Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1954-05-27
Politics i.

university president will be pre-
faced by County candidates be-
fore appearing.
Mahoney, meantime, released
the 51st of a series of reports on
his program, this time calling for
dynamic program of industrial
development" to stall down
ward spiral of income in the
State.
He said the lack of industry is
driving the States youth from
rural areas and smaller towns.
The County's Democratic liar
mony" ticket came out with its
wordy program, promising to
seek more federal aid to reduce
the tax rate.
| Shying away from "carping
criticism" the ticket made these
golden pledges:
1. (a) We will not undertake
to reduce taxes by eliminating
public services that are genuinely
needed or that must be expanded
because of the County's pheno-
menal growth.
(b) We will pass on to the tax
payers the relief that will come
from greatly increased State aid
for school construction and OPP.
Grating costs and from the elimin.
alton of unessential County ex-
penditures.
(c) We will explore all feasible
methods of broadening the Coun-
tvs tax base, including the
establishment of appropriate
light industries, to the extent
that this can be accomplished
without impairing the essentially
residential character of the Coun-
ty.
2. We will make the admin
istrative machinery of the Coun-
ty more readily accessible to the
individual citizens especially
at the Silver Spring and Bethes-
da County Buildings. We will
support civil service and the
Silver Spring and Bethesda
County Buildings. We will sup
port civil service and the merit
system at the County level, and
we will absolutely insist that
each county officer and employee
be not only proficient in his line
of work but also courteous, rea-
sonable and prompt in rendering
service to the public Many of
them already meet these quail
fications, but there are some not
able exceptions.
3. We recognize that in large
measure hope for the future of
freedom and democracy rests
upon our schools. Therefore, we
will cooperate intellectually
with the Board of Education to
assure an adequate and financi-
ally sound program. We will sup
port good, competitive salaries
for school teachers. We will pro-
vide increased funds for the
maintenance and repair of school
teachers. We will provide in
creased funds for the mainten-
ance and repair of school build
ings and equipment and for the
timely purchase of new school
sites. We are aware of the need
for carrying On the school con-
struction program and will CO.
operate with our delegation to
the General Assembly in joint
effort to secure increased State
aid. We foresee a critical short
age of junior and senior high
schools unless an orderly con-
struction program is undertaken
without delay. Inasmuch as the
parents of nearly 4 in every 10
children in the County schools
have some tie with the Federal
Government, and the Government
does not pay taxes on Federal
property within the County, we
will press for our equitable share
of Federal aid to education.
4. We are opposed to spot zon-
ing. We favor land-use planning
and an overall County master
plan of coming. We shall strength
en- existing commercial centers
and will be guided by master
coming plans in approving new
local shopping centers and new
apartment-house developments.
5. We believe there should be
closer coordination between Zon-
ing and assessments, whereby
county assessors will be guided
by duly adopted zoning plans so
that inflated potential" values
will not be assigned to resident
ial or farm properties that are
located near a business center,
or to farming property located
near a residential subdivision.
6. We Fundamentally support
the principle that public hear
ings are an essential element of
local government, in accordance
with the fundamental frame.