Montgomery County Council raising taxes on the middle class, cutting taxes for cartel oligarchs

The Montgomery County Council is dropping the hammer on middle class residents in its massive $7.9 billion tax-and-fee-hike FY-2027 budget, which was approved in a 9-2 vote yesterday. Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Dawn Luedtke were the only two opposed. Facing an ongoing structural budget deficit of its own design, the Council did what it always does - reward its cartel political patrons with taxpayer largesse, protect and preserve reckless spending, raise fees, and deliver a property tax hike. But they weren't done yet! The Council added a massive income tax increase for "rich" residents making...$1 million? $2 million? Billions? No! The new wealth tax will be paid by every County resident making (in Dr. Evil voice) $150,000 or more.

If you are making $150,000 and live in Montgomery County in the year 2026, you are squarely middle class. If you are making $75,000 (the Council's laughably-outdated measure of a Joe Six Pack), you're effectively poor, and maybe getting by paycheck-to-paycheck - if you're lucky. Interestingly, no one in the local press besides me is pointing this reality out. But that's par for the course for our media Fifth Column of fellow travelers.

Affordability? Hah! The Council, which draws itself a $168,000 salary at taxpayer expense each year for their part-time Council "jobs," is once again laughing at you. Yes, this is the same Council who insiders say refer to you, the taxpayers, behind closed doors as "losers" and "suckers." Well, you lost again yesterday, your bank account will lose even more, and you'll be a sucker for sure if you vote to re-elect these incompetent criminals this November.

You're paying double what you were for groceries just six years ago, gas prices are skyrocketing, cars are priced as luxury items now, utility bills are crushing you monthly, and insurance companies are price-gouging you with impunity. What does the Council do to address the affordability crisis? Raise your income tax, raise your property tax, raise the fees you pay, and - get this - eliminate the Income Tax Offset Credit that homeowners were eligible for. That makes two property tax hikes in one budget!

Now, the Council provided its farcical definition of "rich" as those of you making $150,000 and up. Do you know what they consider a lavish mansion? Homes worth $800,000 and up. It's not just their policies that are stuck in the Woodstock era, but their entire grasp on economics. Then again, nobody on the Council went to Yale or Harvard exactly. $800,000 and up? That's basically any home inside the Beltway that's not an as-is fixer-upper, and a huge percentage of homes outside the Beltway.

Think about the federal government workers the Council claimed they were so worried about. A large percentage of those workers are making $150,000 and up. Now they're getting slammed with a double property tax increase, and an income tax hike. You can see that the Council doesn't give a damn about you or your struggles, or about the rest of us private sector taxpayers.

Who does the Council give a damn about?

The Montgomery County cartel that gets them elected, and from whom they take their marching orders. That's the real estate developer oligarchs, the Council-connected "non-profits" who funnel taxpayer funding they receive back to the campaign accounts of councilmembers, and certain labor unions. All got fully funded in this budget. Montgomery County Public Schools got a massive increase in funding, while their enrollment of actual students is dwindling by the year. Make it make sense.

When you think of these synthetic-left councilmembers raising taxes on hardworking middle class residents at a time of financial struggle, think of the oligarchy. Think of the 20-year property tax exemption that the Council provided for their millionaire and billionaire oligarch developer sugar daddies just months ago. It applies to nearly every apartment development, and therefore is robbing the County coffers of billions in revenue. That fiscal impact was already felt this year. Billions going into the pockets of billionaires, instead of schools, police officer hiring, infrastructure, libraries and parks, for at least the next twenty years.

Who will make up for all that lost revenue, and the structural budget deficit the Council itself created earlier this century? Once again, the Council made clear: You, the taxpayer. You, the homeowner. You, the small business owner. You are the loser they mock. And the cartel oligarchs are once again the winners they reward - with your hard-earned income, and your equity and security in the home that was the biggest investment of your life. It turns out the government owned it all along!

Taxes going up, government and elected official salaries going up, traffic camera ticketing going up, and friends of the Council getting rich at the expense of taxpayers - all this happened in Bell, California, and elected officials there went to prison. All this is happening in Montgomery County right now. The County where oligarchs get richer, and their puppets on the Council drop an anvil on the middle class to make sure the numbers work out.

Montgomery County police searching for North Bethesda hotel killer

Montgomery County police are still searching for the suspect who allegedly shot and killed a man outside of the Marriott North Bethesda Hotel and Conference Center at 5701 Marinelli Road in Rockville at 11:35 AM yesterday, May 14, 2026. Police say the victim, Quentin Tyrone Davis, 41, was a guest at the hotel. He was walking in the parking lot toward the hotel entrance when he was "confronted" by the suspect, who then shot Davis. First responders attempted lifesaving measures, but Davis tragically died at the scene.

Incredibly, police have no description of the suspect, not even a gender. They say that County officers and Metro Transit police canvassed the area, the White Flint Metro station, Metro trains, and other Metro stations, but came up empty-handed. The suspect appears to have melted into the ether.

Police are asking anyone with information regarding this homicide to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org and click on the “www.p3tips.com” link at the top of the page or call 1-866-411-8477. Tips with information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward from $250 up to $10,000. Tipsters may remain anonymous.

New traffic signal being installed at Old Georgetown Rd. intersection in Bethesda

A Montgomery County Department of Transportation contractor is installing a traffic signal at the intersection of Old Georgetown Road with Cordell Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Let's give a shout-out to the reader who correctly surmised this was the reason for the recent upgrades at this intersection. Access to Cordell Avenue is currently blocked off at Old Georgetown, as the crew is using Cordell as a staging area. This was actually pretty good timing by the agencies involved, as Cordell is already blocked off at Norfolk Avenue for the first summer concert tonight (6-8 PM, but closed for set-up already this afternoon), sponsored by the Bethesda Urban Partnership. A few weeks back, another crew was adding a new refuge median to the intersection, as you can see in the photos below from April 23 and today, May 15:

Fatal shooting outside of Marriott North Bethesda hotel

Yet another shocking violent crime has been committed in broad daylight in Montgomery County, a disturbing new trend in the County's six-year crime wave that has picked up steam this spring. An adult male was fatally shot outside of the Marriott North Bethesda Hotel and Conference Center at 5701 Marinelli Road in Rockville around 11:37 AM this morning. Yes, that's AM, not PM. One would like to assume it would be safe to walk outside this hotel at 11:37 PM. It's astonishing that one now must be hesitant to do so just before lunchtime under bright sunshine. 

According to Montgomery County police, officers were dispatched to respond to a report of a shooting outside the hotel. Upon arrival, first responders found an adult male in "serious condition." The victim was subsequently declared deceased, and police say they are investigating the case as a homicide.

@TheDMVLive reports on X that the victim was shot in the back of the head outside the hotel around 11:35 AM, and that the alleged shooter fled on foot toward the White Flint Metro station across Rockville Pike. 

Whether it is a gunfight inside a Silver Spring grocery store or outside of a Westbard Avenue bowling alley, a gun being fired at students in a downtown Bethesda park at lunchtime, or someone being shot in broad daylight outside a hotel in White Flint at 11:35 AM, these things were not happening in Montgomery County twenty - or even ten - years ago. 

What is happening to our community, and why do we keep electing the people who have done this to us?

Artena Bethesda developer hires artist to paint windows of vacant storefronts

The developer of the stalled-out Artena Bethesda apartment tower project recently had a row of the vacant storefronts on the Wisconsin Avenue side of the site painted blue. Now an artist has been hired to paint artworks on the store windows. The vertical panels display a variety of colorful scenes, most with a nature theme. I'm not sure if the new paint and artworks will necessarily make pedestrians feel safer walking along that stretch after dark, but it is certainly an improvement over the status quo of the last decade.

The Velvet Room aiming for June opening in Bethesda

After a long permitting and construction process, The Velvet Room is finally looking forward to opening next month at 8020 Norfolk Avenue in downtown Bethesda. The speakeasy is aiming for June 10, 2026 as opening night, according to the website. However, a sign in the window allows for some wiggle room with a pronouncement of "opening around June 10."

"Opening its doors on June 10, 2026, The Velvet Room is set to become Bethesda's newest destination for sophisticated nightlife," the venue said in a statement. "This elegant lounge bar, located at 8020 Norfolk Ave, promises an unforgettable experience. Step into a world of luxurious ambiance, where every detail is crafted to provide a serene and exclusive escape from the everyday. The Velvet Room offers a curated selection of premium beverages in a stylish setting, perfect for unwinding after a long day or celebrating a special occasion. Prepare to indulge in an atmosphere of refined comfort and timeless glamour."

Alo sets opening date at Bethesda Row

Alo has scheduled an opening date for its eagerly-awaited boutique at 7236 Woodmont Avenue at Bethesda Row. Its doors are now set to open on Friday, May 22, 2026. Alongside Beyond Yoga's recent arrival at Westfield Montgomery Mall, Alo has generated a lot of excitement about its impending arrival among readers in its target audience.

Los Angeles-based Alo sells "high-performance, fashion-forward clothing" for movement, recovery, and the wellness-focused lifestyle. The company has anchored its business model and mission on a dual foundation of yoga and mindfulness. In Bethesda, that will extend beyond apparel and accessories to include free online classes, community events, and wellness-fostering products. Underscoring the company's wellness aesthetic, its bricks-and-mortar locations are referred to not as "stores," but as Sanctuaries.

Police investigate threatening Pyle Middle School text message

Montgomery County police were contacted last night, May 10, 2026, about an unspecified threat allegedly made in a student group text. The participants in the texting group were students at Thomas W. Pyle Middle School in Bethesda, police said. According to police, the threat was made in a text sent last evening, and they were then contacted by a concerned individual at 11:55 PM last night. 

Police did not state the outcome of their investigation beyond the above information. This leaves the public to assume and speculate that the absence of public action or further comment by police and Montgomery County Public Schools today suggests it was determined there was no immediate danger. One would like to think more information would be available in this day and age regarding such threats.

Squishable moving at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Squishable is relocating inside Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The plush toy retailer won't be going far, though. It is going to be across from its current location. That location has temporarily closed because it takes time and some doing to corral these creatures and herd them across the corridor. 

Indecent exposure in Friendship Heights

Montgomery County police responded to a report of indecent exposure in the Village of Friendship Heights in Chevy Chase yesterday afternoon, May 9, 2026. The incident was reported at a park in the 5400 block of Friendship Boulevard at 2:45 PM Saturday. That appears to be Willoughby Park at the corner of Friendship and Willard Avenue. It's quite disturbing that this took place during daylight hours on a busy Saturday afternoon.