An Open Letter to Montgomery County Democrats:

U.S. politics are awash in big money to the point where regular people’s voices are drowned out by dollars from a few influential donors. We have seen the insidious effects of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision pollute all levels of our government.

In 2014, the Montgomery County Council decided to take concrete steps to reduce the disproportionate influence of money in local politics by enacting a public campaign finance law designed to increase voter participation and reduce the influence of large businesses, PACs and other big-donor contributors. The 2018 election is its first test.

Marc Elrich, the Democratic nominee for Montgomery County Executive, opted to run a publicly financed campaign. Individual donations to his campaign cannot exceed $150, with donations from county residents eligible for matching public funds.

Meanwhile, individual donors to Elrich’s opponent, Nancy Floreen, may contribute up to $6,000. The vast majority of her funds come from real estate developers doing business (or seeking to do business) in the county. Floreen resigned from the Democratic Party in July and jumped into the County Executive race at the behest of her large-donor benefactors, whose grip on county government is threatened by Elrich’s people-powered campaign.

Elrich has laid out a pragmatic proposal that would address the county’s budget crisis without eliminating programs vital to all Montgomery County residents. He is focused on truly smart growth with targeted planning based on access to cost-effective mass transit, including better bus service. He would ensure that developers pay their fair share. His opponent, on the other hand, would offer developers massive publicly financed incentives that would deprive our schools and infrastructure of adequate funding and put additional stress on an an already stretched budget.

Elrich supports a vibrant business sector, with more support for locally-owned businesses. This approach can help pay for important initiatives, such as universal Pre-K. But he believes development and infrastructure should go forward simultaneously, so that infrastructure doesn’t lag decades behind new development, clogging our roads and schools.

Elrich taught in Montgomery County Public Schools for more than 17 years. He will fight to protect our schools from a loss of services and cuts to capital improvements by putting education ahead of developers’ interests. We fear his opponent will fight to protect the profit margins of her largest donors at the expense of our schools.

It’s people power versus developers’ influence and dollars. And, the contrast in candidates could not be more stark. Marc Elrich is running a people-funded campaign. He won the Democratic nomination in a competitive primary election. His opponent, Floreen, sidestepped the primary, avoided a voter referendum on her candidacy, and cast aside the party that has supported her entire political career.

County Executive Ike Leggett, Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressman Jamie Raskin, along with 30 organizations, all have endorsed Elrich. Hundreds of Montgomery County residents are already voting with their feet and volunteering for Elrich’s campaign. The choice is clear: Marc Elrich should be Montgomery County’s next County Executive.

The Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee
Association of Black Democrats of Montgomery County
Bannockburn Reason for Action
CASA in Action
Coalition of Asian Pacific American Democrats of Maryland  (CAPAD-MD)
Coalition of Asian Pacific American Democrats of Montgomery County (CAPAD-MC)
The Democratic Club of Leisure World
District 1 Neighbors
Board of the District 16 Democratic Club
District 18 Democratic Caucus
District 19 Democratic Club
District 20 Democratic Caucus
Do The Most Good Montgomery County
Glenn Echo Heights Mobilization
Indivisible Cabin John
Indivisible Montgomery
J Walkers Action Group
Korean-American Democratic National Organization · of Washington Metropolitan Area (KADNO-WMA)
Latino Democratic Club of Montgomery County
Executive Board, LGBTQ Democrats of Montgomery County
Montgomery County Green Democrats
Montgomery County Young Democrats
Our Revolution Montgomery County
UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO
Woman’s Democratic Club of Montgomery County