donations before; glad to not be accepting these contributions this election Park & Planning If we want to reform it; it has to be done through the state legislature Cell Phone Towers Lots of communities concerned about it in N. Potomac On Jon’s Transparency: Donated to various council candidates (see http://activist.xyz/about) How to be fair to candidates On leaving journalism and starting to advocate for issues

Democratic candidate for county council District 1 Interview You’ll hear Jim’s thoughts on: How to organize the county to be more livable, navigable, etc.. Building infrastructure and then developing Citizen input in the zoning / land-use planning process Public Financing of Campaigns Pedestrian and bicyclist safety focus Shortening trips - co-locating commercial / residential Montgomery County’s Climate Emergency Declaration - the number one issue facing all of us - Jim says Translating it to action; will take thought and serious dialog Re-prioritize the planning process to make the climate emergency a number one priority Divestment doesn’t help the county get to zero emissions, but it is a great symbolic gesture On Working Families People should be able to work a 40 hour job and have a life Jobs should pay a living wage On Elections Open primary system - where the two candidates that win the most votes, regardless of party, make it to the final election in November Education Expand preschool / early childhood care / education is important (funds permitted) Early childhood educators get paid the least On Minimum Standard of Living Tackling the Budget Gap On Power Centers in Montgomery County On Community Input into the Decision Making Process Bring more stakeholders into the planning process On a Regional Approach to Metro

Here candidates for Montgomery County Executive describe their stances on immigrant rights and racial equity. Candidates: George Leventhal Rose Krasnow Bill Frick Marc Elrich David Blair Rober Berliner

Bio Democratic Party Involvement / Central Committee Work Immigrant Parents Attorney / Health Care Expert Pedestrian Safety Experience Governor Hogan Negatives of expanding  / privatizing 495 and 270 (and the executive’s rush to do this) The Hogan administration is proceeding, quickly Community, health impacts Playing politics with education money Maryland Budget / Revenue Picture Mid - long term situation is tough Must increase revenue base Small business support Legalize Marijuana Consider equal real estate taxes for country clubs When developers get tax breaks it shifts the burden to families State Highways / Pedestrians Moving toward more consideration for pedestrians from the state highway administration Accommodate Bicyclists Health Care Prescription Drug Affordability Should have a disclosure requirement Pharmacist will share all the cost options - so you can have the choice for cheaper options Moving to a Single Payer System Getting Community Buy-In Education We are falling behind in school revenue from the state (especially for construction) Schools in D18 need physical work (E. Brook Lee in particular) Overcrowding We should look at the Kirwin Commission’s findings (final recommendations come after the election) We should include a measure for school funding from state based on how fast school districts are growing Climate Emergency Every bill introduced should be considered for environmental impact Support for a special session to address climate issues

You'll learn about: Inspired by Thurgood Marshall Running to achieve more diversity on the bench - outside the current appointment system Need for More Attention to Juvenile Law in Montgomery County Judgeships in Montgomery County 8 people running for 7 positions Marylin the only one who wasn’t appointed 7 judges are running to retain their appointed seats These judges are appointed by the Governor Judges must run during the first election after appointment to retain their seats Their seats are rarely challenged On the process of appointing judges and incumbent judge advantages in the election Judge candidates must fill out applications for bar associations Bar associations make recommendations to the Governor’s Commission that recommends judge candidates to the Governor (the Governor appoints the members of the commission) Governor appoints attorneys to become judges Lots of politics involved in the process - the bar associations evaluate judge applicants, submit recommendations to the Governor’s commission and the Governor’s Commission sends a couple of recommendations for each vacancy Is the judge selection system just? Should we have a different system? Perhaps not completely fair in Montgomery County Each county bar association is powerful Other Maryland counties do not charge a fee for judge candidates to apply for a judgeship candidate review - MoCo private bar associations charge $100 The MoCo bar association has 4 representatives out of the 13 total on the Governor’s Commission The MoCo Commission reveals to other candidates before the commission how they voted on all the other candidates. The other bar associations don’t do this. Yet - there is an ability to run for judge without an appointment. On Judges and Understanding People Coming Before the Court Lack of Understanding / Empathy Persists in Courts Circuit Courts in Montgomery County Appeals Function (From State Agency Administrative Process Findings) Family Law Cases are the bulk of the cases Office of Administrative Hearings Administrative Law Judges On the Occasional Inhumanity / Humanity of the Justice System Depending on if the court identifies with the person being judged After 18 months in Montgomery County, Judges rotate into different dockets (juvenile law to another type of law)

County Executive candidates, George Leventhal, Rose Krasnow, Robin Ficker, Marc Elrich and Roger Berliner share their views on the environment at a green forum organized by Conservation Montgomery.

In this interview with Democratic Party Candidate for State Delegate in  Maryland's District 18 you'll learn about Mila's views on: Health Care Health Care in Maryland Medicare for All Death with Dignity Climate Emergency Reforming the Maryland State Legislature Sexual Harassment in Annapolis Legalization of Marijuana Expungement Montgomery County Delegation to State Legislature Campaign Finance On How We Do Elections in Maryland

You'll learn about Dana's ideas and commentary regarding:​ A Multitude of Candidates D 18 - 2 incumbents not running for reelection for delegate race Many at-large candidates 8 State Legislative Districts in Montgomery County Districts in Montgomery County Redistricting by state legislature to reward / punish incumbents based on behavior in legislature Roughly 125,000 / district Some districts are compact geographically / others not so much District 18 Manageable district - can do retail politics here - can meet the neighbors - walk through and knock on doors Lots of federal government workers or supporting workers Several Sections of D18: Upscale Chevy Chase Kensington / Garrett Park / Silver Spring - Mid zone middle to upper middle class Norther part: Wheaton / Viers mill road Working class Lower middle class Aspiring middle class Immigrant community in many cases Burgeoning urbanization of Wheaton Local Elections Elections are highly competitive this year for a variety of reasons: Public Financing Term Limits The overall political environment Health Insurance Need to ensure affordable health insurance in Maryland Immigrant fear in Montgomery County Citizens and non-citizens are scared of being swept up in the net We need to address this MD Attorney General is addressing this and other matters to battle federal government action State politics matter more than ever due to the federal regime Bio Practiced surgery in Mississippi Served the under-served Worked in Kenya and Nepal Raised children here 2003 completed gender transition Became an LGBTQ activist in 2003 Board of Equality Maryland Co-Founded Gender Rights Maryland Promoted marriage equality / laws that led up to that Passing gender identity rights in various counties Passing 2014 bill on gender identity rights in Annapolis Fought bathroom bills - endured death threats Executive Vice Pres. of Maryland NOW NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland Board Member - protecting women’s reproductive rights Helped create the Family Justice Center in Rockville Haven for abused women to have a safe place with their children and pursue judicial justice / protective orders Senior Staffer to a Council Member Worked on BRT plans Public health / environmental health work 2007 County Council banned artificial trans fats - most toxic type of fats First county to pass this kind of law; spread to other jurisdictions and eventually use phased out; many lives were saved Why Beyer is running: To be on the inside and make change      Leverage successful lobbying experience in Annapolis Where change is made Working with civic lobbyists and activists at the beginning to marshal support for a cause - months before the legislative session begins Craft legislation Find a lead sponsor Summon support / create relationships Organize rallies Next: Committee Work Invisible to Voters / Hard to pay attention The best legislators do their best work when nobody is watching and they create legislation that can pass / or kill legislation that shouldn’t pass - and voters don’t know about this since final vote scorecards don’t tell the whole story Work with Progressive Neighbors Supporting Jamie Raskin’s campaign Doing the work to research candidates for local office On running a productive meeting or forum On Part-Time State Legislature Make it full-time to make it more effective Make it a well-paid job Part-time doesn’t work Democratizing the senate Committee chairs are all powerful and kill any bill they want / promote any bill they want Appointed by president of the senate The membership at large should choose the committee chairs Commission in Annapolis on Sexual Harassment Need to clear out members now because if they aren’t challenged and get ejected, a Republican can grab the seat. Priorities: Hard to know what the next crisis will be due to instability at the federal level          Priority 1: flexibility Would like to work on Health Care Retain coverage for Marylanders via affordable care act Make Senate more Democratic Making progressive solutions to our problems the default solution in our legislature - this hasn’t been the case Transportation: Safety Public Transportation should be the priority    Address climate change - we are in an existential planetary crisis People are overwhelmed by the scale of the problem Address it with a Manhattan style project Global warming should be the #1 priority; but we need a vital movement to get solutions Protect our immigrant community Serious uptake in hate crimes People must be able to trust the authorities Support of the TRUST act Health Care The practice of medicine is a healing art - not a business Treatment with as much compassion and empathy as possible Medicare works well because there is no profit motive in it - 97 cents of every dollar is spent on patients Provide choice for Americans - private care  / care via employees We should offer medicare for everyone - this is a federal issue Getting single payer in the state is far more complicated It failed in Vermont How the state can help if premiums in Obamacare go up  

United for Maryland's 'Fireside Chat' from the Carderock Springs Swim and Tennis Club in Bethesda, Maryland. The following Democratic party candidates make their case for why they should earn your vote in the Maryland, June 26th, Democratic party primary. Participating candidates: Krish Vignarajah Ben Jealous Rich Madaleno Alec Ross Kevin Kamenetz Go to the ACTIVIST and make a donation to support independent, thoughtful, civil, local, trans-partisan and solutions-based coverage of Montgomery County and Maryland elections and issues. I need your support to keep this going! Sincerely, Jon Foreman