Lamari Releases Questionnaire, Challenges Rivals on Transparency

District 4 candidate Cary Lamari is publicly releasing his questionnaire from the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. In the following statement to Maryland Politics Watch, Lamari challenges the other candidates to do the same.

Adam,

As promised, I am enclosing my Chamber of Commerce Questionnaire.

I do not expect to get the chamber endorsement; there are many developers that are members of the Chamber of Commerce. I support a quantifiable and measurable growth policy that would require growth be balanced with infrastructure investment and there should be a prioritization where Montgomery County targets investment where they want to grow in a responsible fashion in cooperation with developer contributions. It worked in Silver Spring and makes sense.

I appreciated the opportunity to be able to speak to the members of the Chamber of Commerce. Whoever is elected will have to work with and be a partner in the endeavor to encourage both a quality of life that we all can enjoy and a business environment rich with opportunity.

I challenge my opponents to be as open, transparent and accountable as I am being, and also allow you to publicize their Chamber Questionnaires. I want people to hold me accountable, read what I am about. If I say one thing and do another I want you and your readers to hold my feet to the fire.

Thank You,
Cary Lamari

*****

Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce
The Voice of Montgomery County Business

Candidate Questionnaire - District 4 Special Election

Name: Cary Lamari
Party Affiliation: Democrat

1) WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE ROLE THAT MONTGOMERY COUNTY WILL PLAY IN OUR FUTURE GLOBAL ECONOMY?

We are the suburbs of the Nations Capitol; we host much of our Nations intellectual elite. We are the home to many federal agencies. Having these federal agencies in Montgomery County has had both beneficial and a negative attribute as we also bear the infrastructure demand that accompanies hosting these agencies, however we do not benefit from property tax income from these facilities. We have traditionally done well with this exchange, because as a result we also host much of the worlds support industries to these Federal agencies. We must continue to leverage opportunities that may be by products of our federal residents. (Biotech, high-tech, and the New Green industries along with the accompanying hospitality industries)

a. WHAT WOULD YOU DO AS A MEMBER OF THE COUNTY COUNCIL TO REACH THIS VISION?

As a member of the Montgomery County Council, I would work to promote the wonderful attributes of our county: the high-tech/biotech industry which is located here; our commitment to the arts, such as A.F.I., Strathmore, Blackrock, et cetera; & I would also use my seat to support good business legislation which has a comprehensive vision which demonstrates a strong economic return and takes into account the high standards that we place on the quality of life in Montgomery County.

2) DO YOU BELIEVE THAT PROVIDING INCENTIVES FOR COMPANIES TO LOCATE IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY?

The simple answer is yes. I believe that we need to continue our history of creating an environment, which attracts business here. Additionally, I believe that we need to compete in order to retain those businesses, which have demonstrated significant returns to our County. To these ends, I believe that it is necessary to invest in business in order to achieve those goals.

3) ECONOMIC DOWNTURN HAS RESULTED IN DECREASED REVENUES FOR MONTGOMERY COUNTY. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE ARE THE BEST METHODS FOR BOOSTING COUNTY REVENUES? WHAT SHOULD BE TRIMMED FROM THE COUNTY’S BUDGET IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES?

I believe that during a time of fiscal crisis, we must ferret-out waste and fraud in our government spending, demand accountability when we find waste and fraud, which is a point that I can elaborate more on in our interview. We should reconsider how we redevelop public facilities and reduce architectural attributes in favor of more utilization. And we must work with County employees through hot lines to be able to understand other options in which we may either reduce spending or address poor management practices which has the potential to cost government significantly each year. I also believe that we must reduce the level of bureaucracy in our government, review and restructure programs based on performance, and enforce our laws in order to promote legal businesses in Montgomery County. By supporting business we may be able to increase Capitol gain revenues. Additionally, we must promote and encourage new niche markets such as in green industries. This includes encouraging innovation in the realms of green construction, energy reduction, and research and development. I believe as our global climate changes and air quality declines, green technology will be the next frontier in a global economy.

4) GIVEN THAT MARYLAND’S INVESTMENT IN TRANSPORTATION CONTINUES TO DECLINE AND TRAFFIC CONGESTION REMAINS A HUGE CONCERN FOR VOTERS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, HOW DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THE COUNTY COUNCIL SHOULD ADDRESS OUR TRAFFIC RELIEF?

I have always maintained that traffic isn’t only addressed through new transportation projects, but also needs to be addressed through land-use. I believe that we must develop a comprehensive growth policy, which balances growth with infrastructural demands. Furthermore, we must develop a prioritization system, whereby government and developers will work together in order to address growth in a responsible fashion by placing dollars, investment as funds become available with developer contribution, directing that investment to the priority projects. I also believe that we must promote a balanced transportation strategy, encourage transit, increase Metro and MARC services, promote the purple line/ Corridor Cities Transit-way, and study the benefits of Bus Rapid Transit. These initiatives should be studied from a cost/benefit perspective, and should be implemented if they are cost effective, in order to create the most benefit for the taxpayers of this county at the cheapest cost, and in the quickest fashion possible. I also believe that, especially in District 4, we must promote grade separated intersections at the intersections of Randolph Road & Georgia Avenue Norbeck Road & Georgia Avenue. Additionally, we must promote some road widening on Muncaster Road and Norbeck road east of Georgia Avenue.

5) WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON SOME OF OUR KEY TRAFFIC RELIEF PROJECTS INCLUDING THE PURPLE LINE, CORRIDOR CITIES TRANSIT WAY AND THE WIDENING OF I-270?

I support both The Purple Line and the Corridor Cities Transit-way. I see the Purple line as a project that is ready for implementation, and I feel that the C.C.T. is probably one of the most important projects today, given that there are no transit options other than the MARC train from the termination of the Metrorail at the Shady Grove Road Metro station to the city of Clarksburg. Given this deficiency, I see the potential for a significant increase in ridership. I suggest considering a potential alignment that connects the Metrorail, Rio Mall, Crown Farm, Kentlands, Germantown, and ultimately Clarksburg. I would look at potentially using Bus Rapid Transit as a quick and affordable mode of transportation that can be implemented in an expedited fashion.

Regarding the widening of I-270, I would have to see studies showing that it would result in an improvement in traffic congestion. To my understanding, it could be argued that widening I-270 perpetuates more congestion on certain segments of roadways. From my perspective, the action that would result in the most benefit to Montgomery County would be to green-light immediate spending on the widening of the Beltway, south of the I-270 spur. I support this course of action because I feel that it will reduce the bottleneck effect that currently exists today in that area.

6) PLEASE DISCUSS YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE MASTER PLANS THAT WILL COME BEFORE THE COUNTY COUNCIL IN 2008 INCLUDING: GAITHERSBURG WEST, GERMANTOWN AND WHITE FLINT, AS THESE AREAS ARE ALL OPPORTUNITES FOR IMPORTANT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

We must work with community input in order to achieve a comprehensive Master-Plan. The county government must allow an open and transparent process, whereby residents, the business community, and non-profit organizations sit down to discuss the dynamics of their individual communities, and develop a targeted, strategic plan for their neighborhoods. Following these conferences, the Montgomery County Council must review any consensus that the various groups came up with and integrate that strategy with the overarching plans of the county. The council must develop a prioritization of growth areas in the county and commit funds to working with developers in order to bring this vision to fruition. The history of Montgomery County and its disjointed development patterns must stop. For example, the I-270 Corridor was designed as a transit-oriented corridor with attributes that promoted a high quality of life and enticed successful businesses to Montgomery County. Instead, we have created very many lovely communities with very few transit options. Thus, the county is in need of significant infrastructure investment, which includes Police, fire/Rescue, and educational facilities and strained road networks. If Montgomery County desires to flourish in the decades to come, we must develop a measurable, quantifiable growth policy. We need to identify where and how Montgomery County wants to grow and target that growth in a fashion that balances the need of infrastructure with available funding from the government and the developer community.

7) WHY WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY COUNCIL AND WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH?

I feel Montgomery County is at the crossroads. There are two directions and two different visions that our County may implement. One is to become a community with poor infrastructure and lacking amenities to promote both business and a reasonable quality of life. On the other hand, Montgomery County could strive to create a more balanced, flourishing community, which possesses an improved transit network and a combination of urban, suburban, and rural attributes keeping with the historical values that we all enjoy. I also value community participation and a government whose primary goal is to work for the people and to take their interests at heart first. I believe that we have a delicate balance on the County Council. I truly believe that my candidacy represents a more balanced council, as I would take a path similar to that of former Councilwoman Marilyn Praisner. I believe that I am more in touch with the residents of District 4 than my opponents, and for this reason I wish to represent the residents of District 4 on the Montgomery County Council.