Hopkins Candidacy Announcement

East Bethesda resident Ilaya Hopkins sent out the following press release announcing her candidacy for the Council District 1 seat. The district includes Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Potomac. The incumbent, Roger Berliner, is running for re-election.


NEWS RELEASE

Media Contact:
Chris Gill, campaign manager
Phone: (301) 461-1100
Email: chris_gill@ilayahopkins.com

Ilaya Hopkins to Announce Candidacy for District 1 Montgomery County Council Seat at Campaign Kick Off Event

BETHESDA, MD – March 5, 2010 – Bethesda – Ilaya Hopkins, a community leader from East Bethesda, will officially announce her candidacy for the District 1 Montgomery County Council seat at a campaign rally this Saturday in Bethesda.

“Over the last two months, I’ve been meeting with friends, neighbors, colleagues, and community and business leaders to discuss the issues facing Montgomery County and District 1,” Hopkins said. “Our community is facing significant challenges. Our schools are stressed and overcrowded, our roads are choked and transit options are limited. In addition, the economic downturn has hurt our businesses and the county is experiencing an unprecedented budget crisis. I’m entering this race because I believe that we need stronger leadership that will make the tough decisions to get us back on track and build the future we want to see,” said Hopkins.

The Campaign Kickoff will be held at the PeriPoint building at 5001 Wilson Lane, Bethesda's first certified LEED Silver building. The event will run from four to six in the afternoon and is open to the public.

Located at the crossroads of business, community and schools, the PeriPoint building symbolizes the intersection of education, transportation and economic vitality in forging a sustainable, vibrant community and a higher quality of life for everyone in District 1 and throughout Montgomery County.

Bethesda resident Leslie LeBlanc said, “For me, voting for Ilaya Hopkins will mark the first time that I am voting for a politician whose work in the community has directly benefited me and my family in a positive way. Ilaya is smart, principled and a consensus builder who has really delivered for our community. She is just what we need right now.”

Hopkins serves on the County Executive’s 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 chairs the Coalition of Military Medical Center Neighbors, which represents 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 in the current core class of Leadership Montgomery, active in the Rosemary Hills Primary and North Chevy Chase Elementary Schools PTAs and is a member of Montgomery Women.

Prior to becoming involved as a community leader, Ilaya was an organizational development consultant and international cultural exchange program officer. She has a Masters degree from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in Bethesda with her husband and two sons.

The Democratic primary is Tuesday, Sep. 14th, 2010 and the general election is Tuesday, Nov. 2nd. 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/ilayahopkinsand Facebook at www.facebook.com/ilayahopkins.