Politics & Government

Bethesda, Chevy Chase Residents Sound Off at Council Town Hall

Residents air concerns on development, transit and the budget.

Bethesda and Chevy Chase residents sounded off on transit, development, and the budget at a Wednesday evening County Council town hall at

Six members of the council — Councilman Phil Andrews (D-Dist. 3), Councilman Hans Riemer (D- At Large), Council Vice President Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1), Councilwoman Nancy Floreen (D- At Large,) Council President Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) and Councilman George Leventhal (D-At Large) — answered to an at times impassioned crowd.

The town hall was organized to allow residents to weigh in on their concerns, including budget issues in light of the county’s $300 million budget gap. County Executive Isiah Leggett is expected to issue a budget proposal March 15, with many county services potentially on the chopping block.

Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Opponents of the Purple Line, a planned 16-mile light rail from Bethesda to New Carrollton, sounded off at the town hall. Ajay Bhatt, a Chevy Chase resident and president of Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail, a group opposed to the Purple Line, asked the councilmembers to urge state officials to put an end to the project. “Ask them to implement a real transportation solution, one designed to remove cars from the roads,” Bhatt said.

Bhatt’s group believes developments designed to coincide with the light rail will increase traffic. The group is also opposed to the project because of safety concerns and impacts to trees along the

Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Leventhal defended the project, saying that the line would connect two of the county’s major urban centers, Bethesda and Silver Spring. “When we have revenue, it will take traffic off the road and improve mobility in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase area,” he said. Leventhal said the council was aware of the concern of some Chevy Chase residents, but “as time passes, the residents of Chevy Chase will be among those who benefit the very most.”

Traffic in neighborhoods was another worry. “I’m very concerned about traffic at Sangamore and Sentinel,” said Bethesda resident Pickett Randolph. “For us dog walkers, it’s particularly hazardous for us to cross particularly during rush hour.”

Berliner responded that he was “very very familiar” with the intersection and would follow up.

Many expressed concerns about cuts to county services, like libraries, and some wondered whether there were ways to increase county revenue rather than cut back on services.

“Based on taxes that have already been substantially raised both locally and at a state level, I don't think there’s much room left in the public’s tolerance for additional tax increases,” Andrews said to applause.

Floreen noted that the county continues to face difficult decisions in service cutbacks and has already tried a “variety” of ways to increase revenue, like raising energy and cell phone taxes. Floreen pointed to commercial development such as in the White Flint area as one way to expand the county’s tax base.


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