Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Council Race topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council candidates at Brentwood forum promise mutual aid, youth programs and tactical fixes for traffic and sidewalks
Summary
Eight council candidates outlined projects ranging from mutual-aid networks and youth workforce training to local businesses and housing preservation; across candidates the most consistent proposals were better communication, neighborhood-level parking solutions and low-cost road safety measures.
At a town candidate forum, eight council candidates presented a wide range of priorities for Brentwood, with recurring themes of mutual aid, youth engagement, housing preservation and low-cost approaches to traffic and sidewalk safety.
Several candidates proposed community-supported projects rather than large new budgets. Natalie Guerra said she wants a combined food bank, clothing closet and diaper bank hosted in an available town space; Julia Elrod recommended formalizing existing mutual-aid networks so neighbors can share resources without large town expenditures. Glenn Harris described a "Young King Academy" youth program and workforce-certification training he has organized, and urged using town buses for youth field trips and training activities.
On housing and affordability, candidates urged preserving existing affordable dwelling units and seeking grant and partnership opportunities. Juan Alangomijan proposed a local-investment model tied to a community kitchen and entrepreneurship supports modeled after successful farmers-market incubators; other candidates urged landlord-tenant protections and making repair programs accessible for low-income homeowners.
Parking and street safety drew detailed discussion of trade-offs between curb space and pedestrian/bike safety. Candidates suggested shared-use parking agreements with commercial properties for overflow parking and low-cost "tactical urbanism"—painted crosswalks, curb bump-outs and temporary bollards—to slow traffic while a townwide traffic study proceeds. Several candidates also called for a walkability study and negotiations with Pepco to relocate poles that block sidewalks and impede ADA access.
Candidates repeatedly raised communication and participation as core governance issues, proposing office hours, multilingual outreach, leafleting and stronger pre- and post-meeting summaries to boost attendance at town meetings. Many said they would rely on institutional knowledge from existing council members and outside organizations to get up to speed quickly.
The forum closed with reminders about the April 27 meet-and-greet and the May 5 election. Candidates invited residents to contact them directly and pledged to continue outreach if elected.
