Labor's Candidates: Leventhal, Subin, Trachtenberg & Elrich, Montgomery County Council At-Large

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

            Incumbent GEORGE LEVENTHAL earned the endorsement for standing up for worker rights.  He stood up for workers at the publicly funded CSAAC and urged them to refrain from intimidation tactics; The employees ultimately voted to join SEIU 500. At Comcast, where an employee leading the unionization effort was fired, Leventhal wrote the company encouraging it to engage in fair practices. As a result, he was served with spurious subpoenas from Comcast.  During UFCW Local 400's recent negotiations with Giant and Safeway, he communicated with both companies encouraging them to pursue fair treatment for workers. He has consistently supported negotiated agreements with public employee unions and supported the "big box" legislation in Montgomery County.  For more information on George Leventhal’s campaign go to http://www.georgeleventhal.com/

            Incumbent MIKE SUBIN earned the endorsement primarily for his work as Chair of the County Council Education Committee.  Subin has successfully led the effort in the County for All-day Kindergarten; smaller class sizes and greater assistance to at-risk youngsters; applying real-estate recordation fees to school construction and modernization; expanding the availability of college-level courses to high school students; including a staff development teacher in every school; establishing Linkages to Learning, assistance to low income students in school; increased protections and services for children involved in domestic violence; and supporting Montgomery College’s efforts to become a leader in higher education for the citizens of the county.  To learn more about Subin’s campaign go to: http://www.mikesubin.com/

            DUCHY TRACHTENBERG, President of Maryland National Organization for Women (2003 to present), has also received the Council’s endorsement.  Trachtenberg has been a tireless advocate for workers’ rights and lobbied extensively for a state living wage bill and for the “Fair Share” Health Care bill in Annapolis.  A board member of the pro-labor group Progressive Maryland for six years, Trachtenberg has also successfully developed a state-wide Court Watch program which has earned recognition in the domestic violence advocacy community.  Learn more about her campaign at http://www.voteduchy.org/index.php

            MARC ELRICH, elected member of the Takoma Park City Council, rounds out the endorsements in the At-Large race.  A 5th grade teacher in Montgomery County, Elrich understands and has been a strong supporter of decreased class sizes and school modernization. Elrich has called for a rethinking the current school curriculum, which he believes de-emphasizes the need for children to learn real content. He decries the continuing gap between minority and majority students as unacceptable, and blames, in part, the low expectations of the county curriculum. Find out more about Elrich’s campaign at:  http://www.marcelrich.com/