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FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY: In many ways this election is about BRINGING ACCOUNTABILITY, RESPONSIBILITY AND TRANSPARENCY BACK TO THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY COUNCIL.

Here in Montgomery County , we pay a premium for a higher quality of life for our communities. We expect our schools to perform above average, we expect our citizens to be protected, and we expect to have a quality transportation system so that we can spend more time with our friends and families and less time on the road.

However, our current COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBERS are not addressing some of the most critical quality of life issues facing our District and our County.

My top prioritiy is BRINGING FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY BACK TO THE COUNTY COUNCIL. COUNTY EXECUTIVE ISIAH LEGGET HAS BEEN QUOTED AS SAYING THAT OUR CURRENT COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE IN DENIAL ABOUT THE FISCAL CRISIS THAT IS FACING OUR COUNTY. WE ARE PAYING MORE FOR SERVICES AND RECEIVING LESS.

EDUCATION:
Education will be my top priority when I am elected as your Representative for the 4th Councilmanic District. A world-class education system is the foundation of a successful society. Parents, educators, mentors and legislators must work together to create an educational system that facilitates teacher AND parental accountability.

First and foremost, we must take action to increase parental involvement in our children's education. Study after study has proven that parental involvement is the key to a world-class education system. Our current representatives have not used the power of their office to encourage these programs. Programs such as SKIP (Successful Kids Involved Parents), have a proven track record in other states and we should adopt this program in our District as soon as possible.

To improve our educational system I pledge to:

· Advocate for programs that increase parental involvement, such as SKIP (Successful Kids with Involved Parents)

· Encourage the adoption of programs such as ‘Character Counts’, which have been successfully implemented in Gaithersburg, MD. Character Counts is “a character education framework that teaches the Six Pillars of Character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.” (Source: Character Counts web site). According to an extensive study of Character Counts, conducted at South Dakota schools, Character Counts has:

o strikingly reduced the number of disruptions at school

o led to better behavior when students have received more exposures per month to CHARACTER COUNTS! character education programs.

o Led to 30 percent drop in cheating, 28 percent drop in detention, 45 percent drop in teasing due to race or Ethnicity

· Encourage local businesses to mentor students so that our children have the necessary high-tech skillsets for the 21st Century.

· Fight for high tech classrooms for ALL of the 4th Councilmanic District, so that we can bridge the digital divide and prepare our students to be successful workers in the new economy.

· Fight for smaller class sizes

Parents, educators, mentors and legislators must work together to create a system that brings accountability, flexibility, and results to our educational system.

• If we don’t reduce crime, how can we expect new businesses to settle in our District?
• If we can’t get new businesses to settle in our District, then we don’t have a mechanism to create new jobs.
• If we don't expand our tax base by bringing in new businesses, our education system will continue to struggle.
• If our schools continue to be crime-ridden and dangerous, how can we expect our children to learn?
• If we can't create a better educational system and we don’t create new jobs, then the crime rate will continue to rise.

When I am elected to the Montgomery County Council, I pledge to fight for:

• More Federal resources so we can increase our police force and protect our communities.
• Programs to educate police and community leaders about sensitive issues, and to improve the relationship between the police force and our communities .
• Character education programs to reduce juvenile delinquency in our schools (see our section on ‘Education’).
• Tougher penalties for violent crimes, and Mandatory prison terms for crimes involving firearms.

TRANSPORTATION:

Traffic Congestion is a vital quality of life issue for our District. Whether on the Beltway, the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, or a rarely driven side street in Gaithersburg or Suitland, all citizens of the 4th Congressional District, have felt the frustration of gridlock.

Wouldn’t you rather be spending time with your family, building a business, or volunteering for your community, rather than sitting in traffic? We need to spend more time at home reading to our children, and less time reading the license plates of the cars sitting in front of us in traffic.

Government has an obligation to properly develop roads and transit and to maintain smart transportation growth. As transportation needs are met, legislators must employ smart growth plans that promote safety and efficiency, and also protect the environment.

• Public Transportation - Legislators should continually work to increase accessibility and improve public transportation. Public transportation provides easy access to key urban areas, reduces air and ground pollutants, and provides needed transport for individuals with disabilities. With these principles in mind, I believe government should assist with pubic transportation funding, including high-speed rail such as Amtrak and the MARC trains, and light rail, and the Metro system, including blue and purple line expansion. In addition, Congress should provide oversight of the organizations that receive federal funding, including Metro and Amtrak, to ensure quality, efficiency, accessibility, and affordability.

• Smart growth - As Maryland and the federal government continue to develop and improve transportation, Congress must encourage the use of public transportation and energy-efficient transportation. Public transportation and energy-efficient transportation equals smart growth. Investing in our transportation needs now means savings later for the environment and our pocketbooks. Consequently, I support incentives for the production of energy-efficient transportation, for individuals to use public transportation, and for employees of private business and the government to telecommute from their homes to reduce the number of cars on the roads.

Together, with the help of each resident of the 4th District, we can make a difference in our quality of life by improving transportation, instituting smart growth, and preserving the environment.