MoCoCo picks developer over transit-oriented activist
Since I’m still trying to get a handle on the various members of the County Council, I made this quickie chart showing the Councilmembers’ positions on Ross/Alfandre, on the subdizing library parking, and on which ones Maryland Politics Watch calls a a “slow-growth candidate” (which often means no growth in dense areas, pushing development to distant exurbs).
Member | District | Lib. Pkg. | Plan. Bd. | “Slow Growth”? |
---|---|---|---|---|
Roger Berliner | 1 (Bethesda/CC/Potomac) | Market | Alfandre | Slow |
Mike Knapp | 2 (Upcounty) | Market | Alfandre | Not Slow |
Phil Andrews | 3 (Rockville/Gaithersburg) | Subsidized | Ross | Slow |
Don Praisner | 4 (East County) | Subsidized | Alfandre | Slow |
Valerie Ervin | 5 (Silver Spring) | Market | Ross | Not Slow |
Marc Elrich | At Large | Subsidized | Alfandre | Slow |
Nancy Floreen | At Large | Subsidized | Alfandre | Not Slow |
George Leventhal | At Large | Market | Ross | Not Slow |
Duchy Trachtenberg | At Large | Subsidized | Ross | Slow |
There’s not a lot of correlation here; the Slow-Growthers were mostly together on the library, losing Berliner but picking up Floreen. Alfandre/Ross doesn’t resemble the others much. Anyone more knowledgeable about MoCo politics want to weigh in with more insight or opinions?
Update: I’ve gotten some emails with more information about Ross vs. Alfandre. Alfandre was backed by the opponents of greater density in Bethesda and Friendship Heights, and he refused to say whether he supports or opposes the ICC when asked by the Sierra Club (Ross clearly and publicly opposes it). As I said above, Kentlands is auto-only, though with some provision for future Corridor Cities Transitway access, and a New Urbanist semi-walkability while also being located far away from employment centers.