Who is your choice for Montgomery County Executive?

[Anonymous]

We are not voting for the planning commissioner Krasnow, who is nutty likeElrich.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:EVERYONE VOTE ROSE KRASNOW! SHE CAN BEAT THAT ELRICH CREEP AND SHE HAS GREAT PLANS FOR DEVELOPMENT! FEMALE TOO!

Okay! She’s the best candidate in my opinion too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s wrong with Elrich?

Bad for business. Will keep us in the death spiral of high earners leaving, no new jobs being created and taking more and more from the few suckers that are left in the county all while sending a huge message to everyone else: come here if you want to contribute little and get lots for free!

Also was strongly opposed by the smart growth types at GGW, if you care about those issues.

I care about Really Smart Growth, not the 'dumb growth' espoused by GGW and Sierra Club. The Purple Line is a great example of this stupidity. Light rail brings crime, serves as overnight homeless facilities, and destroyed the Georgetown Branch Trail/ Capital Crescent. Another boondoggle. We're putting in ancient technology instead of focusing on driverless cars and new tech.

My biggest problem with the purple line is that I’m not convinced the demand is there. I mean I guess if you live in silver spring/college park and work in Bethesda (or vice versa) but otherwise I don’t get who will use it, particularly on weekends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I care about Really Smart Growth, not the 'dumb growth' espoused by GGW and Sierra Club. The Purple Line is a great example of this stupidity. Light rail brings crime, serves as overnight homeless facilities, and destroyed the Georgetown Branch Trail/ Capital Crescent. Another boondoggle. We're putting in ancient technology instead of focusing on driverless cars and new tech.

Did you post this from the 1970's? Pretty funny. It's like you're a Georgetown resident who is lobbying to make sure they don't get a metro stop. College Park also regrets not having their metro stop closer to campus because of similar attitudes back then

I don't think the purple line will be a boondoggle. And isn't the georgetown branch trail being improved through this project? It's a gravel trail that will be replaced with a paved one?

[Anonymous]

I’m also against the Purple line because it will import crime. There are plenty of busses that can be used for mass transportation, Uber pool, Lyft, cabs for ride share services. If people in this county wanted to live in a concrete ingle they wouldn’t have moved here. We need to protect our teen spaces. I agree with the poster who said the Purple Line is not smart growth, especially given all the breakdowns and over bloated Metro funding the state of MD contributes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My specific complaint about Elrich is that his answers about his top priorities are always about something other than the fact that the county is on the decline economically and is driving high tax payers out.

He talks about the $15 minimum wage as a good thing, but it's just another burden for business owners in the county and another reason to not create jobs here.

He thinks he can be this great "social justice warrior" but at the county level, you just end up creating policies that tell the rich people to move across the border and pay their taxes somewhere else and the poor people to cross the border to come right in and start enjoying all the free stuff.

+1. He would destroy (even further) the business climate in the county. While addressing inequality makes sense, his statement that any and all county decisions should be made through the lens of racial and economic inequality goes way too far. He views the "rich" as nothing more than a piggy bank to fund his other priorities. But, as PP stated, at some point people will simply pick up and move across the river or back into the district given its revival. That will leave the county even worse off than it was before.

I spoke with Elrich as part of a group of concerned neighbors about the Bethesda Development Plan. He came across as very thoughtful and considerate. The group was all UMC residents of Chevy Chase, some long-term residents, some newer. I never got the impression that he viewed our concerns as NIMBY or entitled or less important simply because of our economic status. Other members treated neighborhood concerns regarding schools and traffic with disdain or acted as though we were being obstructionist, when the bottom line is that traffic in downtown Bethesda is a nightmare and the schools are already above capacity (some of which don't even have room for expansion, even if the County wanted to).

I don't trust any of the other candidates when it comes to acquiescing to developers.

[Anonymous]

We don’t like Erich based on the fact that we are worried about high income earners choosing to live elsewhere for more in return. We don’t care about social justice as much as we care about economic policies and basic services through taxes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I care about Really Smart Growth, not the 'dumb growth' espoused by GGW and Sierra Club. The Purple Line is a great example of this stupidity. Light rail brings crime, serves as overnight homeless facilities, and destroyed the Georgetown Branch Trail/ Capital Crescent. Another boondoggle. We're putting in ancient technology instead of focusing on driverless cars and new tech.

Did you post this from the 1970's? Pretty funny. It's like you're a Georgetown resident who is lobbying to make sure they don't get a metro stop. College Park also regrets not having their metro stop closer to campus because of similar attitudes back then

I don't think the purple line will be a boondoggle. And isn't the georgetown branch trail being improved through this project? It's a gravel trail that will be replaced with a paved one?

PP here. It is true that they are paving the trail, however they destroyed 40 acres or more of urban forest to do so, while then adding impervious cover in place of dirt. It will be better connected to Silver Spring / that is a big plus as the GBT just petered out. But cycling on a hot asphalt trail with no trees nearby? No thanks. The GBT was heavily used previously by families - now it will just be for speed racer bicyclists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don’t like Erich based on the fact that we are worried about high income earners choosing to live elsewhere for more in return. We don’t care about social justice as much as we care about economic policies and basic services through taxes.

Well, you just heard it from pp. The highest income earners in the county (Chevy Chase) are for Elrich. I am from Bethesda and participated in the same meeting pp mentioned. If you are worried about high income earners leaving, do NOT vote for Krasnow or Leventhal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I care about Really Smart Growth, not the 'dumb growth' espoused by GGW and Sierra Club. The Purple Line is a great example of this stupidity. Light rail brings crime, serves as overnight homeless facilities, and destroyed the Georgetown Branch Trail/ Capital Crescent. Another boondoggle. We're putting in ancient technology instead of focusing on driverless cars and new tech.

Did you post this from the 1970's? Pretty funny. It's like you're a Georgetown resident who is lobbying to make sure they don't get a metro stop. College Park also regrets not having their metro stop closer to campus because of similar attitudes back then

I don't think the purple line will be a boondoggle. And isn't the georgetown branch trail being improved through this project? It's a gravel trail that will be replaced with a paved one?

PP here. It is true that they are paving the trail, however they destroyed 40 acres or more of urban forest to do so, while then adding impervious cover in place of dirt. It will be better connected to Silver Spring / that is a big plus as the GBT just petered out. But cycling on a hot asphalt trail with no trees nearby? No thanks. The GBT was heavily used previously by families - now it will just be for speed racer bicyclists.

I hope they can get some trees to regrow. I admit I don't know all the details of the forest loss and I will make a point of looking it up. I personally benefit quite a bit by having an asphalt trail because I like biking from Silver Spring to Georgetown often. I imagine it will be used just like the Capital Crescent trail is -- by everyone... cyclists, joggers, walkers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don’t like Erich based on the fact that we are worried about high income earners choosing to live elsewhere for more in return. We don’t care about social justice as much as we care about economic policies and basic services through taxes.

Well, you just heard it from pp. The highest income earners in the county (Chevy Chase) are for Elrich. I am from Bethesda and participated in the same meeting pp mentioned. If you are worried about high income earners leaving, do NOT vote for Krasnow or Leventhal.

Actually no, I'm in Chevy Chase and a lot of my neighbors are voting for Blair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I hope they can get some trees to regrow. I admit I don't know all the details of the forest loss and I will make a point of looking it up. I personally benefit quite a bit by having an asphalt trail because I like biking from Silver Spring to Georgetown often. I imagine it will be used just like the Capital Crescent trail is -- by everyone... cyclists, joggers, walkers.

I did some more research and as a cyclist I'm happier than ever about all the positive changes that are coming along with the purple line:
http://www.thewashcycle.com/2016/03/how-the-purple-line-will-change-and-improve-trails-in-suburban-maryland.html

[Anonymous]

We are in Brookeville and voting for Blair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are in Brookeville and voting for Blair.

We’re in Takoma Park and did the same. If Elrich loses (whether to Blair or anyone else), my biggest fear would be that he tries to get on the Takoma Park city council again. God help us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m also against the Purple line because it will import crime. There are plenty of busses that can be used for mass transportation, Uber pool, Lyft, cabs for ride share services. If people in this county wanted to live in a concrete ingle they wouldn’t have moved here. We need to protect our teen spaces. I agree with the poster who said the Purple Line is not smart growth, especially given all the breakdowns and over bloated Metro funding the state of MD contributes.

Can't the criminals take those too, or do they insist on the speed and convenience of light rail? (Maybe they're on to something!)