Hello everyone –
I’m so excited to share the great news: welcoming Hazle Crawford to my team as Deputy Chief of Staff and lead for the Transportation & Environment and Government Operations portfolios. Hazle joins my team with robust experience as a public servant, serving as Account Manager at the D.C. Department of Buildings. He also served as an Associate Director in the Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Demanding Excellence in our Public Schools
Last week, the Council met to discuss the Montgomery County Inspector General’s report on MCPS’ complaint processing. The findings showed the system’s grossly inadequate internal processes that led to failures in the investigation of former principal Joel Beidleman, who is no longer with MCPS. Watching things develop the way they have over the past few months has been disheartening. MCPS leadership has failed its staff, students and parents. As a parent myself, I can say trust in MCPS is broken. While things will not get fixed overnight, this situation creates an opportunity to develop policies and procedures that won’t allow this to happen ever again. It will take hard work, commitment, accountability and transparency. As a Councilmember and parent of two MCPS students, I will continue to demand excellence from our public school system. Several news-outlets covered this hearing, including WTOP and DC News Now.
The Youth Fentanyl Crisis
I was successful in getting funds – over $3M from the State Opioid Abatement Fund – for my district using a Harm Reduction model to assist youth in need of treatment. As I have shared in the past, this has been one of my top issues since elected to office last year. Thanks to our strong advocacy with the State and the County, this $3.08M special appropriation will provide in-patient and out-patient treatment to youth with mental health conditions. Starting on March 4, 2024, the non-profit organization Identity will deploy a dedicated case-management team armed with innovative strategies to engage adolescents and young adults entangled in the grip of fentanyl addiction by building trust and providing crucial support and resources. If you have questions, please contact my office at Councilmember.Fani-Gonzalez@MontgomeryCountyMD.gov.
Youth Town Hall Update. Video recap in English and Spanish.
Almost two weeks ago, in collaboration with the new Wheaton Arts & Entertainment Advisory Board, I hosted a youth town hall at the Wheaton Recreation Center. This event brought together nearly 150 students from middle and high schools in the Glenmont and Wheaton areas. Kennedy, Wheaton, Einstein and Northwood High Schools, as well as Odessa Shannon, Argyle, Mario Loiederman and Sligo Middle Schools were represented at this event.
The overarching goal for this event was to gather valuable feedback from the youth on the challenges they see in their communities, their ideas for solutions/improvements, and their vision for the Arts and Entertainment District. The most recurring topics of concern among the groups were unsafe environments in schools and communities, including lack of mental health support, drug use, unreliable transportation, unsafe roads, and lack of affordable recreational and enriching activities. Students also shared what they would love to see: more recreational activities and community engagements for youth in the Wheaton/Glenmont area, including the realization of the proposed Wheaton Adventure Sports Park – both Montgomery Park and the Recreation Department attended this event.
We ended the event with students signing up to become Youth Ambassadors for the Wheaton/Glenmont area. The youth are the future of our County, and I am committed to keeping their voices in mind as we continue to discuss the 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Program (CIP), which includes the Wheaton Arts and Entertainment Center and Montgomery Parks’ proposal for Wheaton Regional Park. Also, I would like to share that I have shared a more extensive summary from this youth townhall with County Executive Marc Elrich ahead of releasing the proposed Operating Budget in March. Lastly, I would like to thank State Delegate Jared Solomon for attending the youth townhall. We know we can always count on him!
Capital Budget Needs Your Voice
As I discussed in the previous email, the County Executive’s recommended capital budget makes a number of critical investments into District 6, from Glenmont Shopping Center Redevelopment to the Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center (and much more!). But, it’s not perfect.
Top of mind is that planned improvements to Wheaton Regional Park are in danger of being delayed due to a County Executive recommended cut (relative to the Planning Board’s request) of $24 million to Park’s budget. This cut would also hit natural and hard surface trails and vision zero projects. This is a HUGE step back that cannot be allowed.
Second, the County Executive has recommended a two year delay on the long-awaited Forest Glen pedestrian tunnel, connecting the neighborhoods east of Georgia Ave to the metro station.
Fortunately, the Council has the last word on the capital budget. I am going to fight to restore funding to Parks and get the Forest Glen tunnel back on track, but my colleagues on the Council need to hear from the public. Please consider writing to the Council in support of these two critical projects.
Growing our Economy and Workforce through Sports. Plus, a needed Sports/Expo venue!
No doubt that many of you have seen reports that Monumental Sports (owner of the Wizards and Capitals) is planning to move its home arena from Chinatown, DC to Northern Virginia. What you didn’t see was any mention of Montgomery County. The conversation about attracting sports (and all the attendant economic development benefits) venues, teams, and tournaments has all been Virginia and Washington, DC. Montgomery County is not even in the game.
While it is certainly true we have some impressive sports facilities and amazing youth leagues of our own, we can do much much more. That is why I organized a joint Economic Development and Education and Culture Committee meeting last week focused on sports tourism and pathways to jobs in the industry. We heard a lot of good ideas on how to improve the existing ecosystem, but the conversation continuously came back to the lack of a signature indoor multi-use sports/expo facility with ample seating that could even hold high school graduations. Following up, the joint committee will be requesting a feasibility study that will help us better understand all the necessary details, including size, features, site selection, potential tenants, and financing.
We need to get off the bench and into the game!
The Washington Business Journal did a good write up on the committee meeting, and you can watch it here. More to come soon.
The Drone as First Responder
The Drone as First Responder program is up and flying in District 6 when emergency calls are made. And it’s getting the job done! Equipped with advanced aerial capabilities, this program provides invaluable support to MCPD 911 emergencies calls. The police response times are dramatically optimized and the drone provides valuable live information to first responders to make better decisions during emergencies. The most recent work was related to the apprehension of teens following shots fired call. Read their release here.
Volunteer with Us on Presidents’ Day
I have been working with AfriThrive, a local immigrant farmer devoted to growing healthy and culturally appropriate foods, to create an urban farm at Kemp Mill Elementary School, a Title I school in the Kemp Mill/Wheaton neighborhood. We will be doing a cleanup and ground prep work of the garden area, on Monday February 19 at 9:00am. We had to reschedule due to inclement weather in January, and I am super excited to share the new date with you! Please join us! We will have pastries from the nearby Kosher Pastry Oven and be offering SSL hours to students. Please email our office (Councilmember.Fani-Gonzalez@MontgomeryCountyMD.gov) for questions or to RSVP.
Committee Schedule
Feb 26, ECON
Capital Budget Projects for Economic Development
Feb 26, PHP
Capital Budget Projects for the Housing Opportunities Commission and the Department of Housing and Community Affairs
Feb 29, ECON/HHS
Bill 42-33 – Menstrual Products in Public Restrooms.
Mar 11, ECON
Office Market and Streamlining Permitting for Restaurant Follow-Ups
Natali Fani-González
Councilmember, District 6
Chair, Economic Development Committee