Montgomery County. District 4 is blue.

The Sierra Club of Montgomery County and the Action Committee for Transit (ACT) are cosponsoring a forum for District 4 candidates for Montgomery County Council. The forum will raise voters’ awareness of issues and canddiates’ opinions on transportation, land use, livable/walkable communities, climate change, habitat protection/restoration, and other key environmental and quality-of-life issues.

The forum is on Tuesday, March 31, 7:30 pm at John F. Kennedy High School. Kennedy HS is a 15 minute walk from the Glenmont Metro and is served by the C7, C8, and C9 Metrobus routes.

The forum will start promptly at 7:30 pm and will end promptly at 9:30 pm. All Democratic and Republican candidates have been invited. Approximately one-third of the the questions will come from the audience; the Sierra Club and ACT will choose the other two-thirds.

Voters in the Democratic and Republican parties will choose their nominees for the seat, vacated by the death of Councilmember Don Praisner, on April 21. The general election follows on May 19.

Earlier this month, David posted a list of candidates. David also described a fundamental issue that this forum will discuss:

The county is struggling with the same debates over the future of our communities as in many other parts of the nation. Does it want to strengthen and increase its walkable neighborhoods and transit options? Or should it restrict all growth inside the Beltway to keep existing suburban communities just as they are? On Greater Greater Washington, we have our opinions. East County voters have to make their decision, and that seat on the Council could tip an important balance for the entire county.

I look forward to seeing everyone there.

Cavan Wilk became interested in the physical layout and economic systems of modern human settlements while working on his Master’s in Financial Economics. His writing often focuses on the interactions between a place’s form, its economic systems, and the experiences of those who live in them.  He lives in downtown Silver Spring.