3-Way Race For Montgomery County Executive: Candidates, Issues

BETHESDA, MD — With the Nov. 6 general election around the corner, Montgomery County voters face a three-way race to elect the next county executive. On the ballot are Republican Robin Ficker, Democrat Marc Elrich, and Independent Nancy Floreen.

Ficker, an attorney and perennial candidate, ran unopposed in the July 26 Republican primary. His Democratic opponent, Marc Elrich, is a county council member and former elementary school teacher, who narrowly won the nomination by 80 votes. Floreen is a Democrat-turned-independent who threw her hat into the ring in July. She is, like Elrich, a county council member.

All three candidates are trying to win the seat held by retiring Democrat Ike Leggett and have solutions to some of the biggest challenges in the county, like economic development, traffic congestion, and overcrowded schools. Montgomery County voters have already turned up in droves to the polls. For those who haven't registered to vote, there's still time.

If you want to register to vote or update your address, you can do this during early voting. Early voting ends Thursday, Nov. 1. For more information, check out Patch's local voting guide. Also, if you haven't done so already, brush up on local and state policy issues before heading to the polls.

The League of Women Voters of Maryland, an organization that works to encourage civic engagement and active government participation, has published a comprehensive guide for Montgomery County voters. The guide provides important voting information and details about candidates and open seats. For more information on candidates in races, see the League of Women Voters website.

The League of Women Voters asked each Montgomery County Executive candidate specific policy questions. Below, you'll find information about the positions, questions asked by the League, and unedited answers given by the three candidates.

Note: This will be a series. More candidate responses to come in future articles.

County Executive

Duties: The County Executive provides direction to all county departments and proposes plans,
programs, budgets, policies, and legislation to the County Council. The County Executive also
issues Executive Orders and Regulations and appoints residents to boards, committees, and
commissions.

How Elected: Elected Countywide

Term: Four years. Limited to three (3) consecutive terms.

Salary: $190,000 per year

Website: montgomerycountymd.gov/exec/index.html

The Issues

QUALIFICATIONS: How does your experience prepare you for the duties of this position? Give
some examples.

DEVELOPMENT: How would you manage the county’s growth while protecting the
environment?

BUDGET: With regard to the county’s budget, should programs be added, decreased, increased
or cut? Give some specific examples of measures you would take to address the county’s
projected budget deficit.

TRANSPORTATION: What is your plan to address the county’s top transportation needs?

DIVERSITY: As an elected official, what can you do to make sure that county government is

engaging with and responsive to the diverse populations who live here?

HOUSING: What action, if any, should county government take to increase the supply of
affordable housing?

JOBS: What role, if any, should the county government play in encouraging economic
development and job growth?

PRIORITIES: What are your top three priorities?

Candidate

Robin Ficker, Republican Party

Campaign Website: http://www.robindeliversforyou...

Campaign Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RobinF...

Campaign Twitter: twitter.com/ficker_robin

Campaign Email: robinficker@msn.com

Campaign Phone: (301) 652-1500

Here are Ficker's responses to questions from the League of Women Voters:

QUALIFICATIONS: • Passed Term Limits Charter Amendment with 70% vote, over opposition of
both County Executive opponents. • Passed Charter Property Tax Limit requiring unanimous
Council vote for property tax increases over inflation rate, saving average homeowner $10,000
since 2008. • Only candidate with ANY Maryland Court experience---35,000+cases! • Elected to
Maryland Legislature • Honorable Discharge, US Army

DEVELOPMENT: • Reject urbanize-entire-county attempts, protect homes • Am only candidate
living in Agricultural Reserve. Our 2 Executive opponents jammed thousands of units adjacent
to Lake Seneca drinking water supply • Dense development should be near Metro stops unlike
terrible Council-unanimously-approved Westbard plan that dumped 2,000,000 sq ft new
development onto already overcrowded roads and schools

BUDGET: • NO tax increases next four years. Our 2 opponents were 2 deciding votes for 9%
property tax hike. They ok'd unnecessary 30% real estate transfer tax and 156% residential
energy tax hikes • County’s $400,000,000 debt has been increasing five times inflation rate.
Reverse increases • With record stock market increases, county’s reserve, pension and health
benefit funds have underperformed

TRANSPORTATION: • Improve parking lot called I-270 with new reversible lanes. Our 2
opponents have done nothing for 12 years • Widen Cabin John Bridge. • Build M-83, Montrose
East Parkway. Widen Goshen Road, northern 355. • Dedicate Metro funding. • Complete Purple
line. • Stop forcing people from cars, onto busses. • Work with Governor, not against him, for
improvements. • Reduce non-school-zone speed cameras.

DIVERSITY: • Every Monday 6 am, I’ll hold first come, first serve, hours with voters to hear new
ideas, discrimination or unfairness accounts, hopes, suggestions. LISTEN! • As defense attorney,
I’ve championed rights of tens of thousands of minorities. • Appointed first general counsel
National Caucus of Black Aged by Rosa Parks, Jacquelyne Jackson. • Appoint, value, seek & learn
from diversity of views

HOUSING: • Enforce housing codes. • NO property tax or real estate transfer tax increases like
those approved by our 2 opponents • Consult with national affordable housing experts, •
Promote green, solar housing. • Simplify building regulations. • Cooperate with builders. •
Support fair master plans. • Improve accessibility, end transportation gridlock. • Allow dense
housing only near Metro stops.

JOBS: • As County Executive, have friendly, welcoming attitude • Have good working
relationship with Governor, Congress, Administration, DC, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania and
WV • No tax increases for 4 years • Be advocate and cheerleader for people of Montgomery
County---Goodwill Ambassador! For 40 years I've run 2 small businesses • Support strong
educational goals • End transportation gridlock

PRIORITIES: • Kinder, gentler, smarter, 50%-female-appointment, county government •
Prosperity with Amazon HQ2, new FBI headquarters, fewer regs, better roads & mass transit, fair share state dollar$, no tax increases, less debt, challenging education. Every day a chance to

excel! Any child could be next Steve Jobs! • I’ve never met a Montgomery Countian I didn’t like.
County government will reflect that.

Candidate

Marc Elrich, Democratic Party

Campaign Website: http://www.marcelrich.org

Campaign Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marcel...

Campaign Twitter: twitter.com/marc_elrich

Campaign Instagram: @marcelrich4countyexec

Campaign Email: info@marcelrich.org

Campaign Phone: (301) 287-3002

Here are Elrich's responses to questions from the League of Women Voters:

QUALIFICATIONS: I’ve been the progressive leader on the County Council for 12 years and chair
the Public Safety Committee. Before that, I was a Takoma Park Councilmember for 19 years,
taught public school here for 17 years, and served on county transportation planning and
master plan committees. I understand how government works, how to run an organization
effectively, and how to advance social justice.

DEVELOPMENT: We should increase density around Metro stations. But the county, because of developer influence, has increased density with insufficient infrastructure and ignored research-based definitions of walkability and transit-oriented development. I am the only candidate who has never taken money from developers and I would reduce their influence to benefit communities and protect the environment.

BUDGET: We have rising needs but limited resources, so we need to restructure county government operations to make them more efficient. I will partner with our labor unions, who have endorsed me, to pivot people and resources to improve services. My plan for doing so is on my website and includes ideas like gainsharing (a labor-management partnership) and a business process improvement system called Lean.

TRANSPORTATION: To reduce congestion, we need affordable, real transit solutions. My bus
rapid transit (BRT) system connects people from where they live to where they work. We also
need to make developers pay their fair share of infrastructure costs: we must ensure we have
the schools and transportation needed to support the redevelopment of our community. Our
Virginia competitors do this and they build projects.

DIVERSITY: I intend to introduce a racial and gender equity lens into county government to
require us to consider the likely impacts of all of our policy and staffing decisions on women
and people of color. We must partner with communities and advocacy organizations to
evaluate the results of those decisions. I am confident this lens would have immediate positive
impacts in zoning and other policy areas.

HOUSING: I have been a vocal supporter of preserving existing affordable housing in our master
plans. I also support a limited rent stabilization plan that would focus on properties near transit
stations. I have already passed major tenant rights legislation in Montgomery County and
would like to build on the work I did on the Takoma Park City Council to help people move from
renting to homeownership.

JOBS: Because study after study shows that quality of life is the most important driver of economic growth, the county should continue to focus on good schools, reduced congestion, improved transit, and green space. I also want to help people start and grow their own businesses by creating a robust variety of incubators, ensure a sensible and fair regulatory environment, and support employee ownership.

PRIORITIES: 1) Close the opportunity gap and improve educational quality for all students, expanding pre-K, adequately funding schools, and raising family incomes. 2) Create jobs by improving the quality of life, building BRT, and promoting economic development. 3) Restructure government to make it more efficient and equitable by partnering with our workforce and implementing a racial and gender equity lens.

Candidate

Nancy Floreen, Unaffiliated

Campaign Website: http://nancyfloreen.com

Campaign Facebook: http://facebook.com/Floreen201...

Campaign Email: info@nancy

Here are Floreen's responses to questions from the League of Women Voters:

QUALIFICATIONS: As an At-Large Councilmember and two-time Council President, I worked
with my colleagues to bring fiscal discipline; fund our schools; expand economic/workforce
development and green business certification programs; and helped communities reach
consensus on key master plans, transportation and school facilities we needed. I also served on
the Planning Board and as Mayor of Garrett Park.

DEVELOPMENT: I will continue to advocate for and encourage smart growth - which includes
preserving green space and our precious agricultural reserve - and environmentally friendly
incentives that concentrate on jobs and housing where we have the infrastructure to support it,
protect residential neighborhoods, and allow our community to grow and thrive without
harming our natural environment.

BUDGET: I will ensure that tax dollars are used effectively and efficiently. Instead of raising taxes, the best way to avoid future cuts and fund our priorities is to ensure that our tax base grows. I’ll make that my top priority, then focus on education, school construction, workforce development, mental health, regional transportation solutions, and re-evaluate our role in the liquor business.

TRANSPORTATION: I commit to building our master planned transportation infrastructure, including roads, transit, and pedestrian/bicycle networks. Another specific priority is extending regional Bus Rapid Transit service on Route 29 to Columbia and on I-270 to Frederick. Partnering with regional and state leaders, and embracing new ideas, is the best way to find cost-effective solutions and reduce congestion.

DIVERSITY: This is a new kind of campaign, one that gives all residents a voice. Local government is not supposed to be partisan, and my administration will be welcoming, inclusive and responsive, creating an atmosphere where all feel welcome to participate, and everyone's needs are respected and addressed. I will reach out to every community to fill my team and all appointed positions.

HOUSING: I will direct agencies to work together for one-stop shopping for regulatory reviews, evaluate a steady, bondable revenue stream for the Housing Initiative Fund, and work to expand the low income housing tax credit program. I will create a smart growth partnership between the County and the community to make sure we’re building the right types of housing in the right places.

JOBS: I will significantly expand our efforts on job creation and retention, to build a thriving,
innovation-based economy. We should partner with local employers to ensure they have access
to a skilled workforce and investment capital, not demonize them. Growing our tax base must
be an urgent priority, as it provides the revenues we need to improve our schools, mental
health and other programs.

PRIORITIES: Jobs - Strengthen our economy, attract jobs, and grow our tax base. Schools -
Dedicate an additional $500M to school construction over the next 6 years, expand skills and
technology-based education training and career pathway programs. Transportation - Invest in a
balanced transportation network, follow through on master plans, work regionally to extend
bus rapid transit to neighboring counties.

Image via Shutterstock

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