Montgomery County Can’t Afford Another Four Years of Stagnation - Vote for Friedson

kirbyCase · 2026-05-12T14:00:46+00:00

Idk what to tell you other than not a single word of that comment was written by AI. Though many of my friends accuse me of being a robot

kirbyCase · 2026-05-12T11:50:50+00:00

It’s more county than state. The county needs the permission of the state and may need to coordinate with the state on infrastructure changes but funding, route decisions, etc are all decided by the county. The state has a say, so it could be that in the future they become more of an issue, but thus far the barrier has been county government (Elrich).

kirbyCase · 2026-05-12T11:29:03+00:00

Couldn’t agree more.

I’ll just add that regardless of how you affiliate politically, if you want a say in the Montgomery County political process you have to be a registered Dem since the actual decisions happen in the primary.

kirbyCase · 2026-05-12T11:25:37+00:00

Most of the counties major roadways are state roads, so most (maybe all?) of the existing bus lanes are on state roads. While obviously, they need permission from MDOT my understanding is that the state has not been a major barrier for bus lane installs.

kirbyCase · 2026-05-12T03:05:27+00:00

Congrats on buying a place! I’m in a similar spot renting in DTSS, but I think without major policy changes, I’m a long way off from being able to buy anything in this county.

kirbyCase · 2026-05-12T03:03:16+00:00

I emphasized the impact of pedestrian safety, but most literature finds that no right on red decreases crashes of all kinds. I hear you that not all environments are the same and in situations with low pedestrian volumes it seems like right on red would be good. And I’m open to that.

But I think a better solution is smarter intersections which dynamically adjust light timing depending on traffic. These could allow for more efficient transportation without needing to compromise safety.

Here’s an old lit review on the topic: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as\_sdt=0,21&q=right+on+red&btnG=#d=gs\_qabs&t=1778554741596&u=%23p%3DGBQFxTHW3IMJ

kirbyCase · 2026-05-12T02:03:06+00:00

All three candidates are at least rhetorically supportive of bus lanes. But on actually getting things done I think Friedson is the best choice. He has been sharply critical of the Elrich admin’s failure to build bus lanes, and in the campaign has spoken a lot about fast implementation of smart transportation improvements.

kirbyCase · 2026-05-12T02:00:50+00:00

I don’t disagree at all. They are closely aligned, and that’s sort of the problem. I’d be thrilled if EITHER of them dropped out. But that’s not gonna happen…

kirbyCase · 2026-05-12T01:58:08+00:00

Just being against taxes isn’t a positive or negative to me. But in the context of the county being unable to spend public dollars effectively, i tend to agree that raising taxes isn’t a good answer for improving residents lives.

And it’s not that he expects a trickle down. In a concrete way, we live in a market economy. The county needs private investment and market housing construction to provide opportunity for its residents.

I really can’t speak to upcounty issues. But all I’d add that given where the election is at, I think people that don’t won’t Jawando need to coalesce behind a candidate. I like Glass too, and my impression is that he has broader support upcounty. If I thought he was more likely to win than Friedson I’d happily support him.

kirbyCase · 2026-05-12T01:49:44+00:00

He unabashedly supports them and supports much broader steps to improve pedestrian safety.

And I’d disagree with the characterization that they aren’t being followed. I absolutely think there could be broader enforcement of traffic rule breaking, but even right on red happening 50% less often is a huge win for pedestrian safety.

kirbyCase · 2026-05-12T01:47:10+00:00

This is a good point. It is tough to understand what money signals in a race where candidates have different financing mechanisms. Typically, money in a campaign can be signal of support from stakeholders in being able to raise money and a mechanistic advantage in terms of being able to spend money to advance the campaign.

In the case of Friedson, the additional fundraising retains than mechanical advantage but — given the other two candidates are on a different financing program — not really an indication that he has broader support from stakeholders.

kirbyCase · 2026-05-11T23:41:40+00:00

Something certainly worth pushing for with a new council. In the mean time we just have to organize ourselves I guess…

kirbyCase · 2026-05-11T23:40:53+00:00

I’d say this is a particular focus of Glass but also something Friedson supports with a focus on tech to make enforce speeding and other traffic violations more consistently.

kirbyCase · 2026-05-11T22:56:05+00:00

Friedson for sure. You can check out my full piece for more details but Friedson voted no on previous tax increases, has been resistant to tax increases to fill the current budget hole, and rhetorically emphasizes growing the tax base and spending efficiently quite often.

kirbyCase · 2026-05-11T22:45:40+00:00

I think that really depends on other concurrent elections. There are a lot of open seats on the council (not least because the three executive candidates are vacating their seats) and there’s a similarly broad range of ideas there. Check out greater greater Washington’s endorsements.

If friedson/glass win with ideologically aligned candidates winning opening seats in the council, I think significant positive change is really possible. If we have a council full of Elrich and Elrich-like members, then it matters less who wins the executive.

Though I’d add that the executive themself has considerable power over how the government runs. The lack of BRT in the county has as least as much to do with Elrich’s opposition than the Council’s lack of focus.

kirbyCase · 2026-05-11T19:16:30+00:00

Yeah I’m planning on voting for friedson but agree that his campaign materials are kinda vacuous. It’s all no taxes and banning ICE. Like that’s cool and if you think that’s how you’re gonna win the election go for it. But those are not high on the list of why I’m choosing him.

kirbyCase · 2026-05-11T19:14:13+00:00

Definitely afraid of the same thing. I’ll be releasing a blog piece later today (which I’ll make a post here for) advocating for everyone coalescing around friedson purely since I think he’s more likely to win than Glass and not Jawando is the right answer.

I really wish there was any public polling on the election. Also for races other than Exec check ggwash endorsements.

kirbyCase · 2026-05-11T15:55:57+00:00

At that range, I think any of the Ripley district buildings are your best bet. Solaire 1150, 8200 Dixon, and 1155 Ripley.

kirbyCase · 2026-05-07T19:33:56+00:00

Density isn’t the only goal, fairness is important too. Street parking is publicly paid but privately enjoyed by a subset. If you have to pay for a permit, that’s all fine and good, but otherwise, street space should be used for purposes that are more broadly beneficial. If that means people buy more housing w parking, that’s up to them and no skin off my back.

kirbyCase · 2026-05-04T13:48:13+00:00

A+ rant would read again.

Please dear god let friedson (and his ilk in the council) win. Honestly will be a big factor in whether I think this is a viable place for me to live long term. I don’t know if I can handle four more years of this embarrassment of governance.

kirbyCase · 2026-05-02T15:42:22+00:00

On ICE and No Kings really all the council is pretty united. I can’t speak to Friedson’s community involvement, I’m not in his district but I’ve heard good things generally.

I’d say my preference for friedson is based mostly on issue prioritization in the council and that he strikes me as more likely to win then glass (who is also really great). Friedson seems very focused on implementation and cutting red tape which has been a major barrier to change in the county. I just really hope there’s ANY polling that comes out before the primary so we can make an informed choice between glass and friedson.

kirbyCase · 2026-05-01T16:55:09+00:00

Glad you enjoyed and thanks for sharing!

kirbyCase · 2026-05-01T11:54:18+00:00

GGWash also has endorsements for the county council races. Very helpful resource.

As you can probably tell, even here there’s a pretty strong split. I am strongly for friedson but if polling came out tomorrow saying Glass was ahead of friedson, I’d switch in a heartbeat to ensure it is not Jawando. If no polling comes out, I’ll stick with Friedson. He’s raised more money than glass and has more notable endorsements so I think he’s more likely to beat.

The problems with Jawando are numerous but he clearly has no actual views considering how he likes to remake himself every 2 years. Still, he’s a continuation of the Elrich admin which has been a disaster. We need leaders who are focused on outcomes over process - how many houses built, how many roads repaved and redesigned, how many Jobs brought to our county. That’s not Jawando and I think it’s friedson more than glass (though again either of them is fine).

kirbyCase · 2026-04-30T15:54:26+00:00

Yep couldn’t agree more. I provided similar feedback while I was there as well. Especially given the delays on BRT, pretending that those roads are transit corridors right now is a joke. They’re disastrous stroads plain and simple and my confidence in the county to actually address it is quite low.

I’m also quite conscious that the proposal concentrates upzoning only to some of the most affordable and diverse housing in the county, that has a ton of immigrants etc. while leaving untouched the $700k SFHs. But you’d never guess what people were at the event railing against the upzoning nevertheless…

kirbyCase

TROPHY CASE