By Adam Pagnucco.
Here is today’s question.
If you are elected, name three things you would like to accomplish over the next four years.
Fatmata Barrie (D)
- Streamline subsidized housing programs so residents are not waiting years to access affordable housing, while promoting partnerships with nonprofit and mission-driven developers to accelerate the development of affordable housing across the county.
- Remove roadblocks and bureaucracy for businesses, making it easier for small businesses and larger companies to establish a base in Montgomery County to provide jobs and a good tax base.
- Fight for increased special education funding because with the dismantling of the Dept of Education at the federal level, we need to ensure our students do not suffer.
Josie Caballero (D)
- I will work to create and pass a County Charter Amendment that creates a permanent funding mechanism for our schools, versus having constant budget battles year after year. Our education system, our educators, are why people move to and/or stay here in Montgomery County and is our greatest resource. Ensuring consistent funding is paramount to our future success.
- I will fight to get ICE out of our communities by ensuring that we push to enforce our laws here in our communities. If that means pressing charges against ICE for violating our laws, then we will challenge them in the courts.
- I will work to lower income and property taxes for the middle and working class while also increasing revenue by transitioning to a progressive (bracketed) taxation system that will help us accomplish both.
Radwan Chowdhury (D)
First, expand housing supply and affordability through zoning reform, transit-oriented development, and increased use of public land for mixed-income housing.
Second, strengthen economic growth by supporting small businesses, workforce development, and attracting private-sector investment to create quality jobs.
Third, modernize government through transparency and accountability—opening my public calendar, implementing data-driven performance metrics, and increasing community engagement.
These priorities align with my Blueprint to build a more affordable, opportunity-driven, and responsive Montgomery County.
Marc Elrich (D)
1) Restructure taxes similar to what Virginia did post-recession. Business leaders and others identified inadequate transportation as the impediment to growth. They had the foresight to implement major commercial property taxes to fund transportation infrastructure. Their commercial property taxes are far higher than ours, giving them the bonding capacity to build what they needed, while Montgomery County watched from the sidelines. Their base commercial tax is about $1.27, compared to $1.03 here, and in development centers like Tysons and Reston, taxes approach $1.50. We need to follow their lead because being the cheapest hasn’t worked.
2) I’d continue to focus on diversifying our economy. We’ve worked to stimulate our life sciences and succeeded, but we need to go beyond that. I’d continue pushing to bring more manufacturing, but we must preserve the zoning to do that.
3) Broadly, we need to tackle the problems that come with poverty, as it absolutely affects educational outcomes. We need more affordable housing, and yet as a county, we only mandate a fraction of what’s needed. Our projections tell us 75% of projected new growth will have incomes below 80% of AMI and we only require 15% MPDUs – the numbers don’t add up.
Dana Gassaway (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Scott Goldberg (D)
1) Modernize the housing creation ecosystem so it’s efficient and predictable
Right now, building anything takes too long, costs too much, and depends on a process that feels like guesswork. We can fix that. Streamline the rules, cut the delays, and make the path from proposal to construction clear and consistent. When people know what to expect, we build more homes faster and at prices people can actually afford. This is how you turn a broken system into one that delivers.
2) Supercharge our jobs & business climate
Our economy is underperforming. Too much friction, too much bureaucracy, too many good ideas getting stuck in neutral. We can flip that. Make it easier to start a business, faster to grow one, and simpler for people to get the jobs they’re qualified for. Cut the nonsense, modernize the systems, and build an economy that moves at the speed residents actually live their lives. That’s how you turn “meh” into momentum.
3) Get MCPS back to #1 in the state
As a substitute teacher, I see firsthand the potential in our classrooms and how much is lost when the system drifts. MCPS isn’t failing, but it’s not leading the way it should. We have the talent, the resources, and the community strength to be the top school system again. That means focusing on instruction, supporting educators, cutting distractions that pull attention away from teaching, and making sure every school has what it needs to deliver. When we get the fundamentals right and keep the system steady, MCPS can reclaim the top spot and stay there.
Hamza Khan (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Matt Losak (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Jim McNulty (D)
First, we must grow our tax base so we can afford the crucial social services our neighbors rely upon. That means reversing decisions which impede new housing, and overhauling our permitting and planning departments to make it more attractive to invest in Montgomery County.
Second, I want to create a $40 million Downpayment Assistance Fund for working families so our teachers, first responders, healthcare workers and long-time renters can realize their dream of homeownership. We have a similar program in Gaithersburg which provides zero-payment, zero-interest loans to qualified residents. By expanding this to the County, we can get 1,000 working families into their first homes.
Third, we must restore fiscal discipline. In Gaithersburg, we continue to have the lowest property tax rate of any large city in Maryland while remaining debt free and still offering outstanding services. This is the approach I want to bring to the County, where the budget has grown 44% in eight years while private-sector job creation has lagged every major jurisdiction in the region. By changing the culture and streamlining how we deliver services, government can learn to live within its means—just like our families have to—while prioritizing service delivery to our residents.
Jeremiah Pope (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Laurie-Anne Sayles (D-Incumbent)
If re-elected as the only At-Large incumbent, I would focus on scaling policies already delivering measurable results rather than creating new frameworks.
First, on economic development, I would build on legislation I sponsored, such as the O.P.E.N. ZTA, which streamlined approvals to accelerate mixed-use and affordable housing development and reduce regulatory barriers that slow economic activity. The goal going forward is to measure impact through increased housing production, reduced vacancy in underutilized corridors, and stronger small business formation.
Second, on housing, I would continue refining and implementing reforms tied to More Housing N.O.W., including expedited approvals and incentives for converting vacant office space into housing. The focus should remain on execution and supply expansion while ensuring tenant protections are enforced effectively.
Third, on sustainability, I would build on county climate and land-use initiatives, including recent zoning amendments that integrate environmental standards into development decisions,s such as energy and resource impacts. These efforts should be evaluated based on measurable reductions in emissions, improved resilience, and better alignment between growth and environmental goals.
Across all three areas, the priority is implementation: deliver what has been passed, measure outcomes, and refine based on data and results.
Prabu Selvam (D)
Significant expansion of private-sector jobs with investment and mentorship for small businesses, scaled-up workforce training programs, a highly efficient one-stop process for permitting, and a single application to access county small business grant and loan programs.
Rapid construction of housing units with a focus on multi-family housing and townhomes, with a four-month limit on permitting, elimination of owner-occupancy requirements for ADUs, expanded duplex construction, and zoning changes to increase mixed-use high-density development at strip malls, publicly owned properties, and near transit, including BRT stations.
Grow the healthcare workforce by 25% with a grant incentive program and scaled-up high school and Montgomery College training pipelines. Supply the workforce needed for home care and to expand hospital capacity, reducing ER wait times, which are some of the worst in the county and 100 minutes longer on average compared to Fairfax County.
Karla Silvestre (D)
First, I will focus on making Montgomery County more affordable by growing our economy and making it easier to do business. That starts with streamlining permitting and approvals so projects move faster and more predictably. I will work to expand housing options at different price points, especially near transit and job centers, to help bring down costs and keep the county competitive for employers and workers alike.
Second, I will expand access to childcare so more families can stay in the workforce and get ahead. That means supporting family-based childcare providers and creating more opportunities for private childcare options, including better use of available space in school buildings. Increasing supply and flexibility is key to lowering costs and meeting the real needs of working parents.
Third, I will help residents access better-paying jobs by strengthening workforce pipelines. I will align training programs with in-demand industries like healthcare, biotech, and IT, and partner with Montgomery College and the Universities at Shady Grove to connect residents to those opportunities. The goal is clear: make it easier for people to build careers and economic security here in Montgomery County.
Steve Solomon (D)
- Make it easier for businesses to operate in Montgomery County – a lot of candidates and elected officials have talked about this, but I keep hearing from business owners that it’s still too hard here. We need actual reform so that permitting is streamlined and inspections are quicker and easier for businesses.
- We set up a sports tourism task force to find ways to make Montgomery County a destination place. We don’t have a sports team here so we’ll never have an area like Capital One Arena has built up. We do have the Germantown Soccerplex and the conference center, but we don’t even have a space where high schools can have their graduation. All 25 high schools have their ceremony outside Montgomery County. We need our own large convention center for gatherings, conferences, and sporting events. That would bring in business, tourism, and money to Montgomery County.
- I’ve been lucky to work on advisory boards for libraries, parks, and rec centers. These are great assets to Montgomery County and each are used by hundreds of thousands of residents. We need to grow our economy so we can fully fund these departments.
Lelia True (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Vicki Vergagni (D)
Affordable homeownership that comes in a variety of options (e.g., multi-generational layouts that allow for affordable daycare, after-school care, eldercare within the home), provides a safety net for old age and creates legacy wealth.
Development that is controlled, includes all stakeholders at the start of the process, is evaluated consistent with national standards instead of County standards that have built-in approval regardless of fact base, focuses on financially-feasible renovation of existing housing stock instead of tear-down, limits building of “More Housing N.O.W.” by neighborhood to limit density, and is basic instead of luxury.
Environmental justice that eliminates “Sacrifice Zones” around public transit by visiting upon those in transit corridors unreasonable air quality, congestion and noise while taking their front yards via eminent domain and densifying without limit their neighborhoods with duplexes, triplexes and small apartment buildings
Muhammad Arif Wali (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Sherwin Wells (R)
Affordable Housing by building starter homes under $300,000 in Montgomery County MD.
Accountability for taxpayer dollars and eliminating fraud, waste & abuse in county spending.
Economic Development & Infrastructure Development including roads, sewer, and jobs.
Make Montgomery County Affordable Again.