Montgomery County stands at a crossroads. After years of rising taxes, expanding mandates, and a government that seems more interested in regulating daily life than empowering its residents, voters are being asked to choose the next County Executive. The early Democratic jockeying between Evan Glass, Will Jawando, and Andrew Friedson may dominate headlines, but beneath the surface lies a more important truth. All three have supported the very policies that have made Montgomery County more expensive, more restrictive, and less competitive.
Enter Esther Wells. A CPA. A taxpayer advocate. And perhaps most importantly, a candidate offering something rare in this race. A fundamentally different direction.
The Same Record, Different Names
Let’s start with what voters are not being told in the daily spin of campaign polling. The Democratic field is not offering competing visions. It offers variations of the same one.
Evan Glass, Will Jawando, and Andrew Friedson have all served on the Montgomery County Council during a period defined by steady tax increases and aggressive regulatory expansion. They each voted for the property tax hike pushed under County Executive Marc Elrich. That increase alone placed additional pressure on homeowners already dealing with inflation and rising living costs.
But it did not stop there.
They supported the bag tax. Then went further with policies like the plastic bag ban. They backed measures restricting or phasing out gas-powered equipment such as lawn mowers and leaf blowers. Each policy was framed as progressive and forward-thinking. Each came with real costs for residents, small businesses, and working families.
And each vote reflects a governing philosophy. Government first. Taxpayer last.
Will Jawando may bring a louder style and a certain flair, but the substance remains the same. Evan Glass may present himself as pragmatic, but his voting record aligns with the same agenda. Andrew Friedson often positions himself as the moderate in the room, yet when it mattered, he voted the same way on the major fiscal decisions that continue to shape this country.
Three candidates. One record.
The Cost of “Progress”
Montgomery County today is one of the most expensive places to live in Maryland. That is not an accident. It is the result of years of policy decisions that treated taxpayers as an endless source of revenue.
The bag tax was supposed to be small. A nickel here, a dime there. But it added up. The plastic bag ban layered regulation on top of taxation. The property tax increase drove up housing costs at a time when affordability is already a crisis. Restrictions on gas-powered equipment added compliance burdens and costs for landscapers and small service providers who operate on thin margins.
This is not theoretical. It is real life.
It is the family trying to stay in their home. The small business is trying to keep its doors open. The retiree watches fixed income dollars stretch thinner each year.
And through it all, the same group of leaders voted yes.
Esther Wells and a Different Approach
Esther Wells offers something fundamentally different. Not just in tone, but in substance.
Her background as a Certified Public Accountant is not a campaign talking point. It is the foundation of her approach. She understands budgets. She understands waste. She understands that every dollar the government spends comes from someone who earned it.
Her call for zero-based budgeting is not radical. It is common sense. Instead of assuming last year’s spending is justified, every department must justify its expenses from the ground up. That is how responsible organizations operate. That is how Montgomery County should operate.
Wells has also been clear about reversing the trajectory of tax increases. Lowering the burden on residents. Creating an environment where businesses want to invest and grow. Expanding the tax base instead of squeezing the same taxpayers year after year.
On public safety, she offers clarity. Fully staff the police. Restore school resource officers. Support law enforcement while strengthening community trust. In a time when many residents feel less safe, that matters.
On regulation, she draws a line. No more one-size-fits-all mandates that ignore economic realities. No more policies that drive businesses to neighboring jurisdictions. No more treating success as something to be taxed rather than encouraged.
The Political Reality
Montgomery County is a deep blue jurisdiction. No one should pretend otherwise. The Democratic primary will receive the most attention, and the eventual nominee will enter the general election as the favorite.
But elections are not decided by labels alone. They are decided by conditions on the ground.
And right now, many residents are asking hard questions. Why does everything cost more? Why is it harder to do business here? Why does it feel like the government is always asking for more and giving less?
Those questions create opportunity.
Esther Wells does not need to win every voter. She needs to build a coalition of taxpayers, independents, small-business owners, and frustrated residents who are ready for change. People who may not agree on everything but agree on this. The current path is not working.
A Choice That Actually Matters
This election is not about personalities. It is about direction.
Do voters want more of the same? More taxes. More mandates. More policies that sound good in press releases but hit hard in real life.
Or do they want a reset? A government that lives within its means. A country that welcomes growth instead of regulating it away. Leadership that sees taxpayers not as a funding source, but as partners in prosperity.
Evan Glass, Will Jawando, and Andrew Friedson have already made their choice through their votes.
Now voters must make theirs.
Esther Wells represents a breath of fresh air in a county that desperately needs one. Not because she promises easy answers, but because she understands the problem. And is willing to do something about it.
Endnotes
- Montgomery Perspective: Glass Claims Lead in Executive Race
https://montgomeryperspective.com/2026/03/23/glass-claims-lead-in-executive-race/ - Esther Wells Campaign Platform
https://voteforesther.com/about-esther/ - Montgomery County Council Approves Property Tax Increase
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/resources/files/agenda/col/2024/20240516/20240516_FGO2.pdf - Montgomery County Bag Tax and Environmental Policies Overview
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DEP/resources/files/downloads/waste/baglaw.pdf - Maryland Matters: Energy and Environmental Policy Debates in Montgomery County
https://marylandmatters.org - Ballotpedia: Esther Wells Candidate Profile
https://ballotpedia.org/Esther_Wells
Carol Hughes is a contributor for Direct Line News. She can be reached at Carol.Hughes@mcgopclub.com
Direct Line News is a Maryland-based free-access publication committed to the Republican reform tradition.
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