Gov. Wes Moore (D) and Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) exchange greetings at the Committee for Montgomery breakfast Friday. Photo by Joe Andrucyk/Governor’s Office.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) may have effectively gotten the boot from his voters earlier this month when they overwhlemingly supported imposing two-term limits on county executives. But he got a mouthful of unanticipated public praise Friday from Gov. Wes Moore (D) at the annual Committee for Montgomery legislative breakfast.
Moore, who stylistically could not be more different from Elrich, and comes from a younger political generation than the county executive, nevertheless described him as a visionary on a number of fronts. This was a lead-in to a broader discussion by Moore on the state government’s response to former President Donald Trump’s pending return to the White House, and especially to its potential impact on Montgomery County, where the federal government is so prominent.
“There’s a phrase, ‘I’m a man of my times but the times just don’t know it yet’ — that’s Marc Elrich,” Moore said. He went on to hail Elrich’s work on adopting a living wage in Montgomery County, promoting bus rapid transit, and helping to turn the county into a biotech hub, extending thanks “on behalf of the entire administration.”
Of course, Moore continues to pronounce Elrich’s name “El-RICK,” rather than the preferred “El-RICH.” But we suspect Elrich has been called worse. In fact, we know he has.
Elrich seemed truly stunned and grateful for the governor’s shout-out. Montgomery County has a (largely outdated) reputation for its political politesse, especially compared to the rest of the state. In fact, though, politics in the county can be a seething cauldron of factions, resentments and pent-up ambitions, and Elrich is rarely hailed by any of his fellow politicians.
“Wow, that was a nice introduction,” he said after following Moore on the program. And Elrich returned Moore’s praise.
“I can’t tell you how different it is to work with this governor compared to working with the previous governor,” he said. Moore, he added, possesses “a drive to really make Maryland something.”
Even though Elrich won’t be able to seek reelection in 2026, he is anticipating another run for a seat on the county council, where he has already served three terms.
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