Q&A with District 3 County Council Candidates: Eric Olson

Eric Olson, of College Park, is seeking his second term as District 3's county
councilman against political newcomer Al Whiting. Olson, 40, has served as a
county councilman since 2006. He has past experience as the director of the Sierra
Club "Healthy Communities Campaign," as the deputy director of the Center for
Voting and Democracy and a former congressional legislative aide. He has a
bachelor's degree in history from Elmira College and a master's degree in American studies from the University of Maryland. He is married to Sarah Treado and they
have two daughters.

The area has seen rapid growth recently. What is your approach to development?  

I take a balanced approach to development.  I engage communities in decisions about development and have sponsored planning exercises to produce a vision for future growth.  I champion a walkable, bike-friendly environment; a mixed-use East Campus project with retail, office, housing and entertainment; redevelopment on the east side of the Metro station; and the Purple Line, which will take thousands of cars off our roads.  Student housing should be close to the University and not destabilize neighborhoods.  I increased bus service, spurred redevelopment of one-story buildings to mixed-use student housing, and initiated a tour highlighting redevelopment opportunities for 30+ developers.

A lot of resources are lacking in classrooms right now. In what ways do you plan to bolster the quality of education?

The County needs an increased tax base to generate more revenue for schools.  I have worked with stakeholders to pursue transit-oriented development at New Carrollton and the College Park Metro station's east side.  With significantly more development, Montgomery County has a $4.3 billion dollar budget to our $2.6 billion.  I have always sought increased schools funding, and helped restore $11 million and $18 million to education in FY10 and FY11.  I successfully added character education to schools, engaged the University to participate in Paint Branch ES programs, and seek a public choice school at the vacant Calvert Road school.

Prince George's County has a reputation for crime. How do you plan to make the county safer?

I initiated a County Youth and Gang Violence Prevention Task Force, which included school officials, social services, law enforcement, community leaders, youth leaders, and nonprofits.  From this effort, we are pursuing a comprehensive approach to reach young people, and we have allocated hundreds of thousands of dollars to nonprofits working with at-risk youth.  I have also strengthened regulations on pawnshops, limiting items they can accept and preventing any new pawnshops from opening.  I have worked closely with our police – County, University, municipal, and Park police – on a host of activities and supported an increase in our police department.

What are the goals for your term? What programs or projects do you want to undertake?

I will continue the work I have pursued during my first term.  This includes: smart growth redevelopment and transit-oriented development that enhances the community; opposing sprawl and poorly planned projects; increasing public transportation options including the Purple Line; empowering neighborhoods; protecting streams, green space, and pursuing environmental initiatives; promoting clean energy; protecting neighborhood quality of life and strong and sensible code enforcement; partnering with police on crime prevention; helping at-risk youth gain self-respect and confidence to make good choices; increasing public educational opportunities and supporting our schools.  We must also re-invest in existing infrastructure – sidewalks, roads, stormwater management, public transportation.