Montgomery County Council President Natali Fani-González’s Remarks at Committee for Montgomery’s Annual Legislative Breakfast – Mocofeed

Council President Fani-González’s complete remarks can be read below.  

Good morning. My name is Natali Fani-González.

Thank you so much for being here. I want to recognize all my colleagues, including my friend and partner Vice President Marilyn Balcombe. Thank you to the Committee for Montgomery for your leadership and for hosting us here today. 

I recently introduced the Trust Act, and I wanted to highlight that here today. When we say that we want to welcome immigrant communities, we need to mean it. That is why this is my first piece of legislation as Council President, to ensure that we give protections and we make this the law in Montgomery County. 

Everyone should feel safe in this County, and at the end of the day, this is also about public safety. We want to make sure that you live in a neighborhood where people can feel free and comfortable calling the police if they see a crime. That is so important, and that is why every single one of my colleagues has joined as co-lead sponsors. I’m very thankful to County Executive Elrich and Police Chief Marc Yamada for standing in support with us. 

I am also deeply thankful to Senator Will Smith. This year, he is going to be sponsoring legislation in Annapolis to end the 287(g) program that allows local and state police officers to act as federal immigration agents. That’s highly significant in these times, as no local enforcement should be working with ICE. We don’t do that Montgomery County, but we shouldn’t do it anywhere in the state. So, thank you, Senator Smith for that. 

Another priority for me is focusing on one of the oldest and most disgraceful police stations in the County, which is in my district, in Glenmont. If we say that we want to embrace public safety, we need to make sure that our police officers are working in safe and high-quality facilities. This year, we must move forward with the redevelopment of that police station, and I’m going to need your help to fully fund this critical project.  

The other point that I would like to make is about Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). I’m very proud of our school system. I have two children in the school system. Yes, we’re going to be working closely on the budget, but I also expect more from them.  

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I’m going to speak here from the heart as a mom and MCPS parent. We deserve accountability for each one of the schools. It is not okay that some schools are doing great and others are not, when every student deserves a learning environment that fosters success and wellbeing. I expect accountability and transparency. When we receive the budget request, we are also requesting that MCPS deliver on their responsibility to ensure that each child and teacher in the school system feel safe in order for us to have academic excellence. That’s what we all want. 

I will end by talking about cost of living. If you’re going to talk about cost of living, you must talk about housing, and the need to increase housing density in this County. Right now, young families are leaving this County. Why? They cannot afford to live here. They cannot afford a house. They cannot afford childcare. That’s the reality. And we cannot deny this. We must come forward and offer solutions. That’s why we were hired by the electorate. By the people who live in this County. Confronting crises – that is our job. 

I look forward to working with my colleagues on childcare, more housing, especially deeply affordable housing, and making sure this County continues to be an amazing place that I’m proud to call home.

Thank you so much.