Basic Information
Email rob@voterobwu.com
Website www.voterobwu.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/voterobwu
Twitter https://twitter.com/mrrobwu
Questions & Responses (All Candidates)
1 – What lessons learned do you have since the start of the pandemic?
Since the start of the pandemic I have learned that pandemics really, really suck. If I could go the rest of my life without experiencing another pandemic, I would gladly do so. I have also learned about the incredible resilience of our entire community, and our willingness to help each other in times of need. But also I have learned about the shortcomings in safety net services, food and housing security, and mental health, to name a few. Fortunately, we are getting through this together because we have been able to lean on each other.
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?
It is very difficult for me to armchair quarterback decisions that were made in very uncertain and unprecedented times. We all did the best we could under these circumstances. And we should all be proud of how we did that.
3 – What do you think are the 3 biggest and most pressing issues facing our county in the next 4 years? Why?
Public safety, pandemic recovery, including mental health (particularly in our schools, small businesses and vulnerable populations), and figuring out the long-term trajectory of the county.
4 – What specifically do you plan to do in the 3 most pressing areas from Question 3?
Work to strengthen and reform our public safety workforce, including by focusing on recruiting/retention initiatives and making it easier for our officers to live in the communities they serve, provide continuing support to those in need, and work to bend the arc with respect to policies that foster need growth in housing, jobs, and employers in the county, including supporting innovative approaches to support and grow small businesses.
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 don’t support open primaries in partisan elections. Non-partisan elections in Montgomery County are worth consideration.
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?
We need to continue growing jobs not just in life sciences, but in other fields as well. We should leverage our strengths, such as a highly-educated workforce, proximity to Federal agencies and research institutions, and desirable mixed-use communities to attract/retain workforce talent. We also need to focus on the education pipeline to prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow. By building on what we have, we can advance the priorities that we have not yet achieved.
2 – How will you hold developers accountable for past, present, and future infrastructure commitments (schools, transit, roads, etc.)?
Through the land use process.
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?
There is no easy solution to the increase in crime we are experiencing here in the County, but a good start is to place an increased emphasis on our public safety priorities. We need to focus on hiring and retaining police officers who reflect our community values. Our officers should be focused on core public safety functions, and trained in techniques to engage and gain the trust of our diverse communities. We also need to prioritize resources appropriate to respond to non-law enforcement matters, such as mental health and expanding crisis response teams, and adopting measures to address non-safety related traffic enforcement through approaches such as automation. By focusing our law enforcement resources on public safety, and building tools to better address non-law enforcement emergencies, the county will be better able to respond to the needs of our community.
4 – What do you see as your biggest advantage or positive that you bring to the table over your competitors?
I will bring experience, a different perspective, energy and focus as the representative of District 3 on the Montgomery County Council. For the past seven years, I have served as a member of the Gaithersburg City Council, and prior to that as the President of my communities’ HOA. My work on the Gaithersburg City Council is directly relevant to the responsibilities of this position. There, I work on behalf of my community, try to engage all stakeholders and ensure all residents are listened to.
My perspective is also not that of a politician. In my day job, I work for a Fortune 500 company focused on complex national security solutions, and before that as a longtime Federal civilian employee and active duty and reserve Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army. My resume is, perhaps, unique among the sitting council, and likely among other candidates running for office. It is experience and perspective that I will draw upon as I work to address the numerous issues impacting our County.