Basic Information
Democratic Party – running for Montgomery County Council District 4
Email Amy@amyginsburg.com
Website www.AmyGinsburg.com
Facebook facebook.com/amy.ginsburg.3
Twitter @amy_ginsburg
Other instagram.com/amy.ginsburg.moco/
Questions & Responses (All Candidates)
1 – What lessons learned do you have since the start of the pandemic?
The most important lesson is that the county council, county executive, board of education, and MCPS staff must work together better. It was clear there was more finger-pointing than coordination, and our students’ return to school was an unqualified mess for students, teachers, and staff.
Any decisions made in 2020 can be forgiven – everyone was a novice dealing with the pandemic. However, decisions made from late 2021 must be evaluated based on science, not politics, and that science includes the unintended consequences of pandemic decisions on the ability of our children to be educated, small businesses to operate, and for people to be healthy in all ways, not just safe from Covid.
2 – If you could go back and do one thing differently from what was done in the last two years in Montgomery County what would you change?
We would have figured out how to return to in-person schooling much earlier. Our children have lost two years of learning, and many of them will never make it up. Our children are suffering mentally and socially. Masking, using the outdoors as much as possible, installing better ventilation systems, incentivizing teachers and paraeducators to teach in-person, coordinating with county government and nonprofit organizations, and providing the option for virtual learning for students and teachers at-high risk from Covid are some of the mitigating strategies that could have been implemented.
Grocery store clerks and nurses are essential workers; so are teachers.
3 – What do you think are the 3 biggest and most pressing issues facing our county in the next 4 years? Why?
We’ve lost 14,000 jobs and $12 billion in GDP to other jurisdictions in the DMV, and we need to get those jobs back. We also have a housing crisis that prevents our graduates from moving back to Montgomery County, sapping our future as a dynamic county. Our government is unresponsive to residents, studies rather than solves problems, and is unsupportive of both small and large businesses. This hinders our ability to prosper as a county and to enjoy a quality of life with successful restaurants and retail, parks, and safe, reliable multi-modal transit.
4 – What specifically do you plan to do in the 3 most pressing areas from Question 3?
Nurture smart growth communities and create great places which attract investment
Fix our regulatory and approval process so that businesses can launch and buildings can be built within timeframes that incentivize locating here in Montgomery County rather than other parts of the DMV.
Better support small businesses, becoming a county of “yes”. “Yes, we will help you navigate the regulatory process and help you be successful”l rather than “here are three obscure laws that will cost you tens of thousands of dollars and an extra year before opening.”
Ensure MCEDC is doing targeted, successful economic development.
Build more housing and more types of housing, including duplexes in single family neighborhoods, dense buildings in downtown areas, and affordable housing on county-owned land. The County should also work with faith-based communities to use excess land for affordable and attainable housing mixed with market-rate housing.
5 – Would you consider supporting changes to electoral process such as open primaries or non-partisan elections in Montgomery County to allow 155,000+ registered Unaffiliated/Independents in Montgomery County to vote locally when it counts?
Yes, I believe open primaries should exist in Montgomery County because closed primaries disenfranchise too many of our residents who are independents. We will have better candidates and elected leaders if we had open primaries.
Questions & Responses (County Council)
1 – What is your plan to attract and KEEP businesses in Montgomery County? How can we get more businesses across the county and especially where its lacking in the Up County and East County and compete with Northern Virginia?
- Nurture smart growth communities and create great places which attract investment
- Fix our regulatory and approval process so that businesses can launch and buildings can be built within timeframes that incentivize locating here in Montgomery County rather than other parts of the DMV.
- Better support small businesses, becoming a county of “yes”. “Yes, we will help you navigate the regulatory process and help you be successful” rather than “here are three obscure laws that will cost you tens of thousands of dollars and an extra year before opening.”
- Ensure MCEDC is doing targeted, successful economic development.
- Build more housing and more types of housing, including duplexes in single family neighborhoods, dense buildings in downtown areas, and affordable housing on county-owned land. The County should also work with faith-based communities to use excess land for affordable and attainable housing mixed with market-rate housing. Without sufficient housing, we will not attract new jobs.
- Ensure our schools are top-notch because they are a major draw for new business.
2 – How will you hold developers accountable for past, present, and future infrastructure commitments (schools, transit, roads, etc.)?
Actually, developers do build the infrastructure they promise. It’s the county who fails to follow through with their infrastructure commitments.
3 – What do you plan to do about the increase in incidents of carjackings and homicides in the county and decline of applicants and morale in the police force?
We used to pay our officers the best in the state. Now we are second from the bottom and need to change that.
We also need to encourage through subsidies first responders and police officers living in our community so we have better community policing. Having police officers be true members of our community takes away much of the “us” vs “them” mentality and engenders trust between residents and police.
Of course, it goes without saying that we must hold police accountable for any unfair targeting of someone because of their race, style of dress, or other factors. That will also increase the community’s trust in police and therefore, morale in the police force.
4 – What do you see as your biggest advantage or positive that you bring to the table over your competitors?
With 40 years of experience working in and leading nonprofit organizations, I bring all sectors of society together – residents, businesses, government, faith-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, and schools – to actually solve problems. I’m also quite good at stretching dollars and providing essential services efficiently and effectively.