2022 Candidate Profile: Dan Robinson For Montgomery County Council

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VA — Dan Robinson calls himself a "family man and has 30 years of experience in technical entrepreneurship and consulting.

Robinson is also the Green Party candidate running for one of the four at-large seats on the Montgomery County Council in the Nov. 8 general election. He is running against Republicans Christopher P. Fiotes, Lenard Lieber, and Dwight Patel and Democrats Gabe Albornoz, Evan Glass, and Will Jawando.

Patch asked each of the candidates in the county council race to fill out the following questionnaire.

Name

Dan Robinson

Campaign Website

DanStewartRobinson.com

Names, ages and any pertinent detail you wish to share.

Spouse: Sally Rieger, Daughters: Sarah and Hilary. New grandson! Louie 6 mo.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? This includes any relatives who work in the government you're running for.

No

Education

BA Economics: Univ. of California at Davis, 1.5 yrs Catholic U. Law and City/Regional Planning

Occupation - Please include years of experience

Technical entrepreneurship and consulting: 30 yrs. includes starting a tech company in the basement in 1986 and selling it to the employees in 2005. Small business development: 15 yrs. - this includes SBDC support (10 yrs) and construction of a small office building in Takoma Park, where I lived, and management of that building for 15 yrs.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Chair or co-chair of numerous committees and associations, then City Council Takoma Park, 2 terms.

Why are you seeking elective office?

I want to help Montgomery County make the difficult transition to a 'greener,' more sustainable place.

The single most pressing issue facing Montgomery County is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Electoral reform. Roughly 8% of the electorate chooses who serves. Democratic primary choices are rarely overturned. The last non-Democrat elected At-Large was over 50 years ago, and Republicans' only option to express their preferences is through ballot initiatives. We need open primaries.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I'm not beholden to either of the two major parties, and I will promote solutions that are pragmatic, reformative, and acceptable.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

Because members of the Montgomery County Council are beholden to so few voters, they tend not to take all points of view into consideration. 22% of the voters are unaffiliated and 18% are Republicans. Much of that 40% feel that they have no say or influence.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Let's re-tool to bring in green jobs, make better use of the Ag Reserve, collaborate with towns and cities, and generally turn the ship to face climate change and a growing, diverse population. There is much in the new general plan that is helpful. Housing: I'll press to change zoning to allow people to manage the places where they live, whether that's their own homes, or their communities. Single-family exclusionary zoning is now inappropriate, as is over-reliance on cars.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I'm a can-do, pragmatic, businesslike, politically savvy and experienced Green, something of a rarity. My 30 years in Takoma Park (we moved to nearby Silver Spring 6 years ago) allowed me to hone people and pragmatic skills at a local level. I know many of the current elected politicians, and will work well with them once in office. My analytic skills help me see chances to reform our approach to the future, something we need now.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Think small, and the big things will follow.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I'm a family guy. I see the world in between the two extremes, and people like to get to know me.