Basic Information
Democratic Party – running for Montgomery County Council District 6
Email votestevesolomon@gmail.com
Website votestevesolomon.com
Facebook Facebook.com/votestevesolomon
Twitter @SteveSolomon
Questions & Responses (All Candidates)
1 – What lessons learned do you have since the start of the pandemic?
Everyone was affected by the pandemic in one way or another. I was one of the millions who lost my job of 20 years and it forced me into a change of career path. Thousands of businesses closed, and millions of children lost a year of education. We better learn from these last two years for when it happens again by some new virus. We can’t put politics above facts anymore.
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 ran for Board of Education in 2020. I heard from hundreds of parents who had nowhere else to turn. Virtual learning did almost nothing for elementary and even some middle school kids. High schoolers were able to learn and absorb information but I’m sure none of them liked being away from their friends. Virtual learning was worst for those who had special needs kids. Montgomery County waited longer than other jurisdictions to bring back kids. Then there was a shift back and forth and back again on mask policy.
3 – What do you think are the 3 biggest and most pressing issues facing our county in the next 4 years? Why?
- Economic Development – we need to make it easier for small businesses to start and succeed here by eliminating or lessening burdensome regulations and red tape. We also need to bring in more large businesses and make Montgomery County a place people want to do business.
- Infrastructure – I’ve been door knocking for months and have seen hundreds of streets with bad roads and bad sidewalks. We need to fix this.
- Maintaining our reputation of excellent education. When my parents came to Montgomery County decades ago it had the reputation for having the best schools in the whole region. We need to grow our economy so we can fully fund education so facilities are modern and up to date, so student/teacher ratio improves, and so our test scores can show why Montgomery County produces the best and brightest students.
4 – What specifically do you plan to do in the 3 most pressing areas from Question 3?
- We lost Amazon to Northern Virginia. The Discovery Channel moved their headquarters out of Moco. We need to make Montgomery County a destination that large businesses want to operate out of. For small businesses, I would put forth legislation to remove some burdensome regulations, codes, and inspections that prevent businesses from starting and surviving.
- With economic development will come more money to allow us to focus on infrastructure – to pave roads, fix sidewalks, install streetlamps, and better time our traffic lights.
- Similarly to the last question, more money allows for a full funding of the education budget.
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?
Open primaries would be great. They do it in other states and it allows Unaffiliated voters to have their votes matter. We do it for our Board of Education candidates, but otherwise only Democrats dictate who does and does not get into office.
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?
I addressed this in the previous set of questions. Economic development and making Moco business friendly is one of my top priorities. Up County and East County get the short end of the stick on many things too.
2 – How will you hold developers accountable for past, present, and future infrastructure commitments (schools, transit, roads, etc.)?
Infrastructure is also one of my top priorities. We need to be proactive to prepare for population growth by planning for housing, more schools, etc. In Wheaton, the new library is also a rec/community center. This is a great model for how other new construction in the county should go. Make a building a multi-use facility and a destination place for families.
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’m running for the District 6 county council seat. Crime is absolutely a big issue for constituents here. Car thefts and break ins are a big problem here. I’m a big supporter of the police department. We have a shortage of police officers. More are retiring due to poor morale and lack of support. I would encourage more community involvement projects, to make people see the police officers are our friends and are here to help.
4 – What do you see as your biggest advantage or positive that you bring to the table over your competitors?
I am the only candidate who has lived here my entire life. I’ve seen it all in Moco. I am a common sense moderate who can bring together all constituents on both sides of the aisle. I have run for office before and more Montgomery County voters have cast a ballot for me than all seven of my competitors combined.