Democrat

Candidate name: Ike Leggett

Place of residence: Burtonsville

Date of birth: July 25, 1945

Place of birth: Louisiana

Current occupation: Law professor, Howard University Law School

Education: L.L.M., George Washington University Law School; J.D., Howard University Law School; M.S., Howard University; B.A., Southern University

Community associations, involvement: Board of Directors, Jewish Foundation for Group Homes of Maryland; Board of Directors, Montgomery County Boys & Girls Clubs of America; Board of Directors, African-American Business Council of Montgomery County; Board of Directors, Washington Area Housing Partnership; Board of Directors, METRO PFLAG; Montgomery County NAACP; Board of Directors, Montgomery Multiple Sclerosis Center; Board of Directors, Impact Silver Spring; White House Fellows Association; American Legion Post–Norman Price Post 68; Montgomery Chapter Vietnam Veterans Association; Vietnam Veterans Leadership Forum; Kiwanis; Montgomery Chapter SCLC; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity; former board member, Maryland College of Art and Design; former board member, Leadership Montgomery

Professional associations: Federal Bar Association; National Bar Association; American Bar Association; Louisiana Bar Association; Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity; Iowa Bar Association; Pennsylvania Bar Association; District of Columbia Bar Association

Family: Wife, Catherine Leggett; daughter, Yaminah Leggett; grandsons Isiah and Zende

Campaign office address and telephone: 718 Cloverly St., Silver Spring, MD 20906, 301-774-1395

Web site: www.IkeLeggett.org

Link to state Board of Elections campaign finance database

Better managing growth in Montgomery County is a major issue. In 2003 the County made a series of controversial decisions regarding land use and the funding for schools and roads. I believe these decisions have and will continue to have huge negative impacts on our budget. These decisions removed many of the restraints on growth and instead added a new impact tax that is grossly inadequate. It also eliminated the long standing requirement for developers to pay for schools and roads in planned policy areas. The net effect is that our capital budget for schools and roads are tens of million of dollars under-funded annually. That sum must be made up by the taxpayers or we will continue to have severely over crowded schools and congested roads. As County Executive, I will seek to reverse this policy so that growth and development pay for a greater portion of the costs it imposes on our schools and roads.

Another major goal of mine is to provide the funds necessary to ensure that our educational system in Montgomery County continues to improve and serves all of our children and residents in the most effective way possible. I will work to close the significant achievement gap between minority and majority students while also addressing the need to reduce the class size at the middle and high school levels as we have started to do at the elementary level. Many of the most important educational issues will be decided at the State level — the funding for the teachers’ retirement system, school construction funds, and the formula for school aid. The relationships and respect I built working at the State level also places me in a uniquely favorable position to achieve our county’s goals and interests in an environment that is not always favorable to Montgomery County.

A third priority is to renew trust in Government. The County Executive sets the tone for how citizens and others are treated by County Government. Recent events have suggested that citizens increasingly have had to become professional civic activists in order to have their voices heard. As a Council Member, I was known for my ability and willingness to listen to all voices of the community. I will bring that same approach to my work as County Executive to ensure that all groups and interests have a place at the table and a voice in the outcome.

How would you rate the performance of the current executive: excellent, good, fair or poor? Why?

I rate Mr. Duncan’s performance as good. I believe that Mr. Duncan has placed the appropriate emphasis on education, reaching out to our diverse community, and support of the arts. He has shown an admirable commitment to a results oriented government that I plan to continue as County Executive. Mr. Duncan must also be commended on his successful role in the revitalization of Silver Spring and the creation of a positive business climate in Montgomery County.

Is the rate of growth in Montgomery County too fast, too slow, or just right?

In the last few years, the rate of growth has proven to be too fast for the rate at which the County has provided the supporting infrastructure. Schools are overcrowded, the End Gridlock approach has only increased gridlock leaving even midday traffic congested and difficult to navigate. As your next County Executive, I will slow the pace of growth to allow our critically needed public infrastructure time to catch up to the development.

Who should have more control over the county’s planning process, the council or the executive, and why?

Although I believe that in theory the Council should exert the most control over the planning process, the recent problems in Clarksburg indicate that the Council must exert greater oversight in the implementation of the plans that are approved. Royce Hanson, former Chair of the Planning Board and a nationally recognized expert on planning issues, presented the Council with a report in January that articulated his views on our planning process. In this report, Mr. Hanson stated, ‘‘Council oversight of the [Planning] Board has not been effective.” He also states, ‘‘The basic problem is a sustained lack of institutional and intellectual leadership of the planning system, including but not limited to an absence of internal quality control and external accountability for performance.” This external accountability is the responsibility of the Council, and more narrowly the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee.

What should have been done to avoid the development problems that happened in Clarksburg?

As previously stated, Mr. Hansen’s report provides a great deal of insight into the causes of the Clarksburg debacle. The most critical element is that the Council, particularly the PHED Committee, had not been properly exerting its oversight authority. In addition, I believe that there was a culture of indifference that had permeated parts of County Government to citizen’s concerns. The Clarksburg activists were especially astute and persistent with their concerns but were apparently met with a wall of indifference from each government and elected official they approached. This indifference allowed the harm to multiply rather than be mitigated. I vow to change this culture of indifference and work with the Planning Board, the Council and other agencies to ensure that all parties have a place at the table and a voice in the outcome. Clarksburg could have been avoided had there been the appropriate arms length relationship between developers and the oversight bodies. The apparently lax approach to oversight that has evolved over the last few years makes it unlikely for nuanced issues such as building height and set-back requirements to be properly examined. The approach to oversight is defined by the leadership of the organization and then permeates the bureaucracy below.

What’s your plan to provide more affordable housing in Montgomery County?

As County Executive, first, I will work to prevent the loss of affordable housing that we have been experiencing with apartments being converted to condominiums. This trend has reduced our affordable housing stock significantly and I have been working with the State legislature to reverse this trend. In addition, I will implement a comprehensive affordable housing program that addresses both the supply- side of the problem and increases the ability of residents to afford housing. This plan will include among other measures;

*increasing the Housing Initiative Fund from $22 million to $65-70 million. This fund provides low interest loans and grants to families and individuals for housing.

*partnering with the private sector to construct additional affordable housing,

*increasing the percentage of Moderately Priced Dwelling Units from 12.5% to 25% of new developments,

*providing tax credits to increase the affordability of housing,

*setting up a revolving fund to provide additional funding for moderate income residents seeking to buy a first home.

Do you think the county is doing enough to meet the needs of its growing diverse population? If not, what do you think the county needs to do?

There is more that we must do to meet the needs of all in our society. Despite significant efforts within Montgomery County Public Schools, there continues to be an alarming achievement gap between Hispanic⁄ African-American students and other students. This gap has significant implications for our society and the futures of these residents. I will work with the Board of Education and the community to identify and fund programs that work to close this gap.

I will work to meet the health care needs of our immigrant and low income population many of whom are families with young children. For example, over one third of Latino adults lack health care coverage. Even employed Latinos are predominantly uninsured. In order to address this issue, I must also work with the Hispanic⁄Latino community to identify the specific gaps in services that are most critical to this population and work to fill those gaps.

As noted in the prior response, we must also provide additional affordable housing so that people of all income levels who want to live in Montgomery County can afford to do so.

Do you support Montgomery County’s day laborer centers?

Yes, I do support the County’s day laborer centers. Our immigrant community is a vital component of our economy and deserves the dignity that these centers provide to those seeking gainful employment. In addition, communities that are negatively impacted by the unsanctioned day laborer centers deserve to have such activities relocated to more appropriate sites that are better equipped to deal with the traffic congestions and other community concerns when we lack appropriate work centers.

What programs would you add to the budget, and how would you pay for them?

As County Executive, I will undertake a comprehensive review of the budget to identify overlaps, inefficiencies and gaps in service. This review will involve input from our residents, business community and employees. This review should help to better identify additional programs that may be necessary. However, as an initial step, I will add funds for infrastructure maintenance for facilities such as sidewalks and roads. According to the ‘‘The Second Report of the Infrastructure Maintenance Task Force” (March 2006), County Government alone has a backlog of approximately $12 million for the repair and maintenance of some of our most basic infrastructure. I also support additional funding for mass transit subsidies that will help alleviate some of the traffic congestion on our roads. It is also important that we lower class size in the middle and high school levels so that our students can learn and our teachers can teach. These items are basic and essential and should be paid by local tax revenues such as the property tax and local income tax.

Are there any programs, taxes or fees that should be cut? What would you do with the money from the savings?

As noted in my response to the question above, I will first undertake a review of the budget to identify where there may be overlaps and inefficiencies. I believe strongly in program accountability and measuring performance. Without this information it is difficult to assess whether a program works and whether it should be reduced, eliminated or modified to improve its efficiency or effectiveness.

What is the biggest challenge facing the county school system, and how can the executive help address it?

The biggest challenge facing the County’s school system is closing the achievement gap between our minority and majority students, while also ensuring a challenging curriculum. The achievement gaps have significant implications for our society, particularly in light of the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation. This legislation, while having noble goals, could have the implication of actually leaving more and more children behind. If our students aren’t able to pass the required high school assessments, there is a risk that they will not graduate from high school. We must not let large segments of our population be left behind without a high school degree. At the same time, the curriculum must be challenging in order to prepare our students for life and work in our increasingly complex society. The issues of large class sizes (especially in high school and middle school) as well our overcrowded school facilities are inexorably woven into the issue of student achievement.

Should the county pay more for school construction, and where would you get the money?

The first step we must take in order to properly address the need for adequate and modern school facilities is to slow down our County’s growth rate. This is a critical first step to allowing our school facilities a chance to catch up to even the existing student population. We must also work diligently to ensure that the State provides the school construction funding for which we are eligible. The uniquely strong working relationships I enjoy at the State level will be important to successfully advocating for these funds. After these two steps are taken, we should assess our outstanding needs and determine what funds are necessary to fulfill these needs.

Do you support an east-west Metro link, and where should it go?

I support the Bi-County Transitway (Purple Line) between Bethesda and New Carrollton. However, I believe that the concerns of the affected communities must be addressed. Therefore, along with Congressman Van Hollen, and both Governor Ehrlich and Mayor O’Malley, I believe we need to explore the option of cut- and- cover for portions of the proposed Inner Purple Line alignment. Leaders both at the federal and state level believe that cut and cover should be explored and given the potential impact on some of the communities along the route I believe this is the prudent and logical approach to the project.

What standards should be used in distributing county grant money to nonprofit organizations?

The County’s vibrant nonprofit community fulfills a vital function in the county and deserves both fiscal and community support. At the same time, I believe that objective criteria must be used to ensure that grant funds provided to nonprofit organizations are used in an efficient and effective manner while also filling a need that is not currently addressed by County programs and services.

Do you support the Montgomery Cares program, and are adequate audit controls in place for accountability?

My support for Montgomery Cares started with its precursor and I continue to strongly support efforts to provide primary, dental and behavioral health services to our most vulnerable residents. Since this program has more than doubled in size in recent years, I believe that it is critical that we implement meaningful and careful audit controls that ensure that the significant County funds are spent wisely and appropriately. The creation of the Montgomery Cares Advisory Board, will provide one avenue to ensure some financial oversight. As County Executive, I will require program evaluation for all programs that receive County funding including Montgomery Cares. Taxpayers must have assurance that their funds are used to provide services that achieve the intended goals.

What should be the county’s role in mental health?

The County should play a leadership role in ensuring that the mental health needs of our residents are adequately met just as we strive to meet our residents’ somatic health needs. The provision of mental health services is a State function and I will use my uniquely strong working relationships at the State level to ensure that State funding for this State function are maximized. At the same time, we must recognize that as a society we must work to protect our most vulnerable populations. It is unacceptable to have jails and homeless shelters as the only means of providing large segments of our population with critically needed mental health services. At this time, there is no coherent and effective State and Federal system of providing mental health services. I will work with all levels of government, as well as the private and non-profit sectors, to develop a system of services that meets the needs of our residents.