With the ongoing “Biden Remorse” and the continued random antics of our local Legislators and County Council, I think that we Republicans are in a very unique place. It is time to make a difference. Will you help us:

• Lead the fight against teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT) in our schools.
• End Gerrymandered Voting Districts so all citizens have a voice.
• Demand Election Integrity for every aspect of the voting process.
• Fight to eliminate dangerous sanctuary status for illegal immigrants.
• Push to reinstate funding for our Police and needed School Resource Officers (SROs).
• Lead the response to out-of-control County Council spending, tax increases, and radical social dictums.
• Stop the proposed Thrive Montgomery 2050 Plan designed to eliminate single family homes.

It is time to get active and get involved. The wind is at our backs…

• There are 100,000 Republicans in Montgomery County. That is a lot of fire power!!!
• There are 11 County Council seats and 5 with no democratic incumbent. That is a lot of openings!!
• We will get single member districts to allow our legislative candidates the go heads up against Democratic candidates. That is a great opportunity!!!
• We have 5 million dollars of Public Election Funding which is available to County Council candidates. That is a lot of funding for candidates that step up.

We need your help to capitalize on these opportunities and make a difference. The Republican party needs your time, talent and treasure.

1. We need great candidates. If you know anyone that is passionate about a specific issue such as education, refunding the police, elimination of CRT, public safety or taxes and would like to run for public office, please have them contact me personally.
2. We need great volunteers. If you know anyone that wants to get involved but may not want to be in the spotlight, please have them contact me.
3. We need your treasure. If we are going to make a difference, we need your treasure to reach the voters of our great county with a clear, simple common sense and fair message. This outreach takes money… lots on money for social media, flyers, events, etc.  Please donate HERE.

Read this November newsletter and see that our Montgomery County Republicans are doing so much, fighting to ensure a brighter future for our kids, a better environment for our businesses, and a more prosperous and free future for us all.

Send me a note, tell me how we’re doing and your ideas for the future. Your notes give us strength, and it’s great to hear from you. Send it to [email protected]

Ask your friends and neighbors to sign up.

You're already getting The Party Line, now we need all Republicans to sign up to receive our on-line newsletter. Printing and postage are prohibitively expensive - and folks deserve communication to be informed. Ask your family, friends and neighbors to sign up HERE. Moderates, conservatives, non-affiliated, Independents, even Democrats who've been left behind by their Party...all are welcome here. 

Here's the address to sign up! https://www.mcgop.com/join

RESOLUTION OF THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY CIVIC FEDERATION, INC ON PROPOSED REZONING OF RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS

Whereas, the Montgomery County Civic Federation, Inc. (Civic Federation) has been proud to represent civic associations and homeowners’ associations throughout the County for nearly 100 years; and

Whereas the Civic Federation has expressed concern that current proposals may not lead to desired outcomes for improvements in meeting affordable housing targets set by the Council of Governments; and

Whereas, the Civic Federation has expressed concern about the emphasis on upzoning residential neighborhoods in the Montgomery County Planning Board’s Thrive 2050 Draft Plan currently before the Montgomery County Council; and

Whereas, the Civic Federation remains greatly concerned about the accelerated time frame established for the development and approval of these drastic and unprecedented changes in County zoning policies affecting residential neighborhoods; and

Whereas, the Civic Federation has previously expressed its view that there needs to be a substantially expanded process of community engagement and discussion about the proposed changes; and

Whereas, the members of the Civic Federation have many substantive concerns about the impact of the proposed Planning staff recommendations on the quality of life in the County’s residential neighborhoods, that include likely residential tax increases, the growing inadequacy of public facilities available to residents, gentrification, and likely serious environmental impacts associated with reduction of tree canopy and the increase in impervious surfaces; and

Whereas, the Civic Federation has serious reservations about permitting less-regulated residential building construction in single-family neighborhoods “by right,” with little, if any, regard to prevailing size, massing and architectural styles; and

Whereas, the Civic Federation notes that the Planning Department staff has continued to redefine the goals of a new housing strategy away from affordability toward "attainability"; and

Whereas, Civic Federation notes that some jurisdictions around the United States have pursued and regretted similar upzoning development strategies that have had unintended negative consequences for their communities and, particularly adverse impacts for low-income residents and communities of color; and

Whereas, the Civic Federation, recognizing the critical need to provide suitable housing for tens of thousands of future residents, believes that Montgomery County must adopt an aggressive strategy for truly affordable housing that would serve the needs of working families;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY CIVIC FEDERATION INC.

1. Does not support the Montgomery County Planning Department’s preliminary recommendations to eliminate zoning regulations affecting established single-family neighborhoods throughout the County through a global Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) to the County Zoning Ordinance; and be it further resolved,

2. Does not support allowing new residential construction in single-family neighborhoods “by right,” with no review and approval by appropriate County development authorities; and be it further resolved,

3. Calls upon the Montgomery County Council to examine, refine and make broadly available to the public

(1) a fiscal impact statement describing the expected consequences of Countywide upzoning for Montgomery County annual revenues and expenditures;

(2) clarification of details regarding any possible residential tax increases associated with the upzoning proposals; and

(3) a racial equity and social justice impact statement regarding the proposed ZTA; and

(4) detailed information regarding the likely environmental impacts of the upzoning proposals; and be it further resolved,

4. Calls upon the County Council to develop and propose a significant new affordable housing strategy that will provide suitable accommodations for Montgomery County’s low- and middle-income residents and families to meet the Council of Government's targets for the net number of affordable units needed; and be it further resolved,

5. Calls upon the County Council to establish metrics for success for tracking and meeting the Council of Government's targets for net additional affordable units; and further be it resolved,

6. Calls upon the Montgomery County Government to establish a policy of no net loss of naturally occurring affordable housing through new development; and be it further resolved,

7. Calls upon the Montgomery County Government to ensure that master and sector planning is used to modify existing zoning in single-family neighborhoods, rather than by global zoning text amendments; and be it further resolved,

8. Calls upon the Montgomery County Government to require that a property being converted from a single residential unit to a multi-plex be the primary residence of the owner and be it further resolved,

9. Calls upon the Montgomery County Council to undertake a broad public engagement and consultation process necessary to secure community ownership of any new upzoning policy, along with additional public hearings to solicit community input.

Approved this 11th day of October 2021

Karen Cordry, Secretary

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Go to the Events section to attend an EPIC rally against THRIVE 2050

'I'm A Little Worried About What My Son Is Learning In School,' Says Dangerous Domestic Terrorist

From Babylonbee.com

EL MONTE, CA—"I'm a little worried about what my son is learning in school," said a dangerous domestic terrorist at a school board meeting earlier today.

The radical insurrectionist went on to say that "teaching kids to be racist and all about graphic depictions of sex seems a little problematic to me," confirming fears that she has been radicalized by fanatical right-wingers.

She was quickly added to the FBI Most Wanted list after expressing her concern that her children were being influenced by Marxist teachings and radical sex instruction by crazed left-wing nutjobs. Experts say she may be part of a growing number of deranged extremists who violently question the government's ownership of their children by attending the "open comments" portion of a school board meeting. 

At publishing time, she had confirmed her belief that parents should be the number-one influence on a child's mind and that the government does not own her children, causing FBI agents to gun her down on the spot, saving us all.

(Editor's note: If you share this on facebook you must disclose the Babylonbee is a satirical sight, it makes fun of very serious issues, and that this passes as humor. If you don't you will be banned from social media - well, you may be banned anyway)

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To sign a petition to the Department of Justice demanding they stop hunting down "Domestic Terrorist Moms" sign HERE.

VOTERS NEED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY 

Biden is responsible for every fiasco he has brought about as occupant of the Oval Office.  However so are the Americans who voted for him or did not vote at all.  Biden is inept, incapacitated, and ignorant as was very apparent before the election. But some voted for him anyway because they did not “like” Trump’s personality and the unpleasant truths he told.  It is time for immature American voters to grow up.  The presidential and vice-presidential elections are not beauty or personality contests.

Museum Pays Tribute to Montgomery County Abolitionist Josiah Henson

If you haven’t been to the Josiah Henson Museum & Park, you are missing out on an important piece of our history. The Montgomery Parks museum, located on Old Georgetown Road, tells the story about the life and challenges of Reverend Josiah Henson, his enslavement in Maryland, and the legacy of racial inequality and injustice. Mr. Henson not only led 118 enslaved people to freedom along the Underground Railroad, but his story served as the inspiration for the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The museum strives to accurately portray Henson’s life and explore the impacts of Harriett Beecher Stowe’s novel.

Cause and Effect during the Pandemic

By Deborah Lambert

Facts are facts: This year, America needs 80,000 truck drivers, according to Christopher Spears, president and CEO of the American Trucking Association. The primary reason is timing. Younger drivers are the key, but finding them is the problem, since the association estimates that 105,000 new drivers are needed by 2023.

The shortage of drivers is understandable. After all, the nationwide chaos caused by the pandemic has inspired millions of working Americans to succumb to the lure of government benefits, such as child tax credits and unemployment insurance. However, The Daily Caller reported that Bruce Busada, who heads up a truck driver training school, reported that new drivers can easily bring in 60K during their first year, nearly 30 percent more than the median driver’s wage in May, 2020.

Meanwhile, as everyone knows by now, keeping up the abandonment of old habits can become an impossible dream, especially during the life-changing situations brought on by a pandemic.

Case in point: Cigarette sales rose for the first time in 20 years last year, leading some to conclude that "pandemic-related stress spurred an uptick in smoking," according to Big Media reports released by the Federal Trade Commission.

The largest U.S. cigarette producers sold "an estimated 203.7 billion cigarettes to wholesalers and retailers in 2020, representing an increase of about 800 million over 2019," according to the Washington Post, while The Journal reported a 2019-to-2020 increase at 0.4 percent.

Meanwhile, Altria Group CEO Billy Gifford told investors in the Marlboro group that "fewer social engagements allow for more tobacco-use occasions," said the Post.

Not surprisingly, Erika Sward of the American Lung Association, who also called the new FTC data "very troubling," attributed the increase in sales to the pandemic, considering the effect that stress has on smokers, past and present.

Tobacco executives also believe stimulus checks and enhanced unemployment benefits could have played into the rise, as well, as the fact that "lower-income smokers have been able to buy in bulk when they go to the store," writes the Post. And that's without mentioning the influence that “bans on flavored vaping and increased e-cigarette taxes may have had on pushing smokers back toward traditional cigarettes,” notes the Journal.

However, it’s unclear if the uptick occurred as a result of new smokers, relapses, or increased intake among existing smokers. One analyst told the Post it is "too soon to tell whether the same trend continue into 2021."

However, in the trucking universe, age is another factor in the current situation. The average age of a truck driver is 55. Only 20 percent of them are under 45. However, Busada also noted that the industry hasn’t done a good job of reaching out to other groups, such as women and younger people. “It’s not ‘Smokey the Bandit’ anymore,” explained Busada, who added that today’s trucks are really high tech vehicles.

Not surprisingly, the pandemic has heightened the problem in Maryland, a state that relies heavily on truckers. In fact, WJZ in Baltimore recently noted that although scores of container ships are stalled outside the ports of LA, 93 percent of MD communities need truckers, due to congestion at other ports.

Also, cigarette sales in Maryland – and throughout the country – increased for the first time in 20 years. As the seriousness of the situation increased, everyone started looking for a way to get through it, no matter how long it lasted.

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Deborah Lambert is Party Line editor and a Member of the Montgomery County Republican Party Central Committee.

Montgomery County Ride On buses ~

Brigitta Mullican and Joel Keralis

BRIGITTA MULLICAN

BRIGITTA, a new member on Central Committee, became involved in politics after she retired from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.  She became aware, that the same year she retired, there was a non-partisan election for the City of Rockville Mayor, but there was only one candidate.  She felt it was not good there was no choice for voters.  She was involved with the Alliance of Rockville Citizens, a group that followed the various City of Rockville and Montgomery County elections, and Brigitta was most interested in how her city taxes were spent.

As a nursing home coordinator in the Montgomery County Board of Elections Absentee Voter Department, she was responsible for sending teams to assisted living and nursing facilities.  She worked as a temporary employee during the 2005 General Election.  Following that, she served as an assistant chief election judge for various City of Rockville and Montgomery County Elections.

Brigitta is a naturalized citizen, who celebrated her citizenship when a Richard Montgomery High School high school student.  Her entire English class witnessed her taking the oath on what she describes as “my most exciting day”.  Born in Coburg, Germany, she immigrated to America in 1956 with her two brothers and her parents.  She admits to being a very determined person who always tries to do her best.

Growing up with two brothers,  Brigitta describes herself as a tomboy and athletic, having played softball, basketball, volleyball, and bowling.  When her three sisters were born she cared for them while her parents worked. She says here parents were strict.  With her husband and daughter she used to participate in club “volksmarches” (German for hiking, Germany’s very popular sport) on weekends.  For entertainment she likes reading political books and watching romantic movies.  Puzzles, sewing, crocheting and knitting are hobbies.  During the pandemic Brigitta sewed 1,020 masks!

She dislikes when people disrespect others, and those who do not respect our laws.  Illegal immigration offends her because it is unfair to those, who like her family, waited in line and want to be in America legally and obey our laws.  

Brigitta worked hard to complete her education at night while working full time and raising a family.  She completed a 36-year career with the Department of Health and Human Resources.  She started her government job right out of high school as a stenography and worked her way up the administrative ladder to budget officer.  Her volunteer work with school, church and nonprofit organizations is a source of pride.  

She After retiring she has visited  traveled to Singapore, France, England, Panama, Cuba, Ecuador, Greece, Spain, and lived in Germany until she was 7 years old .  She would not want to live anywhere else than America, because this is the country that her family believes provided them the best opportunity, freedom, and law and order.

Welcome, Brigitta, as our new treasurer.

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JOEL KERALIS

Joel’s job keeps him very busy on Capitol Hill where he works in the House of Representatives.  Joel is a legislative assistant for a Conservative Republican Congressman, Adrian Smith of Nebraska.  He regularly meets with local and national stakeholders to discuss pending legislation, drafts legislation for the Congressman, works with committee and leadership staff to advance the Congressman’s priorities on issues including health care, foreign policy, defense, veterans’ affairs, judiciary issues, and education.  Joel has always been interested in politics.  His grandfather was a Republican activist and regular donor.  Joel remembers being fascinated with the letters  his grandfather received from political figures, and loved the political pins and buttons his grandfather collected.  

Of course, working in the MD/Washington, DC area presents many opportunities to meet fascinating people.  Joel found Jay Aeba, Chairman of the Japanese Conservative Union (JCU) to e one of the most interesting men he’s met.  Chairman Aeba worked with Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union to establish a Japanese sister organization connecting the Japanese people with American-style conservatism - especially limited government, a spirit of independence, and the protection of shared traditional values.  Chairman Aeba and the JCU host a Japanese version of CPAC which often features conservative icons from American politics.

Joel was born in Omaha, NB, and grew up in the area of Lincoln, NB, the state capitol.  He went to a rural consolidated high school, “literally in the middle of a cornfield.”  He worked as a farmhand on weekends and detasseled corn during the summers.  Like many young farm boys,Joel learned to drive a John Deere 4450 tractor before he could drive a car.

His father is a doctor and his mother worked at home taking care of Joel’s siblings: one sister, and one brother.  As a family they frequently travelled internationally because his father did medical work in places like India, Zimbabwe and the Phillipines.  He greatly admires the boldness and passion his parents exhibited traveling the world with the whole family to help people in poor and remote areas where doctors were needed.  Joel had visited every continent except Antarctica by the time he was 20 years old.

His favorite place in the world is Kyoto, Japan.  However the Italian ski town,Canazei. Is a close second.  Kyoto was the old imperial capital of Japan up until the late 1800's when the capital moved to Tokyo, so it has thousands of ancient shrines, temples, and monuments. It was also the largest Japanese city to avoid firebombing during WWII, so it is relatively unique in Japan as a large city that retains its ancient street layout and traditional architecture. You could spend five years in Kyoto visiting a different temple or shrine every day and you still wouldn't have seen all of them.

Jessica, Joel’s wife, works at the CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, and is in her final year of an epidemiology and biostatistics PhD program at the University of Maryland.  They met at Texas A & M University as undergrad students, and currently have two cats.

Deep involvement in the legislative process developing new bills, specifically drafting new legislative language based on a idea in his head is one of Joel’s favorite experiences.  He finds the idea transitioning to words, improving the concepts, and then seeing it become a permanent part of the history of our great country extremely gratifying.

Joel decided to get more involved locally due to his frustration that the DC area, Silver Spring and other lower crescent county areas are uncontested democrat strongholds.  If Silver Spring will never send a Republican delegate or senator to Annapolis, he wants people to at least feel they have to acknowledge the presence and value of Republicans, and make a little effort into running for office rather than take it for granted they have it locked up.

Garrett County, particularly Swallow Falls State Park and Wisp ski resort are favorite vacation spots.  He likes hiking, often on Catoctin Mountain, and camping at Green Ridge State Forest,.  Sports, MLB and NFL and college football are his favorite tv shows, while he likes science fiction and fantasy books as well as Japanese-style comic books.  Chef Joel enjoys cooking, frequently making traditional Italian, Japanese and Korean dishes.  Favorite restaurants in LD20 are Ikko Sushi, LaMalinche, and El Sapo in Silver Spring, plus Trattoria da Lina and Republic in Takoma Park.

As for the future, Joel plans to continue balancing his local and national political involvement, while short-term hopes to become Legislative Director in the House or elsewhere.  Goals include helping strengthen local GOP operations and help local candidates succeed.  He is considering a run for office himself at some future time.

Like most of us, Joel would LOVE to see at least one Republican on County Council.  Redistricting may not have created any easily winnable seats, but the two new County Council districts hopefully present an opportunity for a greater diversity of views on the Council.  We all need to work together as a team to recruit high quality candidates who can appeal to enough voters to compete against the democrats!

When not occupied with Central Committee, work and their busy lives, Jessica and Joel escape deep in the woods north of Cumberland where he enjoys working on his 100-year-old cabin, hunting, and fishing.

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Karol Smith is a writer, former candidate, organizer of GOP Asbury and a member of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee.