Berliner to Hopkins: See You in Chevy Chase

Last week, Council District 1 challenger Ilaya Hopkins proposed a series of debates with incumbent Roger Berliner and he has agreed to at least one of them. On June 1 at 7 PM, the two will debate at the Town of Chevy Chase Town Hall at 4301 Willow Lane. This is the backyard of East Bethesda resident Hopkins and the stronghold of Purple Line rail opponents, with whom the pro-rail incumbent has disagreed in the past. Following is the press release from the Berliner campaign.

Contact: Heather D. Mills
Email: friendsofberlinerpress@gmail.com
Phone: 202.701.4526

Councilmember Berliner Announces First Candidate Debate for District 1 Council Campaign

Bethesda, MD (March 29, 2010) – Incumbent County Councilmember Roger Berliner (D-1) announced today the first of what his campaign hopes will be several debates in his bid for re-election. On June 1, 2010 at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall, the Town of Chevy Chase, along with Somerset, Chevy Chase West and East Bethesda, will co-sponsor an event to be moderated by Charles Duffy, host of Channel 16’s Political Pulse.

“I look forward to discussing my record of working hard and getting results for the residents of District 1,” said Councilmember Roger Berliner. Berliner, a lifelong Democrat and the first Democrat ever elected to represent District 1, was recently voted “Best County Councilmember” by the readers of Bethesda Magazine.

Since elected in 2006, Berliner has hosted eleven public forums for constituents – more than any other member of the County Council. As a result, District 1 voters know where he stands on the issues. But debates are important, and Councilmember Berliner “looks forward to debating my challenger, and I am authorizing my campaign to work out the number, place and format of future candidate debates, as is the normal practice.”

About Councilmember Roger Berliner:

Roger Berliner was first elected to the Montgomery County Council in November 2006 when he defeated the incumbent Republican by 12 percentage points. He currently serves as Lead Member for Energy and Environment on the Council’s Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy, and Environment Committee and is a member of the Public Safety Committee. He also serves as the Council’s representative to the County’s Sustainability Working Group and Green Economic Task Force. Regionally, he is on the Washington Regional Board of Directors of the Council of Governments, and serves as Vice Chairman of COG’s Climate, Energy, and Environment Policy Committee.

Councilmember Berliner’s accomplishments on the County Council include:

· Comprehensively addressing our traffic nightmare by sponsorship and passage of a tough new transportation test for development; proposing that Wisconsin and Connecticut Avenues be designated by the Governor as Sustainable Transportation Corridors; and providing incentives for developers to commit to taking action that will result in fewer cars on our roads.

· Sponsoring and passing 8 major energy/environmental initiatives that include the groundbreaking Home Energy Loan Program, a tax credit for solar energy, and a consumer measure that gives homebuyers information on how much their new home will cost to heat and cool, a measure the state legislature is exploring adopting for state-wide applicability.

· Successfully fighting to protect our quality of life by sponsoring and passing comprehensive McMansion reform; preserving the open space at the heart of Bethesda on Woodmont and Bethesda Avenues; and preserving the historic viewshed of the C&O Canal from unsightly development.

· Leading the fight to provide stronger public safety by keeping the Bethesda police station open to the public 24/7; fighting against the proposed ambulance fee that would cripple our invaluable volunteer service; and advocating for a new computer system to reduce response times for ambulance calls;

· Strengthening our local economy by working with the County Executive’s team to provide small businesses with access to capital; creating good “green jobs” in Montgomery County; and being a leader in the remaking of White Flint, which is estimated to produce $6-7 Billion in additional county revenues; and

· Fighting to preserve the quality of our school system by sponsoring and passing the amendment to the growth policy that ensures developers contribute where schools are overcrowded; working with MCPS to ensure that District 1 schools receive their fair share of modernization funding; and supporting 99% of the school system’s operating budget requests.

From speed bumps to modern elementary schools to sustainable transit policies, Roger's focus has been and will continue to be protecting the community we love and preserving our quality of life.

###