WHERE'S THE BEEF?
By Lori Jaffe
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, who has been his own worst enemy, spends a lot of his time talking about (0:17) climate change, (9:10) gardening, and preventing (7:01) house parties. Even library cards have not escaped his attention. But families care about kids (education), cops (safety), and jobs (full-time gainful employment). Given all his talk about working to improve Montgomery County, we must ask, “Where’s the Beef?” Tell your neighbors that they will get their chance in November to limit him to two terms.
So why is Elrich in such a predicament? The main reason is that his far-Left policies just don’t work. Montgomery County taxpayers have been fleeing the county for years, taking their tax money with them. For one thing, MoCo is unattractive to businesses. In fact, the Council and Elrich are now using your tax money ($20 Million to be exact) to incentivize small minority businesses. Throwing money at the problem is so much easier than creating a good business climate.
Even when he tries to drag businesses to MoCo, he is attracted to those who would do us harm. As Clean Slate MoCo reports, “Four years ago, Elrich claimed he wanted to improve the reputation of the county among businesses. Now he’s all the way in China trying to recruit.” Yes, Elrich has been (13:45) talking with countries, including China, which is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.
MoCo crime has increased for the third year in a row. Police officers have experienced extremely low morale. Elrich himself said that this is unsustainable, but his own sanctuary county law created this environment. In his State of the County address, Elrich said, (31:27) “We can’t even field the people we need to cover the county right now.” It will “at best take 2 to 3 years to get it back on track to staff this department.” “We cannot operate with these few police officers.” Newly appointed Police Chief Marc Yamada reports that the Montgomery County Police Department now has a (42:51) shortfall of 197 officers. Chief Yamada must now be the adult in the room.
Another problem that Elrich avoids talking about is poor school performance. What used to be the best schools have now fallen below the top 100 in the country. Elrich still says that we have the best schools. But that’s just not true, despite questionable media hype to the contrary. According to USNews, “In Montgomery County Public Schools, 37% of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 27% tested at or above that level for math.” “At (Silver Spring's) Eastern Middle School, 14% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 48% scored at or above that level for reading.”
And of course, there is the personal animosity with the County Council that Elrich has garnered over time. As reported by Clean Slate MoCo, Elrich has a history of getting personal, instead of rising above it. At this writing, it does not appear that the County Council will rescue him by offering a competing referendum to confuse the voters. Good for them.
The Committee for Better Government has turned in the required number of signatures. Therefore the question will be on the ballot in November. Please be sure to tell your neighbors to vote to limit the County Executive to two terms. If it’s good enough for the President and the Governor, it’s good enough for the County Executive. And it will also be their chance to vote on Elrich’s poor performance in that office. They deserve much more for their hard-earned money.
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Lori Jaffe is the Party Secretary for the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee, volunteer coordinator and Member of the Executive Board. She can be reached at [email protected]