The three Montgomery County council members running for county executive vowed to stand up against antisemitism during a virtual debate on May 18 sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington that was viewed by almost 250 people.
Andrew Friedson, Evan Glass and Will Jawando also answered questions about the county budget, housing and the economy during the one-hour virtual debate. JCRC CEO Ron Halber was the moderator.
Friedson, a lifelong member of Congregation Har Shalom, promised an “all hands-on deck” approach to fighting antisemitism. He said he has worked with Montgomery County Public Schools principals and superintendents and asked them “to do a much better job of addressing and responding to acts of antisemitism.”
He criticized legislators who are “involved in coalitions with people who say violently antisemitic things. We have to call that out. We have to condemn it.”
Friedson’s commitment to Judaism and Jewish agencies “isn’t political for me. It’s deeply, deeply personal.” He said he works closely with the JCRC to combat antisemitic incidents and helps in the kitchen of Bikur Cholim of Greater Washington.
Jawando pledged to create a Jewish community advisory group and appoint a dedicated Jewish liaison who would work on strategies and issues within schools and out of schools.
“We’re in a moment where we see hate is rising. Rights are being stripped away literally every day. Communities that have been targeted historically are being targeted again. And that includes the Jewish community,” Jawando said.
Noting that his father came to America from Nigeria, he said, “I am the embodiment of a welcoming America.”
Glass, who is Jewish and gay, said, “I see the hate almost every single day, and it has been getting worse.” He was instrumental in creating the Montgomery County Anti-Hate Task Force.
“I think that the county executive has to use the bully pulpit to call out hate whenever they see it, wherever it is and for whomever it is pointed at,” Glass said. “That is the moral leadership that we as Jews have, always standing side by side with other disaffected and other unfranchised communities, and I will continue to make sure that MCPS does better, either in their appointed leadership and also in their elected leadership.”
The Democratic candidates agreed on a variety of topics, including the need to make Montgomery County more affordable for homeowners and renters, the need to stand up to the federal government’s cuts and layoffs, and to stand together with the county’s immigrant population.
All three candidates said they supported security grants to religious institutions and nonprofits as a way to fight hate and terrorism.
During a recent straw vote on the county’s proposed $7.9 billion budget, Friedson voted in opposition while Glass and Jawando both supported it. All three candidates, who have been on the council since the end of 2018, spoke out against tax increases.
If elected, Glass said he would “rightsize our county budget, not based on any tax increases, but based on cost-of-living increases and based on the inflationary adjustments that every other household has to deal with and every private business has to deal with.”
Jawando explained, “We have to grow our economy from the bottom up and middle out. That includes 95% of our businesses, which are small.” He said he would reduce fees that make it hard for people to begin a business.
“I’m very proud that we were able to change and increase the amount [of funding] that goes to women-owned, minority-owned and disabled-owned businesses from 20% to 25%. I want to get that over 30% as county executive,” Jawando said.
Friedson noted, “We absolutely have to grow a private sector economy or we are going to have to choose between a deterioration of services, a lack of investment in public schools, or the rest of us who are still here paying higher taxes.”
He pointed to his sponsorship of Accelerate MoCo “that reduces the regulatory timelines by 75% or more for biohealth facilities.”
Friedson acknowledged, “I get attacked all the time for my relationships in the business community, but how do we grow an economy if we don’t have a county executive with relationships and trust and credibility in the business community? I’m proud of the fact that I have been named the Chamber Leader of the Year.”
Glass agreed, “We have to fix Montgomery County’s economy — full stop.” If elected, he would hire a director of permitting services “on day one.” That person would be tasked “to start going through decades of well-intentioned rules and regulations that just don’t meet the moment” so that it would be less difficult to open a business in the county.
“And once we start making it easier to work and open in Montgomery County, then the narrative among business owners will change and people will stay here, they will open up businesses here, and they won’t keep going across the river or up 270,” he said.
All three candidates stressed the need to provide more affordable housing options to both renters and homeowners. They also said they backed the county’s efforts to rein in ICE.
Glass called himself “a problem solver,” and said if elected he planned to rethink many of the ways the county government operates and provides funding. He pointed to programs he is most proud of, including bringing pay equity to county employees and making buses free to ride.
He noted that he became involved in local politics when he strove to have the sidewalks in his neighborhood repaired.
Jawando said he is most proud of his work on wage increases and rent stabilization as well as the Summer RISE program that connects young people with jobs.
Friedson told the viewers that he was “your most reliable and consistent partner to deliver on issues that matter most to the Jewish community.” He said he was “running to make Montgomery County more affordable and more economically competitive, and I am also running to make sure that Montgomery County continues to be a safe and vibrant place for our Jewish community, which I never imagined would be in question or at risk like I do question and wonder today.”
Besides those three council members, Mithun Banerjee and Peter James are running on the Democratic ticket, and Shelly Skolnick and Esther Wells are running on the Republican ticket.
Suzanne Pollak is a freelance writer.
