Chamber of Commerce, Department of Environmental Protection Leaders to Showcase Ride On Bus Ad Campaign

by on December 5, 2012 in Press Releases

A press release from the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce:

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12/5/2012
Contact: Jonathan Sachs
301-738-0015 x205

jsachs@mcccmd.com

TODAY: Chamber of Commerce, Department of Environmental Protection Leaders to Showcase Ride On Bus Ad Campaign

Highlighting Montgomery County ‘Green Certified’ Companies

Prior to the Wednesday, December 5th Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) Business Awards Dinner, Montgomery County Director of Environmental Protection, Bob Hoyt, Montgomery College Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Donald Pearl, and Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce President Gigi Godwin will showcase a Ride On bus ad campaign that will promote the Green Business Certification Program and participating companies.

The campaign encourages more companies to “get on board” the green business movement by getting certified and featured in future promotions. The advertisement reads, “Mommy and Daddy, Where Do You Work?” and lists the 42 current Green Certified Businesses in Montgomery County. Representatives from these businesses as well as members of the Montgomery County Chamber Board of Directors will be on hand for the showcase.

“We greatly appreciate MCCC’s recognition of our successful partnership in the Green Business Certification Program, which is creating a greener economy in Montgomery County,” said Leggett. “Businesses understand that they can improve their bottom line when they take steps to improve the environment. The Green Business Certification Program is encouraging environmental responsibility, and customers will have a way of recognizing which businesses are going green. Businesses are telling us that our comprehensive program is actually motivating them to further expand their green activities.”

“The Green Business Certification Program is a great example of government and business working together to achieve common goals. Congratulations to the Chamber, DEP, and all the agencies and companies involved in this project for helping to make Montgomery County a greener place,” said Council President Nancy Navarro.

The businesses that have been certified under the County’s Green Business Certification Program have demonstrated their commitment to environmental stewardship, conservation of energy and water, carbon footprint reduction, and waste reduction and recycling. The Green Business Program was launched in December 2009 by the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, in partnership with the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and Montgomery College, to recognize voluntary efforts to protect, preserve and improve the environment.

“Montgomery College is pleased to be involved with the Green Business Certification program,” said Dr. DeRionne Pollard, President, Montgomery College. “Green strategies for businesses are a key component to the future of community stewardship. Montgomery County is devoted to educating businesses in these important practices.”

“The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is strongly committed to advancing opportunities for our businesses in the new green economy and to partnering with the County’s Department of Environmental Protection and Montgomery College to promote what has become a model, voluntary Green Business Certification Program,” said MCCC President and CEO Gigi Godwin. “These green-certified companies and employers – which include the Chamber itself – are pioneers in establishing best practices in their workplaces and we are pleased to be recognizing them for their success.”

The launch of the promotional campaign also coincides with the recent partnership between the Green Business Certification Program and the Center for Social Value Creation at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Under the partnership, four MBA students, who have been competitively screened by the Smith School, will help identify strategic opportunities to enhance benefits for Certified Green Businesses.

“It is gratifying to see that we’ve left the days where people thought that being good for the environment was bad for business and vice versa. That old outdated adage has been turned on its head. Now, thanks to this partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, companies know they can save money by going green and also appeal to the growing number of residents who want to do business with green companies,” said Montgomery County DEP Director Bob Hoyt.

A description of what the certified green businesses have done to earn their certification is available on the County’s website at http://mcgreenbiz.org/directory. For a complete list of Green Certified Business, please visit: http://www.montgomerycountychamber.com/foundation/green-business-certification-program

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Nancy Navarro Elected President of Montgomery County Council

by on December 4, 2012 in Press Releases

Montgomery County Council Elects Nancy Navarro as First Latina President, Craig Rice as Vice President for 2012-13

New County Council President Navarro gives a commemorative plaque to outgoing Council President Roger Berliner

 

ROCKVILLE, December 4, 2012—The Montgomery County Council today unanimously elected Nancy Navarro as president and Craig Rice as vice president of the Council. They will serve one-year terms as officers of the Council.

Councilmember Navarro, who represents District 4, served as vice president of the Council for the past year. She becomes the first Latina president of the County Council.

“I want to talk about One Montgomery,” Council President Navarro said to set the tone of her presidency. “To me, One Montgomery means recognizing the differences among us, while emphasizing that however different our backgrounds or our lifestyles may be, we are all connected. We all depend on each other. We all share the same need for a government that encourages economic growth, protects our families, educates our children, and provides a safety net in case we fall on hard times.”

President Navarro was elected to represent District 4 in a special election in May 2009 and was re-elected in the general election of November 2010. She chairs the Council’s Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee and serves on the Health and Human Services Committee. Prior to her election to the Council, Councilmember Navarro served on the Montgomery County Board of Education, where she was twice elected president (2006 and 2008). She was appointed to the Board of Education in October 2004 to fill the term of the vacant District 5 seat. In November 2006, she was elected to a full four-year term.

Council Vice President Rice, who represents District 2, was elected to the County Council in November 2010. He is the youngest African American to ever serve on the  Council and only the second African American man to serve in that role.  He is a member of the Council’s Education Committee and its Health and Human Services Committee, where he serves as the lead member for libraries. A lifelong resident of Montgomery County, in the fall of 2006, he was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, defeating a 12-year incumbent. He served on the Ways and Means Committee and was a member of both its Education and Revenues subcommittees. He also served on Montgomery Delegation’s Land Use and Transportation Committee.

Complete text of Council President Navarro’s remarks upon her election:

Read More…

Nancy in the News

by on December 3, 2012 in Nancy in the News

2012 Election Results

by on November 7, 2012 in Uncategorized

In addition to Barack Obama’s big win in yesterday’s election, there were seven Maryland state questions and two Montgomery County questions on the ballot. In depth information about the ballot questions can be found in the League of Women Voters Voter Guide. Here are the results on those ballot questions and how they may affect us in Montgomery County:

Statewide Questions

Questions 1 & 2: These questions were proposed amendments to the Maryland constitution to require that judges on the Orphan’s Court for Prince George’s County and Baltimore County have practiced law in the state and be a member in good standing of the Maryland Bar. Each was approved with about 88% of the vote.

Question 3: Question three was a proposed amendment to the Maryland constitution providing for removal of an elected official upon conviction of a felony or certain misdemeanors. Previously, an elected official was only removed upon sentencing. This amendment was approved with 88% of the vote.

Question 4: Question four is a referendum on the DREAM Act, passed by the Maryland Assembly, which would allow all Maryland residents who graduate from Maryland High Schools and whose families pay taxes in Maryland to pay in-state tuition rates at Maryland higher education institutions. The DREAM Act was approved with 59% of the vote.

Question 5: Maryland’s Congressional Redistricting plan was approved with 63% of the vote.

Question 6: Maryland became the first state in the country to approve same-sex marriage by popular referendum with 52% of the vote.

Question 7: Question 7 will expand gambling to Prince George’s County and allow casinos to have table games in addition to slots. It was approved with 52% of the vote.

Montgomery County Questions

Question A: Question A allows Montgomery County to recruit and select qualified individuals with severe physical and mental disabilities on a non-competitive basis. It was approved with 80% of the vote.

Question B: Question B was a referendum on a law passed by the County Council wanting to repeal the ability of the police union to bargain over the “effects” of all management decisions. It passed with 58% of the vote. Question B will allow Chief Manger to manage his department more effectively and efficiently to protect the public safety.

Kayla Lopez is an intern in Councilmember Navarro’s office and a student at Sherwood High School.

Nancy in the News

by on October 26, 2012 in Nancy in the News

Welcome to the County Council

by on October 24, 2012 in Nancy in the News

Montgomery County Council Committees to Meet with School Officials to Discuss Fiscal Planning, Funding for Public Schools

by on October 19, 2012 in Press Releases

OLO Report Examines Potential Impact of New Rigid Maintenance of Effort Law and Board of Education Decisions on Employee Compensation

ROCKVILLE, Md., October 19, 2012—The Montgomery County Council’s Education Committee and its Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee will meet jointly with members of the County Board of Education and School Superintendent Joshua Starr at 2 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 22. The worksession will focus on the findings of the Office of Legislative Oversight’s (OLO) report analyzing the impact on the County of the changes made by the Maryland General Assembly to the Maintenance of Effort (MOE) law for public school systems and Board of Education compensation decisions that will significantly impact County budgets in upcoming years.

The meeting of the Education Committee, which is chaired by Valerie Ervin and includes Councilmembers Phil Andrews and Craig Rice, and the GO Committee, which is chaired by Nancy Navarro and includes Councilmembers Ervin and Hans Riemer, will take place in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. The meeting will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon). The broadcast also will be streamed through the County Web site at www.montgomerycountymd.gov.

Current County projections for Fiscal Year 2014 anticipate a 5.2 percent reduction in resources available to non-education functions such as public safety, transportation, health and human services, libraries and recreation. The new MOE law puts the County in a precarious budget situation. Absent increased revenue, raising the local contribution to MCPS above the MOE requirement would necessitate even deeper offsetting reductions in other agency budgets in FY14 and potentially in FY15 and beyond. The OLO report identifies a range of choices that were available to the Board of Education as it built its FY13 Operating Budget.

“There is a misconception that the Council has authority to decide things like class size, retaining ESOL teachers, paraeducators, instrumental music teachers and maintaining certain educational programs,” said Councilmember Ervin. “The Board of Education makes these choices and decides what the priorities will be for the budget year. The purpose of this discussion is to review the choices that were made and to discuss how the Board of Education plans to fit its priorities under the budget constraints imposed by the new Maintenance of Effort Law.”

Council Vice President Navarro said: “As a former Board of Education member, I understand the difficult choices the School Board confronts every day. This joint committee session seeks to examine how these choices impact the overall fiscal condition of our county. Without the leadership of this County Council, we would not have been able to maintain our Triple-A bond rating during these uncertain economic times.”

The OLO report continues the Council’s ongoing work to preserve fiscal stability for the County over the long-term. In 2010, Vice President Navarro, whose Government Operations Committee oversees County fiscal policy, fiercely advocated for the Council’s approval of a six-year fiscal plan for the first time, as proposed by former Council President Nancy Floreen. The same year, OLO released a report titled “Achieving a Structurally Balanced Budget in Montgomery County.”

In 2011, Councilmember Ervin, who was then serving as Council President, spearheaded efforts to contain costs, and the Council unanimously voted to hit the reset button on school spending.

In spring 2012, the Board of Education elected to allocate available resources to award two pay increases in FY13. Similarly, the Board did not revisit its FY11 decision to increase class size by one student. As the OLO report states: “The Board’s decision to increase salaries raised base costs, thereby creating a recurring obligation in FY14 and beyond.”

For the full version of the report, follow the links below to:

Powerpoint presentation to the Council
Companion document to the presentation
Video of October 16 Council briefing (click on Agenda Item 4)

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The Displaced Worker Protection Act

by on September 18, 2012 in Uncategorized

Today, the Council passed the Displaced Worker Protection Act, a bill to help the most vulnerable members of our workforce. I was proud to co-sponsor and vote for this legislation because it provides a modest level of stability for those who need it most, without imposing too heavy a burden on their employers. I want to thank Councilmember Valerie Ervin for her leadership on this issue.

The bill provides that low-wage building service workers — the employees that clean our bathrooms, shovel our sidewalks, and keep our offices secure — cannot be fired without cause for 90 days when a building changes contractors. These are people who go to work every day; many work more than one job just to make ends meet. Low wages and limited benefits mean that these employees don’t have savings to draw on in an emergency, and sudden termination can leave them and their families without any way to support themselves.

President Obama issued an Executive Order applying this protection to employees of federal contractors less than two weeks after he took office in 2009. Similar legislation has already been successful in:

  • Washington DC
  • Los Angeles
  • New York City
  • San Francisco
  • Providence

In each case, the evidence shows that these provisions help low wage employees without stunting local economies or pushing businesses into other jurisdictions.

I understand and respect those who believe this measure is too intrusive or that it might damage our economy. I’ve received a lot of correspondence about this bill — both for and against. I’m grateful for the input of both sides.

But I have also received correspondence on this bill that relied on incendiary language and vague accusations to demonize low wage workers in our community, rather than constructive arguments. For example, one email I received urged me to vote “Hell No” on this bill because, it claimed, most low wage workers are “illegal aliens.” The emailed continued:

Workers are sometimes fired within hours after a new contractor comes in, creating instability and hardship for their children and families. I have no problem with this.

Clearly, this is the sentiment of one individual, and most of this bill’s opponents oppose it for entirely legitimate reasons. And I have seen day after day serving on this Council that every one of my fellow Councilmembers are here with the best intentions to fight against “creating instability and hardship for … children and families.” But this kind of rhetoric pops up every time we consider greater protections for those who are the most vulnerable in our society, and I believe it is important to highlight and refute it.

When I ran for this office, I promised to stand up for all of my constituents — rich and poor; black, white and brown; gay and straight; east-county, mid-county, and up-county. I believe that if you work hard and play by the rules, the government should play a role to make sure you have the opportunity to make a better life for yourself and your family. All too often, people look at service employees as disposable — that we can replace one worker with another and no one would notice. But I notice. The people protected by this bill are mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, people who work the graveyard shift cleaning toilets, then take 3 buses to a second job so they can put food on the table and send their kids to college. And I am proud that, with the passage of this bill, when service workers are summarily terminated without some modicum of notice or cause, Montgomery County’s government will notice too.

Nancy in the News

by on September 12, 2012 in Nancy in the News

Montgomery County Council honors Berman Academy/Harmony Hills ES peer mentoring partnership

by on September 11, 2012 in Press Releases

For Immediate Release

Montgomery County Council to honor Berman Hebrew Academy’s “Chesed Ambassadors” partnership with Harmony Hills Elementary School

Councilmember Nancy Navarro praises peer mentoring program

ROCKVILLE, Md., September 11, 2012 — Montgomery County Council Vice President Nancy Navarro (D-District 4) on Tuesday, September 11, presented a proclamation on behalf of the Montgomery County Council to students and administrators from the Berman Hebrew Academy and Harmony Hills Elementary School to honor the “Chesed Ambassadors” program — a partnership between the two schools.

The ceremonies will take place at approximately 9:30 a.m. in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the County Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville.

Although the schools are less than two miles apart in Aspen Hill, the two communities often do not have opportunities to interact. The “Chesed Ambassadors” program was born in a meeting between Councilmember Navarro and Berman Academy’s Headmaster Dr. Joshua Levinsohn to help bring these communities together. The program has been successful in providing a cultural exchange that strengthens the entire Aspen Hill community.

In January, Berman Academy selected 8 eighth graders to be “Chesed Ambassadors” and visit with kindergarten classes at Harmony Hills on a monthly basis to help them with reading and math. Chesed is Hebrew for “kindness.”

“I’m so glad we were able to put this program together,” said Councilmember Navarro. “This is a wonderful program because both the mentors and mentees benefit from a deeper understanding of people from other cultures and backgrounds.”

The program was implemented by Dr. Levisohn, Harmony Hills Principal Ms. Robin Weaver, and the counselors overseeing the program, Mrs. Gila Landman and Mrs. Rafiya Senghor.

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