News and Views
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Take Action: Change MCPS Elections
Read more: Take Action: Change MCPS ElectionsFollowing our explainer about the Board of Education’s illegitimate at-large elections, I received additional information on the matter from Delegate Marc Korman (D-Montgomery County). In addition to House Bill 0655 introduced by Delegate Brian M. Crosby (D-St. Mary’s), our very own MoCo House delegation recently introduced HB0380 to mandate district voting for the BoE’s district…
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More Tire Toxicity in MoCo? Why the “EV Push” by MoCo is a Push for More Toxic Tire Pollutants in Our Local Ecosystem
Read more: More Tire Toxicity in MoCo? Why the “EV Push” by MoCo is a Push for More Toxic Tire Pollutants in Our Local EcosystemAs we pointed out in January of this year, Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection is obsessed with promoting “electric vehicles” (EVs) as a means to “reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and build confidence in ecofriendly transportation options among the public.” County Executive Marc Elrich is also obsessed with “EVs” and electric / battery-powered busses. He tweeted…
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MCPS Board of Education: MoCo’s most illegitimate governing body
Read more: MCPS Board of Education: MoCo’s most illegitimate governing bodyEmployees using MCPS credit cards for suspiciously personal use; secretive policy meetings; a proposed 10% tax hike to fund a school system with no performance improvements in return; capricious boundary changes. There are lots of reasons that people are upset with the Board of Education, but I fail to see the need for a rumpus.…
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Where Is the Watchdog? Montgomery County’s Office of Internal Audit Last Posted a Report Seven-Plus Months Ago
Read more: Where Is the Watchdog? Montgomery County’s Office of Internal Audit Last Posted a Report Seven-Plus Months AgoMontgomery County’s Office of Internal Audit (MCIA) is housed under the ‘Office of the County Executive’ and states that its program: “…provides independent strategic risk-based auditing services. The core function of this program is to improve internal controls and provide reasonable assurance of reliable financial reporting, effective and efficient operations, legal and regulatory compliance, fraud…
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The Property Tax Hike Rebellion
Read more: The Property Tax Hike RebellionLet’s talk about the 10% increase in property tax (aka, “10 cent revenue enhancement”) supposedly to fund MCPS. Montgomery County demographics are largely Democrats, and much of the workforce is in government, contracting, and hospitality industries. Many would ordinarily support paying more for the schools. (Not to diminish the real burden this places on retirees…
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Is WSSC Serving the People of MoCo or Companies & Lobby Shops With Donor Ties to Local Democrat Politicians?
Read more: Is WSSC Serving the People of MoCo or Companies & Lobby Shops With Donor Ties to Local Democrat Politicians?The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) probably deserves its own investigative series. If we had a truly inquisitive local ‘fourth estate’ we might have gotten one a long time ago. But local media in Montgomery County is obsessed with being ‘friends’ to the powerful, instead of auditors or investigators. Our very own “Independent” and tax-supported…
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A MoCo Developer’s Solution for Affordable Housing
Read more: A MoCo Developer’s Solution for Affordable HousingThe following is an interview conducted by Mark Lautman of Chris Bruch, CEO of The Donohoe Companies, about proven solutions for providing affordable housing. We appreciate the contribution and willingness of both individuals to share with CleanSlateMoCo. Hope you enjoy! What does Donohoe Companies do? We build, manage, and develop commercial real estate, including hotels,…
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Why Do WSSC Water Rates Keep Getting Hiked? And Why Does the MoCo Council Not Bat an Eye?
Read more: Why Do WSSC Water Rates Keep Getting Hiked? And Why Does the MoCo Council Not Bat an Eye?“Council Backs WSSC Request for 7% Rate Increase” was the headline at taxpayer sponsored MyMCMedia.org. Instead of an 8% rate hike on water, which WSSC initially asked for, the Montgomery County Council decided to be kind of frugal, in a MoCo sense, and “unanimously voted to support Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Water’s (WSSC) request to…
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The MCPS Budget Numbers They Don’t Want You To See
Read more: The MCPS Budget Numbers They Don’t Want You To SeeWith budget discussions well underway, the hot topic is additional funding for Montgomery County Public Schools. Sparked by a controversial proposal to raise property taxes by 10% to provide the additional funding, the unions and union backed politicians are out in full force advocating for it being a necessity. Their argument is that MCPS is…