By Adam Pagnucco.
Battered by angry constituents, a growing number of politicians are expressing outrage over the county government’s performance in the aftermath of last week’s Snowcrete Storm. That promises to make tomorrow’s public council briefing on the storm response a headline generator for local press. But some politicians aren’t waiting that long to weigh in.
Here is Council Member Andrew Friedson: “More than a week after a winter storm, students should be back in school and neighborhood streets should be safely passable. These are core government services that matter most. Montgomery County must do better. The Council oversight hearing on Tuesday can’t come soon enough.”
And here is Council Member Dawn Luedtke: “In 2016, MCPS opened sooner than this after 30 inches of snow. MoCo should always be improving. It’s hard to argue this is anything but worse. The Council will have a Tuesday briefing on what went wrong. I hope all involved, including MCPS, are ready with solutions.”
Council Member Will Jawando is hosting an online town hall about the issue tonight.
Council Member Evan Glass is seeking questions to ask from residents at tomorrow’s briefing. (This attracted hundreds of comments on Facebook.)
It’s an odd coincidence that Friedson, Glass and Jawando are all running for executive, yeah? Message to you three: next year, the storm response might be YOUR problem. Are you really sure you want to be executive?
Then there is District 1 council candidate Drew Morrison, who works for the Maryland Department of Transportation, which clears state-owned roads. Here is what he wrote in a campaign email.
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Subject line: Your kids should be in school tomorrow
As someone who has worked in snow response before, I know the immense challenge that complex storms can bring. The storm that hit us last week was unique. Everyone who has been shoveling experienced the challenging mix of snow, sleet, and ice. Crews across the County have been working diligently to clear our roads.
At the same time, I have heard from many of you that the County dropped the ball in key ways – and I agree. The online plow tracker information became inaccurate; some neighborhood streets remain in bad shape; and the 311 system could not respond accurately or in a timely fashion when it was needed most.
And today, Montgomery County Public Schools announced that schools will be closed again Monday. Everyone knew days ago what conditions looked like in neighborhoods and at schools, and that this weekend would bring bone-chilling weather. It was an opportunity for the County and MCPS to step up and prove Montgomery County is there for its residents when it comes to these core, fundamental local government services.
Your kids should be learning tomorrow and they’re not. We need clear direction from MCPS and County leadership on how we get there ASAP.
What is frustrating to me is that the issues we saw in this storm are the same problems the County encountered in the 2016 snowstorm. Ten years ago, working as a Council staffer, we saw bad information and bad systems make life challenging for residents as the County battled a large, complicated storm. You expect County government to do better.
We need leaders who will learn from this moment and who will demand accountability and improvement to ensure we don’t make the same mistakes in the future. I promise to be that kind of leader, who works with the people on the ground responding to the snowstorm and who provides clear communication to you. Because Montgomery County residents deserve nothing less.
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We often criticize politicians. I know, I know, I do it too. But this is a time when it’s good to be governed by people who have to rely on votes to get and keep their jobs. Imagine a county governed only by bureaucrats. Do you really want a form email to be the only response to your complaints?
So this time, I’m cheering on the council members. Go get em! And don’t forget to repost your spicy quotes on social media. Let’s not waste a good snow storm during election season!