Anonymous wrote:On another note, for those who have commented about Floreen's past involvement in developing Bethesda:

http://bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2015/As-County-Council-President-Nancy-Floreen-Wants-to-Connect-With-a-Broader-Audience/

_Approving major master plans that could influence development in Bethesda for the next two decades_

"Floreen said the council will hold its public hearing on the Westbard Sector Plan in late January. The Montgomery County Planning Department is set to approve and send its recommendations to the council Dec. 17.

The plan, which could provide zoning to allow for redevelopment of a suburban-style shopping center near River Road and Westbard Avenue in Bethesda, has attracted plenty of opposition from neighbors against significant development.

Floreen, who served two terms on the Planning Board before running for council and who chairs the council’s Planning Committee, will have a prime role in ironing out the final version of the plan."

http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2015/Westbard-Sector-Plan-Puts-Role-of-Planners-Planning-Board-and-Council-Members-Under-the-Microscope/

"Many residents opposed to development in the Westbard area of Bethesda say Montgomery County planners have so far produced a Westbard Sector Plan that’s not reflective of the traditional suburban setting they’ve become accustomed to.

To some of those residents, creating a plan that allows for development of six-story buildings on what’s now a surface parking lot for the Westwood Shopping Center isn’t just misguided, it’s undemocratic."

This is Floreen's true face. If Elrich wins, he will listen to the community and heed their needs. If Floreen wins, she will charge forward with her so-called "business-friendly" plans, the community's concerns be damned.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Smart Facebook post from my friend who managed Leggett's last campaign:

People have been asking me about how an independent bid by a sitting councilmember might play out.

Elections boil down to one thing: math.

A Republican putting their name on a ballot and then going on vacation in the Caribbean will get 30% of the vote. That's what the Republican Comptroller, Attorney General and State's Attorney candidates all got. Now the County Executive candidate, a decent guy named Jim Shalleck got 34% of the vote. That's the number that Democrats should pay attention to. Here's why: at 30%, if the other 70% of the vote gets split between 2 people, it's mathematically impossible for both get under 30% and have a Republican win. At 34%, the other 2 candidates could both get 33% of the vote each, causing a Republican to win in an overwhelmingly Democratic county.

Just some food for thought.

Yes, except the Republican candidate is not "a decent guy named Jim Shalleck," it's a loon named Robin Ficker.

I have a feeling that plenty of Montgomery County Republicans, Libertarians, and Independents are simply fiscally conservative and will vote Floreen.

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, except the Republican candidate is not "a decent guy named Jim Shalleck," it's a loon named Robin Ficker.

I have a feeling that plenty of Montgomery County Republicans, Libertarians, and Independents are simply fiscally conservative and will vote Floreen.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't decided who I'll vote for yet (other than not Ficker) but I don't understand this "party unity" nonsense. I'm a registered Democrat, but I will vote for the best candidate, regardless of party. The idea of party first is one of the major problems in our country today - haven't we all wondered why none of the Republicans in Congress are standing up to Trump? It's because of "party unity" and it's terrible. Life and people don't fit into just 2 categories, and we shouldn't blindly follow someone just because they happen to have a D or an R next to their name.

In fact, as I'm writing this, I'm getting really irked at the Elrich supporters who I've heard making this argument and calling Floreen undemocratic. What in the world is undemocratic about running for office? Like I said, I haven't decided who to vote for (I voted Frick in primary) but this argument is a strike against Elrich for me. He is not entitled to the office. The Democratic process is not being undermined by the inclusion of an independent.

Because if you are a minority, you are getting truly hurt by the Republicans. If you care about minorities and civil rights for all, you’ll vote democrat until we can solidify those rights again for everyone. This is in all offices, not just federal.

It’s not about Elrich specifically.

But Floreen is a Democrat and will enact Democratic policies. The "I" next to her name doesn't change that.

This is county government. County government is primarily concerned with trash pick-up, potholes, permits, and school funding. What are Democratic vs. Republican policies on these issues?

You obviously aren’t following MoCo closely enough. It’s about whether we “build it and they will come” or whether we stage development to ensure our roads, schools, sewers, etc work. Build it and be damned is Republican/ Floreen. Ensuring we have appropriate growth and infrastructure is Elrich. He has never taken a cent from developers. Floreen is at their beck and call.

Yummy, kool aide, perfect for a summer day. Not so perfect for a county that needs jobs and a viable tax base.

Here’s some kool aid for you Floreen supporters: do you want the upper middle class of Bethesda and Potomac to flee the county, the same way the middle class fled to Howard? Now Howard has better schools than MoCo. Our taxes are going up because the wealthy are leaving MoCo and are not being replaced. People are choosing to stay in DC, where they somehow manage to build, yet keep tree-lined streets, time pedestrian signals so people have sufficient time to cross the street, and they allow parents to contribute directly to their elementary schools. Some people call Elrich a NIMBY - well, he recognizes that residents have a voice in their community and should have a role in shaping it. Floreen consistently backed the MoCo Planning Board and developers, instead of listening to resident input. Her attitude, at a Bethesda community meeting I attended, was “Traffic is not as bad here as in Germantown or Silver Spring, so Bethesda can bear this.” Really? People who can afford to buy in Bethesda or Potomac, Chevy Chase, etc, chose NOT to live in other parts of the County. These financially savvy doctors, lawyers, non-profit workers, businesspeople, and yes, government employees, teachers, etc came to Bethesda to enjoy walkable streets and trees. Nancy believes Bethesdans should have it just as bad as those other areas of the county with bad traffic, few trees, etc. Well, that is a recipe for more well off families to flee Bethesda for the District. It’s happened in our close-in Bethesda neighborhood already. Potomac retirees buy in Bethesda and then realize what a mess it is now, and sell (even at a loss) to go to DC. Frankly, Elrich is better positioned to negotiate with the unions and to promote collaboration among residents. Floreen just hides out in her tree lined, incorporated neighborhood. She will be a disaster for the remaining upper middle class in MoCo. This is part of the reason I support Elrich. He was the ONLY council member to proactively help our Bethesda neighborhood. The rest of the players - including Namby Pants Hans Reimer - just want us to go f*^% ourselves. Even Berliner, who finally got engaged, had to justify WHY he was working to listen to Bethesda residents’ complaints to Council Members Floreen and Leventhal, who were the worst of the worst. He APOLOGIZED for representing his district’s issues, saying something along the lines of: I know i’s hard to understand, these are very privileged people, but this is their neighborhood and these are legitimate concerns. Nancy, on the other hand, feels that if one chooses to live in MoCo by moving to an affluent neighborhood, you just should shut up and say nothing because you’re far better off than the rest of the County. WTF? At least Elrich values the community work done by women like Meredith Wellington, who ran for Council for Berliner’s district but lost. Elrich will not ignore constituents from Bethesda, North Bethesda, Potomac, Chevy Chase, Darnestown, etc, because we are somehow privileged “enough” and therefore should shut the hell up about the declining quality of life in this County. Elrich is being targeted with a smear campaign by big money interests like the developers who handed Florence nearly $200k because they know he will cause them to slow down their development plans while resident concerns about sidewalks, school capacity, traffic work through, storm water, etc, are addressed.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Please explain how you see a pluaisble path to victory for Ficker. That would require a massive number of democrats crossing over and voting for him. There is no way that happens. This is particularly true now that moderate democrats like myself have a viable alternative.

In terms of Elrich, people's concerns about him have been discussed at length, but in very short I believe his policies would badly hurt job growth in the county and could undermine the tax base by encouraging those with the ability to do so to move to VA or DC, depriving the county of the funds needed for an even moderately progressive agenda.

Three specific things he would do, please. That you don't want him to do, and that Nancy Floreen would not do.

^^^or, if you prefer, three specific things he would not do, that you do want him to do, and that Nancy Floreen would do.

For starters: 1) raise taxes on individuals and/or businesses; 2) increase regulations on businesses, further cementing MoCo's reputation as a difficult place to do business and driving away jobs; 3) restrict even reasonable growth within the county, either outright or through such onerous terms that projects are not viable; and 4) and focus so myopically on the income/inequality gap that it overtakes all other issues that should also be on the county's agenda.

And I am still waiting to hear from you how Ficker has a viable path -- and, no, "you never know" is a not an actual response.

Guys, the County executive cannot do any of this without Council approval. And tax increases require unanimous 9 votes, thanks to Ficker.

The County Executive can't do many things unilaterally, but s/he does have a significant ability to set the agenda and influence policy.

More importantly, why would you vote for someone who - left to his own devices - would enact policies you disagree with, just because that person may not fully be able to implement the policies you fear? That's crazy. You'd much prefer to elect someone whose natural instincts more closely align with your views.

Elrich was pretty much sidelined by the other council members for years. I’m not too worried.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't decided who I'll vote for yet (other than not Ficker) but I don't understand this "party unity" nonsense. I'm a registered Democrat, but I will vote for the best candidate, regardless of party. The idea of party first is one of the major problems in our country today - haven't we all wondered why none of the Republicans in Congress are standing up to Trump? It's because of "party unity" and it's terrible. Life and people don't fit into just 2 categories, and we shouldn't blindly follow someone just because they happen to have a D or an R next to their name.

In fact, as I'm writing this, I'm getting really irked at the Elrich supporters who I've heard making this argument and calling Floreen undemocratic. What in the world is undemocratic about running for office? Like I said, I haven't decided who to vote for (I voted Frick in primary) but this argument is a strike against Elrich for me. He is not entitled to the office. The Democratic process is not being undermined by the inclusion of an independent.

Because if you are a minority, you are getting truly hurt by the Republicans. If you care about minorities and civil rights for all, you’ll vote democrat until we can solidify those rights again for everyone. This is in all offices, not just federal.

It’s not about Elrich specifically.

But Floreen is a Democrat and will enact Democratic policies. The "I" next to her name doesn't change that.

This is county government. County government is primarily concerned with trash pick-up, potholes, permits, and school funding. What are Democratic vs. Republican policies on these issues?

You obviously aren’t following MoCo closely enough. It’s about whether we “build it and they will come” or whether we stage development to ensure our roads, schools, sewers, etc work. Build it and be damned is Republican/ Floreen. Ensuring we have appropriate growth and infrastructure is Elrich. He has never taken a cent from developers. Floreen is at their beck and call.

Yummy, kool aide, perfect for a summer day. Not so perfect for a county that needs jobs and a viable tax base.

Here’s some kool aid for you Floreen supporters: do you want the upper middle class of Bethesda and Potomac to flee the county, the same way the middle class fled to Howard? Now Howard has better schools than MoCo. Our taxes are going up because the wealthy are leaving MoCo and are not being replaced. People are choosing to stay in DC, where they somehow manage to build, yet keep tree-lined streets, time pedestrian signals so people have sufficient time to cross the street, and they allow parents to contribute directly to their elementary schools. Some people call Elrich a NIMBY - well, he recognizes that residents have a voice in their community and should have a role in shaping it. Floreen consistently backed the MoCo Planning Board and developers, instead of listening to resident input. Her attitude, at a Bethesda community meeting I attended, was “Traffic is not as bad here as in Germantown or Silver Spring, so Bethesda can bear this.” Really? People who can afford to buy in Bethesda or Potomac, Chevy Chase, etc, chose NOT to live in other parts of the County. These financially savvy doctors, lawyers, non-profit workers, businesspeople, and yes, government employees, teachers, etc came to Bethesda to enjoy walkable streets and trees. Nancy believes Bethesdans should have it just as bad as those other areas of the county with bad traffic, few trees, etc. Well, that is a recipe for more well off families to flee Bethesda for the District. It’s happened in our close-in Bethesda neighborhood already. Potomac retirees buy in Bethesda and then realize what a mess it is now, and sell (even at a loss) to go to DC. Frankly, Elrich is better positioned to negotiate with the unions and to promote collaboration among residents. Floreen just hides out in her tree lined, incorporated neighborhood. She will be a disaster for the remaining upper middle class in MoCo. This is part of the reason I support Elrich. He was the ONLY council member to proactively help our Bethesda neighborhood. The rest of the players - including Namby Pants Hans Reimer - just want us to go f*^% ourselves. Even Berliner, who finally got engaged, had to justify WHY he was working to listen to Bethesda residents’ complaints to Council Members Floreen and Leventhal, who were the worst of the worst. He APOLOGIZED for representing his district’s issues, saying something along the lines of: I know i’s hard to understand, these are very privileged people, but this is their neighborhood and these are legitimate concerns. Nancy, on the other hand, feels that if one chooses to live in MoCo by moving to an affluent neighborhood, you just should shut up and say nothing because you’re far better off than the rest of the County. WTF? At least Elrich values the community work done by women like Meredith Wellington, who ran for Council for Berliner’s district but lost. Elrich will not ignore constituents from Bethesda, North Bethesda, Potomac, Chevy Chase, Darnestown, etc, because we are somehow privileged “enough” and therefore should shut the hell up about the declining quality of life in this County. Elrich is being targeted with a smear campaign by big money interests like the developers who handed Florence nearly $200k because they know he will cause them to slow down their development plans while resident concerns about sidewalks, school capacity, traffic work through, storm water, etc, are addressed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Please explain how you see a pluaisble path to victory for Ficker. That would require a massive number of democrats crossing over and voting for him. There is no way that happens. This is particularly true now that moderate democrats like myself have a viable alternative.

In terms of Elrich, people's concerns about him have been discussed at length, but in very short I believe his policies would badly hurt job growth in the county and could undermine the tax base by encouraging those with the ability to do so to move to VA or DC, depriving the county of the funds needed for an even moderately progressive agenda.

Three specific things he would do, please. That you don't want him to do, and that Nancy Floreen would not do.

^^^or, if you prefer, three specific things he would not do, that you do want him to do, and that Nancy Floreen would do.

For starters: 1) raise taxes on individuals and/or businesses; 2) increase regulations on businesses, further cementing MoCo's reputation as a difficult place to do business and driving away jobs; 3) restrict even reasonable growth within the county, either outright or through such onerous terms that projects are not viable; and 4) and focus so myopically on the income/inequality gap that it overtakes all other issues that should also be on the county's agenda.

And I am still waiting to hear from you how Ficker has a viable path -- and, no, "you never know" is a not an actual response.

Guys, the County executive cannot do any of this without Council approval. And tax increases require unanimous 9 votes, thanks to Ficker.

The County Executive can't do many things unilaterally, but s/he does have a significant ability to set the agenda and influence policy.

More importantly, why would you vote for someone who - left to his own devices - would enact policies you disagree with, just because that person may not fully be able to implement the policies you fear? That's crazy. You'd much prefer to elect someone whose natural instincts more closely align with your views.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And that’s why she’s a hypocrite. This is her end-run around term limits.

Did you also say that about every other councilmember who ran for county executive? Including Elrich?

No, but they stood up and ran. She chickened out and now wants to play. Too late. She should join Blair’s campaign instead.

Anonymous wrote:So, I voted for Bill Frick. I would have been perfectly happy with Blair and I probably should have voted for him in retrospect, but I really liked Frick.
Rose also would have been fine, with Roger distantly behind but still acceptable.

The reason is that not only do we need someone pro-Business but also someone younger with fresh ideas. Who can earn the votes from voters instead of riding out their default support based on name recognition and having been on the Council.

Now that this is all said and done, I'm going to support Floreen. Marc Elrich is truly the Trump of the left. He's obese and senile (unfit for office?) and has said completely insane things on the internet. Trump could shoot someone on 5th avenue, Elrich can say "ethnic cleansing" and "ship jobs to Frederick" and their base would still support them. Both Elrich and Trump rely on this 30% base that will blindly follow whatever they say. I am now seeing Elrich supporters act just like Trump supporters and say to the 71% who supported other candidates, that "You lost, get over it!" and demand loyalty.

Both Elrich and Trump even like dictators! Read the Washington Post editorial, the guy invited the Venezuelan government to montgomery County for advice on social programs. You can't make this up!

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Anonymous wrote:Oh, and even with Floreen in the mix, Ficker will never win.

+1. And that is why people will feel comfortable voting for floreen. There is no real risk of Ficker winning.

Unless, of course, he does. How confident are you in your prediction? I don't like Elrich either, but that's a risk I'm 100% unwilling to take. I'm planning to vote for Elrich. And yes, Floreen is a hypocrite.

Ficker's ceiling is around 25%. No matter how the rest is divided, there is no way someone else doesn't win. And to avoid the very real risk of Elrich, yes I am willing to accept the very tiny risk of Ficker winning.

Unlikely things happen.

What are three specific things that you are so worried that Elrich would do, if he were county executive?

Please explain how you see a pluaisble path to victory for Ficker. That would require a massive number of democrats crossing over and voting for him. There is no way that happens. This is particularly true now that moderate democrats like myself have a viable alternative.

In terms of Elrich, people's concerns about him have been discussed at length, but in very short I believe his policies would badly hurt job growth in the county and could undermine the tax base by encouraging those with the ability to do so to move to VA or DC, depriving the county of the funds needed for an even moderately progressive agenda.

Anonymous wrote:

And that’s why she’s a hypocrite. This is her end-run around term limits.

Did you also say that about every other councilmember who ran for county executive? Including Elrich?