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American politician from Maryland From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marc B. Elrich (born November 2, 1949) is an American politician serving as the county executive of Montgomery County, Maryland.[1] He is a former member of the Montgomery County Council and the Takoma Park City Council.[2] He became the Democratic nominee for Montgomery County Executive in the 2018 primary before winning the general election.
Marc Elrich | |
|---|---|
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| 7th Executive of Montgomery County | |
| Assumed office December 3, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Ike Leggett |
| Member of the Montgomery County Council, At-large | |
| In office December 2006 – December 3, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Steven Silverman, Michael L. Subin |
| Succeeded by | Gabe Albornoz, Evan Glass, Will Jawando |
| Member of the Takoma Park City Council | |
| In office 1987–2006 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 2, 1949 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic Socialists of America |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence(s) | Takoma Park, Maryland, U.S. |
| Education | University of Maryland, College Park (BA) Johns Hopkins University (MA) |
| Signature |  |
Marc Elrich was born in Washington, D.C., near Takoma Park. His father was a postal worker and his mother was a waitress.[3] When he was ten, his family moved to Silver Spring. In 1963, he went to hear Martin Luther King Jr. speak at the March on Washington.[4] He attended Albert Einstein High School in Kensington and the University of Maryland. He was once arrested at an anti-apartheid rally.[3] He worked as a manager in the automotive department at Montgomery Ward before getting a master's degree in teaching from Johns Hopkins University.[5]
Elrich taught 4th and 5th grade for 17 years at Rolling Terrace Elementary.[6]
Elrich served on the Takoma Park City Council from 1987 to 2006.[2]
He is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.[7]
Elrich ran for the county council four times before getting elected in 2006.[8] Since that time, he has served three terms. He was elected with the most votes of any candidate in 2010 and 2014.[9] The Washington Post endorsed his candidacy in 2010 and 2014, stating that he was viewed as somewhat anti-business, but advocated a business-beneficial transit system and had a strong focus on efficiency and the development and planning process.[10][11]
He worked to have environmental concerns addressed in the Clarksburg Master Plan and he spearheaded the effort to protect Tenmile Creek.[12] The amendment that was passed requires development to supply environmental protections. He considered protecting the stream one of his highest environmental concerns at the time.[13] He supported one bill protecting the tree canopy and sponsored another protecting street trees. Both were voted into law.[14] He advocated for the elimination of cosmetic use of pesticides on private lawns because of their cancer-causing chemicals helping the county become the first locality in the country to do so and was considered a key co-sponsor of the legislation.[15] He advocated against the use of artificial playing turfs that contain lead and other cancer-causing ingredients[16] and sponsored a resolution banning crumb rubber turfs.[17] He voted for the Montgomery county five-cent bag tax to fund environmental cleanup efforts.[18] He was lead sponsor of a bill to require large gas stations to be at least 500 feet from schools and parks.[19]
In 2013, Elrich was the lead sponsor of legislation to increase the county's minimum wage, which raised it to $11.50 per hour.[20] Elrich twice was the lead sponsor of legislation to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour in Montgomery County. In January 2017, a bill passed in the Council and was vetoed by then County Executive Ike Legget.[21] In November 2017, a second bill passed and was signed into law, making Montgomery County the first county in Maryland with a $15 per hour minimum wage.[22] At the time of the bill's passage, the State of Maryland's minimum wage was $9.25 per hour.[23]
In 2017, Elrich declared his candidacy for county executive. He participated in public financing. The largest allowed contribution is $150. He did not accept money from developers or land use attorneys.[24]
In 2019, Elrich banned Montgomery County police stations from displaying thin blue line flags. Acknowledging that the flag was a symbol of "support" to some and a symbol of "divisiveness" to others, he drew criticism from Governor Larry Hogan for the policy.[25]
In 2019, The Washington Post editorial board called Elrich's decision to block construction of communication towers in Montgomery County a "victory for NIMBYism."[26]
In 2013, Elrich was the lone vote to oppose a plan to preserve affordable housing along the Purple Line light rail corridor.[27] In 2017, Elrich was criticized for describing the council's plan to allow denser housing construction around the stations of the planned 16-mile Purple Line as "ethnic cleansing".[28] He said he was sorry if his language was offensive, but he defended his comment saying that this is not just a Montgomery County problem but a nationwide problem and a "well-known fact" of what happens when rail lines take over communities.[29]
During his tenure, Elrich has said he has tried to preserve affordable housing.[30][31][32] Elrich has opposed market-rate housing construction,[33][30] and higher density near public transit stations.[2] He has opposed allowing duplexes, fourplexes and sixplexes in some neighborhoods that are exclusively zoned for single-family housing.[34] In 2019, Elrich opposed a nonbinding council resolution to build 10,000 more housing units (most of them affordable housing) by 2030, saying that the county cannot afford to build that much affordable housing.[35] He has cast doubt on projections by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments on the need for more middle-income and low-income housing.[36][35] In 2019, Elrich said that he rejected the concept of missing middle housing, and said that Montgomery County did not lack housing for middle earners.[37]
In 2019, he opposed a zoning change that allowed homeowners on single-family zoning plots to build accessory dwelling units, saying that it would "fundamentally alter" neighborhood character and not lead to more affordable housing – the zoning change was approved unanimously by the council.[35] In 2019, he said he would prevent tearing down affordable housing to "build housing for millennials."[38] In 2020, Elrich vetoed a bill giving tax breaks to developers who built high-rise buildings on top of Metro stations, but the council overrode his veto.[33] Elrich has frequently called for higher taxes on real estate developers.[35]
Housing activists have characterized Elrich as a NIMBY.[33][39]
Elrich voted against the White Flint Mall II sector plan because Elrich stated that the plan would have created 6,000 residential units located too far from a Metro station.[40] He voted against the Bethesda Master Plan because it failed to consider the effect the increased density would have on roads and schools.[41] He voted against the Lyttonsville Sector Plan because he stated that it would increase housing costs and force residents to move out,[42] as well as the Chevy Chase Lake Sector Plan.[43] He opposed a proposal to sell land adjacent to the White Oak Food and Drug Administration campus because local roads and infrastructure were not equipped to handle additional traffic and students.[44] In 1995, he joined with community members and fought against a proposed mega mall in downtown Silver Spring.[6]
Elrich has four children. Two were foster children, including a son who has Down syndrome. He has lived in Takoma Park for most of his life.[5] He is Jewish.[6] On January 1, 2022 it was announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19.[45]
The Democratic primary election was held on June 26, 2018.[46]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Marc Elrich | 37,532 | 29.02 | |
| Democratic | David Blair | 37,455 | 28.96 | |
| Democratic | Rose Krasnow | 19,644 | 15.19 | |
| Democratic | Roger Berliner | 16,710 | 12.92 | |
| Democratic | George L. Levanthal | 13,318 | 10.30 | |
| Democratic | Bill Frick | 4,687 | 3.62 | |
| Majority | 77 | 0.06 | ||
| Total votes | 129,346 | 100.00 | ||
The general election was held on November 6, 2018.[47]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Marc Elrich | 225,900 | 64.3% | |
| Independent | Nancy Floreen | 67,402 | 19.2% | |
| Republican | Robin Ficker | 57,489 | 16.4% | |
| Write-ins | 356 | 0.1% | ||
| Majority | 158,498 | 45.1% | ||
| Total votes | 351,150 | 100.0% | ||
The Montgomery County executive primary election was held on July 19, 2022.[48] On August 6, Elrich declared victory with a 42 vote lead over Blair, but Blair released a statement saying he would request a recount pursuant to Maryland law.[49] Elrich ended up winning the recount by 32 votes.[50]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Marc Elrich | 55,504 | 39.20 | |
| Democratic | David Blair | 55,472 | 39.18 | |
| Democratic | Hans Riemer | 28,193 | 19.91 | |
| Democratic | Peter James | 2,429 | 1.72 | |
| Total votes | 141,598 | 100.00 | ||
The general election was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. Elrich defeated Montgomery County GOP chairman Reardon Sullivan.[51]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Marc Elrich (incumbent) | 251,897 | 75.11% | +10.37 | |
| Republican | Reardon Sullivan | 81,410 | 24.27% | +8.06 | |
| Write-in | 2,083 | 0.62% | +0.52 | ||
| Total votes | 335,390 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
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