GAIL EWING

1989-1998

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Gail Ewing, a graduate of Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda and of the University of Maryland, had been a resident of the County for thirty-three years when she was first elected to the Montgomery County Council in 1990. During her two terms on the Council, Ewing served on the Public Safety, Transportation and Environment, and Health and Human Services Committees, and was elected President in 1995. As Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee she oversaw the development of the Council's first Health and Human Services policy statement. She also represented the County Council on the Board of Social Services and the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Advisory Council, and served as Chair, and then Council representative, to the Human Services and Public Safety Policy Committee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG).

Education, juvenile justice, and child protection were fundamental concerns for Ewing. She worked for many years to improve the County school system, and was founder and former Chair of the Community Coalition for the Schools. During her second term in office she sponsored legislation which sought to ensure that juvenile crime was dealt with swiftly and effectively, but also provided assistance to juveniles and offered preventive help to children at risk. She worked to fundamentally change the child welfare system by insisting that protection of children should be placed above parental rights. Measures passed by the Maryland General Assembly in response, in part, to Ewing's efforts, significantly diminished the likelihood that felons who abuse children would have those children, or any siblings, returned to their care. As Head of the COG Human Services and Public Safety Committee she spearheaded a landmark "Agenda to Combat Violence in the Washington D.C. Area" and was the originator of the COG's "Kids and Crime: Finding Solutions" conference. Ewing also founded a comprehensive program to fight underage drinking; "Drawing the Line on Underage Alcohol Use" became a national model and won several awards.

Ewing sponsored landmark legislation to prevent residential picketing and initiated programs to streamline the development process and revise the timeframe for the County's growth policy. She became a local leader in breast cancer awareness and prevention, going public with her own battle with the disease in 1991, and in 1992 began serving on the Montgomery County Task Force on Breast Cancer. She has been the recipient of many awards, including the Governor's Citation for "Commitment to the Women of Maryland" in 1993, and the Montgomery County Business and Professional Woman of the Year in 1998. Ewing retired from the Council in 1998.

PROCESSING PROCEDURES

General processing procedures consisted of discarding duplicates, unnecessary binders, and routine transmittals. Oversized documents and photographs were removed from the original location in their assigned series and placed in separate containers. Separation sheets were inserted in the original location within the folder to indicate the new location of any records placed elsewhere.

Preservation copying of newspaper clippings was performed whenever feasible. Records in folders were arranged, unless otherwise indicated, in forward chronological order, with undated records appearing at the end of the folder.

PROVENANCE

The records were transferred from the office of Gail Ewing in December 1998 and June 1999.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The collection comprises 11 cubic feet of material dating from 1989 to 1998, and encompasses Council Member Ewing's two terms in office on the Montgomery County Council, although the bulk of the material in the first seven series of the collection relates to Ewing's first term. The records document Ewing's work on the Council, including her service on various committees, her interaction with her constituents on issues of concern, and her involvement with community issues in general. The collection is an excellent source of information illustrating the effects of the state budget cuts on Montgomery County's fiscal policies in the early 1990s, and its repercussions on individual departments and programs.

The arrangement of the collection generally follows the original series arrangement by broad subject categories which often reflected individual Council committees and were subdivided into more detailed subjects. Material similar in scope but filed separately was occasionally combined under a single subject heading to facilitate access and avoid duplication. Record types primarily include correspondence, memoranda, minutes and other committee material, reports, typed speeches, clippings, photographs, and press releases.

The collection is arranged as nine series:

Series I: Health and Human Services

Series II: Public Safety

Series III: Land Use

Series IV: Environment

Series V: Transportation

Series VI: Budget and Finance

Series VII: General Subject Files

Series VIII: Correspondence and Press Releases

Series IX: Constituent Files.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Series I: Health and Human Services, 1989-1998 (2.33 cu. ft.)

This series documents Ewing's involvement with health and human service issues, in particular the concerns of the Health and Human Services Committee, which Ewing chaired from 1992 to 1994. One of the most important issues which the records address is the Council's response to County Executive Neal Potter's formation of a human services secretariat intended to enhance program and policy collaboration among the Departments of Health, Social Services, Family Resources, and Addiction, Victim, and Mental Health Services. The records show the development of initiatives to find more efficient and cost effective ways of providing services to clients in response to the County's fiscal crisis, while recognizing the need to develop new approaches and systems in order to handle, with fewer resources, the increasing and more complex workloads agencies were encountering. The records include input from the various departments and commissions in the form of meeting minutes and background material, and general correspondence and memoranda to and from the Council. The series also documents the impact of the budget crisis of the early 1990s on the Department of Public Libraries, and reveals Council deliberations over cutbacks in opening hours and services for library branches, as well as other issues such as censorship of library materials. Material relating to Ewing's efforts to assist in fund-raising for the children's library at Noyes by establishing a public-private fund-raising partnership can also be found here. The series contains correspondence, memoranda, minutes, reports, newspaper clippings, and departmental brochures.

The series is arranged alphabetically by subject, and then chronologically.

Series II: Public Safety, 1990-1994 (2.52 cu. ft.)

This series documents Ewing's involvement with the Public Safety Committee which oversaw activities in the Departments of Police, Fire and Rescue Services, Corrections and Rehabilitation, and Liquor Control. The records document the development of the Community Oriented Policing Program (COPS), the effects of the budget crisis on departmental budgets, and discussions regarding the building of a new Detention Center and the County's future needs in regard to corrections. The records also document the County's reaction to a federal ruling preventing career firefighters from volunteering in the County, which was expected to have a devastating impact on the County's ability to provide adequate fire protection without a significant increase in cost to taxpayers. The series includes material relating to the local Emergency Planning Council, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Pre-Trial Services Unit and Community Accountability Reintegration and Treatment Program; minutes, agenda, and reports of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission; and documentation of discussions regarding partial privatization of the Department of Liquor Control. The series contains correspondence, memoranda, minutes, reports, newspaper clippings, and departmental brochures.

The records are arranged alphabetically by subject, and then chronologically.

Series III: Land Use, 1990-1994 (1.17 cu. ft.)

This series documents the Council's involvement in land use and planning issues in the early 1990s. It includes material relating to master plans for towns and regions within the County, including the revitilization of downtown Silver Spring, and the redevelopment of Rockville Mall. The series also documents annexation and zoning decisions, the preservation of rural areas, and amendments to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission master plan for historic sites. Record types include correspondence, memoranda, reports, clippings, and photographs.

The series is arranged alphabetically by subject, and then chronologically.

Series IV: Environment, 1990-1994 (1 cu. ft.)

These files deal primarily with the debate over management of the County's solid waste. The series documents constituent concerns and opinions and Council deliberations relating to the decision to build a solid waste incinerator and land-fill in Dickerson, and the controversy over the disposal of waste in County landfills versus shipment to sites outside of the County. Ewing ultimately voted in favor of the incinerator. Much of the material in this series was generated by the Council's Transportation and Environment Committee. In addition to correspondence, memoranda, and background material of this Committee, the series contains minutes and background material from the Solid Waste Advisory Committee from 1990-1992.

The series is arranged alphabetically by subject, and then chronologically.

Series V: Transportation, 1990-1994 (0.66 cu. ft.)

This series also contains material generated by and for the Transportation and Environment Committee, and documents decisions made regarding transportation planning in the County, as well as improvements to, or problems arising from, individual areas and roads.

The series is arranged alphabetically by subject, and then chronologically.

Series VI: Budget and Finance, 1990-1994 (0.33 cu. ft.)

This series documents budget and finance issues in the wake of the fiscal crisis and revenue shortfalls of the early 1990s. Material included here relates primarily to County-wide fiscal planning rather than to the budgets of individual departments.

The records are arranged alphabetically by subject, and then chronologically.

Series VII: General Subject Files, 1990-1995 (1.83 cu. ft.)

This series comprises material on a variety of subjects with which Ewing was involved through the Council which did not fall under any broad subject category in the collection's original arrangement. Folder titles reflect the range of subjects addressed. Education is particularly well documented in this series, which contains material relating to Ewing's sponsorship of a bill to modify Maryland income tax forms to include an option to deduct money for education. Records also document discussions regarding the operating budget of the Montgomery County Public Schools. In addition the series includes records of special events and engagements which Ewing attended and at which she spoke, and documents her involvement with the National Association of Counties and the Metropolitan Council of Governments.

The series is arranged alphabetically by subject, and then chronologically.

Series VIII: Correspondence and Press Releases, 1991-1998 (0.83 cu. ft.)

This series consists primarily of outgoing correspondence and press releases from Ewing's office, although some incoming correspondence is also included. Significant topics covered in this series include changes to the annual growth policy, "Drawing the Line on Underage Alcohol Abuse," modernization of school facilities, cutbacks in library hours and services, juvenile justice and child care, prohibition of solicitation and sales to motorists, and residential picketing. Record types include correspondence and memoranda, press releases, typed speeches, and reports.

The series is arranged alphabetically by subject and then chronologically.

Series IX: Constituent Files, 1990-1998 (0.33 cu. ft.)

This series documents inquiries and complaints received from constituents by Ewing's office, and measures taken in response. Files typically include forms recording the inquiry process and any resulting correspondence. Subjects documented in this series include speed humps, a proposal by the Department of Public Works and Transportation to create a radio station dedicated to traffic announcements, and other general constituent concerns. One folder is restricted as it contains information regarding a grievance.

The first eleven folders in the series, which were originally arranged in numerical order by zip code, have been re-arranged alphabetically by town, although corresponding zip codes are included in the folder title. The remainder of the series was originally arranged alphabetically by last name of constituent. In order to facilitate research, folders were assigned new titles reflecting the general subject matter of the constituent's concern, and arranged alphabetically.

Series I: Health and Human Services

Box 1

Adult Mental Health Services, 1994

Addiction, Victim, and Mental Health Services, Department of

Core Services Agency Forum, 1990

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1989-1991

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1992

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1993-1994

State and Federal Budget Cuts, 1991

Victim Service Advisory Board, 1990

AIDS/HIV and Summa Project, 1990-1993

Autistic Children, Brookeville Facility, 1991-1993

Boards, Committees, and Commissions, 1991-1994

Breast Cancer Task Force, 1991-1994

Care Services, General, 1993-1994

Education and School Health Services, 1990-1991, n.d.

Elder Housing, Banished From Bethesda, 1992-1994

Family Resources, Department of

Action Plan for Persons with Developmental Disabilities, 1990-1991

Child Care Connection, 1991-1992

Commission on Aging, 1990-1992

Commission on Aging, 1993

Commission on Child Care, 1990-1992, 1994, n.d.

Commission on Children and Youth, 1990-1992

Division of Elder Affairs, General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1991-1992

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1992-1994

Infants and Toddlers Program, 1991-1992

Montgomery County Household Survey of Drug Abuse, 1998

Group Residential Care Facilities, 1991-1992

Health and Human Services Committee, General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1991-1992

Health and Human Services Committee, General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1993-1994

Health and Human Services Committee Minutes, 1991-1992

Box 2

Health and Human Services Committee Minutes, 1993-1994

Health and Human Services Policy, 1991-1992

Health and Human Services Policy, 1993

Health and Human Services Policy, 1993-1994

Health, Commission on, 1990-1992

Health Department General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1990-1991

Health Department General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1992

Health Department General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1993-1994

Homelessness, 1991-1994

Hospice Caring, 1992-1994

Humanities, Commission on, 1991

Human Relations Commission, 1991-1994

Juvenile Court Committee, 1991

Medical Assistance Work Group Report to the Commission on Health, 1990

Mental Health Advisory Committee, 1990-1992

Mental Health, Operating Budget, 1992-1993

Minority Issues, 1993-1994

Mobile Medical Care Inc., 1991-1992

Non-Profit Organizations Meeting, 1993

Noyes Library, 1991-1993

People in Need Conference, 1990

People with Disabilities, Commission on, 1991-1992

Public Libraries, Department of

Censorship, 1993-1994

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1990-1991

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1992-1993

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1994

Operating Budget, 1993-1994

Box 3

Social Services, Department of

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1991

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1992

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1993-1994

State Health Insurance Policy, 1991

Students' Initiative for the Homeless, 1992

Volunteerism, 1992

Series II: Public Safety

Community Oriented Policing (COPS), 1992

Community Oriented Policing (COPS), 1993-1994

Consolidated Fire Tax District, 1991

Corrections and Rehabilitation, Department of

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1992

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1993-1994

Jail Sizing in Montgomery County, 1991 (2 folders)

Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission, 1991

Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission, 1992

Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission, 1993-1994

Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission Meetings, February-March 1993

Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission Meetings, April-May 1993

Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission Meetings, June-July 1993

Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission Meetings, August-September 1993

Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission Meetings, October-December 1993

Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission Meetings, January 1994

Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission Meetings, March-April 1994

Drug Abuse Resistance Education, 1993

Emergency Communications Center (ECC), 1994

Box 4

Fire and Rescue Services, Department of

Background Information, 1990-1991

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1991

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1992

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1993-1994

FY 1993 Budget, 1992

Liquor Control, Department of

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1991

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1991-1992

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1993

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1994

Study of Contracting and Other Scenarios for Change, 1994

Task Force to Monitor and Evaluate a Pilot Test of Contracting Department of Liquor

Control Retail Stores, 1992-1993

Master Plan for Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Medical Services, Draft, 1991

Master Plan for Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Medical Services, Review, 1993

Master Plan for Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Medical Services, Review, 1994

New Detention Center, 1992-1994

Police Department

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1992-1993

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1994

Pre-Release Center, 1991-1992

Box 5

Public Safety Committee

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1990-1991

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1992

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1993

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1994

Minutes, 1991-1992

Minutes, 1993

Minutes, 1994

Rehabilitation and Education of the Drinking Driver Offender (REDDO) Program, 1991

Restrictions on Volunteering, 1991-1994

Series III: Land Use

Annexations, 1991-1994

Board of Appeals, 1991-1993

Crematorium, 1990-1993

Development Review Process and Implementation Report, 1992

Farmland Preservation, 1991-1992, 1994

Forecasts and Trends, 1990-1991

Forecasts and Trends, 1992

Forecasts and Trends, 1993-1994

Friendship Heights Incorporation, 1991

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1991-1994

General Plan Refinement, 1991, 1993

Germantown Town Center, 1991-1992

Historic Preservation, 1990-1992

Historic Preservation, 1993-1994

Box 6

Master Plans, General Information, 1991-1992

Parks and Recreation, 1990-1993

Planning Board, 1991

Planning Board, 1992

Planning Board, 1993-1994

Redevelopment of Rockville Mall, 1993

Redevelopment of Rockville Mall, 1993-1994

Regional District Act, 1991

Shady Grove Master Plan, 1991-1992

Silver Spring Central Business District Sector Plan, 1993 (2 folders)

Silver Spring Revitilization, 1992-1993

Silver Spring Urban District, [1991]

Takoma Park Historic Preservation, 1989-1990

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, 1990-1993

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, 1994

Zoning Text Amendments, 1991-1993

Series IV: Environment

Booze Creek Sewer, 1991

Clean Air Act, 1991-1993

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1990-1991

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1992

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1993

Box 7

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1994

Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority, 1990-1991

Piney Branch Sewer, 1991-1992

Recycling, 1990-1992

Solid Waste, 1990-1991

Solid Waste, 1992 (3 folders)

Solid Waste, 1993-1994

Solid Waste Advisory Committee, 1990-1992

Solid Waste Advisory Committee, 1994

Solid Waste Audits, 1991-1992

Travilah Quarry, 1990-1991

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission: Sewers, 1991-1994

Yard Trim Ban, 1993-1994

Series V: Transportation

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1991-1992

General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1993-1994

Roads

Capital Crescent Trail, 1991-1994

Clarksburg, Rural Roads, 1991, 1993

Box 8

M-83, 1991-1992

Piney Branch, 1992-1993

Robey Road/Drings Reach, 1991-1992

Route 28, 1990-1991

Series VI: Budget and Finance

FY 92 Budget, 1991-1992

FY 93 Budget, 1992-1994

FY 94 Budget, 1994

Finance, Department of, General Correspondence and Memoranda, 1991-1994

New Budget Initiatives FY 93, 1991-1992

Revenue Shortfalls FY 91-92, 1990-1991

Series VII: General Subject Files

Annual Growth Policy, 1991-1992

Annual Growth Policy, 1993 (2 folders)

Annual Growth Policy, 1994

Art In Public Architecture, 1991, 1994

Blair High School, 1992

Blair High School, 1993 (2 folders)

Blair High School, 1994

Cable Television, 1992-1994

Box 9

Chamber of Commerce, 1990-1993

Check-Off For Education, 1991-1992

Collective Bargaining, 1992

Collective Bargaining, 1993 (2 folders)

Collective Bargaining: Working Group on the Collective Bargaining Process and Employee

Benefits, 1992

Commission to Review Efficiency and Effectiveness of Government, 1990-1991

Conference and Visitors Bureau, 1993-1994

Consumer Affairs, 1991-1993

County Ballot Questions, 1992, 1994

County to County Bridge Program: Hurricane Andrew Relief Effort, 1992-1993, 1997

Economic Development, 1993-1994

Education, 1991-1992

Education, 1992

Education, 1993-1994

Education, Montgomery College, 1992-1994

Executive Regulation 56-90 AM: Annual Registration Fee for Common Ownership Communities,

1990-1991

Grass Roots Organization for the Welfare of Seniors (GROWS), 1991

Housing, 1990-1994

Housing Opportunities Commission, 1990-1992

Housing Opportunities Commission, 1993-1994

Housing Opportunities Commission: Lake Hallowell Subdivision Development, 1993

Interagency Fair Housing Coordinating Group Annual Report, 1991

Juniper Blair Housing Development, 1993

Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission: General Correspondence, 1991-1992

Box 10

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, 1990-1991, 1993

Montgomery County General Information, 1993-1994

National Association of Counties (NACO), 1991-1992, 1995

Office of Legislative Oversight, 1991, 1993

Pan-American Health Organization, 1993-1994

Piggyback Tax, 1991-1992

Question A Referendum/Election, 1992

Redistricting, 1991-1992

Special Events, 1990-1991

Special Events, 1992

Special Events, 1993-1994

Spending Affordability Guidelines FY 92, 1991

Spending Affordability Guidelines FY 94, 1992-1993

Spending Affordability Guidelines FY 95, 1993

State Legislation, 1990-1991

State Legislation, 1992

State Legislation, 1993

State Legislation, 1994

Thank-You's and Congratulations, 1991-1994

Women's Issues: League of Women Voters, 1989-1993, n.d.

Series VIII: Correspondence and Press Releases

Correspondence, 1991, March-December 1992

Correspondence, 1993

Correspondence, 1994

Correspondence, December 1994-March 1995

Correspondence, April-July, 1995

Correspondence, August-December 1995

Correspondence, 1996

Correspondence, January-March 1997

Correspondence, April-May 1997

Correspondence, June-August 1997

Box 11

Correspondence, September-December 1997

Correspondence, January-March 1998

Correspondence, April-September 1998

Correspondence, October-November 1998

Press Releases, 1990-1994

Press Releases, 1995-1997

Press Releases, 1998

Series IX: Constituent Files

Bethesda, 20814, 20815, 20816, & 20817, 1990-1998

Boyds, 20841, 1993

Chevy Chase 21401, 1995

Gaithersburg 20822, 1992 & 1995

Germantown 20874, 1991 & 1997

Landover Hills 20784, 1992

Box 12

Olney 20832, 1994-1995

Outside Montgomery County, 1991-1992

Potomac 20854, 20878, 1990-1996

Rockville 20850, 20852 & 20853, 1991-1995

Silver Spring 20902, 20904, 20906, 20910, 1991 & 1995

Care Plus, 1994 RESTRICTED

Denny, Robert: Montgomery Journal Column, 1992, 1994-1995 & n.d.

Department of Public Works & Transportation Traffic Broadcasts, 1997

Maryland Coalition Against Pornography Inc., 1994

MacArthur Boulevard Right-Of-Way, 1992-1993

Masters Billiards Closure, 1994

Naming of Schools, 1990-1994

New Medically Assisted Group Homes, 1993

Newspaper Litter, 1991

Police Department, 1996-1997

Senior Advocacy Group for the Elderly (SAGE), 1995-1998

Speed Humps, 1997-1998