Ana Sol Gutierrez - Candidate for County Council - District 1

The Activist - Montgomery County, Maryland & Beyond

You’ll Learn About:

SAFE ACT

• Taking a second attempt to protect immigrants that are living in fear
• Ensure people can approach police in confidence to report a crime or report a crime against themselves
• On lack of support from Ike Leggett and the County Council

ANNAPOLIS

• Not friendly to progressives
• On experience introducing a bill to create a statewide bank

ON PUBLIC FINANCING OF CAMPAIGNS AS A GAME CHANGER

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF BUDGETS

ON THE WINDFALL OF TAX REVENUE COMING TO MARYLAND

• $400 million expected due to federal tax changes
• Therefore complaints about the budget are unfounded in Montgomery County

The Council Should Be Stronger On Adjusting Proposed Budget by the Executive

EDUCATION

• Must be the top priority
• Must ensure resources for schools

QUALITY OF LIFE

• Seniors
• Divide between haves / have-nots
• Environment
• Transportation (at its breaking point - congestion / accessibility)

PURPLE LINE

• Social Justice Issue - faster to get to work for working families

BUDGET ANALYSIS SHOULD REFLECT SOCIAL EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS

LAND USE PLANNING NEEDS TO BE OVERHAULED

• When on the school board, development had been stopped if school capacity was not keeping up (this has been weakened)
• Council has turned a blind eye to the development
• Ghost items in the budget (placeholders in case new development comes up) - these need to go

SOME SECTOR PLANS ARE VISIONARY (e.g. White Flint)

• Eliminate cars
• Put 2 miles of 355 underground
• Add a MARC station

MPDUs / Affordable Housing

• Not affordable
• Not helping with affordable housing
• We need real affordable housing

INVESTMENT OF PUBLIC DOLLARS NOT EQUITABLE

• A lot going to Bethesda
• Not going to Silver Spring
• Selling public land for private development

DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES ARE TOO LOW

• Taxpayers are suffering to pay for infrastructure

ON THE POWERFUL COUNTY EXECUTIVE

• Requires vigilant oversight
• Council currently has weak oversight

ON NEGOTIATED CONTRACTS WITH UNIONS

NEED BETTER LONG TERM BUDGET PLANNING

HIGH SALARIES IN COUNTY GOVERNMENT POSITIONS

COUNTY REVENUES ARE STRONG

• Due to property tax
• And windfall expected from state income taxes due to fed tax changes

WE DON’T GET OUR FAIR SHARE FROM THE STATE

• MoCo Doesn’t apply for grants in some cases
• There is no clear / common agenda from the county to the state legislature
• The County Council must play a stronger role at the state
• The county should hire a lobbyist

ADDRESSING WEALTH DIVIDE

• Low Income Areas Face Different Educational Challenges
• Lack of child care in poorer areas

BOARD OF EDUCATION

• Experience on Board of Education
• Budgeting
• Set school district boundaries (very challenging)

SCHOOLS

• Should have dual language instruction
• MCPS is largest employer and bus system in the county
• Has a transparent budget that the county budget doesn’t have
• School construction are underfunded
• Development has allowed a lot more housing to serve a school population

POOLESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

• Much can be done to renovate the school; new construction not needed as population does not justify new construction

HOLISTIC SOLUTIONS NEEDED