ACT releases 2014 Primary Election candidate scorecard
Press release issued May 28, 2014
The full card is available here (PDF).
In advance of the June 24th primary, the Action Committee for Transit (ACT) released a candidate scorecard grading county council and state candidates on their support for transit, walkable downtowns and safe school zones, and smart growth. The candidates were rated based on their voting records, questionnaire answers and public statements.
"Educating voters about candidates' positions is one of the most important things we do," said Nick Brand, ACT President. "Building more transit goes hand in hand with making it easier for folks to live near transit, and also walk and bike safely in urban areas and in school zones. It's easy to say you support transit and smart growth, but not all politicians are willing to back words with action."
State candidates, County Executive and County Council candidates were rated on a mixture of the following issues:
• unqualified support for funding and advancing the Purple Line to groundbreaking (as described in the Locally Preferred Alternative and the Environmental Impact Statement)
• creating pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly streets in school zones and downtowns, even if it slows down cars
• turning car lanes into bus-only lanes for Bus Rapid Transit
• stopping all spending on the M83 highway
• increasing the housing supply in urban centers
• opposition to a new bridge for cars crossing the Potomac River in Montgomery County
The questionnaire answers are the first time all at large county council Democratic candidates stated their opposition to any further spending on the M83 highway, marking an important turning point in the fight against the environmentally destructive highway.
"We are excited to see the number of candidates who now support the Purple Line without any qualification, as described in the 'Locally Preferred Alternative and the Environmental Statement," said Tina Slater, ACT Vice-President. "We are also pleased that many politicians understand that we must make our downtowns and school zones friendly to walkers and bicyclists, even if it slows down cars. "
As they have done in the previous 4 elections, ACT volunteers will distribute tens of thousands of copies of the candidate scorecard to riders at Metro and MARC stations.
Candidates running unopposed in primaries were not rated. However, their answers to the questionnaires, along with those of all the other candidates, are posted in full at www.actfortransit.org/archives/press/2014primaryscores.pdf (PDF)