Montgomery Community Media hosted a Democratic primary forum for County Executive at MCM’s Studio A, where Councilmember Will Jawando squared off against Andrew Friedson on housing policy and tenant protections before the Montgomery County Renters Alliance.
“The idea that this is impacting profitability is not true at all. We’re not Akron, we’re Montgomery County.”
— Will Jawando
Jawando drew a sharp contrast with his opponent on rent stabilization, defending his vote in favor of Montgomery County’s June 2024 legislation capping annual rent increases at 5.7%. He argued that developers will continue to invest in the county despite rent controls and that both housing sufficiency and rent stabilization can be achieved simultaneously, urging voters to “reject the zero-sum game” that Friedson proposed. On the Good Cause Eviction bill, Jawando advocated for an “and not or” approach, pushing for rent stabilization provisions to be included alongside eviction protections.
The forum was moderated by a panel of four journalists, including MCM’s Suzanne Pollak and Maryland Matters’ Josh Kurtz. Council Member Evan Glass, who had also been scheduled to participate, withdrew due to illness.