By Adam Pagnucco.
As a charter amendment establishing a two-term limit for county executive nears the 2024 general election ballot, County Executive Marc Elrich has asked the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee (MCDCC) for help in opposing it. So continues the maneuvering in deciding whether Elrich will be allowed to run for a third term.
MCDCC’s members are elected by county Democrats and lead the county’s party. MCDCC customarily weighs in on ballot questions by establishing a Ballot Questions Advisory Committee to study them and issue a report with recommendations on them. The report is then considered by votes of precinct captains and the central committee itself to establish party positions on those questions. Those positions are then contained in the party’s sample ballot, a document that is sent to Democrats across the county prior to the general election.
I heard that Elrich was soliciting help from MCDCC. I asked former Takoma Park City Council Member and current MCDCC member Seth Grimes about this and he forwarded a copy of Elrich’s email to him, which I reprint below.
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Dear Seth,
As you probably heard from Tony, the get-out-the-vote rally was well attended – thanks for your work on that. I’m writing because of the referendum that will likely be on the ballot in November that would limit the County Executive to two terms, and if passed it would take effect 2026. As you probably know, this is an initiative led by Republicans trying to find another way to win at the polls since their candidates can’t win.
I realize that because of the process you may not be able to take a formal position at your June 11 meeting, but I am asking that you oppose the referendum and that we work together to convince the precinct chairs to oppose it and to then support that outcome at committee. In 2020, we all joined together to oppose two referendums (“B” and “D”) and to support two referendums (“A” and “C”) – we were successful on all 4 and that was because we were united in our effort and worked together.
Additionally in 2020, pollsters told us that Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters look to Democratic elected officials like yourself for guidance on referendum questions. We saw that very clearly when people said there was no way we would win, yet we did – there was strong support for each of the party’s recommendations.
I’m asking that we come together again this year. I’m reaching out to everyone on the committee via individual email and I hope to get a chance to talk with you as well.
Thank you for all your work on the Committee,
Marc
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Grimes replied, “I oppose the term limit item and will endorse an MCDCC position and work in opposition.” He told me that he opposes term limits in general and said, “My position is independent of my opinion of Marc as county executive.”
If MCDCC does oppose any charter amendment reducing executive term limits from three to two, what impact will it have? In 2016, MCDCC opposed that year’s term limits charter amendment but voters nevertheless approved it overwhelmingly. In 2020, MCDCC supported two county council-backed charter amendments that competed with two other amendments initiated through voter signatures. The council-backed charter amendments passed easily while their two competitors failed and I gave MCDCC some of the credit for that outcome.
So the county’s Democratic Party matters even if it doesn’t win every time. Elrich is smart to approach them for help. It also works in his favor that the charter review commission has recommended a competing amendment that would allow him to have a third term. This is only the beginning of the struggle over whether Elrich will survive to run for reelection.