Consumer Connection

Connecting Consumers with Council President Kate Stewart

• Michelle Escobar • Season 1 • Episode 9

Share episode

In this episode of Consumer Connection, we sit down with Council President Kate Stewart to learn about her journey from resident to County Council President. Together, we explore how consumer protection is shaping a stronger Montgomery County, from advancing tenant rights to enhancing support for vulnerable adults. We also highlight how early organizing, meeting people where they are, uplifting mental health, and local history are building a more connected, resilient community.

To connect with Council President Stewart's office, visit https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/stewart/ or email councilmember.stewart@
montgomerycountymd.gov.

Have a question or suggestion for a future episode? Send an email to consumerconnection@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Michelle Escobar:

Hello and welcome to Consumer Connection. I'm Michelle Escobar, investigator with the Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection, and your host. At OCP, I work directly with county residents to help navigate consumer protection concerns, scams, and unfair business practices, issues that impact our lives every day. And today I am thrilled to have a very special guest, Montgomery County Council President Kate Stewart. Thank you for being with us. Thank you for having me. Yes, you are a standout example of women leading with purpose in local government. And so I'm really excited to have you. Kate Stewart is a powerful advocate for affordable housing, tenant rights, consumer protection throughout Montgomery County. From mayor of Tacoma Park to her current leadership role at the council, her dedication to public service has made a real difference in the lives of Montgomery County residents. Thank you. Yes. Oh no, so this is really exciting for me and very meaningful too. I want to give you a little fun fact about myself. I was a community organizer in Tacoma Park in the early 2000s. And uh Tacoma Park for me is such a beautiful town. It's vibrant small businesses, the diversity, the colorful neighborhoods. I always remember that. So I was really excited because that really helped me help that experience helped shape my path with now I'm serving as in a different role, but still serving Montgomery County and the consumer protection uh side. And so your leadership really resonates with me because I feel like we have that connection with Tacoma Park and for consumer protection as well. Um so I'd love to hear from you. What inspired you to uh first uh to get started in public service? Was there something that that happened? What inspired you?

Kate Stewart:

Yeah. So thank you, first of all, for having uh me here today. And I'm excited to hear about that connection uh to Tacoma Park. Um so, you know, I think my time on the Tacoma Park City Council and mayor there and now at uh the county council actually started one day with a knock on my door. And it was a neighbor. Um, I had been involved in some local, you know, issues. I was a mom of two small kids, um, involved in different things. And the neighbor came in and said, Hey, there's an opening on our city council, and we have to have a special election because someone had the woman who had represented us had passed away. And he said, the council and Tacoma Park was all men, and the two people running for the seat were two men. And he's like, We can't have an all-men, all male city council. Um very wise man. Yes. Um, so I thought about it for a little bit, had a bunch of other friends uh who encouraged me to run. And because it was a special election, we only had 45 days.

Michelle Escobar:

Oh, wow.

Kate Stewart:

So there wasn't a lot of time to think about it and then actually get a campaign together and do that. And so I decided to do that. A bunch of my friends got together and um we were able to win that special election. And then it was like probably just a little over a year that I was on the council. The mayor, um, Bruce Williams, who had been mayor for a while, said to me during right before one of the meetings, he said, Um, oh, I need to talk to you. Can you swing by my house after the meeting? And I was like, Oh my gosh. So immediately I think I did something wrong, right? I'm like, you must have messed up something. I know. And I'm like, why can't he talk here? And our meetings used to run really late. Like they didn't start till 7:30 at night. It wasn't unusual for them to go past midnight. So I remember going to his house thinking I was like, did something wrong.

Michelle Escobar:

Yeah.

Kate Stewart:

And he told me he was retiring as mayor and really wanted me to consider running. Um, which was I was again, I was like, I've only been on the council like everything going into place.

Michelle Escobar:

Yeah.

Kate Stewart:

Um, so I did that. And um, you know, I won the election as mayor, ran a couple of other times. Um, and you know, serving as mayor in Tacoma Park was just, it was the best. It's an incredible community. We were able to do amazing things. Um, it was really difficult. I was mayor during the first Trump administration, um, then during COVID. And the role, and a lot of people don't know this, um, but the municipalities, the cities and towns we have in Montgomery County, the folks who serve on those uh councils, um, those aren't considered full-time jobs. So uh everyone has pretty much another job and other things. So it's uh it's they're really tough jobs to have. Um, and I really appreciate my colleagues who are serving at the local level. Um, but by the time COVID was, you know, we had been doing that work. I had decided I wasn't going to uh run for re-election as mayor. Um and then we had redistricting in the county. Uh and uh the district four uh seat was an open seat at that time, and again had a number of people encouraging me to run for that. And so I ended up on the county council.

Michelle Escobar:

You know, it's it's great that you didn't have too much time to think about it because with small kids. Yeah, and you're like, you know what? But that's great. You didn't have much time to think about it at all. Just went for it. Yeah, that's wonderful. That's great to hear. So tell me, your experience as mayor, did that change your approach in any way, how you work now with the council? Sure, absolutely.

Kate Stewart:

So I think my experiences as mayor um really um one taught me how to run a really good meeting. Um and I I think uh I carry that over now this year, uh, being council president uh and you know, navigating, making sure that uh people are heard, that my colleagues have opportunities to uh discuss things, and knowing at the end of the day, we got to call a vote and move on. Um, and so I think those being able to navigate those spaces um can be difficult. And doing that for so many years in Tacoma Park helped set me up to be council president this year.

Michelle Escobar:

Wow. Now you've worked on so many initiatives, and um our listeners really they're they're what hits home for them is consumer protection. And you've done things, you've done things with uh tenant protections, um vulnerable adults, um access to renewable energy um alternatives. So um, but with all these issues, what do you find right now, and especially that you've even worked through COVID, um what what do you find is the most urgent consumer protection issue in the county right now?

Kate Stewart:

Yeah. So I think um, you know, one of the things that we worked on was the tenant protection and notification bill that passed a year ago. And uh we're still working out putting that, all of those pieces in place. And so just to give you a little background, the tenant notification and protection bill actually came out of two um really tragic events that happened in Montgomery County. Um, one was a fire that happened at the Arrive apartment building in downtown Silver Spring, where we uh lost Melanie Diaz. Um and at that time, uh being on site um after that fire, talking to the residents, what we learned is the building had no sprinklers, that that our our county code did not require any type of um emergency plan or notification of where certain fire alarms were or fire extinguishers are. And the other thing that talking to the residents um who lost everything in their apartments, just everything, who thought they had insurance, but what they had was insurance for the owners, not for their personal belongings. Oh and what we realized is in the leases, it was really confusing for people. And so talking to them and looking at what's in our code, what protects um people in uh the county, we were able to put in place the um Tenant Notification Protection Act. And um, it's still we still don't have the final regulations, and so that's why I'm saying it's still a work in progress. But what that is requiring is um each of our multifamily buildings having emergency plans that are on file and that are provided to residents. It also makes sure people know where fire extinguishers are, um, and it makes it much clearer to people the type of insurance that they have. The other thing that uh really drove us to do that piece of legislation was unfortunately an incident at the Grand, which is a residence um in North Bethesda, about 525 units. Um many um older residents live in that building. And uh one summer there was we had a rash of storms come through and it knocked out the uh electricity in that building and their backup generator, which under state law they're supposed to have enough fuel for, but they didn't. So their backup generator didn't work. And so residents were in complete darkness and could not reach the management company, could not find out what was happening. And we had older residents on top floors who had medical devices that weren't working and the temperatures in their apartments were reaching like high 80s, low 90s. And the only way the county was actually alerted to this that was that there was a police officer at the local 7 Eleven who looked over and was like, wait a minute, something's not right at the grand and went over and inspected and found out what was happening. But the management company had not responded to any of the residents, had not alerted the uh the county emergency services at all. And so that was something else that we put in this legislation that there needed to be available 24-7 for emergencies to get information. Um, so and that's something we see um today when we're working with many um tenant associations and residents in multifamily buildings. One of the most frustrating things is when they have an emergency um or a question, they can't get a hold of their management company and get a response. And so hopefully spreading the word about this um and making sure that people know if they're not getting a response, they can file a complaint because under this legislation, they're supposed to be responding to them.

Michelle Escobar:

And does that legislation have anything or connected with the uh Bill 625 at all? Or is that something that was separate?

Kate Stewart:

That was Councilmember Mink's bill. Yeah. So it they're all going in the same direction, which is providing our uh residents with more tools and our Office of Consumer Protection, as well as our Department of Housing and Community Affairs with more tools to assist residents and make sure that they understand uh what their rights are and then to make sure that nothing's falling through the cracks uh in our code. Um, you know, another example is what we're working on now uh with your Office of Consumer Protection and the great work you've been doing on uh water bills. Um, because it was also residents at the grand who we met with uh who started to complain to us about their water bills, um, the fees that they were being charged, how confusing it was. Um, and the Office of Consumer Protection um did an investigation. And what we found is this is an area of looking at our water bills that actually we don't have any good um regulations on it in our county code, which is uh chapter 11 and chapter 29, to make sure that people aren't being charged excessively in their water bills. In addition to this, we realize that while utilities are um come under the Public Service Commission at the state, water doesn't actually. So these really confusing water bills um and sometimes unexpected service fees and all of this um really weren't falling under any um agency or we didn't people didn't don't have the tools in which to um push back against them. So we're working on legislation now to make sure that uh people we do have the tools so that they we have more understandable contracts, leases, because lots of times these contracts are in people's leases, and to make sure that um when people are charged fees um for their water, uh, that they're reasonable.

Michelle Escobar:

Yeah, I I can't tell you how many times I people just don't understand their contracts. There's so there's so much small print that people don't understand and and and not understanding their the insurance, that insurance policy, for example, that's incredible and that's so sad. You lose everything and you think you have you have some protection and you don't. Right. And then you're not able to to reach your management on top of that. You don't and I didn't know about the sprinklers. Yeah. So when did the sprinkler because I thought that the sprinkler systems should have should have been put in, well, they're definitely put in the new home builders, but just not in the apartments.

Kate Stewart:

Yeah. So this is a big deal, actually. And delegate Sharkotian was actually working at on legislation at the state level to look at our fire codes. Um, so unfortunately, through this um tragic incident, what we learned is for our older apartments that are grandfathered in that were built mostly before like the 1970s, the early 1970s, um, many of them don't have sprinkler systems. Um, and it is quite expensive to put in sprinkler systems. Um, and so uh we were unable to get past at the state level um a requirement for uh sprinklers. What what delegate Charcotian did um was successful at moving forward was state legislation to make sure that if you have a high-rise building that doesn't have a sprinkler system, that there needs to be notification posted in the building.

Michelle Escobar:

Okay.

Kate Stewart:

Um, because I think it you're right, like it people assume a lot.

Michelle Escobar:

Yes.

Kate Stewart:

Um, so you move into a building and maybe it looks newish because they did some cosmetic upgrades and then you realize it's an older building that they didn't put in a sprinkler system or do some other things, and you're thinking you're protected. Um and and in fact, uh you don't have that protection. And so making sure people understand who are living in the building or who are going in and renting a building, what is available to them, what safety precautions are there is going to be really important.

Michelle Escobar:

Yeah, it needs to be all cleared out and written out so people do understand it's important um to have all types of disclosures to them so people know what they're getting into. And speaking of um vulnerable adults, um, because you were talking about the grand. Um, and that is that hits home for me because I, especially our seniors, um, I know that our office is working on updating chapter 11. And um I can't tell you how many times I've been doing this for a long time. And um, speaking of contracts, uh seniors sometimes now with the tablets, they're presented with a contract, they don't get a chance to to read it, and they sign it and they're dealing with a dishonest contractor. And um, so what are the updates that we're that you're working on or that you that you are most excited about for that we're making on chapter 11?

Kate Stewart:

Yeah. So one of the things, thanks again to your office um in raising these issues to us. Um, so there was an update to state law in how we're defining um vulnerable adults. And we want to make sure in our county code in chapter 11 that we're mirroring the state legislation. And so it will be clearer uh who is a vulnerable adult. And in part of that definition is people who are 68 and older. So um that provides then the Office of Consumer Protection, the tools to then help people if they find themselves the victim of some of these scams. And um, as you know better than me, with AI and all these other things, we're really seeing an increase um in these types of scams. Um, and people can lose everything. Yes. And it's it's just so sad.

Michelle Escobar:

And they're losing everything in so many ways.

Kate Stewart:

In so many ways. And and to tell them then we don't have all the tools available to help them is even more frustrating on top of that. So hopefully by providing an updated definition of what is considered a vulnerable adult, um, that'll provide us more uh ability to help in these cases and investigate them.

Michelle Escobar:

Yeah, because to this, to especially our seniors, the a handshake means a lot. Yes. You know, it's a symbol of trust. And so when that's broken, it's not just about money anymore. It's about their dignity. And I've run into a gentleman one day said, I'm an engineer, I can do these things myself, but they have to depend on someone else to do it. And so then, you know, that that takes from them too. And they can do it themselves back in the day. But so they are vulnerable. This this is this is a vulnerable time. They're letting someone into their home or into their lives or doing business with someone that, and these scammers are very slick. They they know how to get to you, they know um that you have grandchildren. They're they're doing their homework. And so any protection we can give them, it's really important. So you did work on the community choice aggregation. Yeah, we that's one we just introduced. Yes, that's right. Could you tell us about that?

Kate Stewart:

So the community choice aggregation um is again, um, speaking of uh delegate sharkotian, um, we needed to get enabling legislation at the state level. And basically what it does is it provides us here in the county the ability to purchase um energy electricity on behalf of our residents and our businesses. And in order to do that, we needed a plan, an aggregator plan. It has already gone through a lot of uh meetings, and we have guidelines from um the Public Service Commission on how we can do this. And the bill that I introduced a couple of weeks ago would basically enable us to move forward with this plan. And the hope is that by providing the county the ability to group purchase um electricity, uh, we can um have more uh competitive rates to um what people are able to get now, and that we're able to also expand um being able to purchase uh renewable energy sources. And, you know, we are seeing so much volatility right now and increases in prices for electricity and our energy sources. And this really will give the county another tool. Um, it's also when we did the uh climate change work and thinking about the planning for how the county is really gonna meet our goals in the next couple of years. This was um one of the things that was at the top in the report we received back from the consultant on if we're really gonna move forward on this and tackle climate change and uh reduce our greenhouse gases here in the county. Community choice aggregation is one of the ways to do that. Um, so hopefully it will we'll move forward with it. Uh, we'll put the plan together. Um, and it is um just for Montgomery County right now. Um so there'll be a lot of eyes on us at the state level uh as we're moving forward. Um, but a number of jurisdictions around the country um have community choice aggregator models um in place and um they've been very successful.

Michelle Escobar:

Yeah, no, and I think it's really important to be able to do it even as a group, um, because again, um not everybody can afford to put panels on their uh roof. Um, I can't tell you those contracts as well are they protect the the contractor, the companies more than they do the the uh consumer. And I've had people that have put those panels on and they get uh leaks in their roofs. And so if they can do something as a group or or know that the county is evolved, sometimes even the salesmen or salespeople will say there's uh tax cuts and tax this, and and people are falling for and think, yeah, like no, that's you asked your tax person about that, you know, like the salesperson doesn't really know. So they fall for so many things where um if they can count on the county to to give them more information and and to help them maybe particip to participate in renewable energy, that's that's an incredible thing for them because they want to, they just don't know how sometimes or can't afford to.

Kate Stewart:

Yeah, exactly. And you know, for example, also like for my home, uh we've been wanting to do solar panels, but our the tree canopy around our home, it just makes it uh pretty much impossible right now. And so each every couple of years we check because the technology is getting better. Um, but again, also I'd like to think about like especially our work on climate change here in Montgomery County. We are so far ahead of so many other jurisdictions because of our residents and our businesses being really um dedicated to this, that we've we've we've almost exhausted all the voluntary things we can do that people are gonna do on their own. And we need to make this jump to making sure that we're doing things as a county, as a county government, that's gonna make real change. Um, so community choice aggregation is one of those things. The work we did last year on the building energy performance standards is another example of that. Um, and you know, these things get um a bit harder to do uh each time. But if we're gonna be really committed to um climate change and reducing our greenhouse gases in the county, um we we need to start doing these.

Michelle Escobar:

And is there any way that for the residents listening that they want to make an impact or they want to engage somehow? Is there is there how's the best way to engage with your office?

Kate Stewart:

Great. So our office, uh the best way to engage is to email us at councilmember.stewart at MontgomeryCountyMD.gov. It's long, it's councilmember.stewart at MontgomeryCountymd.gov. Uh if folks aren't signed up, um we do a newsletter every other week that provides information. Um, but if people are also just interested in a specific topic, whether it's um fighting climate change or what we're doing on environmental issues, if it's housing, um, one of the areas that is really uh a focus of our office is on housing and helping residents um organize into uh tenant associations. Um, because what we find, and I know you probably find this in your work, is that if sometimes people organize when there's an issue and organizing and forming a structure at the same time that you are trying to push back either on a management company or uh address a situation that's happening in the building is really difficult. Um, and so we're uh our district actually has the most multifamily buildings as any of the other districts in the county. And so one of the things that we really try to um help residents do is think about setting up that structure of a tenant association before there's an issue so that you have that structure, um, you're meeting together, you get to know the other people in your building, build those relationships. Um, hopefully nothing will ever come up that you need that. But if it does, you already have that structure and foundation in place that then you can get it addressed.

Michelle Escobar:

And as a community organizer at heart, I approve that message. Um, and with so many things and so many complex issues on your plate, how do you stay grounded and connected with your uh with your constituents? Great.

Kate Stewart:

Um so uh it's we do a a number of meetings um in the in the district, um, especially in when the weather's nice in the spring and summer and fall is a great opportunity. We try and get to all the farmers markets and festivals and table, just be out in the community because I the most important thing I've learned over the years is going to where the community is and not expecting people to seek us out. Um and if I can, I can tell you just one quick story for when I was mayor. Uh um, I like to go back to is um it was during the first Trump administration. And um in Tacoma Park, we have the um the Langley Crossroads area that is a very high uh immigrant community, a lot of immigrant-owned businesses. And what we were finding is people weren't going out as much to the restaurants and other things. So we decided to do um lunch with the mayor um on Fridays. Um, and it was there was no agenda. There was no like we weren't like giving speeches or anything. It was just like, come, you know, maybe get your papoosas or wherever we were, yeah, sit down and let's chat. And we started doing these and we always got a good number of folks. And I do remember one time um we were at uh one of the places um in uh the crossroads area, and I was like putting tables together, and these two older women walk in, and they're like, We're we're here for lunch with the governor. Uh and this is Governor Hogan at this time. I'm like, Well, the governor's not coming. I was like, I think you mean lunch with the mayor. And they're like, Yeah, where is he? We want to meet him. And I'm like, Well, I'm your mayor. And these two women beamed and they're like, We have a woman mayor. And I'm like, Yes, you do. Um, and they were so excited. Um, and I want to say that they came to every other lunch we had. Um, we found out from talking to them that they had some issues with neighbors who were unfortunately hoarders and some of this was creeping onto their property. So we were able to um get folks out there to help the residents, to help them. Um, and then um they had never voted in a city election before. And then we had city elections come up. They registered, voted in the city election, and became much more engaged um in the local community. And it was really, it was really great to have them um do that. And I just think it was always a funny story when they were like, it's it's an incredible story.

Michelle Escobar:

I think it shows the power of connection, of really being with the people, being um in your community and and being with them. That's it, you connect with them. That's wonderful. Yeah, that's great. Um, so uh looking back then as um your because this is your last year as council president. Yeah, last few months. Yeah. So what's the legacy that you that you wanted leave?

Kate Stewart:

Yeah. Um so one of the things that we've been working on um this year is uh specifically highlighting mental health. Um and when we uh first took over as council president last December, we uh initiated a couple of things. Um, one, we brought together last winter over 130 of our providers in our government and outside to have conversations about what are the gaps we're seeing in care, particularly in thinking about um what promoting wellness and for young people. And it was really an opportunity for folks to gather and share information. And what we found is some folks had are doing this work, but they had never met some counterparts. And to have that opportunity to sit down, meet each other, and talk about the different programs they have in place was, I think, really helpful. Um, and then we're also doing a uh series of videos to lift up the work that's being done in the community, particularly for some of our members of our community for whom the stigma and talking about mental health is, I mean, there's stigma across all of our communities, but in particular, um, some of our communities, the the stigma is very high in talking about these issues. So really highlighting the work of some of our uh nonprofit groups and community groups who are doing this work in a really culturally uh responsive way is very important. Uh, we have our mental health corner in our newsletter again to uplift some resources. And um this fall we're doing listening sessions with young people to hear about what they need and what they want to see in our county services and from our providers. And um, it was really interesting. I was just at one um meeting with some uh with some young people, and these were mostly people in their late teens, early 20s. And we asked them, you know, who do you turn to or who do you feel are like trusted uh people? And uh one of the young men said librarians.

Michelle Escobar:

Oh, wow.

Kate Stewart:

They're like like talking to our librarians, are some of the folks that he feels most comfortable with um and our trusted people when he just he needs to share and talk to someone.

Michelle Escobar:

That's wonderful. Yeah. Wow, great work. That's that's great. Um mental health is um is so important to be able to be open with it and and for everybody to really know hey, it there's there's problems and we have to look at it and deal with it and help each other. I am a big believer, and I think I've said it on every episode, it takes a village. Yes. We have to support each other, lift each other up, and look out for each other. So wonderful work. And I know that um we are um about to or we are celebrating our 250th uh Montgomery County anniversary, right? And so I went to, I caught your um kickoff event last week. Um really great discussion on um the past and how it informs our present and future. And so um just wanted to know what what is there a particular uh event that you're looking forward to or initiative that you're looking forward to this for this year? Yeah.

Kate Stewart:

So yeah, so we had the panel last week, and we had our director of libraries, our chair of our commission on women, and um uh the director from our historic preservation. From the playing department, and it was such a great panel.

Michelle Escobar:

The librarian yes there. She was incredible. Yes.

Kate Stewart:

And it was just such a great panel. And people can watch it on the county council's YouTube page. But what I really liked about it is saying the tone, it was really what can we take from our history? Why is it important that we are thinking about our history, particularly at this time in our country where we have an occupant of the White House who is erasing history, you know, taking things out of our museums, taking things out of our national parks, and really erasing people. And so I thought that conversation was so important as understanding why here in Montgomery County we're celebrating our 250th. It's also the 250th of our country. And for me, it's making sure that we're celebrating here in the Montgomery County way. And so there'll be a number of different events. Montgomery history has a number of things that are going to be coming up in the year. We're going to be doing an essay contest with uh young people, a video uh essay contest, and looking forward to that, as well as a social media campaign on what does Montgomery County mean to you?

Michelle Escobar:

Oh, I love it. So really looking forward to it. I wanted to give a personal note on the past, present, and future. I love to hike. And one of my favorite trails um is the um underground railroad experience in Sandy Spring. And so that that um loops into the history as well. The the incredible, the history that that that's steeped in that trail. Um, the the the energy is incredible. Um there's a tree there that I I hug that tree. Every time I see it, I can just imagine what that tree has seen, what it has heard. So um you like to uh take walks. And do you have a a path that you a walking trail or path that you enjoy? Or what is your favorite historical part of Montgomery County?

Kate Stewart:

Yeah. So um I love that trail and that I know that tree you're talking about. It's really moving. And I have to just give kudos to all the volunteers and the folks who guide those um walks because they are amazing. Um, you know, I think there's so many here in Montgomery County. Um, particularly um, I've had the opportunity to spend time in um Prathur Town and some of our other uh historically black communities. And, you know, some of them are are still here in Montgomery County. Um, but there's a map um that looks at all of uh the communities that we used to have and how many of them there's absolutely no, like you wouldn't even know they had been there.

Michelle Escobar:

Wow.

Kate Stewart:

Um and it's really it's devastating to see that, and then to also then see um other communities like Praether Town and others that have really kept their history alive and how important that is. Um, and I have to say, probably one of the places I enjoy going is the Josiah Hansen Museum. Um, it is just the um parks department did an excellent job of really restoring that and providing the history um there. So that's one of my favorites.

Michelle Escobar:

Any final words um before we end today?

Kate Stewart:

No, I just uh I want to say thank you. Um, the Office of Consumer Protection does um so much amazing work. And I can't tell you how much our office appreciates the partnership. You know, we just we receive so many phone calls of people just not knowing where to go. Yeah. Um, and as you said before, like if people have been um scammed or there's things that they just don't understand, there is also a lot of um shame that comes with that. Like I should know this. I should know that. And I just want to say that your office, um, the way you treat people with dignity and respect and really help them figure out and navigate these situations, is just excellent. So thank you.

Michelle Escobar:

Oh, thank you. Thank you so much. And for our listeners, don't forget that you can learn about the Montgomery County Council and the Office of Consumer Protection by visiting our websites. And I hope that you will join us for the next time for a conversation with people, policies, and protections that safeguard our county. Oh, and by the way, don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and keep an eye out for upcoming episodes where we'll continue to bring you important updates and insights on consumer protection. Have a topic in mind for a future episode or a question for our team? Drop us an email at consumerconnection at Montgomery CountyMD.gov. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends and family and stay in the loop with OCP by searching the hashtag MCGOCP on social media. Remember, knowledge is key for safeguarding your consumer rights. Stay informed, stay protected, and stay connected. Until next time.

Announcer:

This podcast is brought to you by County Cable Montgomery, your source for news and information from the Montgomery County government. Connect with us via cable, Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube by searching for County Cable Moco.