MEDIA STILL DODGING, COUNCILMAN STILL GRANDSTANDING ON MONTGOMERY COUNTY LIQUOR SCANDAL

The Washington Post and The Gazette have yet to ask Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Riemer what he knew about alleged criminal activity in the County's Department of Liquor Control, and when he knew it. Meanwhile, Councilmember Riemer continues his free media campaign, using the scandal for political gain by posing as a crusader for justice.

This time, he is grandstanding en español, at taxpayer and cable bill-payer expense. Unfortunately, even the Spanish-language media isn't asking the councilman if he was aware of the alleged thefts and drinking-and-driving by County liquor delivery men prior to Election Day, and kept it quiet until 48 hours after voters cast their ballots.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF LIQUOR CONTROL EMPLOYEES ACCUSED OF STEALING BEER, RESELLING IT

NBC 4's News 4 I-Team alleges that some delivery employees for Montgomery County's Department of Liquor Control have been stealing beer meant to be delivered to county businesses. Their report also accuses some store owners of being in on the scam, which purportedly allowed County-controlled beer to be sold for private profit later by those employees. At least one County Councilmember is calling for an investigation, but hold on a minute - where was the oversight by the Council while the alleged crimes were taking place on their watch? Much like the Silver Spring Transit Center debacle, expect the Council to point fingers at everyone else but themselves, and claim they are victims just like the taxpayers. It's time the press starts asking the Council why they haven't been executing their oversight role in county government.

In the Farm Road case, where multiple Sandy Spring African-American landowners' property rights were violated, the Montgomery County Planning Board was allowed to hire a county political operative, Douglas Bregman, to investigate the scandal. This was somewhat like allowing Richard Nixon to investigate Watergate, as the Planning Department itself is under question in the Farm Road matter.

Bregman also had strong ties to development interests in the county, a conflict of interest for the Farm Road case, in which private developers were involved. Bregman's report was favorable to those who should have been investigated (surprise!), and Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler declined to answer calls to launch a state investigation of the Farm Road case. But, as I exclusively reported here, Bregman had donated $4,000 to Doug Gansler. Oops.

Only Councilmember Marc Elrich has continued to pursue the Farm Road swindle, and the local media dropped the story entirely after Bregman's "report."

County and state politicians have been treating mature adults in Montgomery County like children for years, denying us the right to even buy Bud Light at grocery stores and drug stores. Yet, if these accusations are true, their very own employees have been breaking the law themselves and getting away with it. The "beer skimming" scandal, and the transit center and Farm Road scandals, demand a federal investigation into each.

How convenient is it that we are only hearing about this sensational "beer bust" right after the county elections?

MONTGOMERY COUNTY COUNCIL AT-LARGE DEBATE (VIDEO) + HOW TO REGISTER TO VOTE TODAY

Montgomery Community Media and the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County hosted a Montgomery County Council At-Large Candidate Forum last night. You can watch the debate in its entirety here. Candidates from the Democratic, Green and Republican parties participated in the forum, which included transportation, Bus Rapid Transit, the Silver Spring Transit Center debacle, and affordable housing among its topics.

Today is the deadline to register to vote in the November 4 election. You can register today online or go to the Board of Elections office in person at 18753 North Frederick Avenue, Suite 210, Gaithersburg, MD 20879. If you have questions, call 240-777-8500.

Early voting will be available for all registered voters between October 23 and October 30 at these early voting sites around the county.

CIGAR/VAPE STORE TO REPLACE TASTY IMAGE IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

Another e-cigarette/vaping shop is set to open in Bethesda, even as Montgomery County councilmembers are exploring restrictions on the popular and growing alternative to traditional cigarettes. J. Cigar will offer traditional tobacco cigars and pipes, as well as supplies for vaping, e-cigarettes and hookah.

A vaping phenomenon is exploding in Montgomery County, with several vapor lounges opening recently, such as Bethesda Vapor Company and Rockville's Vape Ink. What impacts council action would have on these new businesses is currently unknown, until specific legislation is introduced.

The Montgomery County Council Health and Human Services Committee held a discussion on e-cigarettes this past Thursday, at which Councilmember George Leventhal stated he has already concluded it is "appropriate for us to legislate in this area." Councilmember Nancy Navarro said "most young people perceive e-cigarettes as the healthy alternative" to cigarettes. The council's president, Craig Rice, expressed concerns about the aggressive marketing of the products. Sale of e-cigarettes to minors is already restricted by the State of Maryland, so it is unclear just what action beyond that the council will take. Councilmember Nancy Floreen has prepared legislation to ban the use of e-cigarettes wherever traditional cigarette use is banned in the county. Amanda Mihill, legislative attorney for the council, said the council staff is exploring ways to tax the distribution of e-cigarettes at the county level.

County officials may find themselves going in the opposite direction of the coveted millennial demographic in the county, who make up the largest percentage (40%) of e-cigarette users. Should the county jump out ahead of the region in vaping restrictions, it would seem to run against the stated goal of attracting more millennials to live and work here.