Doug Duncan Endorses Ilaya Hopkins

Former County Executive Doug Duncan has endorsed Ilaya Hopkins, who is challenging incumbent Council Member Roger Berliner in Council District 1 (Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac). Following is her press release.

NEWS RELEASE

Media Contact:
Chris Gill, campaign manager
Email: chris_gill@ilayahopkins.com

Former Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan Endorses Ilaya Hopkins for District 1 County Council Seat

BETHESDA, MD – June 28, 2010 – Ilaya Hopkins, candidate for the District 1 seat on the Montgomery County Council, today announced that former Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan endorsed her for the District 1 County Council seat.

“It’s an honor to have Doug Duncan’s support in my bid for the Montgomery County Council District 1 election,” said Hopkins. “During his 12-year tenure, Doug provided visionary, decisive leadership that transformed the county into a national public education leader, a model for smart growth, and an economic engine for the state. I am proud to be associated with his tremendous record of accomplishment for our county and communities.”

“It is with great pride and a sense of hope that I endorse Ilaya Hopkins for the Montgomery County Council District 1 seat,” Duncan said. “I have gotten to know Ilaya through her community work and her recent campaign. She is an exceptional leader, with a strong track record of success serving her community. Now more than ever, we need leaders who will focus on the real challenges Montgomery County is now facing – exploding budget deficits, over capacity in schools, choked roads and fleeing businesses. Ilaya has the courage and vision we need to make the tough decisions that will once again put Montgomery County back on track and provide the quality of life we deserve,” said Duncan.

Doug Duncan served as Montgomery County Executive from 1994-2006. During his tenure, Duncan improved educational excellence, strengthened environmental protections, fought poverty and urban blight, and positioned Montgomery County as an international biotechnology leader.

Among his many accomplishments, Duncan invested in education to reduce class sizes, hire more teachers and provide all-day kindergarten. Under Duncan, Montgomery high schools consistently ranked in the nation’s top three percent. His administration preserved more farmland and open space than any other county in the nation and invested in mass transit to relieve traffic congestion and improve air quality. He led efforts to invest $2 billion in public and private sector funds that transformed Silver Spring into a model of smart growth and urban development. Under his leadership, 85,000 jobs were created and Montgomery County enjoyed the lowest unemployment in the state.

About Ilaya
Hopkins serves on the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Implementation Committee, the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board where she co-chairs the Quality of Life committee, and is a board member of Bethesda Green, a public-private partnership to promote a healthy economy and sustainable living practices. She chaired the Coalition of Military Medical Center Neighbors, which has members who represent 10,000 people who live, work, attend school and do business in the vicinity of the Medical Center Metro, home to the new Walter Reed National Medical Military Center in Bethesda. She is the immediate past president of the East Bethesda Citizens Association, a neighborhood group of 1,200 houses adjacent to the Bethesda Central Business District between East West Highway and Jones Bridge Road. She is a graduate of Leadership Montgomery, active in the Rosemary Hills Primary and North Chevy Chase Elementary Schools PTAs and is a member of Montgomery Women. She lives in Bethesda with her husband and two sons.

To learn more about Ilaya, her position on the issues and campaign activities visit www.ilayahopkins.com. You can follow Ilaya on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ilayahopkins and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ilayahopkins.

The Democratic primary is Tuesday, Sep. 14th, 2010 and the general election is Tuesday, Nov. 2nd