Marc Elrich

Marc B. Elrich (born November 2, 1949) is an American politician serving as the county executive of Montgomery County, Maryland.

He is a former member of the Montgomery County Council and the Takoma Park City Council.

In 1963, he went to hear Martin Luther King Jr. speak at the March on Washington.

He attended Albert Einstein High School in Kensington and the University of Maryland.

He was once arrested at an anti-apartheid rally.

He worked as a manager in the automotive department at Montgomery Ward before getting a master's degree in teaching from Johns Hopkins University.

Elrich served on the Takoma Park City Council from 1987 to 2006.

He is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

In 1995, he joined with community members and fought against a proposed mega mall in downtown Silver Spring.

Elrich ran for the county council four times before getting elected in 2006.

Since that time, he has served three terms.

He was elected with the most votes of any candidate in 2010 and 2014.

The Washington Post endorsed his candidacy in 2010 and 2014, stating that he was viewed as somewhat anti-business, but advocated a business-beneficial transit system and had a strong focus on efficiency and the development and planning process.

He worked to have environmental concerns addressed in the Clarksburg Master Plan and he spearheaded the effort to protect Tenmile Creek.

The amendment that was passed requires development to supply environmental protections.

He considered protecting the stream one of his highest environmental concerns at the time.

He supported one bill protecting the tree canopy and sponsored another protecting street trees.

Both were voted into law.

He advocated for the elimination of cosmetic use of pesticides on private lawns because of their cancer-causing chemicals helping the county become the first locality in the country to do so and was considered a key co-sponsor of the legislation.

He advocated against the use of artificial playing turfs that contain lead and other cancer-causing ingredients and sponsored a resolution banning crumb rubber turfs.

He voted for the Montgomery county five-cent bag tax to fund environmental cleanup efforts.

He was lead sponsor of a bill to require large gas stations to be at least 500 feet from schools and parks.

In 2013, Elrich was the lead sponsor of legislation to increase the county's minimum wage, which raised it to $11.50 per hour.

Elrich twice was the lead sponsor of legislation to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour in Montgomery County.

Elrich taught 4th and 5th grade for 17 years at Rolling Terrace Elementary.

In January 2017, a bill passed in the Council and was vetoed by then County Executive Ike Legget.

In November 2017, a second bill passed and was signed into law, making Montgomery County the first county in Maryland with a $15 per hour minimum wage.

At the time of the bill's passage, the State of Maryland's minimum wage was $9.25 per hour.

Elrich voted against the White Flint Mall II sector plan because Elrich stated that the plan would have created 6,000 residential units located too far from a Metro station.

He voted against the Bethesda Master Plan because it failed to consider the effect the increased density would have on roads and schools.

He voted against the Lyttonsville Sector Plan because he stated that it would increase housing costs and force residents to move out, as well as the Chevy Chase Lake Sector Plan.

He opposed a proposal to sell land adjacent to the White Oak Food and Drug Administration campus because local roads and infrastructure were not equipped to handle additional traffic and students.

In 2017, Elrich declared his candidacy for county executive.

He participated in public financing.

The largest allowed contribution is $150.

He did not accept money from developers or land use attorneys.

He became the Democratic nominee for Montgomery County Executive in the 2018 primary before winning the general election.

Marc Elrich was born in Washington, D.C., near Takoma Park.

His father was a postal worker and his mother was a waitress.

When he was ten, his family moved to Silver Spring.