The Constituent No. 1 | Transparency in Local Government
Welcome
This is the first issue of The Constituent, a newsletter built around the idea that representation works better when neighbors know who represents them, what those representatives are deciding, and where there's an open door to participate. Each issue will connect you to the four layers of government that shape daily life here in Montgomery County — county, state, and federal — plus local organizations.
There are no frills or fluff, just information you can use.
Feature: Elected Officials, Post Your Schedule
I want to introduce a simple idea: elected officials should post their official schedules online — who they're meeting with, when, in their capacity as our representative. Not because I suspect wrongdoing anywhere in particular, but because "who has my representative's ear this week" seems like a basic question a constituent could ask.
As it turns out, I wasn't the first to think of it. As we all know, there are no new ideas — only the work of finding out who else has already tried. In this case, that's U.S. Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Jon Tester (D-MT), who first introduced the Transparency in Congress Resolution in March 2022 (S.Con.Res.31, 117th Congress), then reintroduced it in the 118th Congress (S.Con.Res.17, 2023). The resolution would require every member of the House and Senate to publish their official schedule online monthly — every meeting, hearing, and event attended in an official capacity, in person or virtual — starting 180 days after passage. Sen. Tester, who already posts his own daily schedule, put it plainly: "Folks should know what their elected officials are up to."
Two things stand out about this history. First: the need is real enough that two sitting senators tried to codify it, twice, three years apart. Second: it hasn't passed. Both versions were referred to committee and went no further, and I found no evidence it's been reintroduced in the current 119th Congress.
So why the reluctance? I don't have inside access to why any specific office has slow-walked this, and so what follows is only speculation. But a few reasons that might be considered:
It can be weaponized. Published voting records and floor activity can be used to manufacture "gotcha" moments. A public meeting log could invite the same treatment: a routine constituent meeting, stripped of context, can become a headline.
It's an administrative burden. Every entry that goes public arguably needs a second look before posting to assess whether this meeting is sensitive and whether it involves a constituent's personal situation. That review costs staff time smaller offices may not have.
Some meetings are genuinely sensitive. A constituent seeking help with a domestic violence case, an immigration matter, or a health crisis has a legitimate interest in that meeting not becoming a public record, even in outline form.
None of that is disqualifying; it's an argument for doing this well, with sensible handling of sensitive constituent matters, not for not doing it. And notably, none of it is about federal procedure specifically. It applies just as easily, or as little, to a state senator, a state delegate, a county councilmember, or a member of Congress simply choosing, on their own, to publish a calendar the way Sen. Tester already does.
The actual proposal is this: rather than wait for Congress to pass a resolution about itself—something it has now twice declined to do—make this a standard we hold our own representatives to. None of them need a resolution, a statute, or anyone's permission. They need only decide to.
This isn't a new addition to Community-Based Representation. Transparent Decision-Making, one of CBR's four core commitments, calls for exactly this: publicly posting schedules, reporting donations and expenditures, and explaining how public input shaped a decision, even when constituents disagree with the outcome. Finding the Kelly-Tester resolution didn't hand this newsletter a new idea so much as a live example of the gap between a principle and its practice.
Read the full Community Based Representation framework — including all four commitments — at thomascanavan.org/community-based-representation.
This Month's Opportunities to Engage
A busy September — five dated items:
County Engagement
Wednesday, September 2, 7:00–8:30 p.m. — Town Hall on Solid Waste Changes
MCDOT Highway Services Depot, 17000 Crabbs Branch Way, Rockville.
Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke (District 7) and Sidney Katz (District 3) are hosting a community meeting on the county's proposed shift away from the Resource Recovery Facility (the "incinerator") toward long-haul landfilling — trucking waste to an out-of-county landfill instead. Department of Environmental Protection staff will present and take questions on likely impacts: additional truck traffic, a new Advanced Waste Processing facility, and expanded operations at the Shady Grove Transfer Station.
The Council is reviewing this fall as part of the County's Ten-Year Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan.
Learn more: Aiming for Zero Waste
Monday, September 14, 6:30 p.m. — Advisory Commission on Policing Listening Session
Montgomery County Council's third-floor hearing room, Rockville. The county's Advisory Commission on Policing will present its current and future work and hold an open listening session on public safety, including the Montgomery County Police Department's Strategic Plan for 2026–2030.
No advance registration needed. Can't make it? Comments can be submitted anytime through the ACP "Submit Your Suggestions" portal.
Tuesday, September 15, 1:30 p.m. — County Council Public Hearing
Sign-up to testify closes September 14 at 2:00 p.m. This hearing carries an item with a direct Olney address: funding for the Olney Community Building and the Olney Police Satellite Station.
Testimony can be given in person, remotely, or in writing/audio/video via the County Council website.
Ongoing — Community Advocacy Institute, Applications Open
The Montgomery County Community Action Board is accepting applications for a free advocacy training program (offered in English and Spanish): monthly workshops October 2026 through May 2027, culminating in an advocacy project — testifying before elected officials, submitting written testimony, or meeting with a lawmaker directly.
Eligibility: Montgomery County residency and combined household income of $71,000 or less.
State Engagement
Starting Wednesday, September 9 — Legacy Leadership Institute on Public Policy, Class Recruitment
The University of Maryland School of Public Health, in partnership with the State of Maryland, is recruiting volunteers aged 50+ for a two-part program: a 12-week classroom course (Sept. 9–Dec. 3, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, in Columbia) followed by a 14-week volunteer placement with a Maryland State Delegate or Senator during the 2027 General Assembly session (Jan. 13–Apr. 12, 2027, two days a week in Annapolis).
Past participants have researched bills, prepared testimony, and worked directly with legislators.
Applications should go in soon given the course's September 9 start. Program details
Community Spotlight
Greater Olney Civic Association (GOCA) GOCA is the umbrella civic organization for the Greater Olney area — a non-profit representing 25-member neighborhood associations whose stated mission is to "study, plan, coordinate and promote the overall civic, economic, ecological and cultural welfare" of the Olney Master Plan area. In practice, that means reviewing development and building applications for consistency with the Olney Master Plan, working with elected officials at every level on legislation affecting Olney, and maintaining local landmarks.
GOCA also spun off the Olney Civic Fund in 2013 to carry on community events and traditions, and periodically hosts candidate forums (including for Montgomery County Executive).
Governance runs through an Executive Board of officers, of which I am one, plus two representatives from each of the 25 member associations, decided by majority vote, with standing committees including Transportation and the committee I lead, the Public Policy and Government Committee. GOCA meets the second Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. at 17921 Brooke Rd., Sandy Spring (Oak Room) and via Zoom, with agendas and materials typically posted about a week ahead.
For more information, please visit goca.org.
About Community Based Representation
This newsletter introduces aspects of the Community Based Representation (CBR) framework, a different standard for what a representative owes the people they serve: listening more deliberately, engaging more continuously, and deciding more transparently. It rests on four commitments: continuous engagement (not just at election time), representing everyone in the district regardless of party, transparent decision-making (including, yes, posting a public schedule), and independent judgment informed by real understanding rather than polling.
Every section above applies that framework: knowing who represents you, finding the open doors to weigh in, and holding officials to a standard of transparency whether or not the law requires it. To read the full framework and principles, visit thomascanavan.org.
What's Next
Future issues will cover: MD General Assembly and County bills affecting Montgomery County, federal policy, introductions to Olney-area nonprofits, and updates from my work locally through boards and associations.