It has been almost two years since the tragic death of George Floyd. In the aftermath, Montgomery County and local communities across the country have made significant efforts to reimagine public safety and support policies that improve racial equity and social justice.

One of the most important areas of this work has focused on police reform and ensuring that every resident — regardless of race, immigration status or Zip code — feels safe in the community.

The D.C. region is struggling with a Metro system that is experiencing reduced ridership as the result of pandemic-related workplace changes and a series of safety problems that have affected rider confidence. But often overlooked in our conversations about public transportation is the fact that our regional buses continue operating and performing better than Metrorail. Our robust bus network is proving to be more important than ever.

This year, for the first time, Maryland’s most populous jurisdiction formally recognized June as Pride Month — an effort spearheaded by Evan Glass, the first openly gay member of the Montgomery County Council.

At events, Glass, 42, posed with drag queens and marched triumphantly through town centers holding his husband’s hand. Behind the scenes, however, the at-large Democrat was battling a deluge of hate-filled messages.

On my first day as a Montgomery County Council member, I took two buses to get from my house in Silver Spring to the Stella B. Werner Council Office Building in Rockville. The total time was 80 minutes. The total cost was $2. That might not seem like much, but it adds up. That’s $4 a day, $20 a week, $80 a month, $960 a year — just counting weekdays.