MoCo county exec thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know if any of them has better people or administrative skills—CE is an admin position and has to coordinate a lot of different agencies in an efficient way, and manage issues when/if the agencies are dysfunctional. That’s probably a bigger part of the job than the policy stuff—don’t know if any of them would be better or worse at that part of the job.

Would love to see more collaboration between CE and councilmembers than we’ve seen recently

I want to see some different ideas, some tension, and some compromise. The groupthink and go along get along culture in Rockville hasn’t been helpful. Too many bills get introduced with five or more co-sponsors. That means they’re products of backroom deals. We shouldn’t have an executive who values collegiality over diversity of ideas.

This is an interesting point. I will say that amendment votes, which take place before the bills themselves are voted on, are often more contentious. There do appear to be different ideological factions of the council on many issues.

The amendment votes are contentious only because the majority of the council that has already co-sponsored a bill is mad that someone is disrupting their groupthink. It has nothing to with substance or ideological factions.

[Anonymous]

Jwando is a hard no from me.

Friedson seems like the most moderate and common sense to me. I would like to know more about why people say he’s in developers pockets (other than just accusations, but I’d like to learn about that).

Glass is a mystery to me. He seems like a nice guy, but really all I know about him is that he is a vegan and gay. He needs to do a better job messaging his positions. He does a great job promoting vegan restaurants and that he’s gay.

Those are our only options and frankly none of those excite me. Elrich did a fantastic job at ruining the county and the county needs to redirect to dig itself out of this hole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jwando is a hard no from me.

Friedson seems like the most moderate and common sense to me. I would like to know more about why people say he’s in developers pockets (other than just accusations, but I’d like to learn about that).

Glass is a mystery to me. He seems like a nice guy, but really all I know about him is that he is a vegan and gay. He needs to do a better job messaging his positions. He does a great job promoting vegan restaurants and that he’s gay.

Those are our only options and frankly none of those excite me. Elrich did a fantastic job at ruining the county and the county needs to redirect to dig itself out of this hole.

Friedson has repeatedly sponsored legislation to give his developer donors multimillion dollar tax breaks and is also working to undermine the county’s affordable housing policy. In addition, his donor base is heavily tilted toward developers, development lobbyists, and development lawyers. Those are three reasons people say he’s in developers’ pockets.

[Anonymous]

Friedson is only one of main 3 to not do public financing and instead takes PAC and developer money

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Friedson is only one of main 3 to not do public financing and instead takes PAC and developer money

I'd be careful of that claim. Jawando started his own PAC. Will of the People. With his leftover Senate run money (remember he has run for Congress and Senate, both obviously unsuccessfully.) That PAC gave $115,000 to a group that now endorsed him for County Executive. Seems shady to me.

https://montgomeryperspective.com/2025/11/05/jawandos-senate-campaign-gave-115000-to-endorsing-organization/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Friedson is only one of main 3 to not do public financing and instead takes PAC and developer money

I'd be careful of that claim. Jawando started his own PAC. Will of the People. With his leftover Senate run money (remember he has run for Congress and Senate, both obviously unsuccessfully.) That PAC gave $115,000 to a group that now endorsed him for County Executive. Seems shady to me.

https://montgomeryperspective.com/2025/11/05/jawandos-senate-campaign-gave-115000-to-endorsing-organization/

Montgomery Perspective just does hit jobs on people who sponsored rent stabilization now. It’s no longer a credible source.

[Anonymous]

GCAAR, which recently testified in favor of collusion and price fixing in the rental market, endorsed Andrew Friedson. I’m sure he’ll be great for developers and terrible for renters.

[Anonymous]

So if I don’t want development on every patch of green space in Montgomery County yet I also don’t support a candidate to wanted to defund the police and tax us to oblivion then who is a good candidate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So if I don’t want development on every patch of green space in Montgomery County yet I also don’t support a candidate to wanted to defund the police and tax us to oblivion then who is a good candidate?

Clearly Friedson. How is that even a question? Moderate on policing and doesn't want to accelerate sprawl into green space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are all aholes. Friedson and Glass will build more housing than Jawando. Jawando will be like Elrich - pushing performative and wasteful progressive priorities while supporting nimbyism

Sounds like Jawando is my guy. We've built enough housing (fueled by handouts to developers), and prices don't come down despite there being ample supply. And paradoxically enough, the push to give housing handouts (euphemistically called "vouchers") to moochers has resulted in prices going up for people who actually need help the most. I'm a liberal, but the housing market is one where government intervention (in the form of handouts to developers and moochers) has caused more harm than good.

I know it's a tough message for people to hear, but median salaries in this area are 170K for a household, so housing is going to be expensive, and so people need to save up (no more $10 beers and $20 margaritas, plus weekly outings to $200 concerts and $100 dinners) or move further out if they don't like their options.

"We've built enough housing" is so impossibly wrong. Ugh

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So if I don’t want development on every patch of green space in Montgomery County yet I also don’t support a candidate to wanted to defund the police and tax us to oblivion then who is a good candidate?

Maybe Glass? Friedson will give away (not even sell) every patch of green space and he will have to tax us to oblivion because he favors property tax waivers for new apartment developments. Someone has to pay, and it’s not going to be the people who donate to Friedson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are all aholes. Friedson and Glass will build more housing than Jawando. Jawando will be like Elrich - pushing performative and wasteful progressive priorities while supporting nimbyism

Sounds like Jawando is my guy. We've built enough housing (fueled by handouts to developers), and prices don't come down despite there being ample supply. And paradoxically enough, the push to give housing handouts (euphemistically called "vouchers") to moochers has resulted in prices going up for people who actually need help the most. I'm a liberal, but the housing market is one where government intervention (in the form of handouts to developers and moochers) has caused more harm than good.

I know it's a tough message for people to hear, but median salaries in this area are 170K for a household, so housing is going to be expensive, and so people need to save up (no more $10 beers and $20 margaritas, plus weekly outings to $200 concerts and $100 dinners) or move further out if they don't like their options.

"We've built enough housing" is so impossibly wrong. Ugh

Developers think we have. Otherwise they would build more. The problem with our real estate market is that Friedson has given developers every reason to sit on land. If they just wait long enough, prices will either go up or he’ll give them a subsidy that we all pay for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if I don’t want development on every patch of green space in Montgomery County yet I also don’t support a candidate to wanted to defund the police and tax us to oblivion then who is a good candidate?

Clearly Friedson. How is that even a question? Moderate on policing and doesn't want to accelerate sprawl into green space.

Friedson is the alpha YIMBY. Don’t be smarmy by trying to spin that as saving green space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jwando is a hard no from me.

Friedson seems like the most moderate and common sense to me. I would like to know more about why people say he’s in developers pockets (other than just accusations, but I’d like to learn about that).

Glass is a mystery to me. He seems like a nice guy, but really all I know about him is that he is a vegan and gay. He needs to do a better job messaging his positions. He does a great job promoting vegan restaurants and that he’s gay.

Those are our only options and frankly none of those excite me. Elrich did a fantastic job at ruining the county and the county needs to redirect to dig itself out of this hole.

Friedson has repeatedly sponsored legislation to give his developer donors multimillion dollar tax breaks and is also working to undermine the county’s affordable housing policy. In addition, his donor base is heavily tilted toward developers, development lobbyists, and development lawyers. Those are three reasons people say he’s in developers’ pockets.

Because MoCo is woefully behind DC and NoVa in terms of job growth, infrastructure, and housing, retail and corporate HQ development I would actually welcome a candidate like this. Voting Friedson and will actually campaign for him if he’s as pro growth as you make him out to be. I want the complete opposite policies regarding economic development as we have now. MoCo could be so much nicer with more capable leadership. I want less annoying, pointless regulations like plastic bag bans and better schools, better amenities, more housing that isn’t only retirement homes or low income housing, more jobs, and nicer roads, bike paths, and public amenities. Anyone who can work toward that has my vote.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jwando is a hard no from me.

Friedson seems like the most moderate and common sense to me. I would like to know more about why people say he’s in developers pockets (other than just accusations, but I’d like to learn about that).

Glass is a mystery to me. He seems like a nice guy, but really all I know about him is that he is a vegan and gay. He needs to do a better job messaging his positions. He does a great job promoting vegan restaurants and that he’s gay.

Those are our only options and frankly none of those excite me. Elrich did a fantastic job at ruining the county and the county needs to redirect to dig itself out of this hole.

Friedson has repeatedly sponsored legislation to give his developer donors multimillion dollar tax breaks and is also working to undermine the county’s affordable housing policy. In addition, his donor base is heavily tilted toward developers, development lobbyists, and development lawyers. Those are three reasons people say he’s in developers’ pockets.

Because MoCo is woefully behind DC and NoVa in terms of job growth, infrastructure, and housing, retail and corporate HQ development I would actually welcome a candidate like this. Voting Friedson and will actually campaign for him if he’s as pro growth as you make him out to be. I want the complete opposite policies regarding economic development as we have now. MoCo could be so much nicer with more capable leadership. I want less annoying, pointless regulations like plastic bag bans and better schools, better amenities, more housing that isn’t only retirement homes or low income housing, more jobs, and nicer roads, bike paths, and public amenities. Anyone who can work toward that has my vote.

When you find out the plans are to deal with schools and roads and jobs let us know. What we’ve seen so far is barely regulated upzoning and zero talk of dealing with the repercussions of that on those items, let alone something that would improve them. Is the plan to let people build housing wherever they want and somehow that the libertarian Ponzi scheme will lead to some trickle down theory to improve infrastructure after the building happens?

New tax revenue from density is going to support all of the needed infrastructure in a timely and efficient manner?

Ok, yeah.