By Dwight Patel, Candidate for State Senate, LD 20

Transportation Issues– We need more roads and should look at all possible transportation solutions. If I need to go into the city, I use Metro. However, mass transit isn’t a silver bullet that will fix our transportation woes.  I support the governor’s plans to widen the Beltway, I-270 and the Baltimore Washington Parkway.  I also believe we should extend Metro to BWI Airport, since all world class cities have light rail to airports.  Although the MARC train goes to BWI, it isn’t convenient. I strongly oppose BRT on Route 29, Rockville Pike and the Damascus area, because we don’t fix traffic issues by taking away a car lane and giving it to a BRT car.  Right now, we see Ride-On buses that go through our neighborhoods virtually empty.

By Pat Fenati, Candidate for Maryland Delegate LD 14

Maryland began collecting fuel taxes in 1922 when the state created the Gasoline Tax Bureau to collect a tax on gasoline at the rate of 1 cent per gallon. Over the years that price rose many times until July 1 of 1993 when the Maryland tax on a gallon of gasoline was fixed at 23.50 cents.

By Dwight Patel

Amid the period of early voting and Primary Day in Maryland, I realize that most of you running in Montgomery County have no primaries, but you shouldn’t rest on your laurels and wait until November. Nor should you wait until after the primary to start knocking on doors.

Governor Larry Hogan has announced that Maryland will permanently eliminate the $7.50 E-Z Pass Maryland transponder fee for all new customers, putting $46 million back into Marylanders’ wallets over the next five years. This is the second time that Governor Hogan has announced a toll rollback for Maryland in just three years. In 2015, the governor announced major toll rollbacks across the state, resulting in $270 million in savings. Prior to 2015, there had been no toll rollbacks for the past 50 years.

By Laurie Halverson Candidate for Maryland House of Delegates, District 15

Maryland has the unfortunate distinction of being the second least accountable school system in the nation. This means that the federal plan (under the “Every Student Succeeds Act”) to determine school accountability is based on a weaker set of academic factors than most of the nation. Standardized test scores for high schools, for example, account for only 30% of a school’s overall score. Other factors that are used to determine accountability under the new plan are:

By Mark Uncapher MCGOP Chairman

Voting as a committee at the Maryland State Republican Convention in May, the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee voted unanimously to endorse the “Sitting Judges” in the upcoming primary election.  Although these judges have all been appointed by Governor Hogan, the Maryland Constitution requires Circuit Court Judges to stand for election to a full term after being appointed by the governor.

By Nancy Farrar

Our County Board of Elections needs Republicans to sign up, train and serve as election judges for the primary and the general elections. There is no specific deadline to sign up and serve on primary day, June 26, but the last training session at this time is scheduled for June 9th.  Please do not wait until the last minute. Sign up now to serve as a GOP election judge! https://www4.montgomerycountymd.gov/BoardOfElections/qA.seam

Amie Hoeber, a candidate for Maryland’s 6^th Congressional district, who is also a national security expert, business leader and women’s advocate, was recently the inaugural recipient of the Virginia Morlock Pioneering Women in NBC (PWIN) Memorial Award. Amie is the founder and owner of AMH Consulting, a well-respected small business that advises the Federal government and private industry on national security, technology, and defense-related environmental cleanup.

By Marc King Candidate for Maryland House of Delegates, District 15

For those up-county Montgomery County residents who spend many long hours on I-270, both morning and night, the news that Governor Hogan was launching a 2-phase detailed study of the I-270 corridor and how to make improvements to the traffic situation from the Frederick County line to the I-495 Beltway was a welcome development across the entire political spectrum. The study was solicited as a public bid and a contract was awarded to a Kansas-based company recognized for its expertise in providing accurate data to decision makers in a cost effective and responsible manner.

By Gail Weiss

A group of citizens recently showed up in Rockville for both the illegal immigrants’ press conference on Monday, May 21 as well as the County Council vote on Tuesday, May 22 to allocate $370,000 for illegal immigrants’ woes. Citizens have to take time off from work to attend these kabuki theatre performances where we endeavor to keep the county government from squandering our taxes. While last week’s efforts were unsuccessful, our opposition was clearly heard!