What were Montgomery County’s biggest news stories in 2023?

Whether it was the shocking fallout of a high school principal’s sexual harassment scandal; the ongoing clash over LGBTQ+ books being added to school system curriculum; the disappointing surge in antisemitic incidents or the spikes in carjackings and homicides, MoCo360 held officials accountable while covering the issues of importance to county residents in 2023.

Here are a few highlights and lowlights of the year—and insight into how we covered them:

LGBTQ+ curriculum

Montgomery County Public Schools’ decision in March to not inform parents beforehand or let them opt out when an LGBTQ+ inclusive book would be used in a lesson prompted a lawsuit, filed in May with the aid of a conservative national legal firm, and several protests at MCPS’ Rockville headquarters. A federal judge in August denied a motion to temporarily rescind the no-opt-out policy, and the case is now before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. The controversy allied diverse political bedfellows: Moms for Liberty found common cause with Muslim families (though local Islamic leaders made a point to distance themselves from the group) and Jewish organizations and Muslim leaders were both critical of comments and social media posts from progressive County Council member Kristin Mink (D-Dist. 5).

MoCo360 covered the introduction of the LGBTQ+ curriculum, attended the protests and the local federal hearing, and profiled Mink as she navigated her rocky first nine months as a councilmember.

Further reading:

Hate’s rising profile

Montgomery County saw a record number of hate incidents in general and within MCPS, belying the county and the district’s diversity in race, ethnicity, religion and LGBTQ+ identity. MoCo also led the state in hate. Beset by criticism over the spike in antisemitic incidents, MCPS instituted mandatory training for administrators and made efforts to incorporate more relevant Jewish history into the curriculum. A county Hate Crimes Task Force went to work even while Hamas’ Oct. 7 invasion of Israel and the ensuing Israel-Hamas war fed antisemitic and anti-Arab hate and led to walkouts, teacher suspensions and claims of discrimination.

MoCo360 covered many individual incidents, but we focused on understanding data on hate and where critics say it failed to capture the whole picture.

MCPS’ handling of allegations against principal

In August, a Washington Post investigation uncovered MCPS’ mishandling of 18 sexual misconduct and bullying allegations made against Principal Joel Beidleman—who had just been promoted from Farquhar Middle School to Paint Branch High School. The district hired a law firm to investigate but at first released only a summary of findings—including that leaders involved in the promotion knew about an internal investigation of Beidleman yet failed to follow up. Under pressure, the district released a heavily redacted version of the report, showing there were at least 25 complaints against Beidleman, that anonymous claims were not probed, and that a central office staffer had tampered with an investigation. One administrator is no longer with the district, one has been reassigned and three were placed on leave, the Post reported in October. The county’s inspector general has completed the first of two investigations, confirming that Beidleman engaged in misconduct and bullying.

During the book opt-out controversy and the Beidleman scandal, MoCo360 spoke with more than 25 students, parents, educators, stakeholders and officials about McKnight’s first full year to in effect grade the superintendent.

Further reading:

Crime spikes

2023 showed Montgomery County on pace for a record year in crime. By August, a MoCo360 analysis showed, it was clear that a yearslong trend meant 2023 would be the worst on record for carjackings. Skyrocketing auto thefts drove county police in June to relaunch the auto crime unit that had been disbanded as part of budget cuts in Montgomery County’s 2021 budget. A MoCo360 analysis in September indicated the county on pace for the second-highest year on record for homicides. Officials fretted that recent criminal justice reforms had paved the way for more juvenile crime, and the county was beset with spikes in retail crime.

MoCo360 dug up, crunched and compared the numbers to give greater context and help readers understand the trends.

MCDCC’s control of legislative vacancies

An analysis in March by MoCo360 found that the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee (MDCDCC) had placed more than 35% of the Montgomery County General Assembly delegation in its seats through the vacancy appointment process. (That percentage has since risen to 41%.) The process has been criticized as undemocratic, and the panel has turned away rules changes that would discourage members from nominating themselves for legislative openings. Officials such as Senate President Bill Ferguson have called for reforms. Amid scrutiny, the MCDCC was threatened with a $13,000+ IRS tax lien, incurred under former leadership. While the body voted to pay off the debt in August, some committee members accused the current leadership of a lack of transparency in the process.

MoCo360’s dogged coverage of the Democratic Central Committee shed light on a powerful, little-known group of people whose decisions grant individuals legislative positions —without the burden of running for office, sometimes for up to nearly four years.

Federal seats open up

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) announced his retirement in May, leading to clamoring for his seat in the U.S. Senate. Rep. David Trone (D-Dist. 6) announced he would run for Cardin’s Senate seat in May, opening up the race for Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District. After months of speculation, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Dist. 8) announced in July that he would stay in his current seat and not run for Senate.

Historic municipal elections

The cities of Rockville and Gaithersburg elected new leadership in November. Monique Ashton made history as the first woman of color to be elected Rockville’s mayor. Rockville voters also opted not to give 16-year-olds or non-citizen residents the right to vote in city elections. The municipal election was also plagued with complaints about ballot and voting difficulties. The Rockville council comprises new members Kate Fulton Barry Jackson and incumbents David Myles, Izola (Zola) Shaw, Marissa Valeri and Adam Van Grack. In Gaithersburg, newcomer Yamil Hernández joined incumbents Neil Harris and Robert Wu.

Tax increases and progressive legislation

As the school budget was in the hands of the County Council, the fight over the school system’s budget turned contentious when members of the teachers union disrupted a council meeting and forced a recess. The council turned down a 10% property tax increased and settled for a 4.7% tax hike as well as a recordation tax rate increase. The council also advanced other progressive priorities, including a compromise rent stabilization bill—capping annual increases at 6%—and a hotly debated ban on gas-powered leaf blowers.

Lakeforest Mall

After 45 years, beleaguered Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg shut its doors for the last time in March, as some tenants closed and others sought to find new locations. Developer WRS Inc. and city officials had wrangled for years over the redevelopment of the site, and in March the Gaithersburg planning commission signed off on a proposal that calls for 1,600 residential units and space for employment, retail and entertainment. Under the plan, the Lakeforest Transit Center would be relocated and improved.