Anonymous
Post 08/29/2020 11:25     Subject: Nine districts for MoCo
I am strongly for it because I don’t feel my area is well represented. After watching the school board elections, it’s clear which areas of the county are running the show.
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2020 11:22     Subject: Nine districts for MoCo
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Agree with pp. Now everyone has a Council member that represents them plus a couple at large members. This would mean one person only.

The money behind the group pushing for this are Republicans and Developers (please don't, we'd like to KEEP the Ag Reserve!)

The problem is that if most of the At Large members are from one area, then it's a lopsided representation. And not everything thinks the Ag Reserve needs to be kept the way it is.


Why is that a problem? Those are the candidates who got the most votes. If candidates from Clarksburg or Germantown or Potomac were able to persuade enough voters to vote for them, then they would get elected. There's nothing magical, or cheating, about living in Silver Spring. Nine Districts For MoCo is saying, "Well, I can't win under these rules, therefore these rules must be changed so that I can win."

Indeed it's true that not everybody wants to keep the Ag Reserve the way it is. Developers, for example, would love to be able to build subdivisions in the Ag Reserve. Which is why they're helping to fund the campaign.

I mean clearly it’s not a problem if you live in Silver Spring or Takoma Park. If you live in less populous areas, it’s hard to overcome their votes. This is the whole reason we have an electoral college.


You assume that people are voting for candidates on the basis of "I live in Silver Spring and so do they, I will vote for them." That's ridiculous. Instead of whining and trying to change the rules, candidates from the upcounty or west county could try (1) broadening their message to appeal to non-upcounty/west county voters and (2) getting people in the upcounty to vote. Unlike the electoral college, that's how democracy is supposed to work.

It’s not a ridiculous assumption. Your interests in Silver spring are far different than mine further out in the county. You will vote according and thus likely always win. It’s why we have a mix of popular and electoral votes. You keep saying “oh just get more people to vote your way” but it’s not that simple. It’s much harder to get the votes out in less populous Clarksburg than Silver Spring. It’s not rocket science.
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2020 10:28     Subject: Nine districts for MoCo
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Agree with pp. Now everyone has a Council member that represents them plus a couple at large members. This would mean one person only.

The money behind the group pushing for this are Republicans and Developers (please don't, we'd like to KEEP the Ag Reserve!)

The problem is that if most of the At Large members are from one area, then it's a lopsided representation. And not everything thinks the Ag Reserve needs to be kept the way it is.


Why is that a problem? Those are the candidates who got the most votes. If candidates from Clarksburg or Germantown or Potomac were able to persuade enough voters to vote for them, then they would get elected. There's nothing magical, or cheating, about living in Silver Spring. Nine Districts For MoCo is saying, "Well, I can't win under these rules, therefore these rules must be changed so that I can win."

Indeed it's true that not everybody wants to keep the Ag Reserve the way it is. Developers, for example, would love to be able to build subdivisions in the Ag Reserve. Which is why they're helping to fund the campaign.

I mean clearly it’s not a problem if you live in Silver Spring or Takoma Park. If you live in less populous areas, it’s hard to overcome their votes. This is the whole reason we have an electoral college.


You assume that people are voting for candidates on the basis of "I live in Silver Spring and so do they, I will vote for them." That's ridiculous. Instead of whining and trying to change the rules, candidates from the upcounty or west county could try (1) broadening their message to appeal to non-upcounty/west county voters and (2) getting people in the upcounty to vote. Unlike the electoral college, that's how democracy is supposed to work.
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2020 10:25     Subject: Nine districts for MoCo
Anonymous wrote:Montgomery county is so large that I do think each region should have its own representative. Most of the current counsel lives in Takoma Park and I feel that although they have good intentions, they don’t truly understand or able to advocate for what is best for my area. The needs of my area are the same as the needs for the close in suburbs and that’s just a fact. Politically I don’t understand what the repercussions would be for having nine districts.


Sounds like you should support the ballot measure increasing the number of district seats from 5 to 7, and the total size of the county council from 9 to 11. So 7 district councilmembers and 4 at-large councilmembers.

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/government/if-both-ballot-measures-on-county-council-structure-pass-the-effect-might-be-no-change/

Currently, two of the five council districts have useless council members who not advocate for the residents in their district. (If you're involved with county politics, you know whom I'm talking about.) If you got rid of the at-large council members, and your district council member were useless or took a position opposite from yours, then what would you do?
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2020 10:22     Subject: Nine districts for MoCo
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Agree with pp. Now everyone has a Council member that represents them plus a couple at large members. This would mean one person only.

The money behind the group pushing for this are Republicans and Developers (please don't, we'd like to KEEP the Ag Reserve!)

The problem is that if most of the At Large members are from one area, then it's a lopsided representation. And not everything thinks the Ag Reserve needs to be kept the way it is.


Why is that a problem? Those are the candidates who got the most votes. If candidates from Clarksburg or Germantown or Potomac were able to persuade enough voters to vote for them, then they would get elected. There's nothing magical, or cheating, about living in Silver Spring. Nine Districts For MoCo is saying, "Well, I can't win under these rules, therefore these rules must be changed so that I can win."

Indeed it's true that not everybody wants to keep the Ag Reserve the way it is. Developers, for example, would love to be able to build subdivisions in the Ag Reserve. Which is why they're helping to fund the campaign.

I mean clearly it’s not a problem if you live in Silver Spring or Takoma Park. If you live in less populous areas, it’s hard to overcome their votes. This is the whole reason we have an electoral college.
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2020 10:19     Subject: Nine districts for MoCo
Montgomery county is so large that I do think each region should have its own representative. Most of the current counsel lives in Takoma Park and I feel that although they have good intentions, they don’t truly understand or able to advocate for what is best for my area. The needs of my area are the same as the needs for the close in suburbs and that’s just a fact. Politically I don’t understand what the repercussions would be for having nine districts.
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2020 10:14     Subject: Nine districts for MoCo
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Agree with pp. Now everyone has a Council member that represents them plus a couple at large members. This would mean one person only.

The money behind the group pushing for this are Republicans and Developers (please don't, we'd like to KEEP the Ag Reserve!)

The problem is that if most of the At Large members are from one area, then it's a lopsided representation. And not everything thinks the Ag Reserve needs to be kept the way it is.


Why is that a problem? Those are the candidates who got the most votes. If candidates from Clarksburg or Germantown or Potomac were able to persuade enough voters to vote for them, then they would get elected. There's nothing magical, or cheating, about living in Silver Spring. Nine Districts For MoCo is saying, "Well, I can't win under these rules, therefore these rules must be changed so that I can win."

Indeed it's true that not everybody wants to keep the Ag Reserve the way it is. Developers, for example, would love to be able to build subdivisions in the Ag Reserve. Which is why they're helping to fund the campaign.
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2020 10:09     Subject: Nine districts for MoCo
Anonymous wrote:Must council members live in the district they represent? It seems like a lot of them live in Takoma Park at the moment so might make more sense to get a better geographic spread.

Having said that, I have a lot of time for Hans Reimer, who is an at large member.


One of the at-large members lives clear across the county from me and is great. The district councilmember for another district (not mine) lives halfway across the county from me and is great - far more helpful to me than my own district councilmember, who lives 5 minutes away from me and is terrible.
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2020 10:09     Subject: Nine districts for MoCo
Anonymous wrote:Agree with pp. Now everyone has a Council member that represents them plus a couple at large members. This would mean one person only.

The money behind the group pushing for this are Republicans and Developers (please don't, we'd like to KEEP the Ag Reserve!)

The problem is that if most of the At Large members are from one area, then it's a lopsided representation. And not everything thinks the Ag Reserve needs to be kept the way it is.
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2020 09:49     Subject: Nine districts for MoCo
Must council members live in the district they represent? It seems like a lot of them live in Takoma Park at the moment so might make more sense to get a better geographic spread.

Having said that, I have a lot of time for Hans Reimer, who is an at large member.
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2020 09:23     Subject: Nine districts for MoCo
Agree with pp. Now everyone has a Council member that represents them plus a couple at large members. This would mean one person only.

The money behind the group pushing for this are Republicans and Developers (please don't, we'd like to KEEP the Ag Reserve!)
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2020 09:21     Subject: Nine districts for MoCo
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If there’s already an existing thread please let me know.

I’m curious, if you’re strongly for or agains nine districts for moco could you explain why? I’m trying to understand the implication of this structure switch to figure out whether I support.


Why should be 9 district? Each member will represent one district? If that is the case, I am for it. I heard at one of the hearing that the citizen has to contact their own rep before they can reach to the at large members. If this is true, I don't think we need the at large members. Allmenbers should work for all citizens in the county.


This is 100% false. Absolutely, completely, totally false. You are represented by your district councilmember and four at-large councilmembers, and you may contact any of them at any time. You may also, at any time, contact the five councilmembers who don't represent you.
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2020 09:20     Subject: Nine districts for MoCo
Anonymous wrote:If there’s already an existing thread please let me know.

I’m curious, if you’re strongly for or agains nine districts for moco could you explain why? I’m trying to understand the implication of this structure switch to figure out whether I support.


If you're strongly for the nine districts for Montgomery County idea, chances are that you're a Republican who believes this is the only way to get a Republican on the County Council. Which it won't even do anyway, unless you do a lot of gerrymandering of council district boundaries.
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2020 08:58     Subject: Nine districts for MoCo
Anonymous wrote:If there’s already an existing thread please let me know.

I’m curious, if you’re strongly for or agains nine districts for moco could you explain why? I’m trying to understand the implication of this structure switch to figure out whether I support.


Why should be 9 district? Each member will represent one district? If that is the case, I am for it. I heard at one of the hearing that the citizen has to contact their own rep before they can reach to the at large members. If this is true, I don't think we need the at large members. Allmenbers should work for all citizens in the county.
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2020 08:52     Subject: Nine districts for MoCo
If there’s already an existing thread please let me know.

I’m curious, if you’re strongly for or agains nine districts for moco could you explain why? I’m trying to understand the implication of this structure switch to figure out whether I support.