Criteria for County-Office Candidates

Do you support raising revenues through more progressive tax and fee structures to preserve County services and programs instead of focusing solely on making cuts? How specifically would you do this without unduly adding to the burden of moderate and modest income County residents?
Do you support, at the state level, imposition of a 'millionaire's tax,' requiring upper income residents to pay higher taxes?
If you believe that some cutbacks are necessary, please explain how you would prioritize cuts to the County budget, including cuts to “safety net” programs, education cuts, and other human services. What specific programs and services would you cut?

What programs and policies do you support to preserve the existing stock of affordable rental housing in the County and stop its further decline? Do you have a plan for increasing the number of affordable housing units in the County? If yes, please explain.
Do you support mandatory reporting of rents and other increases by landlords with 4 or more units? Do you support making the County’s voluntary rent guidelines mandatory based on the cost-of-living, or some other method of rent stabilization with reasonable exceptions?
Have you read the March 2010 Tenants Work Group Report? (http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Content/EXEC/TWG/pdf/twg_report_3-2010.pdf) Which, if any, of the recommendations contained in the Report do you support?
Do you support State enabling legislation which would allow Montgomery County to pass county-level “just cause eviction” legislation to allow evictions only for specified reasons such as non-payment of rent or on-site criminal activity? If the legislation is passed at the state level, would you support just cause eviction legislation in Montgomery County?

Do you support the expansion of public transit, including building the Purple Line, CCT, and Bus Rapid Transit?
What other ways would you expand the building and usage of public transportation in the County?
Do you support tax or other incentives to promote telework, vanpools, and carpools?

What measures do you support to maintain the high quality of education in Montgomery County Public School, given the current budget situation?

Do you support the recent increases in school and transportation impact fees?
Do you support assessments of infrastructure, service, health, environmental, human, and small business impacts prior to approval of new developments?
What changes in the County Master Plan do you support to promote smart, sensible, and managed growth?

Elections

If State enabling legislation is passed, would you support campaign finance reform in Montgomery County, including publicly funded campaigns for County races?I
Do you support such State enabling legislation?
Do you support legislation making monthly reporting of campaign contributions mandatory for candidates for County office?
Do you support issuing a publicly-financed voter guide, prepared by an independent body, with candidate statements and information that would go to all registered voters?

1. Do you support equal access to education and other County services for all County residents regardless of immigration status?

Do you support the policy of not asking or checking immigration status unless there is a felony charge arrest?
Do you support free, readily available English language classes and other education programs to help immigrants become full participants in the civic life of our County
Do you support legislation making Montgomery County a “sanctuary county?” (In a sanctuary county, no agent, officer or employee of the county may assist the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the investigation or arrest of any persons for violation of the U.S. immigration and nationality laws.)

Agricultural Reserve

Do you support the protection of the County Agricultural Reserve including additional protections against development for the Reserve or do you think current restrictions are sufficient?