Montgomery County's elected officials haven't improved any major area of concern or crisis, residents say in a new County-operated survey. Vast majorities countywide say there has been no progress or improvement in the moribund County economy, Montgomery County Public Schools, traffic congestion, crime and public safety, quality of life or the environment in the last two years.
86% of residents say there has been no improvement in availability of affordable housing. 76% feel there has been no improvement in crime prevention and public safety. A whopping 87% found no improvement in traffic congestion over the last two years. In fact, it's getting worse.
63% of residents say there has been no improvement in MCPS, which has declined steadily over this decade, as test scores and graduation rates plummeted and an achievement gap worsened. Yep, that's getting worse, too. But rather than improve failing schools, the corrupt MoCo cartel is trying to ready a forced busing strategy that failed nationwide decades ago, and is preemptively calling those who favor neighborhood schools "racists" and "white supremacists" - terms regularly deployed as the nuclear option when one has lost a debate on the facts.
Montgomery County's stagnant economy reached rock bottom in the region this decade, and residents' opinions squarely reflect that reality. A powerful 69% of residents say there has been no improvement in job growth. 61% report no improvement in business growth. Montgomery County ranked at the bottom in the region on both measurements this decade.
Progressive and green Montgomery County is leading the nation in environmental policy, our elected officials assure us weekly. Mmm...not so much, counter Montgomery County residents. 68% of residents say the environment hasn't improved, or has gotten worse, since 2017. 66% responded that quality of life opportunities in the county - the arts, culture, recreation and libraries - have either not improved or have gotten worse.
The Purple Line, currently under construction, could be a real benefit to the environment. Preventing highway expansion has been a significant benefit to the environment. Many hundreds of new apartments in transit-rich downtown Silver Spring are a benefit to the environment as well as slowing housing-cost growth. It seems like MCPS is working on a study to improve the allocation of its resources, which could certainly help improve its efficiency and effectiveness. The business environment still isn't spectacular, but all of the recent development and investment in Silver Spring is a sign of progress. Crime rates are fairly low and down 3.5% from 2017; property crime is down 11%; 911 calls are down 2% and calls requiring dispatch are down 6%. The biggest crime problem I see is that drivers keep plowing into cyclists and pedestrians. That certainly needs more attention.
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