For Immediate Release: Friday, December 10, 2021
Council President Highlights Development of Critical and Sustainable Infrastructure Projects, and Stresses Need for Increased Public Safety Efforts to Protect Community from Ghost Guns
ROCKVILLE, December 10, 2021—Today Council President Gabe Albornoz provided remarks at the Committee for Montgomery’s Legislative Breakfast. This event brings together leaders from across Maryland and is considered the unofficial kickoff of the 2022 Legislative Session.
Council President Albornoz’s complete remarks can be read below.
Good morning! On behalf of the entire Montgomery County Council, I would like to thank the Committee for Montgomery for hosting this wonderful breakfast and more importantly for your continued leadership as a bridge building and visionary organization.
The intentional diversity represented in professional sectors, geography, ethnicity, gender and generational experience of your board and leadership is one of the many reasons we all have such respect for this organization. And, why it’s so effective.
The relationship between our state, county and municipalities has never been more important than it has been these last two years. It’s not hyperbole to say that this relationship has had life or death consequences. We have all felt the weight of this moment and are exhausted by it. However, I know each of us in the room gets immeasurable energy from the strength and resilience of our community.
Two years ago, I staffed one of the polls during the presidential election. I met a family, whose mom and dad were from El Salvador and had recently become U.S. citizens. Their older daughter was a sophomore at Montgomery College and their younger daughter was a senior at Northwood High School. All four of them were voting for the first time.
Their excitement to vote represented the trust that they were putting in all of us to address their concerns and their ambitions. Their hope is why we all have chosen public service as our profession. As this room proves, you don’t have to be an elected official to be a public servant.
Let’s honor the trust that family put in us by delivering some critically important and much needed infrastructure projects that will improve our transportation network such as the Veirs Mill Road Flash Bus Rapid Transit; address climate challenges by funding the Zero Emissions Bus Program; provide special care to the mental health needs of our residents by moving forward the Restoration Center; ensure that we are preparing our youth now for jobs that we need filled today by supporting Montgomery College’s capital projects; and ensure that we continue to fund projects that improve our quality of life and enrich it through the arts by funding the Olney Theatre project. Our complete list of capital priorities has been sent to all of you.
Let’s also tackle emerging threats, such as ghost guns in our community. These awful weapons are finding their way into the hands of our most precious commodity, our children. We must stay in front of this issue before it gets out of control.
Thank you all again for your continued dedication and commitment to moving Montgomery County and Maryland forward. I am confident that working together, we will meet this moment and come out stronger and more united than ever before.
# # #
Release ID: 21-502