County Council members send holiday greetings with ‘Home Alone’ parody
Council Members Andrew Friedson and Sidney Katz wished their constituents happy holidays with an unconventional spoof on “Home Alone.”
The two-minute video features Friedson as a Kevin McCallister stand-in, raiding the vending machine and gobbling ice cream after realizing his colleagues have gone home for the holiday recess. His shenanigans are cut short after Katz discovers a mess in the council hearing room.
After a busy year, we’re getting into the holiday spirit here at the @MoCoCouncilMD with Council President @MC_Council_Katz! pic.twitter.com/BcsVgISKw3
— Councilmember Andrew Friedson (@Andrew_Friedson) December 17, 2019
Friedson said the video was filmed Friday with help from the council’s communications team. The “Home Alone” theme was a riff on his status as the youngest member of the council. But it also played into both lawmakers’ reputation for working long hours, he said.
“There’s a running joke that on any given day, Sidney and I will be in the office working,” Friedson said. “I think we’ll both show up, even during recess.”
The council’s next meeting is scheduled for Jan. 14.
Navarro named co-vice president of regional government council
Council Member Nancy Navarro was elected co-vice chair of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments this month.
MWCOG is a regional organization of local governments that works to address challenges in and around Washington, D.C. Navarro formerly served on the organization’s board of directors and helped develop its most recent affordable housing targets.
Navarro will share the vice chair role with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Phyllis Randall, chair of the Board of Supervisors for Loudoun County, Va., will serve as president. Mayor Kate Stewart of Takoma Park will serve as secretary-treasurer.
Trone-backed prescription drug bill clears U.S. House
Sixth District U.S. Rep. David Trone backed a recent House bill to lower drug costs for Medicare patients.
The legislation, which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives last week, requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to negotiate costs for certain drugs.
The bill also caps annual out-of-pocket costs for senior citizens and invests $10 billion into fighting the opioid epidemic.
District 6 includes Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett counties.
Trone also heralded a $41.7 billion investment for Alzheimer’s research at the National Institutes of Health in a recent House appropriations package.
Both measures still require passage in the U.S. Senate.