County Council District 2

Candidates:

Marilyn Balcombe (D)
Dan Cuda (R)
Lorna Phillips Forde (D)
William Roberts (D)

Marilyn Balcombe (D)

Council District: District 2

Website: www.MarilynBalcombe.com

Twitter: @marilynbalcombe

Facebook: Balcombe2022

Instagram: marilynbalcombe

Attended AIM Candidate Action?: Yes

Housing, Transportation, and the Environment

Will you work with AIM to make Ride-On permanently free to riders and create dedicated bus lanes for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)?

• YES. We need to expand our transit ridership. We also need to help residence with low or no income to be able to afford transportation. Free Ride-On does both.
• YES. I have been a long-time advocate of dedicated bus lanes for BRT. I was on the County’s original Transportation Task Force to study BRT and I was also the founder and chair of the Corridor Cities Transitway Coalition.

Will you work with AIM to encourage high density housing near transit hubs, including bus rapid transit, Metro and the Purple Line through upzoning to allow increased density within a half mile of these hubs? Will you commit to prioritizing high-density affordable housing development on all public land near transit?

a) YES. High density housing belongs near transit hubs.
b) YES. The County must do all it can to make sure we increase affordable units near transit, including using county-owned land as part of the investment towards new housing.

Will you work with AIM to stabilize market rate affordable housing in places at risk for significant price increases through strategies such as geographically specific rent stabilization for low-income residents, compensation for tenants whose housing is being redeveloped, and requirements for developers to provide the support necessary for households to resettle in the same community?

• I support means-tested rental assistance for low-income residents.
• I am also in favor of providing relocation support for people who are displaced due to County / State construction projects such as the Purple Line.

Will you work with AIM to provide more protection for tenants including: following current legal requirements for frequency of housing inspection every 1-3 years; hiring inspectors bilingual in Spanish and English; requiring landlords to address identified problems quickly and work with tenants’ associations to establish a tenant hotline via 311 (the county’s information line) in Spanish and English?

• Yes, current legal requirements must be followed.
• It makes sense to have bilingual inspectors.
• I am interested to learn more about the current regulations for fixing problems that come up through inspection. If they are not adequate, they should be changed.

Education and Childcare

Will you commit to work with AIM to increase compensation for teachers and recreation staff within the Excel Beyond the Bell Elementary Program?

• I would first need to learn more about the current compensation levels and how they fit in the existing MCPS / MoCo compensation structures. If there is a wage gap, I would be committed to increasing compensation.

Will you commit to expanding the Excel Beyond the Bell Elementary Program to four new schools each year, until it is in every Title I Elementary School in Montgomery County?

• I would like to see an increase in Excel Beyond the Bell and other programs that help children earlier in their education. I have been on the leadership team of Montgomery Moving Forward and one of my priorities in early education which will help provide a more equity to those children most in need. I know that these programs show a strong return on investment and we should be supporting more early intervention.

Will you make pre-K available to more students by: expanding the number of full-day pre-K seats through Head Start, MCPS and Judy Centers; and making the application for subsidies less cumbersome and not contingent on proof of employment?

• Yes. I fully support early care and education and think we should have universal pre-k. I whole-heartedly support any revisions to the application process for subsidies. It doesn’t make sense to provide a high-quality program and then put up barriers to admission.

Will you commit to work with AIM to offer Universal Pre-K to all four-year-olds in Montgomery County by 2026?

I commit to working with AIM on this goal. I do not know the cost of implementing universal pre-k, but am committed to do what we can without the confines of the budget.

Will you work with AIM to make the state’s 529 plan accessible and nearly automatic for low-income families to sign up for each year as part of their school registration paperwork, and will you commit to working with AIM so that the county matches the state’s contribution to the program?

• I’m not aware of this program. I would be in favor of opting during school registration. It I would need more information on the cost of a County match and the parameters for how one qualifies for the program.

Healthcare, Dental Care, and Mental Health

Over the next 4 years, will you work to create an effective dental care system for the uninsured such that those who need dental care can be seen twice each year without waiting 3 months for an appointment? Will you commit to increasing funds for dental services such that common specialized services such as root canals can be addressed in the safety net and county dental clinics? Will you establish a patient record system such that patient records can be shared across the safety net and County clinics when a patient is referred to a different clinic?

• I support increased dental services for the uninsured, particularly children.
• I support increased coverage of more costly services.
• I would need more information about the patient record system in terms of the cost and what the status of the current records system.

Will you include funding by 2025 for an emergency medical and dental health crisis fund to county safety net clinics?

Yes.

What ideas do you have to increase equitable access to mental health care for young people and how will you work with us to explore these ideas?

• We need more mental health professionals within MCPS.
• We need to fund our non-profits organizations who have direct relationships with the community. We found out during Covid that it is our non-profit organization and our religious institions that have the closest ties to our residence. We need to support these groups to effectively reach our entire community.

Democracy with Accountability

Do you commit to meeting with AIM within a month of taking office, and on a quarterly basis subsequently?

Yes. AIM is a great resource. Through your individual organizations you reach a large part of our community. I look forward to a fruitful partnership.

Dan Cuda (R)

No response

Lorna Phillips Forde (D)

Council District: District 2

Website: https://lornaforde4countycouncil.com

Twitter: forde4moco

Facebook: LornaPhillipsForde4MoCo

Instagram: forde4moco

Attended AIM Candidate Action?: Yes

Housing, Transportation, and the Environment

Will you work with AIM to make Ride-On permanently free to riders and create dedicated bus lanes for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)?

Yes, almost ½ of Ride On customers have an annual household income below $30,000, 47 percent are people of color and 42 percent speak a language other than English at home. If our ultimate goal is to ensure that all residents have an opportunity to thrive, it just makes sense that we would level the playing field and relieve one of many cost burdens that our lowest-income residents face. We have to continue to review and assess inequities that exist for our under-served populations. I will continue to fully support free ride-on services; particularly for seniors, disabled & low-income residents.

Yes, I will work with AIM to encourage residential density and the number of income-restricted affordable housing units near transit hubs.

Yes, There needs to be strong advocacy for public land use for co-location of housing and other services, particularly near transportation hubs, employment centers, and educational facilities.

Yes, I will support such efforts and would encourage a phased approach that starts with providing relief for our under-served, low income residents and then spread the net wider to encompass the larger population which is also impacted by unstable housing rates.

Yes, I will. In addition, I will support a complete review of programs and processes of the County to make sure our Housing Code Enforcement Laws and Regulations, Landlord-Tenant Relations guidelines, and Rental Licensing policies are truly helping to protect our neighbors who are renters.

Education and Childcare

Will you commit to work with AIM to increase compensation for teachers and recreation staff within the Excel Beyond the Bell Elementary Program?

Yes, as a former MCPS substitute teacher I have seen first-hand the benefit that this program provides to our under-served youth. I fully support the EBB program and programs like this that will keep our youth focused on the ladder to success and therefore fully support ensuring that the staff are adequately paid.

Will you commit to expanding the Excel Beyond the Bell Elementary Program to four new schools each year, until it is in every Title I Elementary School in Montgomery County?

Yes

Yes, studies have shown that these programs contribute toward the rate of academic achievement for our youth. Every effort should be made to ensure that youth have access to programs that will start the foundation of learning as early as possible. I will support adequate funding to affect these results and remove impediments that unfairly block access to quality education.

Will you commit to work with AIM to offer Universal Pre-K to all four-year-olds in Montgomery County by 2026?

Yes, I will. My mother taught kindergarten and I grew up watching her selfless sacrifice to ensure that her students received a solid foundation. Our home was always a place full of love and learning experiences. Education was always important to my mom and I continued that emphasis with my girls. Universal Pre-K will lay the groundwork for our youth to excel academically while also closing unrelenting achievement gaps which disproportionately affect black & brown students. We have to stop doing what we’ve always done if we seek different results.

Yes, as a parent of twin daughters who attended MCPS and successfully graduated from college, I am blessed to have had access to resources (financial and otherwise) to usher my girls through their higher education journey. However, I am acutely aware that many parents face insurmountable challenges. The state’s 529 plan helps to level the playing field. I will pursue every avenue available to ensure fair and equitable access to higher learning opportunities for Montgomery County youth. I will also vigorously advocate for matching programs that give our youth the best chances for success.

Healthcare, Dental Care, and Mental Health

The pandemic made it very clear that there are health inequities in Montgomery County. While an increase in the County’s FY23 Health & Human Services budget seems to indicate a priority & focus on adequate & accessible health care, there is still more to be done. I will support adequate funding as well as programs that make the health of our residents and the quality of care a priority; from regular dental appointments to access to cost-prohibitive procedures like root canals, crowns or tooth repair to the establishment of comprehensive and accurate records systems.

Will you include funding by 2025 for an emergency medical and dental health crisis fund to county safety net clinics?

Yes, I will.

What ideas do you have to increase equitable access to mental health care for young people and how will you work with us to explore these ideas?

I believe that our schools should be adequately resourced to meet the needs of all our students. I will advocate vigorously for full Blueprint funding & support increased mental health & wellness wrap around services for students. This would include providing sufficient funding to:
o enable staff and parents to receive training on how to get in touch with themselves so they can better serve their students.
o Initiate Social Emotional Learning programs that provide students with the mental health/first aid needed for them to recognize emotions and identify issues.
o establish the infusion of a stronger, more intentional mental health education in the health curriculum.
o Support programs that intentionally increase dialogue between students and staff.
o provide cultural sensitivity training for teachers and administrators because different cultures handle mental health challenges differently and it’s important to understand this.

Democracy with Accountability

Do you commit to meeting with AIM within a month of taking office, and on a quarterly basis subsequently?

As a member of The People’s Community Baptist Church (which is an AIM partner), I am already engaged with AIM and have advocated on issues like police reform, affordable housing and quality education. I am also a member of AIM’s last Relational Building Cohort. And as Chair of my church’s Social Action committee, we confer and collaborate with AIM regularly. I will continue this level of collaborative engagement and will commit to meeting within a month of taking office and quarterly, thereafter.

William Roberts (D)

Council District: District 2

Website: https://www.williamjroberts.org/

Twitter: @WilliamJRob

Facebook: @WilliamJRob

Instagram: @WilliamJRob_

Attended AIM Candidate Action?: No

Housing, Transportation, and the Environment

Will you work with AIM to make Ride-On permanently free to riders and create dedicated bus lanes for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)?

Yes, I believe every Montgomery County resident deserves high quality, accessible, and affordable transit. In order to achieve that goal, I support making Ride-On permanently free and I’m a strong advocate for the Bus Rapid Transit network – with dedicated lanes.

Yes

Yes, these strategies will be critical to keeping people housed and ensuring communities remain stable.

Yes I will. All of these are components to ensuring renters rights are respected and enforced. I’ve been a longtime champion for renters rights as an advocate, as chair of the Renters Alliance, and as an attorney.

Education and Childcare

Will you commit to work with AIM to increase compensation for teachers and recreation staff within the Excel Beyond the Bell Elementary Program?

Yes

Will you commit to expanding the Excel Beyond the Bell Elementary Program to four new schools each year, until it is in every Title I Elementary School in Montgomery County?

Yes

Yes, it’s imperative that we use all means available to expand high quality pre-K.

Will you commit to work with AIM to offer Universal Pre-K to all four-year-olds in Montgomery County by 2026?

Yes

Yes, I think figuring out how to make the 529 more accessible is an equity and education goal as well as an investment in our future workforce – and I’d be interested in the county’s ability to match the state’s contributions to the program.

Healthcare, Dental Care, and Mental Health

Yes

Will you include funding by 2025 for an emergency medical and dental health crisis fund to county safety net clinics?

Yes

What ideas do you have to increase equitable access to mental health care for young people and how will you work with us to explore these ideas?

I believe we need to prioritize broader mental and emotional health services in schools and in community settings. The county can continue to support the work of nonprofit and community partners focused on this work and we need to take holistic approach to make sure that these services are widely accessible. I look forward to hearing AIM’s ideas and working toward a bold strategy to address these issues.

Democracy with Accountability

Do you commit to meeting with AIM within a month of taking office, and on a quarterly basis subsequently?

Yes