Basic Information

Democratic Party – running for Montgomery County Council District 4

Email info@troymurtha.com
Website www.troymurtha.com

Instagram murtha4moco

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/murtha4moco

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Questions & Responses (All Candidates)

1 – What lessons learned do you have since the start of the pandemic?

1. History is dominated by unexpected events.
2. Not everyone who purports to be an expert is an expert. Many people have no idea what they are doing.
3. People respond better to honesty than they do to (false) certainty. Even when the honest answer is “I don’t know.”

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?

This is a nonsensical question. With perfect foreknowledge of the future, I would do a lot of things differently. There are many measures that I now know are effective but that there was no reasonable way to have known about in 2020. But this answer is rather pedantic and seems against the spirit of the question.

In the last two years I have changed how I change my mind. I now update my beliefs in a much more systematic and consistent manner, an approach which is sometimes called bayesian. This approach involves awareness of biases, prediction making, and retrospection. If I could go back in time I would encourage the county to adopt a similar approach: the county should ground their policies in rebuttable assumptions and assess its assumptions after more data is available.

3 – What do you think are the 3 biggest and most pressing issues facing our county in the next 4 years? Why?

If Covid has taught us anything, it is that we do not always know what issues are going to dominate the next four years. As Nassim Nicholas Taleb famously described in his book “The Black Swan,” the arc of history is dominated by unpredictable events. No one ran on a covid platform in 2018. We, as a county, need to elect smart leaders who can respond to new challenges.

If pressed to guess, I would answer that the biggest three challenges facing the county over the next four years will be the economy, housing, and transit. These are the greatest challenges currently facing the county and have been historic menaces. The past and the present are our best and only guides to the future.

4 – What specifically do you plan to do in the 3 most pressing areas from Question 3?

Treating these issues as separate is a mistake. Transportation affects housing and housing affects the economy. All of these issues are interconnected. While elements of my plans are severable and can be implemented independently, solutions can not be categorized as merely an address of one issue. My specific plans include:

• incentivizing the development of approved, but undeveloped lots;
• modifying zoning and building codes to give local communities flexibility based on neighborhood goals;
• identifying areas where it makes sense to permit denser zoning; and
• expanding and diversifying our transportation infrastructure.

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?

 I would not consider supporting it; I already support it.

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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?

There is no singular factor which is driving businesses out of Montgomery County. There is a complex interaction of many factors. If we want businesses to come to and stay in Montgomery County we need to start addressing their concerns and building a culture of trust that will last between administrations.

In order to address businesses’ concerns, we need to uncover them by effectively communicating with business leaders. This includes consulting with business leaders in Montgomery County but also undertaking the far more difficult task of consulting with business leaders who chose not to come to Montgomery County. Once we have identified a concern, a factor which discourages business in Montgomery County, we then need to make the choice of action. All else equal, business in Montgomery County in a good thing. But all else is not equal. We always have to consider the costs of creating a business friendly environment and then decide if the costs are worth the effects on other legitimate interests, like our schools, our transportation, and our quality of life.

2 – How will you hold developers accountable for past, present, and future infrastructure commitments (schools, transit, roads, etc.)?

I would like the county to get more in the habit of setting measurable objectives and compensating based on success. When we use incentive models that do not pay based on results, models like cost plus award, contractors have no incentive to be efficient. We should use incentive models that reward contracts for measurable results, regardless of their private costs.

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?

I would urge caution with respect to the recent rise in crime. Acting hastily is damaging, and emergency measures often become permanent measures. Crime statistics from 2022 show a trend towards pre-pandemic numbers. It is important not to confuse the signal for the noise.

Maintaining good morale and a strong applicant pool in the police force are worthy objectives, but not the central mission of the police force. I believe the low recruitment numbers and morale are tied to a decline in respect for the police. Some of this is overbroad condemnation but some of it is justified anger. The best way to fix the police morale and recruitment problems is to restore respect for the police by making them better public servants: reforming the police so that they live up to the high expectations placed upon them. Such an approach will take time but is the only sustainable approach in the long term.

4 – What do you see as your biggest advantage or positive that you bring to the table over your competitors?

My biggest strength is the way I approach problems and correct my thinking. I am a reasonably smart man, but I am far from perfect. However, I am acutely aware of my failings and endeavor to fix them. When I am wrong, I work hard to make sure that I am not wrong for long. This willingness to change and improve is my greatest strength and triumphs over the more dogmatic approaches of my competitors.