Basic Information
Democratic Party – running for Montgomery County Council District 5
Email carylamari@yahoo.com
Website http://carylamari.net
Twitter @cary_lamari
Questions & Responses (All Candidates)
1 – What lessons learned do you have since the start of the pandemic?
The pandemic has changed everything. How do we protect our population while still providing some semblance of normalcy?
I have learned how important our hospitals, doctors, nurses are and the special needs they have during a medical emergency. How important our public servants are and what measures they need to protect themselves and the public. How important it is for our children to maintain grade level academic achievement in a virtual learning environment. How to protect housing costs without dissolving residents’ economic stability and finally how businesses can survive and thrive in a world where people are afraid to go to work or meet their consumer needs.
What I have personally learned is how ill prepared we were during the pandemic and how important it is to have a preparedness plan for catastrophic events. One of the first things we need to do is organize a catastrophic emergency plan. We need to bring all stakeholders together, medical representatives, residents, business owners, tenants, landlords as well as people in our faith-based communities to develop a strategic plan of action. We need to prepare with a more robust “rainy day fund” so that hospitals can immediately gain access to personal protection equipment (PPE) and other needed equipment to meet the significant demands of the sick. We need a plan so that food can be available, rents may be met, and how to provide learning tools for our children to help them cope in strained learning and living environment.
While our government has made attempts to address the situation, without proper guardrails, which an emergency plan could have offered, we will unfortunately feel the pains of the pandemic for many years to come. Our kids will struggle to again understand what normal means and meet grade level achievement. There will be foreclosures, bankruptcies as well as evictions in the wake of our ill prepared response.
It is easier to be a Monday morning quarterback than it is to be thrust into an unexpected situation. Hopefully we will be more prepared in the future.
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?
I would have called out for an emergency taskforce of stakeholders (medical personnel, educators, tenant advocates, landlords, food distribution volunteers, business representatives and residents). I would have developed a strategy where these people could provide stop gap measures to meet needs and hopefully reduce repercussions.
I would have called for an emergency response team (Department of Health and County resources) to immediately respond with PPE and provide financial assistance to meet the demand. We also need to develop laws dealing with contractual and consumer mitigation during emergency events so that the potential repercussions can be absorbed by all without devastation to consumers, property owners as well as residents. Temporary emergencies should not have life-altering implications. We need a better plan, and this should be considered a major wakeup call just like the depression in 1920 to 1921. We need to make systemic changes going into the future.
This brings me back to a scene in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” when the citizens of Bedford Falls were making a run on the bank. Mr. Bailey asked his bank customers not to withdraw all their funds, which would bankrupt Bailey Brothers Building and Loan, but rather only take out what they need to get through the emergency. This was an example of a community unified for the good of the community.
3 – What do you think are the 3 biggest and most pressing issues facing our county in the next 4 years? Why?
I believe the three biggest pressing issues facing our county in the next four (4) years are Opportunities (jobs, education and vocational training, and affordable housing), Infrastructure, and Public Safety.
Opportunities (Jobs). For the last decade our residential growth has been a steady .66% and our economic growth (jobs) has been steady at .24%. This is unsustainable and with the Council of Government projecting an increase of 200,000 more residents coming to our county in the next 30 years; with 75% in need of affordable housing. If our jobs continue to decline, our county revenue and housing needs will become devastated. Our property assessments, taxes, and constant yield rate will increase, and our safety network will slowly dissolve. We cannot thrive and meet the needs of the population with these dynamics.
Opportunities (Education and Vocational Training). Numerous studies have demonstrated that if we provide good quality education and vocational training, we build the workforce of tomorrow. I believe we should push our general assembly to make Montgomery College free for two (2) years. We should integrate vocational training centers to meet the demand of our population and invest in an educated and a productive workforce to encourage more businesses to locate in Montgomery County.
Opportunities (Affordable Housing). I believe we have a moral obligation to provide affordable housing. This will require an increase in our commitment to the Housing Initiative Fund and revisiting our Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) program. Future development will not be in the realm of projects (20 units or more) which is the prerequisite for the MPDU program, but rather infill development one property at a time.
I have been a longtime advocate for Community Land Trusts (CLT). I proposed this new tier of housing in 2006 and again in 2009. Although many politicians liked the idea no one has championed this kind of initiative where nonprofits and government work in unison to build affordable housing and sell the bricks and sticks–not the land–which would make properties affordable and provide in equity building and pride of ownership.
I believe with CLT, which can be targeted in Master Plans, we can enjoin projects which have market rate housing that will offset land costs to build CLT housing which will provide affordable housing in perpetuity as new owners will only sell bricks and sticks not the land (see link for more information on CLT).
https://maryland-politics.blogspot.com/2009/04/community-land-trusts-new-frontier-in.html
Infrastructure. I am deeply concerned with Thrive Montgomery 2050 (Thrive 2050) and the new proposed general plan with its associated Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA). Thrive 2050 is a hollow document. Thrive 2050 is deficient and does not reflect the potential unintended consequences. Thrive 2050 is the catalyst for up zoning. It will displace families and erode our environment with a loss of tree canopies causing more flooding. By approving this new up zoning. Currently the Office of Legislative Oversight on Racial Equity has written a negative analysis on Thrive 2050. The plan seeks to allow up zoning “by right” yet does not consider elements which are necessary for comprehensive growth. In my option, it will have the effect of increasing the cost of housing across Montgomery County by increasing taxes and property assessments. Thrive 2050 will have an adverse impact on naturally occurring affordable housing which will displace residents in need across our county. Thrive 2050 does not adequately address impacts to the environment as it promotes increased density, loss of tree canopy (the heat island effect) and potentially exacerbate the flooding experienced in recent years across our suburban and urban areas primarily due to climate change. Thrive 2050 does not address the need for affordable housing. It relies on MPDUs rather than seek new and more creative ways of addressing the affordability of housing. Our county is not prepared for such an overarching potential increase in density; our infrastructure is old and in need of upgrading. We have experienced severe flooding in the past decade due to climate change and Thrive 2050 transportation element simply suggests we should walk, bike or roll. Less than 3% of our population uses buses and more than 77% of our population still relies on the automobile. We must be cautious and grow proportionately with our Infrastructure demands, environmental needs, and economic realities.
Public Safety. Crime is up in many parts of our county especially in our urban areas. We have half the compliment of police than in most counties our size. Today we have 1.3 police officers for every 1,000 residents. The national average is 2.4 to 2.8 per capita depending on whether the jurisdiction is in an urban or suburban setting. Our police force has a major problem with attrition as 38% of our police are eligible for retirement and we are seeing more and more retire each year (54 have retired just this year and this has been consistent for several years). We are seeing a trend of resignations for multiple reasons which is concerning. All this in a complement of 1,271 officers.
This has been exemplified in Silver Spring where crime has been disproportionally increased from the more suburban areas. Also, we pay police, at least until this election, less than any other jurisdiction in the DMV. How does this work when our compliment of public safety personnel is smaller than needed and we lose a large percent of the more experienced officers, yet our Council proposes to double the density across the suburban and urban landscape? We need to grow but it should be proportionate with jobs, amenities, infrastructure, and services. We need to attract qualified recruits. This year, while we had over 400 applicants to our academy, less than 20 passed to become police officers.
Finally, our County Council has not provided funding for mental health programs and increased crisis intervention which is needed for specific incidents where members of the public are in mental distress. We further need funding for police community engagement such as the Police Athletic Leagues or other programs so the public may engage with police outside of incidents.
Chief Jones is working with County Executive Elrich on the police task force and the County Councils’ effort to re-imagine our police to address accountability and promote public safety. We now have a police advisory commission that is pushing new initiatives such as a multi-Stakeholder approach to violent crime as well as other new programs. I support his efforts. I would work with Chief Jones and our police department to bridge the gaps of service and complaints. I would work with Chief Jones to promote initiatives which improve relations with the public and create mentorship programs which encourage police officers to promote good community values as well as encouraging civic engagement. I am supportive of the ideals with respect to the community engagement officer program.
The realities that we must deal with today is our police are asked to do more with fewer officers and resources then most counties our size. Chief Jones in his own words has stated that the MCPD “adapts” given the support and budget MCPD receives and the public climate that exists. Homicides have increased 88% in 2021 and carjacking increased 72%. It is time for our County to come together and work with police, residents, and leadership to address these major impacts to our society and find solutions. I will be on the front line building the necessary bridges to make that a reality. Below is a link to the County Council report on our police.
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Resources/Files/agenda/col/2022/20220118/20220118_14.pdf
4 – What specifically do you plan to do in the 3 most pressing areas from Question 3?
Opportunities (Jobs). We need to work for more economic opportunities across our County; I will be a working collaborator in this initiative by spending more time along the East County area of Silver Spring. I will work with our county delegation to promote a large, state seed money investment program in our science gateway corridor to encourage and entice larger employers to come to Montgomery County and provide the necessary jobs to meet resident needs. This will require assistance with the County delegation and community. Together we work for a better tomorrow. We will need a continuum of economic investment to facilitate green walkable town centers for both employment and job creation.
Opportunities (Education and Vocational Training). I will push for Montgomery College East campus to be built on the Viva White Oak site to include a vocational training center. The pandemic has had a drastic impact on schools and our children’s educational achievements. I want to see a return to school with a system that focuses on education achievement at all levels and prioritize in-person learning. MCPS has implemented free on demand tutoring for all. We need to make sure all parents know that this is available and utilize this and other initiatives to help bring our children back up to grade level. We also should allow for more participation AND inclusion of parent participation. It seems that our County and school system doesn’t appreciate parent feedback; it is like they do not hear when they claim to be listening; this needs to change.
Opportunities (Affordable Housing). As I noted in the earlier question, I will work to improve the Housing Initiative Fund, change MPDU requirements to address infill development, and create Community Land Trust (CLT) housing which will create affordable options in perpetuity for our residents.
Infrastructure. I will work with county residents, business, and non-profits to address the infrastructure and public service needs which exists. I will look for opportunities to improve them and take a critical look into the approximately 50-billion-dollar list of potential amenities and infrastructure needs which are included within the Thrive 2050 proposal. With public participation we may meet critical needs and priorities while not breaking the bank.
Public Safety. I will work to rebuild our complement of police officers, rebuild trust and accountability with police and put proper funding for mental health programs in our schools, jails, and our homeless population.
One in five (5) people have a mental health condition. These people are our neighbors, friends, and family members. We have a moral obligation to help our residents and doing so will in turn help society. Please look at Public Safety in Question 3.
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 support the public will. Personally, I have no problem with open primaries which allows for a more robust election of people with vision. I believe the public is sophisticated enough to recognize candidates who are committed to doing the work of the people. We should not fear ideas. Good candidates formulate good proposals and practices.
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?
Our county government must stop the dysfunction between the Executive Office and Legislative Branch. We must cooperate to enhance the business perception from the business community.
Attracting businesses and expanding opportunities is a complicated. As I have indicated in previous questions, we must make investments in the way of tax abatements and infrastructure investment. In today’s economic paradigm we must attract large anchor employers along with other incentives. This should not be of major concern though as increasing economic vitality will increase the tax base for the County, State and Federal Government. As a result, all levels of government will participate to develop proposals to bring jobs and revenue to our county. We will maintain taxes and recoup our initial investments.
Looking at the realities which benefit Montgomery County, but more importantly the East County, is the fact we have several major airports nearby. We are close to Baltimore Harbor and home to many federal agencies (FDA, NIH, NIAD, Walter Reed, Carter Rock Naval Research Lab, etc.) several large medical research companies, the Pentagon and our nation’s capital. Studies have indicated our commercial real estate is considered affordable to large corporate industries from a nationwide perspective and a well-educated workforce.
Promoting these attributes by developing several seed funding packages we will entice large corporate anchors. This investment will also have the effect of increasing consumer spending which will improve economic vitality to our small to mid-sized businesses. We must also be prepared to invest in local smaller businesses in the way of low interest loans and some grants which today is promoted through the Department of Housing and Community Development so these businesses may provide positive green and inviting surroundings which will increase livability and local economic vitality.
We MUST invest in vocational training to balance business needs and build the workforce of tomorrow. There are numerous potential proposals all of which require a strategic plan from our leadership. We must have accessible regional commercial employment hubs with good transit, roads, and parking to accommodate new businesses. There is always a balance which differentiate local shopping and commercial hubs with the needs of regional destination employment hubs. We must promote what I call top-down planning. Plan and develop regional employment hubs working with communities in master plans. Develop a plan for needed amenities and infrastructure and promote proportionate housing at the necessary ratio of affordable and market rate with inclusive integrated communities.
2 – How will you hold developers accountable for past, present, and future infrastructure commitments (schools, transit, roads, etc.)?
For over 30 years I have argued that there has not been sufficient commitment to infrastructure from the development community. I have on numerous occasions spoke to the need for an accountable and measurable annual growth policy because if you cannot measure it, you cannot manage it!
Historically we have gone through numerous iterations for developer contributions for infrastructure. Prior to 2003, we had an annual growth policy which put some parts of our county in moratorium precluding growth unless developers built the needed infrastructure. This was found to be imposing on the development community and restricted growth in parts of our county (especially Eastern Montgomery County) because of poor sewer and water infrastructure, the lack of transportation capacity, and in some cases, the inability to build the needed infrastructure because of topographical impediments. All this without provisions for needed school capacity improvements. After 2003 we went to the pay-to-play growth policy. Developers simply paid impact fees, regardless of infrastructure, and the County and State would provide the needed infrastructure when CIP funding was available. This new growth scheme became abused. Needed school and transportation projects in the que were passed over because of what I believe to be special interest projects which certain Council members felt should supersede long-standing projects. The East County became neglected with little to no public infrastructure investment.
Through the years I have resigned myself to the political realities that unless the public votes for candidates which will commit to working though long-standing projects and subscribe to being equitable and fair with public money, we will continue to have lack of investment in the Up-County and East County as we do not have a champion to fight for our fair allocation of resources. I want to be that champion and speak loudly and vociferously to demand our fair share. It is time for change and together we may build a better tomorrow!
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 have answered this as comprehensively as possible in Question 3 Public Safety. I have also posted one of several reports the current Council has received each year for the last three (3) years with no real comprehensive response to the problem until this election year where they are agreeing to increase salaries. I included the link to the current year Public Safety Report issued to the County Council in January 2022 from Susan Farag, Council Public Safety Analysts.
I believe we all must come together to support our public safety officers. We need to provide resources to mental health professionals so they may work to protect our communities. We need to build bridges instead of placing blame which I believe has been taken beyond context based on statistics and history.
As former president of the Montgomery County Civic Federation, I participated in a yearlong project. The Federation sponsored its first forum on mental health which I produced. This led to former County Councilmember Blair Ewing to create a “Blue-Ribbon Commission on Mental Health” and its associated report. The findings were never acted upon by the County Council. After the election, like so many other initiatives, the public interest was lost on these concerns. Here 20 years later the saga continues. We should embrace and encourage community participation and lay expertise on such issues.
It is disheartening that every 4 years our County is sensitized to the plight for needed mental health services in our schools, jails, and our homeless population; after the election the momentum suddenly dies. This is a link to a review of Blair Ewing’s Blue-Ribbon task force report (see link below).
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Resources/Files/agenda/cm/2009/090624/20090624_HHS01.pdf
4 – What do you see as your biggest advantage or positive that you bring to the table over your competitors?
I bring a lifetime of community service working with numerous council members and appointed officials. I have worked with Ida Mae Garrett, Marilyn Praisner, Betty Anne Krahnke, Ike Leggett, my dear friend Blair Ewing, and many other elected officials as well as hundreds of community leaders who taught me the value of data and developing fact-based responses. I have learned land use, as well as issues of mental health. I have worked on numerous master plans, transportation committees, participated on advisory boards and the Parris Glendening collaboration council on smart growth where I and my vice-president Dan Wilhelm were appointed to represent the civic community statewide on defining smart growth. We worked with the Chesapeake Bay Society, State Historical Society, Eastern Shore agricultural groups, State Chamber of Commerce, and MCPPC with Charlie Lorre who was their appointee director at the time. My lifetime of experience has provided me with an unusual perspective on the issues of our County and how to analyze the data.
Pardon my description but my community service has also provided me with the ability to spot and disengage false narratives and obfuscation. I believe I am the best candidate to represent the East County and believe I can achieve good results because of my experience and my lifelong relationships. I have background knowledge on where we have been in our County and would like to be a part of where we are going. I would be honored to be able to represent the same constituents my friend Marilyn Praisner had the pleasure to represent and hope to be as equally successful and responsive to their needs with good constituent service to build a better tomorrow.