October 14, 2025 • 35 mins
In this episode of Consumer Connection, we sit down with Council President Kate Stewart to learn about her journey from resident to County Council President. Together, we explore how consumer protection is shaping a stronger Montgomery County, from advancing tenant rights to enhancing support for vulnerable adults. We also highlight how early organizing, meeting people where they are, uplifting mental health, and local history are building a more connected, resilient community.
To connect with Council President Stewart's office, visit https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/stewart/ or email councilmember.stewart@
montgomerycountymd.gov.
Have a question or suggestion for a future episode? Send an email to consumerconnection@montgomerycountymd.gov.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Michelle Escobar (00:04):
Hello and welcome to Consumer Connection.
I'm Michelle Escobar,investigator with the Montgomery
County Office of ConsumerProtection, and your host.
At OCP, I work directly withcounty residents to help
navigate consumer protectionconcerns, scams, and unfair
business practices, issues thatimpact our lives every day.
And today I am thrilled to havea very special guest,
(00:27):
Montgomery County CouncilPresident Kate Stewart.
Thank you for being with us.
Thank you for having me.
Yes, you are a standout exampleof women leading with purpose
in local government.
And so I'm really excited tohave you.
Kate Stewart is a powerfuladvocate for affordable housing,
tenant rights, consumerprotection throughout Montgomery
(00:47):
County.
From mayor of Tacoma Park toher current leadership role at
the council, her dedication topublic service has made a real
difference in the lives ofMontgomery County residents.
Thank you.
Yes.
Oh no, so this is reallyexciting for me and very
meaningful too.
I want to give you a little funfact about myself.
I was a community organizer inTacoma Park in the early 2000s.
(01:10):
And uh Tacoma Park for me issuch a beautiful town.
It's vibrant small businesses,the diversity, the colorful
neighborhoods.
I always remember that.
So I was really excited becausethat really helped me help that
experience helped shape my pathwith now I'm serving as in a
different role, but stillserving Montgomery County and
(01:32):
the consumer protection uh side.
And so your leadership reallyresonates with me because I feel
like we have that connectionwith Tacoma Park and for
consumer protection as well.
Um so I'd love to hear fromyou.
What inspired you to uh firstuh to get started in public
service?
Was there something that thathappened?
What inspired you?
Kate Stewart (01:52):
Yeah.
So thank you, first of all, forhaving uh me here today.
And I'm excited to hear aboutthat connection uh to Tacoma
Park.
Um so, you know, I think mytime on the Tacoma Park City
Council and mayor there and nowat uh the county council
actually started one day with aknock on my door.
And it was a neighbor.
(02:12):
Um, I had been involved in somelocal, you know, issues.
I was a mom of two small kids,um, involved in different
things.
And the neighbor came in andsaid, Hey, there's an opening on
our city council, and we haveto have a special election
because someone had the womanwho had represented us had
passed away.
And he said, the council andTacoma Park was all men, and the
(02:37):
two people running for the seatwere two men.
And he's like, We can't have anall-men, all male city council.
Um very wise man.
Yes.
Um, so I thought about it for alittle bit, had a bunch of
other friends uh who encouragedme to run.
And because it was a specialelection, we only had 45 days.
Michelle Escobar (02:56):
Oh, wow.
Kate Stewart (02:56):
So there wasn't a lot of time to think about it
and then actually get a campaigntogether and do that.
And so I decided to do that.
A bunch of my friends gottogether and um we were able to
win that special election.
And then it was like probablyjust a little over a year that I
was on the council.
The mayor, um, Bruce Williams,who had been mayor for a while,
(03:20):
said to me during right beforeone of the meetings, he said,
Um, oh, I need to talk to you.
Can you swing by my house afterthe meeting?
And I was like, Oh my gosh.
So immediately I think I didsomething wrong, right?
I'm like, you must have messedup something.
I know.
And I'm like, why can't he talkhere?
And our meetings used to runreally late.
Like they didn't start till7:30 at night.
(03:40):
It wasn't unusual for them togo past midnight.
So I remember going to hishouse thinking I was like, did
something wrong.
Michelle Escobar (03:46):
Yeah.
Kate Stewart (03:46):
And he told me he was retiring as mayor and really
wanted me to consider running.
Um, which was I was again, Iwas like, I've only been on the
council like everything goinginto place.
Michelle Escobar (03:58):
Yeah.
Kate Stewart (03:59):
Um, so I did that.
And um, you know, I won theelection as mayor, ran a couple
of other times.
Um, and you know, serving asmayor in Tacoma Park was just,
it was the best.
It's an incredible community.
We were able to do amazingthings.
Um, it was really difficult.
I was mayor during the firstTrump administration, um, then
during COVID.
(04:20):
And the role, and a lot ofpeople don't know this, um, but
the municipalities, the citiesand towns we have in Montgomery
County, the folks who serve onthose uh councils, um, those
aren't considered full-timejobs.
So uh everyone has pretty muchanother job and other things.
So it's uh it's they're reallytough jobs to have.
(04:40):
Um, and I really appreciate mycolleagues who are serving at
the local level.
Um, but by the time COVID was,you know, we had been doing that
work.
I had decided I wasn't going touh run for re-election as
mayor.
Um and then we hadredistricting in the county.
Uh and uh the district four uhseat was an open seat at that
(05:01):
time, and again had a number ofpeople encouraging me to run for
that.
And so I ended up on the countycouncil.
Michelle Escobar (05:08):
You know, it's it's great that you didn't have
too much time to think about itbecause with small kids.
Yeah, and you're like, you knowwhat?
But that's great.
You didn't have much time tothink about it at all.
Just went for it.
Yeah, that's wonderful.
That's great to hear.
So tell me, your experience asmayor, did that change your
approach in any way, how youwork now with the council?
Sure, absolutely.
Kate Stewart (05:28):
So I think my experiences as mayor um really
um one taught me how to run areally good meeting.
Um and I I think uh I carrythat over now this year, uh,
being council president uh andyou know, navigating, making
sure that uh people are heard,that my colleagues have
opportunities to uh discussthings, and knowing at the end
(05:50):
of the day, we got to call avote and move on.
Um, and so I think those beingable to navigate those spaces um
can be difficult.
And doing that for so manyyears in Tacoma Park helped set
me up to be council presidentthis year.
Michelle Escobar (06:06):
Wow.
Now you've worked on so manyinitiatives, and um our
listeners really they're they'rewhat hits home for them is
consumer protection.
And you've done things, you'vedone things with uh tenant
protections, um vulnerableadults, um access to renewable
energy um alternatives.
So um, but with all theseissues, what do you find right
(06:29):
now, and especially that you'veeven worked through COVID, um
what what do you find is themost urgent consumer protection
issue in the county right now?
Kate Stewart (06:37):
Yeah.
So I think um, you know, one ofthe things that we worked on
was the tenant protection andnotification bill that passed a
year ago.
And uh we're still working outputting that, all of those
pieces in place.
And so just to give you alittle background, the tenant
notification and protection billactually came out of two um
really tragic events thathappened in Montgomery County.
(07:00):
Um, one was a fire thathappened at the Arrive apartment
building in downtown SilverSpring, where we uh lost Melanie
Diaz.
Um and at that time, uh beingon site um after that fire,
talking to the residents, whatwe learned is the building had
no sprinklers, that that our ourcounty code did not require any
(07:22):
type of um emergency plan ornotification of where certain
fire alarms were or fireextinguishers are.
And the other thing thattalking to the residents um who
lost everything in theirapartments, just everything, who
thought they had insurance, butwhat they had was insurance for
(07:44):
the owners, not for theirpersonal belongings.
Oh and what we realized is inthe leases, it was really
confusing for people.
And so talking to them andlooking at what's in our code,
what protects um people in uhthe county, we were able to put
in place the um TenantNotification Protection Act.
And um, it's still we stilldon't have the final
(08:07):
regulations, and so that's whyI'm saying it's still a work in
progress.
But what that is requiring isum each of our multifamily
buildings having emergency plansthat are on file and that are
provided to residents.
It also makes sure people knowwhere fire extinguishers are,
um, and it makes it much clearerto people the type of insurance
that they have.
(08:28):
The other thing that uh reallydrove us to do that piece of
legislation was unfortunately anincident at the Grand, which is
a residence um in NorthBethesda, about 525 units.
Um many um older residents livein that building.
And uh one summer there was wehad a rash of storms come
(08:49):
through and it knocked out theuh electricity in that building
and their backup generator,which under state law they're
supposed to have enough fuelfor, but they didn't.
So their backup generatordidn't work.
And so residents were incomplete darkness and could not
reach the management company,could not find out what was
(09:09):
happening.
And we had older residents ontop floors who had medical
devices that weren't working andthe temperatures in their
apartments were reaching likehigh 80s, low 90s.
And the only way the county wasactually alerted to this that
was that there was a policeofficer at the local 7 Eleven
who looked over and was like,wait a minute, something's not
right at the grand and went overand inspected and found out
(09:33):
what was happening.
But the management company hadnot responded to any of the
residents, had not alerted theuh the county emergency services
at all.
And so that was something elsethat we put in this legislation
that there needed to beavailable 24-7 for emergencies
to get information.
Um, so and that's something wesee um today when we're working
(09:56):
with many um tenant associationsand residents in multifamily
buildings.
One of the most frustratingthings is when they have an
emergency um or a question, theycan't get a hold of their
management company and get aresponse.
And so hopefully spreading theword about this um and making
sure that people know if they'renot getting a response, they
(10:17):
can file a complaint becauseunder this legislation, they're
supposed to be responding tothem.
Michelle Escobar (10:22):
And does that legislation have anything or
connected with the uh Bill 625at all?
Or is that something that wasseparate?
Kate Stewart (10:30):
That was Councilmember Mink's bill.
Yeah.
So it they're all going in thesame direction, which is
providing our uh residents withmore tools and our Office of
Consumer Protection, as well asour Department of Housing and
Community Affairs with moretools to assist residents and
make sure that they understanduh what their rights are and
(10:54):
then to make sure that nothing'sfalling through the cracks uh
in our code.
Um, you know, another exampleis what we're working on now uh
with your Office of ConsumerProtection and the great work
you've been doing on uh waterbills.
Um, because it was alsoresidents at the grand who we
met with uh who started tocomplain to us about their water
(11:14):
bills, um, the fees that theywere being charged, how
confusing it was.
Um, and the Office of ConsumerProtection um did an
investigation.
And what we found is this is anarea of looking at our water
bills that actually we don'thave any good um regulations on
it in our county code, which isuh chapter 11 and chapter 29, to
(11:38):
make sure that people aren'tbeing charged excessively in
their water bills.
In addition to this, we realizethat while utilities are um
come under the Public ServiceCommission at the state, water
doesn't actually.
So these really confusing waterbills um and sometimes
unexpected service fees and allof this um really weren't
(12:02):
falling under any um agency orwe didn't people didn't don't
have the tools in which to umpush back against them.
So we're working on legislationnow to make sure that uh people
we do have the tools so thatthey we have more understandable
contracts, leases, because lotsof times these contracts are in
people's leases, and to makesure that um when people are
(12:25):
charged fees um for their water,uh, that they're reasonable.
Michelle Escobar (12:29):
Yeah, I I can't tell you how many times I
people just don't understandtheir contracts.
There's so there's so muchsmall print that people don't
understand and and and notunderstanding their the
insurance, that insurancepolicy, for example, that's
incredible and that's so sad.
You lose everything and youthink you have you have some
protection and you don't.
Right.
(12:50):
And then you're not able to toreach your management on top of
that.
You don't and I didn't knowabout the sprinklers.
Yeah.
So when did the sprinklerbecause I thought that the
sprinkler systems should haveshould have been put in, well,
they're definitely put in thenew home builders, but just not
in the apartments.
Kate Stewart (13:07):
Yeah.
So this is a big deal,actually.
And delegate Sharkotian wasactually working at on
legislation at the state levelto look at our fire codes.
Um, so unfortunately, throughthis um tragic incident, what we
learned is for our olderapartments that are
grandfathered in that were builtmostly before like the 1970s,
(13:29):
the early 1970s, um, many ofthem don't have sprinkler
systems.
Um, and it is quite expensiveto put in sprinkler systems.
Um, and so uh we were unable toget past at the state level um
a requirement for uh sprinklers.
What what delegate Charcotiandid um was successful at moving
(13:50):
forward was state legislation tomake sure that if you have a
high-rise building that doesn'thave a sprinkler system, that
there needs to be notificationposted in the building.
Michelle Escobar (13:58):
Okay.
Kate Stewart (13:59):
Um, because I think it you're right, like it
people assume a lot.
Michelle Escobar (14:03):
Yes.
Kate Stewart (14:03):
Um, so you move into a building and maybe it
looks newish because they didsome cosmetic upgrades and then
you realize it's an olderbuilding that they didn't put in
a sprinkler system or do someother things, and you're
thinking you're protected.
Um and and in fact, uh youdon't have that protection.
(14:24):
And so making sure peopleunderstand who are living in the
building or who are going inand renting a building, what is
available to them, what safetyprecautions are there is going
to be really important.
Michelle Escobar (14:34):
Yeah, it needs to be all cleared out and
written out so people dounderstand it's important um to
have all types of disclosures tothem so people know what
they're getting into.
And speaking of um vulnerableadults, um, because you were
talking about the grand.
Um, and that is that hits homefor me because I, especially our
seniors, um, I know that ouroffice is working on updating
(14:58):
chapter 11.
And um I can't tell you howmany times I've been doing this
for a long time.
And um, speaking of contracts,uh seniors sometimes now with
the tablets, they're presentedwith a contract, they don't get
a chance to to read it, and theysign it and they're dealing
with a dishonest contractor.
And um, so what are the updatesthat we're that you're working
(15:21):
on or that you that you are mostexcited about for that we're
making on chapter 11?
Kate Stewart (15:27):
Yeah.
So one of the things, thanksagain to your office um in
raising these issues to us.
Um, so there was an update tostate law in how we're defining
um vulnerable adults.
And we want to make sure in ourcounty code in chapter 11 that
we're mirroring the statelegislation.
And so it will be clearer uhwho is a vulnerable adult.
(15:48):
And in part of that definitionis people who are 68 and older.
So um that provides then theOffice of Consumer Protection,
the tools to then help people ifthey find themselves the victim
of some of these scams.
And um, as you know better thanme, with AI and all these other
things, we're really seeing anincrease um in these types of
(16:09):
scams.
Um, and people can loseeverything.
Yes.
And it's it's just so sad.
Michelle Escobar (16:14):
And they're losing everything in so many
ways.
Kate Stewart (16:17):
In so many ways.
And and to tell them then wedon't have all the tools
available to help them is evenmore frustrating on top of that.
So hopefully by providing anupdated definition of what is
considered a vulnerable adult,um, that'll provide us more uh
ability to help in these casesand investigate them.
Michelle Escobar (16:37):
Yeah, because to this, to especially our
seniors, the a handshake means alot.
Yes.
You know, it's a symbol oftrust.
And so when that's broken, it'snot just about money anymore.
It's about their dignity.
And I've run into a gentlemanone day said, I'm an engineer, I
can do these things myself, butthey have to depend on someone
else to do it.
And so then, you know, thatthat takes from them too.
(16:59):
And they can do it themselvesback in the day.
But so they are vulnerable.
This this is this is avulnerable time.
They're letting someone intotheir home or into their lives
or doing business with someonethat, and these scammers are
very slick.
They they know how to get toyou, they know um that you have
grandchildren.
They're they're doing theirhomework.
And so any protection we cangive them, it's really
(17:22):
important.
So you did work on thecommunity choice aggregation.
Yeah, we that's one we justintroduced.
Yes, that's right.
Could you tell us about that?
Kate Stewart (17:31):
So the community choice aggregation um is again,
um, speaking of uh delegatesharkotian, um, we needed to get
enabling legislation at thestate level.
And basically what it does isit provides us here in the
county the ability to purchaseum energy electricity on behalf
of our residents and ourbusinesses.
(17:53):
And in order to do that, weneeded a plan, an aggregator
plan.
It has already gone through alot of uh meetings, and we have
guidelines from um the PublicService Commission on how we can
do this.
And the bill that I introduceda couple of weeks ago would
basically enable us to moveforward with this plan.
And the hope is that byproviding the county the ability
(18:19):
to group purchase umelectricity, uh, we can um have
more uh competitive rates to umwhat people are able to get now,
and that we're able to alsoexpand um being able to purchase
uh renewable energy sources.
And, you know, we are seeing somuch volatility right now and
(18:40):
increases in prices forelectricity and our energy
sources.
And this really will give thecounty another tool.
Um, it's also when we did theuh climate change work and
thinking about the planning forhow the county is really gonna
meet our goals in the nextcouple of years.
This was um one of the thingsthat was at the top in the
(19:01):
report we received back from theconsultant on if we're really
gonna move forward on this andtackle climate change and uh
reduce our greenhouse gases herein the county.
Community choice aggregation isone of the ways to do that.
Um, so hopefully it will we'llmove forward with it.
Uh, we'll put the plantogether.
Um, and it is um just forMontgomery County right now.
(19:23):
Um so there'll be a lot of eyeson us at the state level uh as
we're moving forward.
Um, but a number ofjurisdictions around the country
um have community choiceaggregator models um in place
and um they've been verysuccessful.
Michelle Escobar (19:38):
Yeah, no, and I think it's really important to
be able to do it even as agroup, um, because again, um not
everybody can afford to putpanels on their uh roof.
Um, I can't tell you thosecontracts as well are they
protect the the contractor, thecompanies more than they do the
the uh consumer.
(19:58):
And I've had people that haveput those panels on and they get
uh leaks in their roofs.
And so if they can do somethingas a group or or know that the
county is evolved, sometimeseven the salesmen or salespeople
will say there's uh tax cutsand tax this, and and people are
falling for and think, yeah,like no, that's you asked your
(20:20):
tax person about that, you know,like the salesperson doesn't
really know.
So they fall for so many thingswhere um if they can count on
the county to to give them moreinformation and and to help them
maybe particip to participatein renewable energy, that's
that's an incredible thing forthem because they want to, they
just don't know how sometimes orcan't afford to.
Kate Stewart (20:40):
Yeah, exactly.
And you know, for example, alsolike for my home, uh we've been
wanting to do solar panels, butour the tree canopy around our
home, it just makes it uh prettymuch impossible right now.
And so each every couple ofyears we check because the
technology is getting better.
Um, but again, also I'd like tothink about like especially our
work on climate change here inMontgomery County.
(21:01):
We are so far ahead of so manyother jurisdictions because of
our residents and our businessesbeing really um dedicated to
this, that we've we've we'vealmost exhausted all the
voluntary things we can do thatpeople are gonna do on their
own.
And we need to make this jumpto making sure that we're doing
(21:22):
things as a county, as a countygovernment, that's gonna make
real change.
Um, so community choiceaggregation is one of those
things.
The work we did last year onthe building energy performance
standards is another example ofthat.
Um, and you know, these thingsget um a bit harder to do uh
each time.
But if we're gonna be reallycommitted to um climate change
(21:44):
and reducing our greenhousegases in the county, um we we
need to start doing these.
Michelle Escobar (21:49):
And is there any way that for the residents
listening that they want to makean impact or they want to
engage somehow?
Is there is there how's thebest way to engage with your
office?
Kate Stewart (22:00):
Great.
So our office, uh the best wayto engage is to email us at
councilmember.stewart atMontgomeryCountyMD.gov.
It's long, it'scouncilmember.stewart at
MontgomeryCountymd.gov.
Uh if folks aren't signed up,um we do a newsletter every
other week that providesinformation.
Um, but if people are also justinterested in a specific topic,
(22:23):
whether it's um fightingclimate change or what we're
doing on environmental issues,if it's housing, um, one of the
areas that is really uh a focusof our office is on housing and
helping residents um organizeinto uh tenant associations.
Um, because what we find, and Iknow you probably find this in
your work, is that if sometimespeople organize when there's an
(22:47):
issue and organizing and forminga structure at the same time
that you are trying to push backeither on a management company
or uh address a situation that'shappening in the building is
really difficult.
Um, and so we're uh ourdistrict actually has the most
multifamily buildings as any ofthe other districts in the
(23:09):
county.
And so one of the things thatwe really try to um help
residents do is think aboutsetting up that structure of a
tenant association beforethere's an issue so that you
have that structure, um, you'remeeting together, you get to
know the other people in yourbuilding, build those
relationships.
Um, hopefully nothing will evercome up that you need that.
(23:30):
But if it does, you alreadyhave that structure and
foundation in place that thenyou can get it addressed.
Michelle Escobar (23:37):
And as a community organizer at heart, I
approve that message.
Um, and with so many things andso many complex issues on your
plate, how do you stay groundedand connected with your uh with
your constituents?
Great.
Kate Stewart (23:51):
Um so uh it's we do a a number of meetings um in
the in the district, um,especially in when the weather's
nice in the spring and summerand fall is a great opportunity.
We try and get to all thefarmers markets and festivals
and table, just be out in thecommunity because I the most
(24:11):
important thing I've learnedover the years is going to where
the community is and notexpecting people to seek us out.
Um and if I can, I can tell youjust one quick story for when I
was mayor.
Uh um, I like to go back to isum it was during the first Trump
administration.
And um in Tacoma Park, we havethe um the Langley Crossroads
(24:32):
area that is a very high uhimmigrant community, a lot of
immigrant-owned businesses.
And what we were finding ispeople weren't going out as much
to the restaurants and otherthings.
So we decided to do um lunchwith the mayor um on Fridays.
Um, and it was there was noagenda.
There was no like we weren'tlike giving speeches or
anything.
It was just like, come, youknow, maybe get your papoosas or
(24:54):
wherever we were, yeah, sitdown and let's chat.
And we started doing these andwe always got a good number of
folks.
And I do remember one time umwe were at uh one of the places
um in uh the crossroads area,and I was like putting tables
together, and these two olderwomen walk in, and they're like,
We're we're here for lunch withthe governor.
(25:15):
Uh and this is Governor Hoganat this time.
I'm like, Well, the governor'snot coming.
I was like, I think you meanlunch with the mayor.
And they're like, Yeah, whereis he?
We want to meet him.
And I'm like, Well, I'm yourmayor.
And these two women beamed andthey're like, We have a woman
mayor.
And I'm like, Yes, you do.
Um, and they were so excited.
(25:35):
Um, and I want to say that theycame to every other lunch we
had.
Um, we found out from talkingto them that they had some
issues with neighbors who wereunfortunately hoarders and some
of this was creeping onto theirproperty.
So we were able to um get folksout there to help the
residents, to help them.
Um, and then um they had nevervoted in a city election before.
(25:59):
And then we had city electionscome up.
They registered, voted in thecity election, and became much
more engaged um in the localcommunity.
And it was really, it wasreally great to have them um do
that.
And I just think it was alwaysa funny story when they were
like, it's it's an incrediblestory.
Michelle Escobar (26:15):
I think it shows the power of connection,
of really being with the people,being um in your community and
and being with them.
That's it, you connect withthem.
That's wonderful.
Yeah, that's great.
Um, so uh looking back then asum your because this is your
last year as council president.
Yeah, last few months.
Yeah.
So what's the legacy that youthat you wanted leave?
Kate Stewart (26:37):
Yeah.
Um so one of the things thatwe've been working on um this
year is uh specificallyhighlighting mental health.
Um and when we uh first tookover as council president last
December, we uh initiated acouple of things.
Um, one, we brought togetherlast winter over 130 of our
(26:58):
providers in our government andoutside to have conversations
about what are the gaps we'reseeing in care, particularly in
thinking about um what promotingwellness and for young people.
And it was really anopportunity for folks to gather
and share information.
And what we found is some folkshad are doing this work, but
(27:19):
they had never met somecounterparts.
And to have that opportunity tosit down, meet each other, and
talk about the differentprograms they have in place was,
I think, really helpful.
Um, and then we're also doing auh series of videos to lift up
the work that's being done inthe community, particularly for
some of our members of ourcommunity for whom the stigma
(27:43):
and talking about mental healthis, I mean, there's stigma
across all of our communities,but in particular, um, some of
our communities, the the stigmais very high in talking about
these issues.
So really highlighting the workof some of our uh nonprofit
groups and community groups whoare doing this work in a really
culturally uh responsive way isvery important.
(28:04):
Uh, we have our mental healthcorner in our newsletter again
to uplift some resources.
And um this fall we're doinglistening sessions with young
people to hear about what theyneed and what they want to see
in our county services and fromour providers.
And um, it was reallyinteresting.
I was just at one um meetingwith some uh with some young
(28:25):
people, and these were mostlypeople in their late teens,
early 20s.
And we asked them, you know,who do you turn to or who do you
feel are like trusted uhpeople?
And uh one of the young mensaid librarians.
Michelle Escobar (28:37):
Oh, wow.
Kate Stewart (28:38):
They're like like talking to our librarians, are
some of the folks that he feelsmost comfortable with um and our
trusted people when he just heneeds to share and talk to
someone.
Michelle Escobar (28:49):
That's wonderful.
Yeah.
Wow, great work.
That's that's great.
Um mental health is um is soimportant to be able to be open
with it and and for everybody toreally know hey, it there's
there's problems and we have tolook at it and deal with it and
help each other.
I am a big believer, and Ithink I've said it on every
(29:11):
episode, it takes a village.
Yes.
We have to support each other,lift each other up, and look out
for each other.
So wonderful work.
And I know that um we are umabout to or we are celebrating
our 250th uh Montgomery Countyanniversary, right?
And so I went to, I caught yourum kickoff event last week.
(29:31):
Um really great discussion onum the past and how it informs
our present and future.
And so um just wanted to knowwhat what is there a particular
uh event that you're lookingforward to or initiative that
you're looking forward to thisfor this year?
Yeah.
Kate Stewart (29:50):
So yeah, so we had the panel last week, and we had
our director of libraries, ourchair of our commission on
women, and um uh the directorfrom our historic preservation.
From the playing department,and it was such a great panel.
Michelle Escobar (30:03):
The librarian yes there.
She was incredible.
Yes.
Kate Stewart (30:06):
And it was just such a great panel.
And people can watch it on thecounty council's YouTube page.
But what I really liked aboutit is saying the tone, it was
really what can we take from ourhistory?
Why is it important that we arethinking about our history,
particularly at this time in ourcountry where we have an
occupant of the White House whois erasing history, you know,
(30:30):
taking things out of ourmuseums, taking things out of
our national parks, and reallyerasing people.
And so I thought thatconversation was so important as
understanding why here inMontgomery County we're
celebrating our 250th.
It's also the 250th of ourcountry.
And for me, it's making surethat we're celebrating here in
(30:54):
the Montgomery County way.
And so there'll be a number ofdifferent events.
Montgomery history has a numberof things that are going to be
coming up in the year.
We're going to be doing anessay contest with uh young
people, a video uh essaycontest, and looking forward to
that, as well as a social mediacampaign on what does Montgomery
(31:15):
County mean to you?
Michelle Escobar (31:16):
Oh, I love it.
So really looking forward toit.
I wanted to give a personalnote on the past, present, and
future.
I love to hike.
And one of my favorite trailsum is the um underground
railroad experience in SandySpring.
And so that that um loops intothe history as well.
(31:38):
The the incredible, the historythat that that's steeped in
that trail.
Um, the the the energy isincredible.
Um there's a tree there that II hug that tree.
Every time I see it, I can justimagine what that tree has
seen, what it has heard.
So um you like to uh takewalks.
(31:59):
And do you have a a path thatyou a walking trail or path that
you enjoy?
Or what is your favoritehistorical part of Montgomery
County?
Kate Stewart (32:09):
Yeah.
So um I love that trail andthat I know that tree you're
talking about.
It's really moving.
And I have to just give kudosto all the volunteers and the
folks who guide those um walksbecause they are amazing.
Um, you know, I think there'sso many here in Montgomery
County.
Um, particularly um, I've hadthe opportunity to spend time in
(32:33):
um Prathur Town and some of ourother uh historically black
communities.
And, you know, some of them areare still here in Montgomery
County.
Um, but there's a map um thatlooks at all of uh the
communities that we used to haveand how many of them there's
absolutely no, like you wouldn'teven know they had been there.
Michelle Escobar (32:55):
Wow.
Kate Stewart (32:55):
Um and it's really it's devastating to see that,
and then to also then see umother communities like Praether
Town and others that have reallykept their history alive and
how important that is.
Um, and I have to say, probablyone of the places I enjoy going
is the Josiah Hansen Museum.
Um, it is just the um parksdepartment did an excellent job
(33:21):
of really restoring that andproviding the history um there.
So that's one of my favorites.
Michelle Escobar (33:27):
Any final words um before we end today?
Kate Stewart (33:31):
No, I just uh I want to say thank you.
Um, the Office of ConsumerProtection does um so much
amazing work.
And I can't tell you how muchour office appreciates the
partnership.
You know, we just we receive somany phone calls of people just
not knowing where to go.
Yeah.
Um, and as you said before,like if people have been um
(33:53):
scammed or there's things thatthey just don't understand,
there is also a lot of um shamethat comes with that.
Like I should know this.
I should know that.
And I just want to say thatyour office, um, the way you
treat people with dignity andrespect and really help them
figure out and navigate thesesituations, is just excellent.
(34:13):
So thank you.
Michelle Escobar (34:14):
Oh, thank you.
Thank you so much.
And for our listeners, don'tforget that you can learn about
the Montgomery County Counciland the Office of Consumer
Protection by visiting ourwebsites.
And I hope that you will joinus for the next time for a
conversation with people,policies, and protections that
safeguard our county.
Oh, and by the way, don'tforget to subscribe on your
(34:37):
favorite podcast platform andkeep an eye out for upcoming
episodes where we'll continue tobring you important updates and
insights on consumerprotection.
Have a topic in mind for afuture episode or a question for
our team?
Drop us an email atconsumerconnection at Montgomery
CountyMD.gov.
If you enjoyed this episode,please share it with your
(34:59):
friends and family and stay inthe loop with OCP by searching
the hashtag MCGOCP on socialmedia.
Remember, knowledge is key forsafeguarding your consumer
rights.
Stay informed, stay protected,and stay connected.
Until next time.
Announcer (35:18):
This podcast is brought to you by County Cable
Montgomery, your source for newsand information from the
Montgomery County government.
Connect with us via cable,Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube
by searching for County CableMoco.
Hello and welcome to Consumer Connection.
I'm Michelle Escobar,investigator with the Montgomery
County Office of ConsumerProtection, and your host.
At OCP, I work directly withcounty residents to help
navigate consumer protectionconcerns, scams, and unfair
business practices, issues thatimpact our lives every day.
And today I am thrilled to havea very special guest,
(00:27):
Montgomery County CouncilPresident Kate Stewart.
Thank you for being with us.
Thank you for having me.
Yes, you are a standout exampleof women leading with purpose
in local government.
And so I'm really excited tohave you.
Kate Stewart is a powerfuladvocate for affordable housing,
tenant rights, consumerprotection throughout Montgomery
(00:47):
County.
From mayor of Tacoma Park toher current leadership role at
the council, her dedication topublic service has made a real
difference in the lives ofMontgomery County residents.
Thank you.
Yes.
Oh no, so this is reallyexciting for me and very
meaningful too.
I want to give you a little funfact about myself.
I was a community organizer inTacoma Park in the early 2000s.
(01:10):
And uh Tacoma Park for me issuch a beautiful town.
It's vibrant small businesses,the diversity, the colorful
neighborhoods.
I always remember that.
So I was really excited becausethat really helped me help that
experience helped shape my pathwith now I'm serving as in a
different role, but stillserving Montgomery County and
(01:32):
the consumer protection uh side.
And so your leadership reallyresonates with me because I feel
like we have that connectionwith Tacoma Park and for
consumer protection as well.
Um so I'd love to hear fromyou.
What inspired you to uh firstuh to get started in public
service?
Was there something that thathappened?
What inspired you?
Kate Stewart (01:52):
Yeah.
So thank you, first of all, forhaving uh me here today.
And I'm excited to hear aboutthat connection uh to Tacoma
Park.
Um so, you know, I think mytime on the Tacoma Park City
Council and mayor there and nowat uh the county council
actually started one day with aknock on my door.
And it was a neighbor.
(02:12):
Um, I had been involved in somelocal, you know, issues.
I was a mom of two small kids,um, involved in different
things.
And the neighbor came in andsaid, Hey, there's an opening on
our city council, and we haveto have a special election
because someone had the womanwho had represented us had
passed away.
And he said, the council andTacoma Park was all men, and the
(02:37):
two people running for the seatwere two men.
And he's like, We can't have anall-men, all male city council.
Um very wise man.
Yes.
Um, so I thought about it for alittle bit, had a bunch of
other friends uh who encouragedme to run.
And because it was a specialelection, we only had 45 days.
Michelle Escobar (02:56):
Oh, wow.
Kate Stewart (02:56):
So there wasn't a lot of time to think about it
and then actually get a campaigntogether and do that.
And so I decided to do that.
A bunch of my friends gottogether and um we were able to
win that special election.
And then it was like probablyjust a little over a year that I
was on the council.
The mayor, um, Bruce Williams,who had been mayor for a while,
(03:20):
said to me during right beforeone of the meetings, he said,
Um, oh, I need to talk to you.
Can you swing by my house afterthe meeting?
And I was like, Oh my gosh.
So immediately I think I didsomething wrong, right?
I'm like, you must have messedup something.
I know.
And I'm like, why can't he talkhere?
And our meetings used to runreally late.
Like they didn't start till7:30 at night.
(03:40):
It wasn't unusual for them togo past midnight.
So I remember going to hishouse thinking I was like, did
something wrong.
Michelle Escobar (03:46):
Yeah.
Kate Stewart (03:46):
And he told me he was retiring as mayor and really
wanted me to consider running.
Um, which was I was again, Iwas like, I've only been on the
council like everything goinginto place.
Michelle Escobar (03:58):
Yeah.
Kate Stewart (03:59):
Um, so I did that.
And um, you know, I won theelection as mayor, ran a couple
of other times.
Um, and you know, serving asmayor in Tacoma Park was just,
it was the best.
It's an incredible community.
We were able to do amazingthings.
Um, it was really difficult.
I was mayor during the firstTrump administration, um, then
during COVID.
(04:20):
And the role, and a lot ofpeople don't know this, um, but
the municipalities, the citiesand towns we have in Montgomery
County, the folks who serve onthose uh councils, um, those
aren't considered full-timejobs.
So uh everyone has pretty muchanother job and other things.
So it's uh it's they're reallytough jobs to have.
(04:40):
Um, and I really appreciate mycolleagues who are serving at
the local level.
Um, but by the time COVID was,you know, we had been doing that
work.
I had decided I wasn't going touh run for re-election as
mayor.
Um and then we hadredistricting in the county.
Uh and uh the district four uhseat was an open seat at that
(05:01):
time, and again had a number ofpeople encouraging me to run for
that.
And so I ended up on the countycouncil.
Michelle Escobar (05:08):
You know, it's it's great that you didn't have
too much time to think about itbecause with small kids.
Yeah, and you're like, you knowwhat?
But that's great.
You didn't have much time tothink about it at all.
Just went for it.
Yeah, that's wonderful.
That's great to hear.
So tell me, your experience asmayor, did that change your
approach in any way, how youwork now with the council?
Sure, absolutely.
Kate Stewart (05:28):
So I think my experiences as mayor um really
um one taught me how to run areally good meeting.
Um and I I think uh I carrythat over now this year, uh,
being council president uh andyou know, navigating, making
sure that uh people are heard,that my colleagues have
opportunities to uh discussthings, and knowing at the end
(05:50):
of the day, we got to call avote and move on.
Um, and so I think those beingable to navigate those spaces um
can be difficult.
And doing that for so manyyears in Tacoma Park helped set
me up to be council presidentthis year.
Michelle Escobar (06:06):
Wow.
Now you've worked on so manyinitiatives, and um our
listeners really they're they'rewhat hits home for them is
consumer protection.
And you've done things, you'vedone things with uh tenant
protections, um vulnerableadults, um access to renewable
energy um alternatives.
So um, but with all theseissues, what do you find right
(06:29):
now, and especially that you'veeven worked through COVID, um
what what do you find is themost urgent consumer protection
issue in the county right now?
Kate Stewart (06:37):
Yeah.
So I think um, you know, one ofthe things that we worked on
was the tenant protection andnotification bill that passed a
year ago.
And uh we're still working outputting that, all of those
pieces in place.
And so just to give you alittle background, the tenant
notification and protection billactually came out of two um
really tragic events thathappened in Montgomery County.
(07:00):
Um, one was a fire thathappened at the Arrive apartment
building in downtown SilverSpring, where we uh lost Melanie
Diaz.
Um and at that time, uh beingon site um after that fire,
talking to the residents, whatwe learned is the building had
no sprinklers, that that our ourcounty code did not require any
(07:22):
type of um emergency plan ornotification of where certain
fire alarms were or fireextinguishers are.
And the other thing thattalking to the residents um who
lost everything in theirapartments, just everything, who
thought they had insurance, butwhat they had was insurance for
(07:44):
the owners, not for theirpersonal belongings.
Oh and what we realized is inthe leases, it was really
confusing for people.
And so talking to them andlooking at what's in our code,
what protects um people in uhthe county, we were able to put
in place the um TenantNotification Protection Act.
And um, it's still we stilldon't have the final
(08:07):
regulations, and so that's whyI'm saying it's still a work in
progress.
But what that is requiring isum each of our multifamily
buildings having emergency plansthat are on file and that are
provided to residents.
It also makes sure people knowwhere fire extinguishers are,
um, and it makes it much clearerto people the type of insurance
that they have.
(08:28):
The other thing that uh reallydrove us to do that piece of
legislation was unfortunately anincident at the Grand, which is
a residence um in NorthBethesda, about 525 units.
Um many um older residents livein that building.
And uh one summer there was wehad a rash of storms come
(08:49):
through and it knocked out theuh electricity in that building
and their backup generator,which under state law they're
supposed to have enough fuelfor, but they didn't.
So their backup generatordidn't work.
And so residents were incomplete darkness and could not
reach the management company,could not find out what was
(09:09):
happening.
And we had older residents ontop floors who had medical
devices that weren't working andthe temperatures in their
apartments were reaching likehigh 80s, low 90s.
And the only way the county wasactually alerted to this that
was that there was a policeofficer at the local 7 Eleven
who looked over and was like,wait a minute, something's not
right at the grand and went overand inspected and found out
(09:33):
what was happening.
But the management company hadnot responded to any of the
residents, had not alerted theuh the county emergency services
at all.
And so that was something elsethat we put in this legislation
that there needed to beavailable 24-7 for emergencies
to get information.
Um, so and that's something wesee um today when we're working
(09:56):
with many um tenant associationsand residents in multifamily
buildings.
One of the most frustratingthings is when they have an
emergency um or a question, theycan't get a hold of their
management company and get aresponse.
And so hopefully spreading theword about this um and making
sure that people know if they'renot getting a response, they
(10:17):
can file a complaint becauseunder this legislation, they're
supposed to be responding tothem.
Michelle Escobar (10:22):
And does that legislation have anything or
connected with the uh Bill 625at all?
Or is that something that wasseparate?
Kate Stewart (10:30):
That was Councilmember Mink's bill.
Yeah.
So it they're all going in thesame direction, which is
providing our uh residents withmore tools and our Office of
Consumer Protection, as well asour Department of Housing and
Community Affairs with moretools to assist residents and
make sure that they understanduh what their rights are and
(10:54):
then to make sure that nothing'sfalling through the cracks uh
in our code.
Um, you know, another exampleis what we're working on now uh
with your Office of ConsumerProtection and the great work
you've been doing on uh waterbills.
Um, because it was alsoresidents at the grand who we
met with uh who started tocomplain to us about their water
(11:14):
bills, um, the fees that theywere being charged, how
confusing it was.
Um, and the Office of ConsumerProtection um did an
investigation.
And what we found is this is anarea of looking at our water
bills that actually we don'thave any good um regulations on
it in our county code, which isuh chapter 11 and chapter 29, to
(11:38):
make sure that people aren'tbeing charged excessively in
their water bills.
In addition to this, we realizethat while utilities are um
come under the Public ServiceCommission at the state, water
doesn't actually.
So these really confusing waterbills um and sometimes
unexpected service fees and allof this um really weren't
(12:02):
falling under any um agency orwe didn't people didn't don't
have the tools in which to umpush back against them.
So we're working on legislationnow to make sure that uh people
we do have the tools so thatthey we have more understandable
contracts, leases, because lotsof times these contracts are in
people's leases, and to makesure that um when people are
(12:25):
charged fees um for their water,uh, that they're reasonable.
Michelle Escobar (12:29):
Yeah, I I can't tell you how many times I
people just don't understandtheir contracts.
There's so there's so muchsmall print that people don't
understand and and and notunderstanding their the
insurance, that insurancepolicy, for example, that's
incredible and that's so sad.
You lose everything and youthink you have you have some
protection and you don't.
Right.
(12:50):
And then you're not able to toreach your management on top of
that.
You don't and I didn't knowabout the sprinklers.
Yeah.
So when did the sprinklerbecause I thought that the
sprinkler systems should haveshould have been put in, well,
they're definitely put in thenew home builders, but just not
in the apartments.
Kate Stewart (13:07):
Yeah.
So this is a big deal,actually.
And delegate Sharkotian wasactually working at on
legislation at the state levelto look at our fire codes.
Um, so unfortunately, throughthis um tragic incident, what we
learned is for our olderapartments that are
grandfathered in that were builtmostly before like the 1970s,
(13:29):
the early 1970s, um, many ofthem don't have sprinkler
systems.
Um, and it is quite expensiveto put in sprinkler systems.
Um, and so uh we were unable toget past at the state level um
a requirement for uh sprinklers.
What what delegate Charcotiandid um was successful at moving
(13:50):
forward was state legislation tomake sure that if you have a
high-rise building that doesn'thave a sprinkler system, that
there needs to be notificationposted in the building.
Michelle Escobar (13:58):
Okay.
Kate Stewart (13:59):
Um, because I think it you're right, like it
people assume a lot.
Michelle Escobar (14:03):
Yes.
Kate Stewart (14:03):
Um, so you move into a building and maybe it
looks newish because they didsome cosmetic upgrades and then
you realize it's an olderbuilding that they didn't put in
a sprinkler system or do someother things, and you're
thinking you're protected.
Um and and in fact, uh youdon't have that protection.
(14:24):
And so making sure peopleunderstand who are living in the
building or who are going inand renting a building, what is
available to them, what safetyprecautions are there is going
to be really important.
Michelle Escobar (14:34):
Yeah, it needs to be all cleared out and
written out so people dounderstand it's important um to
have all types of disclosures tothem so people know what
they're getting into.
And speaking of um vulnerableadults, um, because you were
talking about the grand.
Um, and that is that hits homefor me because I, especially our
seniors, um, I know that ouroffice is working on updating
(14:58):
chapter 11.
And um I can't tell you howmany times I've been doing this
for a long time.
And um, speaking of contracts,uh seniors sometimes now with
the tablets, they're presentedwith a contract, they don't get
a chance to to read it, and theysign it and they're dealing
with a dishonest contractor.
And um, so what are the updatesthat we're that you're working
(15:21):
on or that you that you are mostexcited about for that we're
making on chapter 11?
Kate Stewart (15:27):
Yeah.
So one of the things, thanksagain to your office um in
raising these issues to us.
Um, so there was an update tostate law in how we're defining
um vulnerable adults.
And we want to make sure in ourcounty code in chapter 11 that
we're mirroring the statelegislation.
And so it will be clearer uhwho is a vulnerable adult.
(15:48):
And in part of that definitionis people who are 68 and older.
So um that provides then theOffice of Consumer Protection,
the tools to then help people ifthey find themselves the victim
of some of these scams.
And um, as you know better thanme, with AI and all these other
things, we're really seeing anincrease um in these types of
(16:09):
scams.
Um, and people can loseeverything.
Yes.
And it's it's just so sad.
Michelle Escobar (16:14):
And they're losing everything in so many
ways.
Kate Stewart (16:17):
In so many ways.
And and to tell them then wedon't have all the tools
available to help them is evenmore frustrating on top of that.
So hopefully by providing anupdated definition of what is
considered a vulnerable adult,um, that'll provide us more uh
ability to help in these casesand investigate them.
Michelle Escobar (16:37):
Yeah, because to this, to especially our
seniors, the a handshake means alot.
Yes.
You know, it's a symbol oftrust.
And so when that's broken, it'snot just about money anymore.
It's about their dignity.
And I've run into a gentlemanone day said, I'm an engineer, I
can do these things myself, butthey have to depend on someone
else to do it.
And so then, you know, thatthat takes from them too.
(16:59):
And they can do it themselvesback in the day.
But so they are vulnerable.
This this is this is avulnerable time.
They're letting someone intotheir home or into their lives
or doing business with someonethat, and these scammers are
very slick.
They they know how to get toyou, they know um that you have
grandchildren.
They're they're doing theirhomework.
And so any protection we cangive them, it's really
(17:22):
important.
So you did work on thecommunity choice aggregation.
Yeah, we that's one we justintroduced.
Yes, that's right.
Could you tell us about that?
Kate Stewart (17:31):
So the community choice aggregation um is again,
um, speaking of uh delegatesharkotian, um, we needed to get
enabling legislation at thestate level.
And basically what it does isit provides us here in the
county the ability to purchaseum energy electricity on behalf
of our residents and ourbusinesses.
(17:53):
And in order to do that, weneeded a plan, an aggregator
plan.
It has already gone through alot of uh meetings, and we have
guidelines from um the PublicService Commission on how we can
do this.
And the bill that I introduceda couple of weeks ago would
basically enable us to moveforward with this plan.
And the hope is that byproviding the county the ability
(18:19):
to group purchase umelectricity, uh, we can um have
more uh competitive rates to umwhat people are able to get now,
and that we're able to alsoexpand um being able to purchase
uh renewable energy sources.
And, you know, we are seeing somuch volatility right now and
(18:40):
increases in prices forelectricity and our energy
sources.
And this really will give thecounty another tool.
Um, it's also when we did theuh climate change work and
thinking about the planning forhow the county is really gonna
meet our goals in the nextcouple of years.
This was um one of the thingsthat was at the top in the
(19:01):
report we received back from theconsultant on if we're really
gonna move forward on this andtackle climate change and uh
reduce our greenhouse gases herein the county.
Community choice aggregation isone of the ways to do that.
Um, so hopefully it will we'llmove forward with it.
Uh, we'll put the plantogether.
Um, and it is um just forMontgomery County right now.
(19:23):
Um so there'll be a lot of eyeson us at the state level uh as
we're moving forward.
Um, but a number ofjurisdictions around the country
um have community choiceaggregator models um in place
and um they've been verysuccessful.
Michelle Escobar (19:38):
Yeah, no, and I think it's really important to
be able to do it even as agroup, um, because again, um not
everybody can afford to putpanels on their uh roof.
Um, I can't tell you thosecontracts as well are they
protect the the contractor, thecompanies more than they do the
the uh consumer.
(19:58):
And I've had people that haveput those panels on and they get
uh leaks in their roofs.
And so if they can do somethingas a group or or know that the
county is evolved, sometimeseven the salesmen or salespeople
will say there's uh tax cutsand tax this, and and people are
falling for and think, yeah,like no, that's you asked your
(20:20):
tax person about that, you know,like the salesperson doesn't
really know.
So they fall for so many thingswhere um if they can count on
the county to to give them moreinformation and and to help them
maybe particip to participatein renewable energy, that's
that's an incredible thing forthem because they want to, they
just don't know how sometimes orcan't afford to.
Kate Stewart (20:40):
Yeah, exactly.
And you know, for example, alsolike for my home, uh we've been
wanting to do solar panels, butour the tree canopy around our
home, it just makes it uh prettymuch impossible right now.
And so each every couple ofyears we check because the
technology is getting better.
Um, but again, also I'd like tothink about like especially our
work on climate change here inMontgomery County.
(21:01):
We are so far ahead of so manyother jurisdictions because of
our residents and our businessesbeing really um dedicated to
this, that we've we've we'vealmost exhausted all the
voluntary things we can do thatpeople are gonna do on their
own.
And we need to make this jumpto making sure that we're doing
(21:22):
things as a county, as a countygovernment, that's gonna make
real change.
Um, so community choiceaggregation is one of those
things.
The work we did last year onthe building energy performance
standards is another example ofthat.
Um, and you know, these thingsget um a bit harder to do uh
each time.
But if we're gonna be reallycommitted to um climate change
(21:44):
and reducing our greenhousegases in the county, um we we
need to start doing these.
Michelle Escobar (21:49):
And is there any way that for the residents
listening that they want to makean impact or they want to
engage somehow?
Is there is there how's thebest way to engage with your
office?
Kate Stewart (22:00):
Great.
So our office, uh the best wayto engage is to email us at
councilmember.stewart atMontgomeryCountyMD.gov.
It's long, it'scouncilmember.stewart at
MontgomeryCountymd.gov.
Uh if folks aren't signed up,um we do a newsletter every
other week that providesinformation.
Um, but if people are also justinterested in a specific topic,
(22:23):
whether it's um fightingclimate change or what we're
doing on environmental issues,if it's housing, um, one of the
areas that is really uh a focusof our office is on housing and
helping residents um organizeinto uh tenant associations.
Um, because what we find, and Iknow you probably find this in
your work, is that if sometimespeople organize when there's an
(22:47):
issue and organizing and forminga structure at the same time
that you are trying to push backeither on a management company
or uh address a situation that'shappening in the building is
really difficult.
Um, and so we're uh ourdistrict actually has the most
multifamily buildings as any ofthe other districts in the
(23:09):
county.
And so one of the things thatwe really try to um help
residents do is think aboutsetting up that structure of a
tenant association beforethere's an issue so that you
have that structure, um, you'remeeting together, you get to
know the other people in yourbuilding, build those
relationships.
Um, hopefully nothing will evercome up that you need that.
(23:30):
But if it does, you alreadyhave that structure and
foundation in place that thenyou can get it addressed.
Michelle Escobar (23:37):
And as a community organizer at heart, I
approve that message.
Um, and with so many things andso many complex issues on your
plate, how do you stay groundedand connected with your uh with
your constituents?
Great.
Kate Stewart (23:51):
Um so uh it's we do a a number of meetings um in
the in the district, um,especially in when the weather's
nice in the spring and summerand fall is a great opportunity.
We try and get to all thefarmers markets and festivals
and table, just be out in thecommunity because I the most
(24:11):
important thing I've learnedover the years is going to where
the community is and notexpecting people to seek us out.
Um and if I can, I can tell youjust one quick story for when I
was mayor.
Uh um, I like to go back to isum it was during the first Trump
administration.
And um in Tacoma Park, we havethe um the Langley Crossroads
(24:32):
area that is a very high uhimmigrant community, a lot of
immigrant-owned businesses.
And what we were finding ispeople weren't going out as much
to the restaurants and otherthings.
So we decided to do um lunchwith the mayor um on Fridays.
Um, and it was there was noagenda.
There was no like we weren'tlike giving speeches or
anything.
It was just like, come, youknow, maybe get your papoosas or
(24:54):
wherever we were, yeah, sitdown and let's chat.
And we started doing these andwe always got a good number of
folks.
And I do remember one time umwe were at uh one of the places
um in uh the crossroads area,and I was like putting tables
together, and these two olderwomen walk in, and they're like,
We're we're here for lunch withthe governor.
(25:15):
Uh and this is Governor Hoganat this time.
I'm like, Well, the governor'snot coming.
I was like, I think you meanlunch with the mayor.
And they're like, Yeah, whereis he?
We want to meet him.
And I'm like, Well, I'm yourmayor.
And these two women beamed andthey're like, We have a woman
mayor.
And I'm like, Yes, you do.
Um, and they were so excited.
(25:35):
Um, and I want to say that theycame to every other lunch we
had.
Um, we found out from talkingto them that they had some
issues with neighbors who wereunfortunately hoarders and some
of this was creeping onto theirproperty.
So we were able to um get folksout there to help the
residents, to help them.
Um, and then um they had nevervoted in a city election before.
(25:59):
And then we had city electionscome up.
They registered, voted in thecity election, and became much
more engaged um in the localcommunity.
And it was really, it wasreally great to have them um do
that.
And I just think it was alwaysa funny story when they were
like, it's it's an incrediblestory.
Michelle Escobar (26:15):
I think it shows the power of connection,
of really being with the people,being um in your community and
and being with them.
That's it, you connect withthem.
That's wonderful.
Yeah, that's great.
Um, so uh looking back then asum your because this is your
last year as council president.
Yeah, last few months.
Yeah.
So what's the legacy that youthat you wanted leave?
Kate Stewart (26:37):
Yeah.
Um so one of the things thatwe've been working on um this
year is uh specificallyhighlighting mental health.
Um and when we uh first tookover as council president last
December, we uh initiated acouple of things.
Um, one, we brought togetherlast winter over 130 of our
(26:58):
providers in our government andoutside to have conversations
about what are the gaps we'reseeing in care, particularly in
thinking about um what promotingwellness and for young people.
And it was really anopportunity for folks to gather
and share information.
And what we found is some folkshad are doing this work, but
(27:19):
they had never met somecounterparts.
And to have that opportunity tosit down, meet each other, and
talk about the differentprograms they have in place was,
I think, really helpful.
Um, and then we're also doing auh series of videos to lift up
the work that's being done inthe community, particularly for
some of our members of ourcommunity for whom the stigma
(27:43):
and talking about mental healthis, I mean, there's stigma
across all of our communities,but in particular, um, some of
our communities, the the stigmais very high in talking about
these issues.
So really highlighting the workof some of our uh nonprofit
groups and community groups whoare doing this work in a really
culturally uh responsive way isvery important.
(28:04):
Uh, we have our mental healthcorner in our newsletter again
to uplift some resources.
And um this fall we're doinglistening sessions with young
people to hear about what theyneed and what they want to see
in our county services and fromour providers.
And um, it was reallyinteresting.
I was just at one um meetingwith some uh with some young
(28:25):
people, and these were mostlypeople in their late teens,
early 20s.
And we asked them, you know,who do you turn to or who do you
feel are like trusted uhpeople?
And uh one of the young mensaid librarians.
Michelle Escobar (28:37):
Oh, wow.
Kate Stewart (28:38):
They're like like talking to our librarians, are
some of the folks that he feelsmost comfortable with um and our
trusted people when he just heneeds to share and talk to
someone.
Michelle Escobar (28:49):
That's wonderful.
Yeah.
Wow, great work.
That's that's great.
Um mental health is um is soimportant to be able to be open
with it and and for everybody toreally know hey, it there's
there's problems and we have tolook at it and deal with it and
help each other.
I am a big believer, and Ithink I've said it on every
(29:11):
episode, it takes a village.
Yes.
We have to support each other,lift each other up, and look out
for each other.
So wonderful work.
And I know that um we are umabout to or we are celebrating
our 250th uh Montgomery Countyanniversary, right?
And so I went to, I caught yourum kickoff event last week.
(29:31):
Um really great discussion onum the past and how it informs
our present and future.
And so um just wanted to knowwhat what is there a particular
uh event that you're lookingforward to or initiative that
you're looking forward to thisfor this year?
Yeah.
Kate Stewart (29:50):
So yeah, so we had the panel last week, and we had
our director of libraries, ourchair of our commission on
women, and um uh the directorfrom our historic preservation.
From the playing department,and it was such a great panel.
Michelle Escobar (30:03):
The librarian yes there.
She was incredible.
Yes.
Kate Stewart (30:06):
And it was just such a great panel.
And people can watch it on thecounty council's YouTube page.
But what I really liked aboutit is saying the tone, it was
really what can we take from ourhistory?
Why is it important that we arethinking about our history,
particularly at this time in ourcountry where we have an
occupant of the White House whois erasing history, you know,
(30:30):
taking things out of ourmuseums, taking things out of
our national parks, and reallyerasing people.
And so I thought thatconversation was so important as
understanding why here inMontgomery County we're
celebrating our 250th.
It's also the 250th of ourcountry.
And for me, it's making surethat we're celebrating here in
(30:54):
the Montgomery County way.
And so there'll be a number ofdifferent events.
Montgomery history has a numberof things that are going to be
coming up in the year.
We're going to be doing anessay contest with uh young
people, a video uh essaycontest, and looking forward to
that, as well as a social mediacampaign on what does Montgomery
(31:15):
County mean to you?
Michelle Escobar (31:16):
Oh, I love it.
So really looking forward toit.
I wanted to give a personalnote on the past, present, and
future.
I love to hike.
And one of my favorite trailsum is the um underground
railroad experience in SandySpring.
And so that that um loops intothe history as well.
(31:38):
The the incredible, the historythat that that's steeped in
that trail.
Um, the the the energy isincredible.
Um there's a tree there that II hug that tree.
Every time I see it, I can justimagine what that tree has
seen, what it has heard.
So um you like to uh takewalks.
(31:59):
And do you have a a path thatyou a walking trail or path that
you enjoy?
Or what is your favoritehistorical part of Montgomery
County?
Kate Stewart (32:09):
Yeah.
So um I love that trail andthat I know that tree you're
talking about.
It's really moving.
And I have to just give kudosto all the volunteers and the
folks who guide those um walksbecause they are amazing.
Um, you know, I think there'sso many here in Montgomery
County.
Um, particularly um, I've hadthe opportunity to spend time in
(32:33):
um Prathur Town and some of ourother uh historically black
communities.
And, you know, some of them areare still here in Montgomery
County.
Um, but there's a map um thatlooks at all of uh the
communities that we used to haveand how many of them there's
absolutely no, like you wouldn'teven know they had been there.
Michelle Escobar (32:55):
Wow.
Kate Stewart (32:55):
Um and it's really it's devastating to see that,
and then to also then see umother communities like Praether
Town and others that have reallykept their history alive and
how important that is.
Um, and I have to say, probablyone of the places I enjoy going
is the Josiah Hansen Museum.
Um, it is just the um parksdepartment did an excellent job
(33:21):
of really restoring that andproviding the history um there.
So that's one of my favorites.
Michelle Escobar (33:27):
Any final words um before we end today?
Kate Stewart (33:31):
No, I just uh I want to say thank you.
Um, the Office of ConsumerProtection does um so much
amazing work.
And I can't tell you how muchour office appreciates the
partnership.
You know, we just we receive somany phone calls of people just
not knowing where to go.
Yeah.
Um, and as you said before,like if people have been um
(33:53):
scammed or there's things thatthey just don't understand,
there is also a lot of um shamethat comes with that.
Like I should know this.
I should know that.
And I just want to say thatyour office, um, the way you
treat people with dignity andrespect and really help them
figure out and navigate thesesituations, is just excellent.
(34:13):
So thank you.
Michelle Escobar (34:14):
Oh, thank you.
Thank you so much.
And for our listeners, don'tforget that you can learn about
the Montgomery County Counciland the Office of Consumer
Protection by visiting ourwebsites.
And I hope that you will joinus for the next time for a
conversation with people,policies, and protections that
safeguard our county.
Oh, and by the way, don'tforget to subscribe on your
(34:37):
favorite podcast platform andkeep an eye out for upcoming
episodes where we'll continue tobring you important updates and
insights on consumerprotection.
Have a topic in mind for afuture episode or a question for
our team?
Drop us an email atconsumerconnection at Montgomery
CountyMD.gov.
If you enjoyed this episode,please share it with your
(34:59):
friends and family and stay inthe loop with OCP by searching
the hashtag MCGOCP on socialmedia.
Remember, knowledge is key forsafeguarding your consumer
rights.
Stay informed, stay protected,and stay connected.
Until next time.
Announcer (35:18):
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