Meet Andrew
Public service has never been a career choice for Andrew. It’s always been his calling.
Andrew Friedson has become known for his leadership enhancing quality of life, growing the local economy, and modernizing county government with a pragmatic, data-driven approach. He has built broad coalitions to tackle big issues to make Montgomery County more attractive, accessible, and affordable for families and businesses. First elected in 2018 as the youngest Councilmember in County history, he later made history again when he was elected by colleagues in December 2023 as the youngest-ever Council President. Andrew is in his second term on the Montgomery County Council representing the only place he’s ever called home in District 1.
Councilmember Friedson chairs the Council's Planning, Housing, and Parks (PHP) Committee and serves on the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee. He also serves as Chair of the Council of Governments’ (COG) Food & Agriculture (FARM) Policy Committee.
Councilmember Friedson spearheaded a $100 million revolving Housing Production Fund and has sponsored legislation to incentivize smart growth housing near transit and colocation of affordable housing on public land and at places of worship. He established a $50 million Nonprofit Preservation Fund and successfully introduced the largest individual economic development package in county history, the New Jobs, Opportunities, and Business Support (J.O.B.S.) Initiative, securing $20 million to attract new business investments, promote innovation, and support historically underserved communities and underrepresented entrepreneurs. He led efforts to establish and expand the Nonprofit Security Grants program that protects faith-based institutions and nonprofits at risk of experiencing hate crimes so residents can freely and securely learn, live, and worship. Councilmember Friedson also co-authored the County’s largest-ever climate investment with the Montgomery County Green Buildings Now Act and authored multiple measures to help grow the biohealth sector and streamline the county’s regulatory processes to spur innovation and investment. He has been a consistent advocate for transparency in County government and has led efforts to strengthen financial oversight and the County ethics law, improve the budget process, and reform the County’s property tax system. Councilmember Friedson has been a leader for working families, sponsoring the Paid Parental Leave and Right to Nourish bills to make sure Montgomery County continues to attract and retain talent so we can best serve our residents.
Councilmember Friedson has been referred to as the “economic and fiscal center of the Montgomery County Council.” He has received the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Legislator of the Year, the Public Policy Leadership Award from the Center for Nonprofit Advancement, the inaugural Fair Access Committee’s Champion of the Western County Award, the B-CC Rescue Squad's Hiram Musgrove Memorial Award, and the Glen Echo Park Advocacy Award.
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.