Candidate Profile: Cheryl Riley Montgomery County Council - District 4

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Cheryl Riley founded her own public relations firm and has more than 25 years of experience in that field. She's also running in the Nov. 8 general election for the open District 4 seat on the Montgomery County Council.

A Republican, Riley is running against Kate Stewart, who beat out four other candidates in the July 19 primary to represent the Democratic Party in the District 4 race in November.

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

Name

Cheryl Riley

Campaign Website

Cheryl Riley 4 MoCo

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

Myself and my two pups Bunny and Charlie. I am grateful to have the most wonderful parents, sister, nieces, nephew and Aunts, Uncles and cousins who are my biggest supporters.

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

Attended Montgomery College and University of Maryland, College Park

Occupation - Please include years of experience

Founder/CEO Cheryl Riley Public Relations (CRPR) I have been in Public Relations for over 25 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

I have never held a political office

Why are you seeking elective office?

I was born in Washington DC, was raised and attended school (Ridgeview and Seneca Valley) in MoCo and returned nearly eight years ago to find the County in disarray. I began paying attention to the County Council and Executive, and witnessed their feckless, out of touch, damaging management of the County. The Dems have had 40 years to ensure MoCo continued to thrive in every aspect, and what we have seen is the destruction via anti-business, anti-safety/police, failing education, higher taxes, deterioration of infrastructure, division tactics/rhetoric and an overall lack of concern for the Residents overall. Upon my return to my hometown, I started paying close attention to local leadership, saw how disconnected to residents they were/are, and how their actions or lack thereof negatively impacted our daily lives.

I am running because I wanted to help restore the County I love and implement pro-active solutions to the problems we face due to failed leadership. Then in 2021, tragedy struck when my niece died of a Fentanyl overdose in Montgomery County. She was sold pure fentanyl and the MCPD found the dealer, but due to county restrictions, could not charge him with murder. Tragic, unnecessary drug overdoses continue to rise in our county, which ties-in with my first priority: To restore safety to my district and county.

I am a local resident who resonates with my fellow county residents as I am one of you who shares the same daily concerns. As a renter myself, I will eventually be rented out of MoCo due to higher rent increases, or the continued rising property taxes that prohibit ownership. I know and love this county and will be the voice for the people. I look forward to improving the quality of life for ALL residents and make MoCo safer, economically viable, business friendly and united

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

Rising CRIME and lack of Safety! The County Council and Executive have empowered criminals due to their heavy-handed micro-management of our MCPD. Their budget constraints and other restrictions, including the Advisory Board and the Policing Advisory Commission, coupled with their daily rhetoric to unjustly demonize our LEO's, has DIRECTLY contributed to the rise in crimes including car break-ins, carjacking, assaults, retail robberies, home break-ins, shootings and stabbings. I intend from DAY ONE to remove the Advisory Board and the PAC and restore full support of Chief Jones and the MCPD to provide every resource they need to do the job they are trained to do to restore safety to our residents! I will ensure MCPD has the funding they require to hire qualified officers to build the force, purchase additional equipment and reinstate divisions that had to be cut, such as the auto theft department. I aim to enhance divisions, such as drug enforcement, to help get the drugs off our streets and take action to avert the daily overdoses. Furthermore, I will establish an open, supportive line of communication with Chief Jones and MCPD and promote our MCPD in a positive light as they risk their lives every day to keep our county safe. As a Council Member, I will work for YOU to uphold my duties to protect residents and will respect and honor the judgement of Chief Jones, who is an expert in law enforcement and safety.

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

My opponent is openly anti-police, anti-business, anti-parental Rights, protects criminal rights over residents’ safety and pro-mandates. As a current elected official who aligns with the inept Council, she does not have the best interest of our ENTIRE district in mind nor the county and focuses on identity politics, virtue signaling and pandering for personal gain to rise up the political machine. My goal is to address the REAL issues our County faces in REAL time to include ALL residents and to prioritize pro-active, VIABLE common-sense solutions to create a safer, economically stable environment for our county that enhances the quality of life for residents and opportunities to thrive financially. I will implement immediate steps to:

1. Address the crimes we face across the board and restore Police Funding and Resources,
2. Lower property taxes,
3. End wasteful spending to lower our constant over-taxation,
4. Establish precedents for renter stability via incentives to maintain set rent rates for those whose sign multi-year leases, which will provide families and individuals with financial stability without fear of rent increases, and
5. End Thrive 2050 and create a VIABLE plan that will ensure residents have a Choice in housing options that include single family homes in addition to multi-unit housing, whereby residents who have resided in our county for a minimum of 4 years will have precedence over investors to rent or own via affordable rates.

My opponent recently raised personal property taxes in her city while residents are struggling to survive the current inflation, placed restrictions on police that hinder their ability to effectively do their jobs to keep residents’ safe, has ignored the rise in the influx of drugs pouring into our county as she "touts" her concern for our children and housing affordability, but has not offered any viable solutions during her tenure. She has been silent on crime including the children who go missing daily, or the assaults on residents, home invasions, business robberies in broad daylight, carjackings, school safety or car break-ins and the catalytic Converter thefts, but expresses more concern for her desire to protect criminals and demonize police placing LEO's in harms way. She is in favor of government control via mandates and has not offered solutions to address the decline in our educational system and supports the BOE's removal of parental rights and implementation of divisive curriculum. I plan to eliminate excessive government interference within our personal lives, remove unnecessary mandates, reject incentives pushing high-priced, unrealistic electric vehicles, and restore Rights back to parents. As Mayor, she has not accomplished anything noteworthy, save for promoting the same failed agenda our county has endured for four decades, while promoting division. Under my leadership, unity will flourish as I will remove the constant divisive rhetoric and tactics that divide residents. I vow to listen to you and to lead via inclusivity, as we are all equal.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

In addition to restoring safety, financial prosperity, economic stability, ending the drug crisis and creating housing choice and affordability, I am also going to focus on many other issues the Council has either ignored, or failed miserably to manage effectively. Our infrastructure is in disarray, especially our roads, public sidewalks and pedestrian road crossings. Our public green spaces are in need of maintenance. Transparency and cohesive communication will be implemented as the Council purposely offers vague, incoherent verbiage when addressing the public on vital issues or plans. As a voice for the people, residents will be addressed in a concise format with factual data sans the "word salad" the Council has used consistently to hide information.

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

I am a seasoned Public Relations professional specializing in success-driven, public relations strategies to enhance market-share, improve brand awareness and the development of overall cohesive plans to generate business growth and successful crisis management protocols. I have worked with some of the top companies in the country in a wide variety of industries, whereby I excelled in successful campaigns to manage crisis situations, build financial gain, enhance brand awareness and created long-term effective strategic plans to establish overall progression. I am a leader, and my career successes have encompassed numerous scenarios for my corporate clients. I anticipate all scenarios and potential outcomes to ensure the right course is taken to reach the intended goals outlined in any given situation and am a fearless negotiator. I have always delivered more than promised and take pride in my ability to be well informed on any issue at all times so I'm able to proactively offer solutions. I understand the issues our County faces, and have seen our "brand" deteriorate to an all-time low due to feckless leadership, which needs to be restored and improved upon to position MoCo as a thriving, desirable, safe place to live, conduct business and a county that once again is recognized as one the best counties in the country.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

The following advice was given to me by my Father, and it has been advice that has been invaluable throughout my life: Always have the courage of your convictions, believe in yourself, never give up and live life with heart, faith, compassion, love and gratefulness every single day.

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

I'm truly grateful and honored for the incredible amount of support I receive daily from residents, who are weary from the same leadership that has failed us, and who express their excitement to have a new voice who will bring MoCo back to life! I pledge to honor the very motto our county was founded on "Gardez Bien," and Guard Well.