UPDATED Endorsements for Montgomery County MD Board of Education and other contests on the MoCo ballot

In election years, many of my friends and acquaintances, knowing my involvement in local elective politics, particularly regarding the Board of Education, ask my opinion as to who would be the best choices.[1]

For the reasons that follow, I am endorsing Natalie Zimmerman for the District 2 seat and Laura Stewart for the District 4 seat.  I have not yet decided who to endorse for the At-Large seat, but as I note below, either candidate would be a good choice.  I urge people who want to get a better sense of the candidates to attend the League of Women Voters BOE Candidate Forum on Wednesday, October 9, at 7:00pm at 15 West Gude Drive, Rockville. 

     My other recommendations for other contests and ballot questions follow the BOE discussion.

BACKGROUND:  In 1996, in the aftermath of Bill Clinton’s reelection as president, right-wing anti-LGBTQ+ political operative Ralph Reed said, “I would rather have a thousand school board members than one president and no school board members."  The right-wing has targeted Montgomery County in the past, without success.  

We are a progressive community when it comes to LGBTQ+ matters, including caring for and embracing all of our students.  In last May’s primary election, three of the seven seats were before the voters.  The three incumbents, all of whom were standing for reelection, have been strong supporters of these progressive policies.  But because of administrative problems in MCPS having nothing to do with pro-LGBTQ+ policies, those incumbents were challenged by candidates who shared those policies, but believed that new BOE board members would provide more effective oversight of other aspects of MCPS administration.  The teachers’ union, MCEA, endorsed those challengers, while the union representing MCPS support staff (SEIU Local 500) endorsed the incumbents.  Last spring, I endorsed the MCEA-endorsed challengers for the reasons I set forth in an April 2024 blogpost.  IMPORTANT REMINDER: While the District candidates must live in those districts, everyone in the County may vote in all three contests.)

HERE ARE MY CHOICES FOR THE BOARD OF EDUCATION

District 2:  Natalie Zimmerman.  This is the most important race, because the incumbent hardly campaigned and, as a result, did not make the run-off. After participating in a Zoom meeting with Ms. Zimmerman, I am even more confident that she would be a very important, useful addition to the BOE, bringing the vital perspectives of an experienced elementary school teacher. 

          The candidate who came in second to Ms. Zimmerman in the primary was Brenda Diaz.  Ms. Diaz is a far-right candidate who advocates for policies on vaccines endorsed by RFK, Jr., who she cited as the source of her views during a podcast interview last spring.  Her views on LGBTQ+ matters are out of the mainstream in Montgomery County, and she is being actively supported by the local Republican Party which is all-in for Donald Trump and other right-wing candidates.  For details on these serious concerns, see this blogpost.  Also, the largest contributor to her campaign is the Campaign Committee of Bethany Mandel, who ran unsuccessfully in the primary for the District 4 seat.  See public document here.  (To find it, just type “Diaz, Brenda M. Friends for” in the top right-hand box, click search, and go to the 8/27/2024 Campaign Statement).  For convenience, below is a screen shot of the pertinent page.

Ms. Mandel, who came in a distant third out of three candidates for the District 4 seat in the primary, is a very extreme figure.  Here is what I reported on her last spring (see footnote 2 of this hyperlink:

District 4 candidate Bethany Mandel . . . declined to respond the Metro DC PFLAG questionnaire, which typically is a sure sign that she is not supportive of LGBTQ+ students. In campaign forums, Ms. Mandel has vigorously expressed her opposition to the MCPS storybook policy regarding opt-out, and goes further, attacking what she refers to as "woke" approaches to education.  She has six children, and home-schools those who are school age; she has no experience with MCPS.  In one forum, she said that she wants MCPS to follow her advice about education because her children will someday have to deal with children who have graduated from MCPS.  Ms. Mandel, who has the support of the right-wing Moms for Liberty was active in the 2023 Moms for Liberty rally in Philadelphia featuring Donald Trump and Ron De Santis, and is a fairly well-known commentator in right-wing circles, as recently documented here. 

District 4:  Laura Stewart. I am confident that the best choice for the District 4 seat is Laura Stewart.  This is not because I have any specific criticism of Ms. Evans (who has done good work as a BOE member), other than being part of a BOE that has been unable to provide the administrative oversight that might well have avoided things like the Beidleman Scandal.  But we do need a fresh start, and Ms. Stewart provides an energy that would be very helpful to the Board, and make it more effective.  Ms. Stewart's years of MCPS and PTSA advocacy, both at the local and state levels, have shown energy, wisdom, and commitment, which led to her endorsement by the MCEA and a range of other groups.  I have been particularly impressed with her dogged, public advocacy in support of sound BOE/MCPS policies that have been under attack from outside right-wing advocacy groups.  Along with former BOE member Jill Ortman-Fouse, Ms. Stewart spearheaded the effort to mobilize people to back MCPS when it was under attack, and, to be frank, MCPS was not doing a very good job explaining the wisdom of its policy.  The letter signed by more than 3,000 residents of Montgomery County helped to turn the tide of public opinion when demonstrations in front of MCPS headquarters threatened to monopolize the conversation.  Similarly, her participation in drafting and signing the above-referenced Guest Commentary in Maryland Matters ("We can't opt out of diversity in our schools and communities") helped advance the discussion, and dispelled, I believe, some of the misconceptions that were creeping into local media.  Again, we would be well-served by either candidate, but I strongly believe that a well-qualified non-incumbent would be the better choice going forward.

At-Large:  I have not yet decided which candidate to endorse.  OCTOBER 13 UPDATE: AFTER THE OCTOBER 9 LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS FORUM I DECIDED TO VOTE, AND I ENDORSE, RITA MONTOYA.  SEE https://davidfishback.blogspot.com/2024/10/my-final-endorsements-for-board-of.html  I am not sure about this contest.  Like District 4 incumbent Shebra Evans, At-Large incumbent Lynne Harris is very well-qualified and supports policies I support. But fresh infusion of new people would be useful. I endorsed challenger Rita Montoya in the primary because, in large part, I wanted the General Election choice to be between two candidates with whom I basically agree on policy, and Ms. Harris’ incumbent status put her in the best position to make it to November).  The At-Large contest in the primary included candidates who were far less friendly to LGBTQ+ interests and some were quite hostile. I am not going to endorse for the general election until I hear what Ms. Harris and Ms. Montoya have to say at the October 9 League of Women Voters Candidate Forum, 15 West Gude Drive, Rockville MD at 7:30pm.  Registration is not required.

OTHER MATTERS ON THE BALLOT:

No one who knows me will be surprised by my other endorsements, but here they are:

President & Vice President:  Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Senator: Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.  Election of her opponent, former Governor Larry Hogan, would most certainly give control of the Senate to Donald Trump’s minions in the Senate and allow them to make it virtually impossible for a President Harris to effectively govern.  This is enough to counsel in favor of voting for County Executive Alsobrooks.

           Moreover, Hogan’s attempt to portray himself as a moderate who would stand up to Donald Trump is disingenuous.  Yes, Hogan has made his opposition to Trump as a human being repeatedly; but Hogan’s advertisements (funded by Mitch McConnell committees and other big money interests) avoid the fact that the only reasons he ever looked like a moderate was that the Democratic super-majority in the General Assembly overrode his vetoes; and even when he did not veto good legislation, he typically let such legislation go into law without his signature, because he knew the Democrats would override him if he vetoed it.  For Hogan to say that he has always been in favor of a woman’s right to choose is, to put it mildly, utterly disingenuous. And, of course, his recent campaign mailer headline that he would vote to reinstate Roe v. Wade is disingenuous since a Senate under Republican control would never allow such a measure to be voted upon. 

          Alsobrooks, in contrast, has been an effective States Attorney and County Executive, and is a competent mainstream Democrat.  The recent attacks on her by Hogan seeking to paint her as a reckless, hypocritical tax evader are unfair and misleading.  In fact, both tax breaks were legitimate when they originated. As to the first, once her grandmother no longer lived in the DC home, the tax break was no longer applicable.  As to the second, the legitimate tax break on the townhouse she purchased ceased to be appliable once she moved out and bought a new home -- and did not use the same tax break on the more expensive home, somthing that actually cost her money. These two errors are being corrected. See here.  It is noteworthy that the Washington Post -- which is notorious for often endorsing the most conservative candidate it can stomach -- endorsed Alsobrooks.

Congress, District 8:  Representative Jamie Raskin.  He is a national treasure, and we are proud and grateful to have him.

Congress, District 6:  April McClean Delaney.  I do not live in District 6, but much of it is in Montgomery County.  The bottom line is that it is essential that a Democrat keeps that seat (particularly when the Republican candidate is very right-wing), so that the House of Representative can flip to the Democrats.  Without Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress, the Republicans will be able to paralyze a Harris-Walz administration or, in the event of a Trump-Vance administration, accelerate the damage such a presidential right would entail.

Judges and Ballot Questions.   See the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee Sample Ballot, whose recommendations I endorse. https://mcdcc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/mcdcc-sample-ballot-2024-v20.pdf

 

Four sitting Montgomery County Circuit judges won both the Democratic and Republican primaries, so they are running unopposed in the general election.  And three state appellate judges face the voters regarding their continuation in office.  The Montgomery County Democratic endorses all the judges.

Question 1 is a proposed amendment to the Maryland Constitution which would enshrine reproductive freedom.  State statutory law currently does so, but this would make the protections even stronger, an important thing in light of the current membership of the U.S. Supreme Court.  Please vote YES on Question 1.

Question A is an attempt by the Republican Party of Montgomery County to amend the County Charter to bar a County Executive from election to more than two consecutive terms in office. (Currently the limit is three consecutive terms.)  This is a blatant attempt to subvert the will of the voters. See here.  Please vote NO on Question A.

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[1] This is where I am coming from on MCPS issues: I have been involved in MCPS matters since 1984, when I was co-president of the Rosemary Hills Primary School PTA, working for needed resources for this magnet integration school. Later, I was public affairs director for the Gifted and Talented Association of Montgomery County, working to secure appropriate education for students and seeking ways to widen the net with respect to GT identification and opportunities; I subsequently, as a PTSA Board member at Richard Montgomery High School, worked to protect needed resources for the Blair, Richard Montgomery, Takoma Park, and Eastern signature secondary schools. Beginning in 2002, after my children graduated from MCPS, I became active in working to secure appropriate health education and other MCPS policies regarding LGBT+ issues, and continue in this area (in which MCPS has made great progress) to this day.