Last night's budget forum at the Kensington Town Hall was well attended by local activists as well as a number of local elected officials. One could also not fail to impressed by the number of citizens who took time to learn more about the budget crisis and to take their hand at trying to solve it. Many thanks to Dee Schofield of the District 18 Democratic Caucus who worked hard to put the forum together and to Sen. Rich Madaleno and Secretary Eloise Foster who walked us through the budget maze. Here are some quick and dirty impressions from the forum:
Elected Officials: In addition to Sen. Rich Madaleno on the podium, all three delegates from District 18, Jane Lawton, Ana Sol Gutierrez, and Jeff Waldstreicher, were there. Councilwomen Duchy Trachtenberg and Nancy Floreen listened closely and booed amusingly when the issue of cutting aid to the counties, especially for teacher retirement, was mentioned. The senior assistant to Executive Ike Leggett didn't look too thrilled by that idea either. Sen. Mike Lennet and Councilman Marc Elrich also came to the forum. Kensington Mayor Pete Fosselman and Town Councilman Al Carr were there to graciously welcome everyone to their Town.
The Budget and MoCo's Legislators: The budget is going to place our legislative delegation in a tough bind. Do they stand firm and oppose slots like their constituents even though this is the revenue raiser least likely to impact Montgomery? Do they oppose tax increases which will fall disproportionately on county residents? If the governor threatens to slash support for teach retirement or some other program dear to the heart of Montgomery, does the delegation see his bluff and dare him to cut funding for teachers in the state's largest county which provided a motherload of votes for him? Let's hope that our county and legislative leaders are strategizing hard to have a plan when the budget finally comes up.
Eloise Foster is someone I had not met before getting involved with the budget forum. However, one quickly sees why three governors have trusted her on budget issues and two of them have appointed her as budget secretary. She is smart, knowledgeable, and discreet yet also does a good job of outlining and defending the basic approach and priorities of the administration.
Blair Lee is a Democrat who drives many progressives up the wall because his columns seem way too supportive of conservatives. After the forum, I heard him commenting eloquently and sharply on the current budget crisis. A fierce defender of Montgomery's interests, he knows the issues well and would be a worthy adversary in any debate on the topic. We can expect him to advocate vocally against more taxes unless Montgomery's legislative leaders bring home something bring for the County--and it better not be something we already have or were promised in his eyes.
Immigration. The anti-immigration posse were handing out flyers to everyone entering the Kensington Armory and were under the delusion that denying services to illegal immigrants would save Maryland $300 million. Not only would it would be illegal to deny many services, including schools and emergency health care, it would also be extremely shortsighted even from a selfish perspective. Keeping kids out of school seems like a great idea if you want to increase crime and create a class of people who have no skills, no attachment to this country, and only a poor command of the language. The irony is that most illegal immigrants go to great lengths to avoid government because they don't want to be sent home so they are actually less likely to use government services.
District 16: Tonight, the Montgomery County Central Committee will choose a successor to Del. Marilyn Goldwater. Reggie Oldak and Don Mooers, both considered strong candidates, were at the forum, as was at least one member of the central committee--District 18's Vic Weissberg. Dana Beyer, a former candidate for delegate in District 18 and now an aid to Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg, was arguing hard for Reggie Oldak. Oldak came in a strong fourth in last year's Democratic primary. Others tell me that Mooers may have the edge. We'll just have to wait and see what the central committee decides.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Budget Forum Impressions
Monday, September 10, 2007
Budget Forum Tonight
Governor Martin O'Malley's Budget Secretary Eloise Foster and District 18 Senator Richard Madaleno will lead a public forum on Maryland's budget shortfall on Monday, September 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the Kensington Town Hall (the Armory).
Foster also served as budget secretary under Gov. Parris Glendening, and Madaleno previously served as lobbyist on Montgomery County budget matters for former County Executive Doug Duncan. American University Government Professor David Lublin will also serve as a panel member.
The panel will explain the budget process and discuss the pros and cons of different ways to bring the FY08 budget into balance. Charles Duffy of Political Pulse will moderate.
Audience members will have the chance to fill out a budget worksheet and try to balance the budget by selecting from among various expenditure cuts and revenue increases. The current projected shortfall for FY08 is $1.5 billion.
"We plan to give the audience the same kinds of options the Governor and General Assembly will be considering." said Madaleno. "We want this to be a realistic exercise. It's a chance for citizens to learn about the budget process and to participate in finding a solution."
Event organizers are asking those who attend to bring their calculators, said Duffy. Their completed budget worksheets will be collected, and the results tallied and released after the event.
The budget forum is sponsored by the District 18 Democratic Caucus, the Greater Silver Spring Democratic Club, and PREZCO. The event is free and is open to everyone.
Monday, August 27, 2007
So You Want to Cut the Budget?
In previous posts, I've discussed various means of raising revenue from hiking taxes to adopting slots. Of course, we can always cut the budget too. While many tend to think that there is a lot of fat waiting to be cut from the budget, making the choice of what to cut is not always so easy in reality. Here is a list of potential cuts and associated budget savings (in millions of dollars) provided to me by Sen. Richard Madaleno (D-18):
No state employee salary increase, 62All of these cuts combined would get us close to a balanced budget--assuming somehow that the deficit does not rise further in the wake of the real-estate crisis. Montgomery County would have to either make significant cuts of its own or raise property taxes in order to compensate for the decline in state revenue. Montgomery is the largest beneficiary by far of state funding of teacher retirement, the largest item on the list. So don't assume that your taxes won't go up if the state takes an ax to the budget.
Eliminate subsidy for retiree prescriptions, 184
Eliminate GF for PAYGO programs, 29
Close four state mental health facilities, 20
Postpone community provider increase, 47
Eliminate new program funding for disabled children, 12
Reduce positions for corrections and juvenile services, 13
Transfer park costs to Program Open Space, 16
Eliminate state grants to private colleges, 64
Eliminate support for state aided educational institutions, 7
Eliminate stem cell research fund, 23
Eliminate Heritage Tax Credit, 25
Delete support of Tourism Board & Baltimore Convention Center, 10
Eliminate biotech and film production tax credits and grants, 13
No rate increase for nursing homes, 20
Apply 2% premium to eligible Medicaid recipients, 19
Level fund higher education (15% tuition increase), 55
Transfer 50% of teacher retirement costs to local governments, 324
Level fund K-12 formulas, 137
Delete state grants for police, 44
Eliminate electric generating property tax grant, 31
Delete Geographic Cost of Education Index, 40
Cut increase in community college grant, 28
Eliminate aging schools program, 11
Delete all K-12 grants outside of Thornton formulas, 51
Delete funding for retiree health care trust fund, 100
Friday, April 06, 2007
MD Senate Kills War Resolution
Sens. Rich Madaleno (D-Montgomery) and Paul Pinsky (D-Prince George's) sponsored a resolution on the deployment of 1300 members of the Maryland National Guard to Iraq. Here is the key part of the resolution:
WHEREAS, Approximately 1,300 members of the Maryland National Guard have been called to serve in Iraq; andAt this late date in the session, new resolutions require support from two-thirds of the Senate to be considered. The measure attracted support from only 20 of the 47 senators, though six of the eight Montgomery senators cast a vote in favor. In addition to Sen. Madaleno, the sponsor, Sens. Forehand, (D-17), Frosh (D-16), Garagiola (D-15), Lennett, and Raskin (D-20) supported consideration of the resolution. Sens. Kramer (D-14) and Hogan (D-39) voted against.
WHEREAS, There are only an estimated 7,000 members of the Maryland National Guard and many have recently served in repeated deployments; and
WHEREAS, To date, more than 3,200 of the U.S. military have died in the war in Iraq; and
WHEREAS, The Inspector General of the Department of Defense has found that the Pentagon has not been able to properly equip the soldiers it already has with many lacking adequate weapons, ammunition, armor, and other supplies to “effectively complete their missions;” and
WHEREAS, Both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are consideringlegislative proposals relating to military operations in Iraq that include demands for the withdrawal of most U.S. troops from Iraq by 2008; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, That the Governor and the Maryland Congressional delegation are urged to voice their opposition to the most recent mobilization order potentially affecting members of the Maryland National Guard and call for a rescission of the order unless it can be shown that (1) the members will be fully equipped with sufficiently protective body armor and armored vehicles and other necessary weapons and equipment; (2) the members will be fully and adequately trained for combat in Iraq; and (3) there is an official redeployment strategy for all Untied States military personnel from Iraq
Friday, March 23, 2007
District 18 Activist Aaron Kaufmann Testifies for Health Care
Sen. Rich Madaleno sent out the following email today:
This week I had the pleasure of testifying with District 18 activist Aaron Kaufman on an important health care bill I introduced this session. The bill would require health insurers to cover speech, physical, and occupational therapy for people with congenital or genetic disabilities, which currently they do not have to do for adults. (Delegates Gutierrez, Lawton, and Waldstreicher are all sponsors of the House version of the bill.) Maryland took the lead in 2000 by mandating this coverage for children through age 19. Now that Aaron (who has cerebral palsy) is 20, he is no longer covered by private health insurance for these services which are difficult to receive through Medicaid. Not receiving these services only exacerbates his condition, undoing the therapy and his hard work of these past years. I was very pleased to be able to introduce this legislation that would help some of our most vulnerable citizens.
I wanted to share his testimony with you because it was particularly moving. He did an excellent job of delivering it, and I think he really had an impact on the members of the committee. You could have heard a pin drop while he spoke.
Thanks, Rich
SUPPORT: SB 944 – HABILITATIVE SERVICES
Senate Finance Committee
March 22, 2007
Chairman Middleton, Sen. Astle and members of the Committee.
Hello. My name is Aaron Kaufman. I want to thank you for allowing me to come before you today to discuss this important issue. I also want to thank Sen. Madaleno and the co-sponsors for their support and hard work on this legislation.
I am 20 years old. I have a disability called Cerebral Palsy. I am joined here today by my brother Jay, who is 23 and also has CP. We were both born with CP. Although we are fortunate that our disability is not life threatening, it is a lifelong challenge that requires consistent, continuous care. The most vital part of that care is physical therapy, which both Jay and I received until our private health care insurance company cut off all therapies (Physical, Occupational and Speech) when we each turned 20.
As Jay has already experienced, without physical therapy my condition will worsen, causing painful contractures and increased muscle tightness. This will require surgeries, drugs and extensive procedures my brother and other friends here with me today have already experienced.
Do we tell a diabetic you are 42 so no more insulin? Do we tell a cancer patient, sorry, you are 37, no more chemo? Of course not! Then why tell people with CP and other severe disabilities just that, you’re 20 and no more treatment.
In Maryland if you are born with a disability the insurance companies can and do cut off your therapies when you reach the age of twenty. In contrast to someone who was injured in say a car accident or other tragedy, they are entitled to physical therapy for as long as necessary and are not arbitrarily cut off.
My family currently pays over $45,000 a year in medical insurance premiums; in addition they must pay the deductibles, co-pays and related medical expense not covered under the policy. Until my brother and I reached the age of 20 the policy also covered my physical therapy and occupational therapy and his physical therapy and speech therapy. When they cut off our therapies the premium did not go down with the reduction in coverage, rather it went up.
The average price of physical therapy in Montgomery County is approximately $80-90 per session. That works out to be over $17,000 a year as the cost for my and my brother’s physical therapy. My occupational therapy and my brother’s speech therapy would double that cost to my family. Medicaid does cover physical therapy, in theory but not in real life. They only pay $27 for a session. We have not been able to find a single physical therapist in Montgomery County who will accept Medicaid.
My insurance company may save some money in the short term by not paying for therapy however, as a result of the inevitable complications they will have to pay far more for the costly remedial procedures than they would if they simply covered the physical therapy in the first place.
The insurance companies don’t seem to understand that weekly physical therapy can save them the cost of major procedures needed later, to undo the damage done by not having physical, occupational or speech therapy.
This bill addresses the inequity faced by individuals born with disabilities and provides them with the same rights as those who are injured later in life. It also addresses the arbitrary age cut-off date.
I am hopeful that this committee will take swift action to address the problems faced by my family and many other families with regard to services that are vital to people with disabilities. I hope you will vote for SB 944.
Again thank you for your time and consideration. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 301-951-3477 or amkaufman87@comcast.net.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Gaithersburg Tax Cut
Last Thursday, I attended the Montgomery County Senate delegation meeting which was taken up by a piece of local legislation advocated by Sen. Jennie Forehand (D-17) and the City of Gaithersburg. The legislation is geared toward correcting a tax anomaly created by Gaithersburg's expansion and poorly crafted legislation.
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is funded by a local tax. Several municipalities in northern Montgomery, including Rockville and Gaithersburg, do not pay the tax on the grounds that they fund their own parks. However, the areas annexed by the municipalities since the creation of the M-NCPPC since its creation some 41 years ago are in limbo. They haven't been charged the tax but are legally required to pay it because they live outside the boundaries of Gaithersburg at the time the law went into effect.
This problem affects some 19,000 homes in Gaithersburg and only around 30 in Rockville, though the number in Rockville is projected to rise substantially based on construction unless the problem is fixed. The proposed local legislation would change the law governing the tax used to fund the M-NCPPC so that the areas annexed by the municipalities don't have to pay it. and the County can't go after the residents for retroactive taxes.
M-NCPPC argues that several park facilities are really county facilities and the municipalities should pay a large portion of the tax. Mayor Sidney Katz, assisted by staff from the City, strenuously argued that Gaithersburg residents should have to pay no more than 10 percent of the tax as Gaithersburg funds it own parks and there is a provision for reciprocal park use among Gaithersburg and Montgomery residents.
Several senators raised the issue of inequity among county residents if Gaithersburg residents are totally exempt from the tax. Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-20) pointed out that Takoma Park residents pay the tax even though they also fund their own park facilities. Sen. P.J. Hogan (D-39) noted that he pays homeowner association fees to fund facilities in his Upcounty neighborhood on top of the M-NCPPC tax. M-NCPPC representatives argued that several facilities in the County are unique and used by people from all over the County.
Gaithersburg countered that exempting all of Gaithersburg from the tax would simply make de jure the de facto situation before it was discovered that many homes in Gaithersburg are liable for the tax. Gaithersberg reps agreed that the County needed to negotiate with all municipalities about the share of the tax that their residents would pay in order to achieve equity across the County. However, the M-NCPPC and Gaithersburg are far apart in what they consider an equitable tax rate for the City of Gaithersburg.
After a long discussion, the bill gained the support of the Montgomery County senators.
In truth, this bill is utterly unnecessary. County Executive Leggett backed the bill but also made clear that he had no intention of collecting this tax. Gaithersburg even successfully fought off a proposal to place a time limit of two years on the exemption of all Gaithersburg residents, arguing that this provision would discourage the County from negotiating in good faith with Gaithersburg and other municipalities.
Hogwash. The County Executive and County Council would have to be politically brain dead to even consider angering such a large block of residents unnecessarily. They would certainly want negotiations brought to a conclusion acceptable to the County and the City. In contrast, Gaithersburg's pursuit of a permanent exemption from the M-NCPPC tax gives the City absolutely no incentive to negotiate in good faith because they already don't pay any tax but can use all of the County facilities.
The reciprocity norm will likely see this bill through to final passage. Undoubtedly, Montgomery senators do not want to annoy Sen. Forehand, not just because she has a reputation of being extremely nice but because they may need her support on a bill affecting their own districts some day. House of Delegates Majority Leader Kumar Barve personally lobbied the Senate delegation to support the bill. It's hard to turn him down too.
Unfortunately, as I believe Sen. Rich Madaleno pointed out, this means that the County delegation will likely have to revisit this issue in order to achieve greater equity. The next time the issue appear, the delegation may not have the luxury of simply ratifying an agreement between municipalities and the County as this proposal appears to make such an agreement much less likely. And state legislators would be unwise to simply let the issue rest as it allows a major inequity between municipalities to continue.
Friday, March 16, 2007
E.J. Pipkin Not Ready for Prime Time.
Yesterday, I had the privilege of sitting on the floor of the Maryland Senate--a wonderfully historic chamber in our beautiful State Capitol. Thanks to Scott Tsikerdanos who loaned me his coat and tie so that I was presentable enough to enjoy the honor! I was both embarrassed and pleased that Sen. Rich Madaleno (D-18) introduced me to the Senate during the "introduction of guests" period, though he should not be held responsible for my views here.
The main matter of business was a debate over new restrictions on the legislative scholarship program. As some of you may know, Maryland has this outrageous program by which members of the Senate and the House of Delegates can give scholarship money to whomever they choose. A new and utterly sensible step on the way towards abolishing this political boondoggle has been to give legislators the option of giving the money to the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) to administer impartially on their behalf.
A second step has been for MHEC to deny scholarships to people with familial ties to the legislator. E.J. Pipkin (R-Eastern Shore) offered a couple of amendments to the bill and generally showed a basic lack of common sense or ethics. He is deeply offended by the bill and sees no difference between a relative receiving a scholarship directly from a legislator and from an impartial state-administered screening process. Pipkin failed in his bid to gain a promotion to the U.S. Senate when incumbent Barbara Mikulski whipped him 65-34% in 2004.
Pipkin basically gutted the bill's teeth by first getting the Senate to make it illegal to "knowingly" award scholarships to people with familial ties. Good luck proving knowingly in a court. Second, Pipkin got the Senate to hold over the bill until a later date by arguing that the definition of family is revised down. Pipkin wants to exclude mother-in-laws, foster kids, and a number of other relations from the definition.
Sen. Delores Kelly of (D-Baltimore City) argued in favor of excluding foster kids as we should reward legislators who take on this responsibility. This seemed a fair point. I was less impressed by Pipkin's argument that the bill provided an unfair burden by requiring him to know the relations of his delegates since he cannot give the money to their relatives either. Of course, as another swifter senator pointed out, he had nothing to fear since he would only encounter a problem if he did this "knowingly" thanks to his first amendment. Moreover, a simple question on the scholarship application could take care of this problem.
As Sen. Madaleno observed on an earlier occasion, domestic partners are not mentioned in the legislation, so Maryland is finally on the verge of genuinely passing a law that grants gays and lesbians "special rights". After all, if he had not already given the money to MHEC, he could use the money to fund his partner's education. Senate President Mike Miller offered that the legislation showed the difficulty of legislating "common sense." Especially with E.J. Pipkin in the Senate.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Sen. Madaleno Reports
The General Assembly is now nearly to the halfway point of the 2007 legislative session. It has been a slow year in the Senate so far. The next 45 days should be especially busy. I would like to give you a brief update on some of the state transportation improvements expected in our district. But first I would like to share with you my good family news. As you may know, in mid-January, Mark, Katie, and I welcomed a new addition to our family – a baby boy named Jackson. He is a healthy and happy two-month old who has already been to Annapolis to lobby on two occasions. I am confident Ana, Jane and Jeff listened to his concerns.
I am pleased to report that the District 18 Team has been working together well and meeting frequently. We recently met with the District Manager of the State Highway Administration to review projects in our district. Over the next 18 months, SHA will be working on a number of construction, repair, and planning projects in our community in which I thought you would be interested.
Several of these projects involve Georgia Avenue. Most important among these is a plan to widen the exit ramp off the eastbound Beltway (Inner Loop) onto southbound Georgia Avenue, which currently merges into a very short right-turn-only lane. This project will also include the installation of a traffic light at the end of the ramp. This new configuration should reduce traffic backing up onto the Beltway. SHA expects to complete the project during the summer of 2008.
Along Georgia Avenue between the Beltway and 16th Street, the old overhead reversible lane signals will be modernized by the end of spring. SHA will be eliminating the yellow X symbol, which they have found many drivers do not understand.
In the same area, SHA is conducting a pedestrian study for Georgia Avenue through Montgomery Hills. Once the weather gets warmer, they will paint lane and crosswalk markings. (SHA is not involved with the Montgomery County government’s planned sidewalk, lighting, and landscaping improvements designed to help Montgomery Hills pedestrians.)
In the Chevy Case area, SHA is planning to modify the sidewalk and road in front of BCC High School, facing East-West Highway. SHA will be replacing the existing sidewalk in front of the school and the two interior walkways leading into the school with a new ten-foot wide sidewalk parallel to East-West Highway. A new fence will be built between the sidewalk and the school, which will alter the way that students walk into the school. SHA will also be installing a permanent median along East-West Highway in front of the school. They expect construction to occur this summer.
SHA is also coordinating with officials in Chevy Chase Village on a project involving the sidewalks along Brookeville Road.
SHA also discussed two projects in Kensington. First, SHA is currently studying ways to improve traffic flow through the town of Kensington along Connecticut Avenue, Knowles Avenue, and Plyers Mill Road. Part of their study involves tracing in detail the frequency of different routes taken by drivers once they enter Kensington. This information should help planners address the town’s traffic problems.
Also in Kensington, SHA plans a landscaping and median beautification project along Connecticut Avenue and University Boulevard to the Kensington town limits. They anticipate construction this fall.
SHA is also planning some major road resurfacing projects. By this fall, they expect to complete the resurfacing of Georgia Avenue from the Beltway up to Veirs Mill Road. SHA will be resurfacing Georgia Avenue from Veirs Mill Road to Randolph Road starting this summer, with construction due to be complete in the fall of 2008. In fiscal year 2008, SHA expects to resurface University Boulevard between Veirs Mill Road and Connecticut Avenue.
Finally, this fall, SHA will be installing new full signals at the Connecticut/University split and at the Georgia/Veirs Mill split to make it easier for pedestrians to cross at these intersections.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Early Voting Passes the Senate
Today, the Maryland Senate approved a constitutional amendment which would allow early voting in the State of Maryland. Despite Republican squawking, it passed 31-16. Now, it should go before the voters in 2008. Thanks to Scott Tsikerdanos in Sen. Rich Madaleno's office for providing the information on the vote.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Getting Closer to Crossing Georgia
The campaign to build a tunnel under Georgia Ave. by the Forest Glen Metro station has received several major boosts lately. Adam Pagnucco, a leader in the fight for the tunnel, reports that the County Council included the project as part of its official transportation request to the County. The District 18 legislative delegation (Sen. Rich Madaleno, Dels. Ana Sol Gutierrez, Jane Lawton, and Jeff Waldstreicher) have also written letters backing the tunnel.
Maybe one day soon, residents of Forest Estates and workers at Holy Cross Hospital won't have to play a live version of Frogger to get to the Forest Glen Metro.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Senate Rules Change
The Washington Post covered failed Republican efforts to change the rules of the Senate to make it easier to fillibuster and to force Senate committees to vote on all bills. Both ideas were voted down on party-line votes. However, the Post missed what was the key rules change. The Senate has amended its rules to join the House of Delegates in prohibiting its members from offering constitutional amendments as amendments to another bill. This small change will prevent anti-gay marriage advocates from repeatedly trying to amend the Maryland Constitution as the Senate takes up other legislation.
At the same time, it doesn't prevent the Senate in taking up the issue. Indeed, Sen. Rich Madaleno informs me that opponents of gay marriage have filed a bill defining marriage as between a man and a woman. The bill has 13 sponsors or cosponsors, 10 Republicans and 3 Democrats. The Senate has 33 Democrats and 14 Republicans. The three Democratic cosponsors are James DeGrange (Anne Arundel), Norman Stone (Balt. County), and Roy Dyson (Southern MD). The four Republicans who are not cosponsors are E.J. Pipkin (Eastern Shore), Andrew Harris (Baltimore and Harford), Allan Kittleman (Howard and Carroll), and Donald Munson (Washington).
Friday, February 02, 2007
Legislators Debate Purple Line
Maryland legislators debated the Purple Line in the Sun. Sen. James Rosapepe and Sen. Gwendolyn Britt from Prince George's were quoted as supporting the light-rail link:
"During the last four years, money has unfortunately been sucked away from the Purple Line," Sen. James C. Rosapepe, a College Park Democrat, said at an Annapolis rally yesterday. "Now with Gov. O'Malley, I think there's a need to expand our commitment to it."However, Sen. Richard Madaleno and Del. Jane Lawton, both from District 18 in Montgomery, supported burying or moving the proposed line:
Sen. Gwendolyn T. Britt, a Prince George's Democrat, said the project is especially important to minorities and low-income families who often need to commute from one suburb to another, a pattern not well-served by the Metro system.
"In my district, there are families and hard-working individuals who must take 2 1/2 hours on the bus, on several buses, getting to work," Britt said.
But Sen. Richard K. Madaleno, another Montgomery County Democrat, said the light rail plan is a mistake. "You want to expand transit in places where you take people out of cars and put them on rail," Madaleno said. "This takes people out of buses and puts them on rail."
The Purple Line has also generated opposition from users of the Capital Crescent Trail, a recreational amenity adjacent to part of the proposed light rail route. They petitioned to move the tracks or build the line underground as part of the Metro.
Doing so will "increase ridership, expand Metro's ability to run alternate routes in emergencies and protect the trail," Del. Jane E. Lawton, a Montgomery Democrat said in a news release.
