David Blair releases plan to help restaurants in race for Montgomery County Executive

Blair headquarters at 11751 
Rockville Pike

Democratic Montgomery County Executive candidate David Blair has released a list of policy changes he would implement to help county restaurants if elected. "Restaurants are Better with Blair" is a 10-point plan for a low-profit-margin industry that was struggling in the county even before the pandemic hit.

Proposals include streamlining regulations, and ensuring they are consistent with competing jurisdictions around us; simplified inspections; ending the County's monopoly on liquor sales; increased access to capital; developing the hospitality workforce and management skills in partnership with local colleges; expanding childcare; investing in transit and more ride-hailing, on-demand bus services; and growing the agricultural sector of the county's economy, so that more food and alcoholic beverages produced here can be served in county restaurants.

One restaurateur to endorse Blair, who narrowly lost the 2018 Democratic primary to Marc Elrich by only 77 votes, is Farmers Fishers Bakers co-owner Dan Simons. In addition to having a Founding Farmers restaurant at Park Potomac in Montgomery County, Simons blogs about the industry at Dan Simons Says.

Elrich is running for reelection. Current County Council member Hans Riemer is also challenging Elrich. Councilmember Tom Hucker is exploring a potential challenge, but hasn't ruled out running for his District 5 Council seat again instead. No candidate of any party has filed paperwork for this race with the Board of Elections, as of this writing.