VICKI’S PERSPECTIVE on county issues

My Commitment

If elected, I will:

• Advocate for expanded accessible and affordable housing options, including incentives for universal design and home modifications.

• Collaborate to create a county where accessibility isn't an afterthought—it's the standard by strengthening enforcement of ADA compliance across public spaces, transportation, and private developments.

• Continue championing small, high-impact changes that improve independence and inclusion for all.

• Everyone deserves to live comfortably and healthy in their community.

Join me in this work!

Affordable Housing

• Supply: There is a general shortage of affordable housing due in part to the return-on-investment that is expected by developers. Thus, there is an inordinate focus on “luxury” rentals and “luxury” owned housing instead of affordable rental and owned housing.

  • Allowing duplexes, triplexes and small apartment buildings to be built without limit in existing single-family neighborhoods along transportation corridors is an unreasonable burden on current owners/residents.

  • Limiting density by bedroom count or some other method to assure that density does not create an overcrowded neighborhood that destroys the character of the community. It is too easy for the County to ignore the range of environmental justice principles that support quality of life, and then the County wants the “sacrifice” zones along these corridors to become “special tax districts” that only adds insult to injury to the owners/residents who already are being forced to put up with issues that may be for the “public good” -- but not for that “public”.

• Development Costs: Prices for land, labor and construction materials, as well as restrictive and over-reaching government regulations, are exacerbating the ability to deliver an adequate supply of affordable housing on time and on budget.

• Stagnant Earnings: Earnings of renters and homebuyers who represent the essential services base of our workforce are finding it extraordinarily difficult to earn or save enough to secure even affordable housing.

• Cost to Rent: Square footage is going down while prices are going up. Newer, more affordable units have become little more than caves or overcrowded domiciles.

• Cost to Purchase: Down payments are the greatest challenge to purchasing, particularly for the first-time buyers. Rising mortgage interest rates and excessive settlement costs in Montgomery County exacerbate the need for significant financial resources.

  • Flipping the County’s housing focus from rentals to homeownership with a revolving downpayment fund coupled with seven years of homeownership mentoring for buyers.

  • Borrowing from the Habitat for Humanity model, I would recommend homeownership buy-in via classes and “home-work” projects on existing housing by those seeking homeownership, along with the return of downpayment money in full within seven years of purchase to support other homebuyers.

  • Focusing on rehabilitating existing dwellings rather than demolishing them.

    • Rehabbing older homes and buildings is faster, cheaper, and more environmentally responsible—it keeps costs down for buyers and renters while protecting our neighborhoods’ character.

    • In rehabbed properties, prioritize options for current residents to purchase new or upgraded units.

• Operating Costs to Own: Property taxes in Montgomery County, insurance premiums, utilities, and the maintenance, repair and replacement costs of homeownership are a major challenge for all. Those costs are insurmountable for our most vulnerable populations.

• Promote multi-generational and flexible housing designs.

  • Too many homes force grandparents into basements or detached accessory units.

  • We should encourage—and make affordable—purpose-built units for extended families, whether through rehabbed existing stock or smart additions.

• Affordable housing options for the elderly and those with disabilities:

  • Many homes lack essential features like ramps, wide doorways, roll-in showers, or adaptable layouts.

  • With our aging population, this gap forces people into institutional care or relocation far from their communities, support networks, and familiar surroundings.

  • We need more inclusive housing stock, including modifications and new developments designed for accessibility from the start.

• Location of Zoning Changes: With the exception of the Agricultural Reserve, all land should be considered with regard to changes to commercial and residential zoning. Zoning should positively address key issues (e.g., walkability and bike-ability to local shopping and public schools, public recreation and transportation, storm water management, environmental hazards) that includes existing communities' point of view.

• Missing Opportunities: Creating “villages” similar to Friendship Heights that are located a few miles from a transportation hub and provide “rapid” bus service to/from that hub during rush hours and every 30 minutes during the balance of public transportation hours could decrease the pressure to crowd every possible home along the Corridors. Space is an important element of one’s quality of life; yet, the County’s approach to zoning is simply “packing in more sardine cans per square mile with more sardines in each can”.

Together, we can make Montgomery County a place where hard-working people aren’t priced out of the dream of owning a home.

If elected to County Council, I’ll fight for these practical, family-focused policies every day.

Transportation & Smart Growth

• Transportation to reduce traffic congestion is critical:

  • Ensure smart growth and protect personal property rights.

• Identify solutions to the “service” factors that limit individuals’ interest in public transit: cost, time, crime, safety, cleanliness, convenience,

  • Cost: What cost keeps the “rider by choice” on the rails or in the bus?

  • Time: How much time does it take to get from the most-used starting points to the most-used destinations, and what can be done to decrease that time? Should we be using “express” rail during rush hours that stops at every other station instead of at every station?

  • Crime: The transit hubs and rails in particular feel relatively unsafe to riders. More visible, engaged security.

  • Safety: A public campaign that stresses the safety of public transportation could alleviate the concerns of some who feel that cars are the safer option.

  • Convenience: Frequent, reliable service that minimizes the number of changes from one transport to another is critical to rider satisfaction.

  • Greater promotion of “employee benefits via public transit” to employers whose workers can use public transit.

  • Protect property owners from unfair eminent domain practices.

Environmental Justice

• Proposed Data Centers: Massive new facilities threaten to consume enormous amounts of electricity and water, increase air and noise pollution, strain our infrastructure, and drive up utility costs for everyone all while potentially harming local ecosystems and residential communities.

• Stormwater Management and Overdevelopment: Large-scale projects with vast impermeable surfaces prevent natural absorption, worsening flooding for downstream neighbors.

• True environmental justice means protecting the vitality of our air, water, land and most importantly, the people who live here in Montgomery County.

  • We lag behind neighboring jurisdictions in economic development and practical environmental progress.

• It’s about ensuring that no community bears a disproportionate burden from pollution, flooding, or reckless development.

• Families deserve clean air to breathe, safe water to drink, and neighborhoods that support — rather than threaten their well-being.

• Prioritizing solutions to air and water pollution from school bus operations and other sources

• Ensuring rigorous review and responsible standards for any data center proposals — protecting residents from excessive energy use, water consumption, noise, and emissions

• Reforming stormwater management to prevent irresponsible development from harming downstream neighbors

• Holding big polluters and developers accountable, while rejecting performative policies that distract from real problems

• Putting people first — investing in practical, science-based actions that improve health outcomes in every neighborhood

Join the fight for real environmental justice.

Education: Prioritizing Basics, Literacy, and Real-World Readiness

Our public schools must deliver one core mission: every Montgomery County student graduates equipped with essential life skills and the ability to thrive independently.

• Prioritize core academics for all students first: ensuring literacy and numeracy mastery before specialized programs.

  • Shift specialized immersion and advanced language programs to community colleges, where students already take advanced courses.

  • Expand quality preschool, Head Start, and birth-to-five programs.

  • Strong early foundations prevent later gaps and deliver the best long-term return.

• Put teachers and classrooms first:

  • Redirect spending from excessive facilities and niche programs to competitive teacher pay, smaller classes where needed, and direct student supports.

  • We must care for the general student population, the vast majority of our kids, before funding highly specialized options for a few.

  • Until literacy rates reach acceptable levels and every child masters essential life and job skills, our priorities need realignment.

Join me in ensuring every student who graduates from MPCS is ready for life. 

Learn more or get involved today.

My Commitment

• Together, we can make Montgomery County a place where hard-working people aren’t priced out of the dream of owning a home.

• If elected to County Council, I’ll fight for these practical, family-focused policies every day.

• Everyone deserves to live comfortably in their community.

• We need to ensure every child graduates ready for life.

• Together, let's create a county where accessibility isn't an afterthought - it's the standard.

Join me in this work!