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Dear Friends,
Early voting is underway!
You can vote now through Thursday, Oct. 29, from 7 a.m.—8 p.m. There are 14 early voting centers across the County, and you can vote at any one of them; the link to the locations is here. You don’t have to go to the one closest to home. I voted at the Leggett Executive Office Building when I had free time.
The election workers told me voters were already in line when they arrived on the first day of early voting.
Anyone not yet registered can still register on the same day that you vote. Just be prepared by bringing a Maryland driver’s license or ID, or something that shows where you live, like a utility bill or a bank statement. You can read more about it here.
If you requested a mail-in ballot, you should have it by now. Ballots can be mailed (if you mail, make sure they are postmarked by election day and not just mailed on election day). They can also be left in any of our secure drop boxes. The boxes can be found in many area schools and community centers. A list of drop box locations can also be found here. The Election Board team collects ballots from the drop boxes every day, seven days a week, Sundays included, rain or shine.
To find the nearest drop box, text “BOX” and your zip code to 77788. If you’re not sure where to go to cast your ballot in person over the next week, text EV (early voting) and your zip code to 77788. You’ll get nearby locations, directions, and wait time estimates. We also have a special page up right now on the Board of Elections website to help our residents get all the election information they need in one place. You can familiarize yourself with what’s on the ballot via the Voter Information Guides, which are available in multiple languages. You can find those links at the top of 777vote.org. In addition to candidates, there are multiple ballot questions.
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Remember, voting matters. It’s how we decide who makes the decisions that affect all of us. This is also a process you can trust. We have bipartisan members of the Board of Elections ensuring fairness throughout the process. If you wait until Election Day, make sure you have enough time to visit your polling place on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Please get out and vote!
Helping Others Bike
With the beautiful fall weather, it’s a great time to bike. I want to thank everyone who brought a new or used bike to Rockville for our Department of Transportation’s Bike Match program. Since its inception, the program has matched more than 1,000 Montgomery County residents with donated bikes. To be exact, 1,005 people have received one since the program started in June 2020, and 143 of them are children.
A bike is more than recreation for a lot of people. It’s how someone gets to work, to a bus stop, or to school when they don’t have a car or can’t afford another way around. Bike Match gives people that option.
Thank you to everyone who donated the 129 bikes collected on Friday, October 16, and to our MCDOT team for coordinating this effort. This was the eighth year of the drive. The need is still great. Right now, 450 people are on the waiting list for a bike. Volunteers from the Rockville Bike Hub inspect and refurbish the bikes you provide, then deliver them to residents in need. The ones that can’t be saved get recycled.
If you have a bike sitting unused in your garage, and it’s in good working condition, please consider donating it. If you or someone you know could use one, you can fill out the request form on MCDOT’s website. Bikes are matched in the order that requests come in. I hope those bikes are ready soon so everyone can take advantage of the good bike weather while it lasts.
Whole Blood Transfusion Program Thriving Within Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service
In emergency medicine, every single minute counts, and getting advanced care directly to a patient on scene can mean the difference between life and death. I am proud to share that the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) is leading the way in emergency medical innovation through our whole blood transfusion program.
The program was introduced in 2024, and the idea is to equip trained EMS supervisors with low-titer O-positive whole blood in specialized, temperature-monitored field coolers. This allows first responders to begin blood transfusions directly at the scene of an emergency. Why are we doing this? In cases of severe trauma and excessive bleeding, it helps the patient by providing a simultaneous transfusion of red blood cells, plasma, and platelets. It is not used on every call, but when it is, it can save a life or aid in the immediate care of a patient.
This was a great idea from the start. In the first four months of the program’s trial alone, 16 lives were saved. We’ve now used 200 units and reached 150 patients.
To ensure maximum safety and zero wasted units, MCFRS maintains four EMS supervisors carrying six units of low-titer Type O-positive whole blood. Those units are stored in specialized coolers with cloud-connected temperature monitors. Any unused blood units are returned to the blood bank after two weeks for recycling into component parts before expiration.
This success reflects the power of regional collaboration. MCFRS built this initiative by partnering closely with the Maryland State Police Aviation Command, the D.C. Fire and EMS, the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services, local trauma centers, and the Northern Virginia Blood Bank. To help preserve the regional supply, MCFRS regularly hosts community blood drives.
The next one is on Sunday, Oct. 25, at the Montgomery County Public Safety Training Academy located at 8751 Snouffer School Road, in Montgomery Village. The blood drive honors two late firefighters from Montgomery County, Carlos Alfaro, Sr., and Carlos Alfaro, Jr. You can participate starting at 8 a.m. on Sunday. Sign up for an appointment through the QR code above.
In recognition of Fire Prevention Month throughout October, I’d like to highlight a few things.
Right now, there’s a push to raise awareness about the importance of charging batteries safely. Lithium-ion batteries can be dangerous if they are overcharged, and they are everywhere—in scooters, electric bikes, and our cell phones. We use them every day. They can overheat or simply fail, and the fires have proven more difficult to contain than regular fires. Please pay close attention to all directions and only use approved chargers for these devices. Never charge batteries on beds, couches, or under pillows.
During my media briefing this week, Fire Chief Corey Smedley joined me to discuss the importance of family planning in emergencies. That includes keeping your emergency kit well-stocked and getting everyone in your family on the same page should an emergency occur. That plan may be different for every family. Get started or refresh your memory on those priorities on the County’s Planning for Emergencies webpage.
Ours is one of the premier fire and rescue operations in the country. We are one of the largest counties in the nation, responding to more than 120,000 emergencies each year and serving over 1 million residents. That’s a heavy workload, but the education efforts we make in the community pay off. Learn more about safety resources and public education efforts at montgomerycountymd.gov/mcfrs.
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Lending my Support to Newly Passed Legislation
I want to highlight two bills passed unanimously this week by the County Council that I’ll be signing:
- Bill 8-26, Prohibition Against Price Coordination and Rent-Setting Algorithms
- Bill 27-26, Unlawful Racing and Street Takeovers—Prohibited
Eliminating price-fixing algorithms is about protecting renters from unlawful and unfair rent hikes, a focus we have pursued extensively throughout my administration. This is another tool to prevent tenants from being taken advantage of. Housing remains a necessity for every family and should not be used by corporations to make record profits.
The racing and street takeover bill will help us go after the people behind street takeovers and punish them. I have been alarmed by this recent trend that puts drivers, passengers, and spectators at risk of serious injuries. I don’t want to see anyone seriously injured or dead because someone doing donuts in a car loses control of the wheel.
Community Champion Awards
This week, I got to help celebrate some remarkable people. The first Community Champion Awards, an initiative of the Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) Commission, honor individuals who advocate for and support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
Honored last night were:
- Advocacy Award: Heather Sach for being an advocate for needed support, strong community partnerships, and ensuring that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families are heard and valued.
- Community Leader Award: Karen Leggett for uniting and inspiring others while demonstrating leadership that strengthens inclusion and engagement within the community.
- Education and Student Achievement Award: David Godoy-Brito for advancing education, inclusion, and independence, while empowering people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to reach their full potential.
- Humanitarian Award: Karen Kaye for showing compassion, service, and dedication that made a lasting and meaningful impact on the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
- Innovator Award: Awarded posthumously to Chuck Short for being someone whose creativity and vision have led to innovative solutions that remove barriers and expand opportunities, independence, and inclusion.
- Intercultural Award: Azeb Ataro Adere for building bridges across cultures, expanding access to support, and fostering inclusive communities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
- Recreation and Leisure Award: Sarah Albus for expanding access to inclusive recreational and leisure opportunities that encourage participation, connection, confidence, and personal growth.
- Workforce and Inclusion: Tom Liniak for advancing inclusive hiring and meaningful employment opportunities, while promoting professional growth, dignity, and belonging in the workplace.
Their work ensures that all our residents have the opportunity to live, work, learn, and build meaningful lives in our community, which is a commitment we take seriously. Real inclusion requires more than good intentions; it requires action and directly listening to the people whose lives are affected.
For me, this work is personal. As the father of children with Down syndrome, I know these aren’t just abstract policy discussions because they affect families every single day. Like any parent, I want my children to have real opportunities, to be respected, and to be recognized for their abilities and potential—not defined by a diagnosis.
That’s why we’re strengthening representation on our Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Commission. I signed Bill 28-26, the Jake Didinsky Advocacy Act, introduced by Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Shebra Evans, to expand membership of the IDD Commission and ensure voices directly affected are heard. Whether we are honoring our Community Champions or making it easier to navigate the system, we must remember that breaking down barriers across education, employment, and advocacy takes effort.
Here is what we’re focused on to help our IDD community:
- Expanding Access
- Employment
- Housing
- Transportation
Information for caregivers and people with disabilities is available on the Aging and Disability Resource Unit website, managed by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. Reach them by phone at 240-777-3000 for information on programs and services.
We know change doesn’t happen overnight, and there is still work ahead—from reducing waiting lists to expanding inclusive hiring, housing, and transportation. Government can’t do this alone; it takes families, educators, employers, and advocates to work side by side, and that’s why it is so important to recognize the outstanding work being done in our community.
The Importance of Trees in Combating Climate Change
If you follow us on social media, you will see a new video posted about the importance of trees and a robust tree canopy in lessening the effects of climate change. I was interviewed by summer interns working with Sarah Kogel-Smucker, our climate change officer, and I want to be sure that everyone has a chance to see the video. The video explains how a strong tree canopy works in every neighborhood to help our environment. It also provides information about resources in the County so we can plant more trees. You can watch the video on YouTube. Together we can make Montgomery County a cooler, cleaner, flood-safer community, one tree at a time.
As always, my appreciation for all of you,
County Executive
Read the original article at mcgov
