Meet Andrew
Public service has never been a career choice for Andrew. It’s always been his calling.
Andrew Friedson is the Montgomery County District 1 Councilmember, representing the community where he was born and raised. His tireless commitment to enhancing quality of life, growing the local economy, and modernizing local government and his pragmatic, data-driven approach have delivered real results during one of the most challenging periods in County history.
The youngest ever Councilmember upon taking office in December 2018, Andrew hit the ground running in his first year. He spearheaded successful legislation to support businesses by requiring an Economic Impact Statement on all County legislation, to boost quality of life by maintaining pedestrian access around construction sites, and to strengthen fiscal oversight by instituting regular financial reviews of all County spending. Andrew led the effort to add millions in additional funding for affordable housing, restore proposed funding cuts to the County's parks, and increase coverage for emergency mental health counseling. As a result, Andrew was named the Best County Freshman Legislator and “the economic and fiscal center of the Montgomery County Council.”
When the COVID-19 crisis hit in 2020, Andrew was the driving force behind the Public Health Emergency Grant program to support hard-hit small businesses and nonprofits, the Telework Assistance Program to help businesses transition to telework, and the Reopen Montgomery program to aid businesses in safely resuming operations. He worked with his Council colleagues and the County Executive to create, fund, and implement relief programs for childcare providers, renters who lost income during the pandemic, and arts and cultural institutions. The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce named Andrew Legislator of the Year for his immediate and sustained leadership in helping local employers weather the worst period of COVID-19.
Andrew has also helped the County make significant progress in creating livable and walkable communities and continues to work to expand housing options to address the severe shortage of affordable housing. He co-led legislation to bring more housing to Metro stations, establish an innovative $50 million Housing Opportunity Fund, and to remove outdated restrictions to increase senior housing options as a member of the Council’s Planning, Housing, and Economic Development Committee.
As lead sponsor of the Public Accountability and County Transparency (PACT) Act, Andrew and his Government Operations & Fiscal Policy Committee colleagues closed loopholes in the County’s ethics law and strengthened the rules so County leaders can no longer use their positions of public trust for private gain.
He helped coordinate the effort to create and sustain the Bethesda Streetery and other open street concepts and has been a leading advocate for pedestrian and bicyclist safety improvements around District 1 and throughout Montgomery County. Andrew has also been one of the Council’s staunchest advocates for critical transportation infrastructure including the Capital Crescent Trail Tunnel, White Flint Metro Station Northern Entrance, bus rapid transit, and the restoration of service along the western segment of Metro’s Red Line.
Andrew has been widely recognized for his expertise on fiscal issues and leadership on good governance reforms. He authored a successful ballot question to reform Montgomery County’s 30-year-old property tax system, which garnered more than 62 percent of the vote and an immediate “credit positive” reaction from Moody’s based on the County’s improved fiscal standing. It earned him designation as one of Maryland’s 2020 Election Day Winners.
A former chair of the Montgomery County Collaboration Council for Children, Youth & Families, board member of the Maryland 529 College Savings Program and Maryland Small Business Authority, Andrew currently serves on the boards of Strathmore Hall Foundation, Bethesda Green, Glen Echo Partnership for the Arts, and Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation.
When he isn’t working, volunteering, or attending community events, Andrew is probably being “Uncle Drew” to his eight nieces and nephews – all future District 1 voters!
Why I'm running
Montgomery County is the only place I’ve ever called home.
Ever since my siblings and I grew up here, when my parents grew up here, it’s been a wonderful and welcoming community grounded in core progressive values: with great schools and parks, livable communities, and quality services, a special place which has trained, retained, and attracted some of the world’s top talent. But our view of Montgomery County as the location where families would always want to move, businesses would always want to locate, and retirees would inevitably want to stay isn’t the sure bet it once was, especially amid stagnant wages and escalating living and childcare costs, increased competition from our regional counterparts, and an over-reliance on a federal government that no longer produces sufficient jobs with high enough wages to maintain our quality of life.
I’m running for County Council to
“Ease the Montgomery County Squeeze.”
We’ve all felt the Montgomery County Squeeze. It’s the Squeeze on families facing higher living and childcare costs despite stagnant wages, on commuters stuck in the second worst traffic congestion in the country, and on parents whose kids are squeezed in overcrowded schools. It’s the Squeeze on young workers and new families who can no longer afford to live here, and on seniors struggling to maintain a quality home and a dignified livelihood without the support they need to get by. It’s the Squeeze on our county budget created by an aging workforce and a shrinking private sector that is placing too heavy a burden on too few to keep up with the high quality of life and level of services we rightfully expect, along with our growing community needs.
We can’t afford to ignore the change that’s happening all around us because it’s putting the Squeeze on all of us – threatening not only our quality of life, but our ability to protect and invest in the values that have always made Montgomery County special. We have to embrace change with forward-focused leadership dedicated to finding modern solutions to our modern challenges.
This is a new time that calls for a new approach: Energizing, Sustaining, and Modernizing Montgomery County.
Energizing Montgomery County by creating better jobs with better wages and by utilizing our unparalleled assets to encourage families and businesses to invest their talent and treasure here.
Sustaining Montgomery County by making sure that our communities aren’t only livable, they’re actually affordable, and they balance the needs of our families, our environment, and our future.
Modernizing Montgomery County so local services actually work when residents and small businesses truly need them – a world-class county government for a world-class community.
Progressive values are important, but it’s progressive results that actually enhance people’s lives.
I’ve dedicated my professional life to solving complex financial problems, improving how government works for the people it serves, and supporting small businesses. With your help, I want to bring that same approach to serve the county I love, and solve the challenges we face.
At this crucial time, in this critical election, we need new ideas and new leadership to change the way we think about our challenges, and leaders with a proven track record of rolling up their sleeves to actually solve them.
It isn’t good enough to have world-class assets, or noble intentions, or unlimited potential. We have to utilize them in a way that attracts families and businesses, and improves people’s lives.
That’s the Montgomery County I was raised to I believe in, and it’s the Montgomery County we can rebuild together.