Think Regionally

Leaders of the Washington region have launched an ambitious effort to address what can fairly be described as a historic challenge facing the area’s public transit network. Listeners may think they’ve heard this kind of crisis talk before, but our transportation dilemma is in fact more acute than in the past. Even though the region is growing steadily and suffers from notoriously bad road traffic, its rail and bus systems are drastically short of money. On this episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney speaks with COG Executive Director Clark Mercer and WMATA General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke about DMVMoves, their organizations’ new joint initiative to create a unified vision and sustainable funding model for the region’s transit network.

When we turn on the faucet for a glass of water, we expect it to be safe, clean, and readily available. And, consistently, water in metropolitan Washington meets these expectations. This is in no small part due to decades of investments in source water protection and cleanup, infrastructure upgrades, and careful monitoring of our waterways' health.  In this episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney speaks with Montgomery County Councilmember Natali Fani-González, WSSC Water General Manager Kishia Powell, and manager of COG's Anacostia Restoration Program Phong Trieu on the roles each of us play in the multi-pronged effort to protect the region's waterways and drinking water. 

SEASON 3: EPISODE 5 IS NOW LIVE In recent years, metropolitan Washington has seen tremendous improvements in its air quality—down from upwards of 80 unhealthy air days each year in the 1990s to an average of ten as of 2023. But last year's Canadian wildfires emphasized that good air quality is not a guarantee, and it can be easily impacted by increasing environmental threats driven by climate change.  Air quality is not just an environmental challenge, but a health one. When the air quality is poor, our region's most vulnerable residents suffer.  In this episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney speaks with Kristen Willard of the Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform, DC Department of Energy and Environment Air Quality Branch Chief Joseph Jakuta, and COG Air Quality Program Director Jen Desimone on how the region is supporting community health by zeroing in on initiatives, education, and programs aimed at improving air quality. 

Over the last several decades, residents have increasingly turned to biking to improve fitness, reduce car pollution, and avoid escalating gas prices. Local governments and planners are encouraging the trend. In our region, they’re building hundreds of miles of bicycle and pedestrian trails and adding bicycle lanes to streets. For example, the Transportation Planning Board at COG has adopted the National Capital Trail Network Map, a planning priority for a seamless pedestrian and bicycle system of off-street trails, connecting 63% of the region's population. Today, momentum around biking continues to accelerate as local governments, advocacy organizations, and transportation planners at COG work together to plan a more bike and pedestrian-friendly region. In this episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney talks with City of Frederick Mayor Michael O'Connor, Washington Area Bicyclist Association Senior Organizing Manager Kalli Krumpos, and COG Senior Transportation Planner Mike Farrell on some of the plans and programs that expand bicycling in metropolitan Washington.

Working through COG, area jurisdictions joined together this year in a monumental decision to create the first regional fair housing plan in a generation. Since the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, we've made significant strides to reverse patterns of housing discrimination and racial segregation. But, the Fair Housing Plan sheds light on very real instances of discrimination in the housing process today. Reverberating impacts of exclusionary zoning practices, as well as housing affordability, has also led to an increase in racial segregation in our region.  In this episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney speaks with Fairfax County Supervisor Rodney Lusk, Equal Rights Center Executive Director Kate Scott, and COG Housing Program Manager Hilary Chapman on initiatives to ensure fair and equitable housing in metropolitan Washington.

Access to an adequate food supply remains a challenge for many low- to middle-income families. The Capital Area Food Bank reports that a third of households in the metropolitan Washington region face food insecurity, uncertain about having enough to eat. To address this issue, local officials are actively working together to advocate for the restoration and potential expansion of federal funding for nutrition programs. Simultaneously, they are working with partners to implement strategies to improve local food production, support farmers' markets, and strengthen food pantries for communities in need. In this episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney sits down with D.C. Hunger Solutions Director LaMonika Jones, Montgomery County Office of Food Systems Resilience Director Heather Bruskin, and COG Food and Agriculture Regional Member (FARM) Policy Committee Chair and City of Fairfax Council Member Jon Stehle, to discuss building a more resilient and food-secure region. 

Crime does not respect municipal boundaries, so area public safety agencies collaborate closely through COG and other regionwide initiatives to track crime trends, communicate during real-time emergencies, and launch innovative programs to target crime and protect public wellbeing. COG's Annual Report on Crime and Crime Control, released recently, highlighted a troubling trend in rising property crime, but includes promising information on regionwide coordination among our local, state, and federal public safety agencies.  In this episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney sits down with two area police chiefs, City of Laurel Police Chief and COG Police Chiefs Committee Chair Russell Hamill and Prince George's County Police Chief Malik Aziz, and Scott Boggs, Managing Director of COG's Department of Homeland Security and Public Safety, to discuss rising crime and other challenges, and how the region is working together to keep communities safe. 

Penny Gross joined the COG Board in 1996, the same year she was elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Since then, she's been a central figure at COG as regional leaders have worked together to tackle issues such as the health of the Chesapeake Bay and local waterways, public safety, Metro, and more. In this episode of COG's podcast, Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney sits down with Gross to reflect on the biggest topics in the region then and now, how regional collaboration has evolved, and where the focus will be for the next generation of leaders. 

Climate change is happening, so as we work towards our goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promote environmental stewardship, our region must also prepare for an increase in extreme weather intensified by global warming. Recent storms have served as a warning that our transportation network, utilities, and neighborhoods must all adapt to withstand any number of unprecedented weather events for the region–including flooding, drought, high winds, and more. In this episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney speaks with DC Water VP Salil Kharkar, WMATA Climate Resilience Program Manager Mark Nystrom, and Charles County Resilience Authority Executive Director Stacy Schaefer on cross-sector strategies to build climate resilience to protect our communities and infrastructure.

In December 2022, the COG Board selected Clark Mercer as the organization's new Executive Director, the sixth chief executive since COG’s founding in 1957. Mercer began serving in his official capacity at COG in January 2023, during what is already shaping up to be a pivotal time for the region.  In this special episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney sits down with Mercer to discuss his background as Chief of Staff to Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, and the roles he sees COG playing as area leaders tackle some big issues on the horizon: including Metro funding, housing, equity, and the region’s post-COVID economy.