Friedson Endorsed by Delegate Ariana Kelly and Leading Progressive Advocate Rosalyn Levy Jonas
Friedson Endorsed by Delegate Ariana Kelly and Leading Progressive Advocate Rosalyn Levy Jonas
Kelly is Women’s Caucus President and Levy Jonas is Fmr. Board Chair of NARAL Pro-Choice America
Bethesda, Md. – Andrew Friedson received a major boost today in the highly competitive District One race to succeed Roger Berliner on the Montgomery County Council with key endorsements from Del. Ariana Kelly (D-16), President of the Women’s Caucus in Annapolis and Maryland’s youngest woman in legislative leadership, as well as Former NARAL Pro-Choice America Board Chair and prominent local activist, Rosalyn Levy Jonas.
"With Andrew Friedson's fiscal and economic policy background, experience supporting small businesses, and efforts to provide opportunities for children, youth, and families, he is exactly the type of effective progressive leader we need to help us balance our community's significant social and economic challenges,” Del. Ariana Kelly said. “That's why I'm proud to enthusiastically endorse his campaign, excited to vote for him to represent us on the County Council in District 1, and eager to partner with him to empower women, strengthen family economic security, and lift up the vulnerable at the state and county level."
“These are new times with new challenges, and they require new leaders who not only have the right progressive values, but who have what it takes to bring people together to actually get things done,” Rosalyn Levy Jonas said. “Andrew has dedicated his personal and professional life to providing programming for at-risk kids as Chair of the Collaboration Council, running Maryland's 529 program which helps hundreds of thousands of families save for college, and playing a central role launching a new statewide program to help Marylanders with disabilities live with independence, dignity, and financial security. Those are the values and record of results we need to represent our community on the County Council, and that's why Andrew Friedson has my enthusiastic support and my vote as a proud resident of District One.”
Today’s endorsements of two of the region’s leading progressive activists and women’s advocates follows a string of high profile endorsements Friedson has received in the race, including: Comptroller Peter Franchot, Senators Brian Feldman (D-15) and Craig Zucker (D-14), former Three-Term County Executive Doug Duncan, former Congressman Tom McMillen, Montgomery County Register of Wills Joe Griffin, Democratic Central Committee Member Michael Gruenberg, Poolesville Commissioner Valaree Dickerson and former Maryland Democratic Party Chair Susan Turnbull. Building a grassroots coalition of laborers to lawyers, residents to small businesses, Friedson has also received key endorsements from the 7,000 members of the Baltimore-Washington Laborers’ District Council and the 2,000 members of the Brickyard Coalition, one of the county’s largest and most influential civic organizations.
The youngest woman in Maryland's legislative leadership, Ariana Kelly has represented District 16 in the House of Delegates since 2011. A specialist in women’s health and family economic security, Delegate Kelly has passed landmark legislation making Maryland first in the nation for access to contraception, as well as legislation requiring parental leave and greater investment in high-quality, affordable childcare. Delegate Kelly serves on the Health and Government Operations Committee, Chairs the Health Occupations and Long-Term Care Subcommittee, and serves as Deputy Majority Whip. A working mom of two children, Delegate Kelly chairs the Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, the Montgomery County Delegation’s Economic Development Committee, and the Task Force to Establish Paid Family & Medical Leave. She previously served as Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland, National Campaign Director at MomsRising, and Executive Producer at PBS. As President of the Women’s Caucus, Delegate Kelly has been a leader on the issue of sexual harassment within the legislature.
Rosalyn Levy Jonas is the former National Board Chair of NARAL Pro-Choice America and a former Board Member of NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland, and currently serves on the Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington Board. A Bethesda resident and notable women’s advocate and philanthropist, her extensive local involvement includes serving as Board President of the Bender Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington and the Community Foundation in Montgomery County, where she also Chaired the Sharing Montgomery Fund.
A lifelong Montgomery County resident and University of Maryland graduate, Friedson attended Wayside, Hoover and Churchill public schools. As Senior Policy Advisor, Deputy Chief of Staff and Division Director for the Comptroller of Maryland, he focused on making government more effective, efficient and responsive, and previously oversaw a complete restructuring of Maryland’s $6 billion 529 college savings program. Friedson currently serves as Chair of the Montgomery County Collaboration Council for Children, Youth and Families, recently served on Maryland’s Small Business Development Financing Authority, and was a driving force behind a new state program which launched this fall to provide financial security and independence for Marylanders with disabilities.
For more information on the Friedson campaign, please visit andrewfriedson.com.
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