Pepco Outages, Purple Line on the Minds of Voters

Some residents of District 18 are fed up with Pepco outages and concerned about the proposed Purple Line, and they made their voices heard at a Chevy Chase town hall meeting Tuesday.

About 30 people turned out to the  for a question-and-answer with Sen. Rich Madaleno and delegates Al Carr, Jeff Waldstreicher and Ana Sol Gutiérrez.

Three attendees spoke out against Pepco, the public utility serving Montgomery County, pointing out numerous service interruptions and safety hazards, including January's .

Waldstreicher and Carr said they were proud of a bill passed in the last session that imposes stricter reliability standards on Pepco, increases fines for not meeting them and mandates that those fines not be passed down to consumers.

"The bill is a marked step forward, a real improvement," Waldstreicher said. "When it goes into effect, I think you're going to see a real change."

Other residents in attendance said they were concerned the — a light-rail transit system that would connect Montgomery and Prince George's counties — would destroy green space and deteriorate communities.

Gutiérrez said the Purple Line is, in part, an issue of social justice.

"There are people taking three different buses to work right now, and the Purple Line will improve their quality of life," she said.

Madaleno, however, said he is skeptical the proposed $2 billion rail system would do anything to improve transportation in the area.

"It would be a huge detriment to the quality of life for all the neighborhoods along Connecticut Avenue," he said. "There will certainly be an active debate."

Prior to the question-and-answer session, the representatives gave brief recaps of what their committees accomplished in the last session.

Madaleno, a member of the budget and tax committee, said he was proud the Assembly was able to balance the state budget despite a $2 billion deficit. But Maryland is likely facing a $1 billion shortfall in the next fiscal year, he said, and there is work yet to be done.

Gutiérrez said Maryland made history by in the last session and that she will work to ensure the law stays on the books.

"We sent out a clear message to the rest of the United States that Maryland is not Arizona and that we will not be moving in the same direction as the rest of the country with regard to immigration," she said.

Waldstreicher said he regrets that the bill to recognize same-sex marriages . However, Democrats will regroup, think creatively and try again the next session, he said.

"We're going to come back with something new, something different, and, hopefully, bring marriage equality to the state of Maryland," Waldstreicher said.