One thing we know about David Montgomery is that he is able to mobilize a handful of his supporters to write letters, no matter how reactionary his causes might be . He first appeared on the community radar screen as the leader of the effort to keep the Talbot Boys statue. Then he ran for County Council and promised to use its budget leverage to lean on the Board of Education’s “woke agenda for anti-racism and sexuality” and what he calls “current fads in sexuality”.
Most concerning for those of us who don’t think of women as chattel, he bragged that he was the only candidate for County Council to have a rating of 100 from Maryland Right to Life. One shudders to think what legislative commitments that would entail. A town ban on mifepristone? A budget line for the no choices pregnancy center? A don’t say gay ordinance?
His campaign for County Council shows his willingness to use the levers of government to meddle in pursuit of his extreme social agenda. His campaign is now focused on popular development issues. Fortunately the weight of political opinion will be for managed development without his election.
Let Montgomery serve on the Planning Commission where his indifference to the concerns of the African American community and creating a respectful and welcoming environment for all communities within Easton is not on the agenda.
Unlike many of his letter writers, I live in Ward 3 and support incumbent Ron Engle for reelection.
Holly Wright
Easton
Anthony and Debra Principi says
We attended a “Meet and Greet” for David Montgomery last evening. We found him to be extremely intelligent and articulate as he laid out his clear vision for Easton. David Montgomery has served with dedication and distinction at the United States Department of Energy, Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget. He is a fine public servant, intelligent economist and cares deeply about our community and preserving its rural character. He is a very hardworking, humble man. We are proud to support David for Easton Town Council. Anthony and Debra Principi
Susie Hayward says
I agree that David Montgomery does not seem to have the welfare of all of Easton’s citizens in mind. It was quite selfish of him to say, “I am not troubled that many people have to commute to Easton” and that our reality should be “accepting that many who work here will choose to commute a longer distance to obtain more affordable housing” this implies his willingness to do NOTHING for the many young families and workers in our community that want to continue to live in Easton.
He says that with his background, he can help with the budget. Still, the budget has been balanced at no increase in the tax rate for the past 8+ years, all while providing funds to improve our roads and sewer system, giving our town employees a raise and improving the police department’s retirement benefits, expanding our sidewalks and Rail to Trails system. The Town even purchased about 186 acres of passive parkland. All while maintaining a AA Bond rating. The Town, with Ron Engle, is doing very well without David Montgomery’s help.
David Montgomery may have “great ideas,” many have already been explored, some even put into practice, and others deemed unsuitable. Montgomery would have been aware of this if he had been more engaged with the community. In contrast, Ron Engle is an active community member who has worked on the budget for eight years and performed remarkably well. He has also implemented enhancements to improve the town in important ways. He is concerned about housing for our young families, essential workers, and all employees and is focused on adding more affordable housing options for them. Our town needs leaders like Ron Engle. I am also a member of Ward 3 and support Ron Engle.
Richard Marks says
I have read both Ron Engle’s and David Montgomery’s platforms and agree with both of their “visions” for Easton, however, it concerns me that David’s experience lacks involvement in our community. To the best of my knowledge he has not served on any local commissions or committees or participated or served on any boards in any of our many non-profit organizations. Having read many of his articles in the past I find him to be very well educated and very articulate, but I have not seen any action. By contrast, Ron Engle is fairly soft spoken, but he has demonstrated by his actions an awareness of our community needs by his level of participation and by his voting record.