For my Montgomery County, Maryland readers, I'm writing this post to endorse Hans Riemer for one of the four County Council a- large seats. The Democratic Primary is Tuesday September 14th. While at the moment I live in Howard County and thus won't be able to vote for him, I grew up in Montgomery County and my heart still belongs to that liberal bastion. All four of the current members at-large members of the County Council have done some good things for the county and the Purple Line. That light rail connection between Bethesda, Silver Spring, College Park, and New Carrolton is an issue dear to my heart, critical to the future of the county, and had been the longtime cause of my father, Harry Sanders. While Hans is the focus of this post, I'd particularly also like to commend and endorse the work of Councilmember at Large George Leventhal who has served the people of the county well and is an ex-officio board member of Purple Line Now.
My endorsement of Hans Riemer is not an attack on the four current at-large Council members but a hope that the county can benefit from his remarkable ideas and experience on transit and planning issues. Building walkable communities, making transit accessible to those without vehicles, and dealing with our congestion are challenging policy problems. I like the idea of getting 30% of trips in the county by 2030 to be by transit, walking, or biking. What really sets him apart is that he's well-versed in recent studies and efforts to intentionally build the vibrant cities and town centers that once occurred more naturally. For the transit wonks among you who want more details, here's an interview with Cavan Wilk over at Greater Greater Washington.
However, being a successful leader isn't just about theory. I first knew him through his work as a stalwart ally of my father on the Action Committee for Transit. Hans is now a Vice President of that organization and has played a wide variety of roles. Most critically he helped bring in a new generation of advocates to ensure that the organization will continue onward. His style of activism challenges people to do all they can, in an inspiring and collegial manner. The primary fight has at times gotten unpleasant, as intra-party squabbles tend to do, but when the dust clears I think Hans would do a good job at coalition building. You can see it in his range of endorsements ranging from Progressive Maryland to the Washington Post.
As I'm now living in Howard County, I'm well aware how out front Montgomery County is compared to much of the rest of the state and thus I am grateful for all the current leadership has done. I particularly thank them for their kind words when my father passed away. However, there's much more to do to affordably achieve our potential. I believe Hans Riemer has the skills and experience to get us there and deserves one of the four at-large County Council votes this September 14th.
Standard disclaimer: I am speaking only for myself and not my employer or any other group. Photo above of Ben Ross, Hans Riemer, and Harry Sanders courtesy of Ben Ross. Thanks to Ben Ross and Tina Slater with whom I spoke about Hans' work with ACT.
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