FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE COUNTY RESIDENTS DEMAND NEW LEADERSHIP IN COUNCIL Derwood, MD — September 2, 2026.- The residents of Gaithersburg and Montgomery Village are tired of being told to wait, move on, or accept another government program when what they are demanding is something far more fundamental: answers, accountability, and public safety. A recent community meeting at South Lake Elementary School, organized by councilmember Dawn Luedtke, was supposed to reassure residents about crime, mental health resources and public safety. Instead, it exposed a much deeper problem: a growing crisis of confidence between residents and the officials who are supposed to represent them. Residents came prepared with legitimate questions about the July 12 death of Elliott Powers, who was fatally shot by Gaithersburg and Montgomery County police at a Lost Knife Road bus stop after a lengthy standoff. The Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting. But residents also came with questions about a disturbing pattern of violence in the Lost Knife Road corridor, including another police shooting in March and stabbings occurring immediately before and after Powers’ death. Officials have acknowledged a 13% increase in crime in the area, with drug and alcohol violations identified as significant contributors. Maldonado commented on the school event, stating “It’s clear that the crime statistics the county puts out does not reflect the reality of criminal activity on our streets and the most disturbing part is that county officials keep gaslighting the public into thinking we don’t have a problem with violent crime.” The community’s frustration is understandable. Residents are not asking for another presentation filled with bureaucratic terminology. They are asking: Why is violence continuing? Why are residents still afraid in their own neighborhoods? What is being done differently? Who is accountable when government programs fail to produce results? And most importantly: When will elected officials stop managing the optics of a crisis and start confronting the crisis itself? These are not abstract political debates. They are questions about whether people feel safe walking to a bus stop, whether families trust their government, and whether residents believe their elected representatives will listen when their community is hurting. The answer cannot simply be another task force, another assessment, another community meeting, or another promise to study the problem. The time for studies without results is over. The time for carefully scripted meetings where officials talk at residents instead of with them is over. And the time for treating legitimate public concern as an inconvenience is over. Residents deserve a government that can do two things at the same time: protect the public and protect constitutional rights. “Luedtke, like she’s done many times, was ready to push a scripted presentation not caring about answering the questions of residents who are fed up with the lies and constant disregard for accountability from county officials, who say the same things every four years but do nothing,” Maldonado noted. What the community needs now is new leadership with the courage to say plainly: Enough. Enough violence. Enough political theater. Enough bureaucratic deflection. Enough pretending that another program or another meeting is a substitute for measurable results. The people who live along Lost Knife Road, in Montgomery Village, Gaithersburg and throughout Montgomery County deserve better. When asked about de-escalation protocols from the Montgomery County Police Department, Luedtke said she didn’t know them because she’s not work in the Police Department, which got the public more upset. Maldonado added, “Luedtke made it clear that the bills that the council pass, like the Trust Act, is just a way to get political points with the public because the bills don’t actually have any weight to physically block ICE agents during arrest operations, confirming what I’ve been saying for a long time that the council and the executive use the immigrant community as political pawns.” Public office is not a shield from accountability, yet it appears incumbent councilmembers, including the executive, have grown accustomed to pontificating and misleading the public. But residents are seeing through the rhetoric—and they are calling out the incompetence. County residents have spoken. It’s time for new leadership in the county council! ### Maldonado for Council: info@haroldmaldonado.com

Full Press Release:

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