Two Seats, Four Candidates, and Two Forums Left

Four candidates are running in Montgomery County’s two contested Board of Education races this November, and every county voter gets a say in both of them.

Board of Education candidates who run in a numbered district must live in that district, but all seven elected members are chosen countywide. A voter in Damascus helps decide the District 3 seat. Two other Board seats on the November ballot are uncontested: Grace Rivera-Oven is the only candidate in District 1, and Elma-Lorraine Diggs is the only candidate in District 5, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections candidate list.

All four candidates in the contested races submitted answers to the Moderately MOCO Candidate Introduction Series. Their responses are their own words, submitted directly by the campaigns, and are not endorsements. Below is what each said when asked to name the biggest issue in the race, with a link to the full questionnaire.

At-Large

Brenda M. Diaz

Diaz is a teacher who has worked in MCPS classrooms and describes herself as a product of a gifted and talented program in the Bronx. Asked for the biggest issue in the race, she wrote:

The biggest issue is academic failure—and the board’s unwillingness to honestly confront it. MCPS is one of the wealthiest school districts in the country, yet the majority of its Black and Hispanic students cannot read or do math at grade level. That is a moral crisis hiding behind a budget debate.

Read Brenda M. Diaz’s full questionnaire

Omar Lazo

Lazo is a small business owner and the father of three MCPS students who points to governance experience on other boards. Asked the same question, he wrote:

The most important issue in this race is restoring trust through strong, transparent leadership and real accountability, especially in how we manage resources and deliver results for students. My plan is to bring disciplined oversight to the budget, identify inefficiencies, and ensure more dollars reach classrooms.

Read Omar Lazo’s full questionnaire

District 3

Sally McCarthy

McCarthy says she is in school communities every day and frames the Board’s main power as oversight of spending. She wrote:

MCPS must do better to provide clean and safe buildings where all students and staff have what they need so they are ready to thrive and succeed. Public trust is declining, too. The BOE actually has very limited powers, but its primary lever is big: the ability to scrutinize and hold MCPS accountable for spending.

Read Sally McCarthy’s full questionnaire

Cassandra “Cassi” Sung

Sung points to the budget cuts and what they mean for student support services. She wrote:

The proposed budget cuts facing MCPS represent the most urgent issue on the ballot this cycle. These are not abstract line items. They translate directly into reduced supports for students who need them most: intervention specialists, mental health resources, English learner programs, and the wraparound services that keep vulnerable kids connected to school.

Read Cassandra Sung’s full questionnaire

They Have Already Started Appearing Together

Five of the six Board of Education candidates on the November ballot shared a panel on Sunday, October 4 at a candidate forum hosted by the Lakewood Elementary School PTA: Brenda Diaz and Omar Lazo from the at-large race, Sally McCarthy and Cassi Sung from District 3, and Elma-Lorraine Diggs, who is running unopposed in District 5. Grace Rivera-Oven, unopposed in District 1, was not on the panel.

Two More Forums Before Election Day

All four candidates in the contested races are scheduled to appear at two more public forums in the next two weeks.

The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington hosts a forum Monday, October 12, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Rockville. JCRC Chief Operating Officer Guila Franklin Siegel moderates, and the discussion will focus on issues of importance to the Jewish community, including school-based antisemitism and how Jewish culture and history are taught. There will be audience questions. Registration is required by Thursday, October 8, and JCRC says the location will be shared with registrants in advance. Details and registration are on the JCRC website.

The League of Women Voters of Montgomery County hosts a forum Wednesday, October 14, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Montgomery Community Television studio in Rockville. That forum streams live on YouTube, and in-person registration has its own earlier deadline. Moderately MOCO covered that forum here.

Dates to Know

• Thursday, October 8: JCRC forum registration deadline.
• Monday, October 12: JCRC candidate forum.
• Tuesday, October 13: voter registration deadline to register the ordinary way.
• Wednesday, October 14: League of Women Voters candidate forum.
• Thursday, October 22 through Thursday, October 29: early voting.
• Tuesday, November 3: Election Day.

The Moderately MOCO Candidate Introduction Series is free and offered to every qualified candidate. Candidates who did not receive the questionnaire can request it through the contact form on this site.

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