Meet Doug Glynn, Ph.D.
I am a life-long resident of Takoma Park and live in the house on Boston Avenue where I grew up with my grandparents. I’m running for the Ward 1 council seat because I want to see our city thrive and grow.
My priority will be to establish an open, on-going dialogue with you. As your representative, I need and want to hear what you have to say!
I appreciate our community’s economic, racial and ethnic diversity. I lived in Mexico for 12 years where I met my wife, who is now an American citizen. As a professor of Spanish at Baltimore’s Loyola University, I am encouraging a new generation to be aware of and appreciate other cultures.
I will work to ensure an open, transparent government, address rapidly rising city taxes, and continue to protect Takoma Park’s multicultural essence and diversity. I’m ready to strengthen efforts to meet the threat of climate change; to keep our rent stabilization ordinance, a key to maintaining diversity, strong; and to insist on smart spending.
I would be proud to represent you on the City Council.
Doug and his amazing wife, Patricia.
Stay tuned! Yard signs are on the way!
If I am elected as Ward 1 Councilmember, my first priority will be establish an open, on-going dialogue with my constituents. As your representative, I need and want to hear what you have to say! We can make positive and necessary changes if we work for and with each other.
Real representation from your Councilmember through open communication—I want to be informed as to my constituent’s needs and concerns. To do so, it is paramount that we maintain open communications and that constituents receive punctual, meaningful feedback.
Address alarming tax increases—We must do something to keep Takoma Park affordable, for homeowners and renters alike. New developments intended to meet these needs must also consider positive/negative impacts on pre-existing homes and neighborhoods at large.
Scrutinize spending to prevent overspending—Takoma Park needs better money management and I believe it is the City Council’s duty to be more conscientious and careful with its spending, especially in matters of development and the police force.
Defend immigrant’s rights—My wife is an immigrant from Mexico and, like many other immigrants from around the world, she has faced difficulties and real fears instigated by the Trump administration and ICE. Takoma Park must take a stand against these unwarranted and racially motivated aggressions by protecting our immigrant population.
Keep Takoma Park beautiful—This city is an urban oasis which offers an abundance of nature and is home to a wide variety of wildlife. Though climate change continues to threaten our environment, Takoma Park has always worked extremely hard in a variety of ways to nullify the negative impacts of a changing world. Let’s keep it up!
Supporting the artists—Takoma Park has invested in arts programming, exhibition opportunities, and facilities such as our ceramics studio and kiln. These are valuable resources, and we should build on them. But just as ceramic artists need access to a kiln, theatrical artists need rehearsal and performance space. Dancers need studios. Painters and muralists need places to work. Musicians need rooms where they can practice and teach. If we want the arts to thrive in Takoma Park, we must support the process of creating art, not just the finished product with low cost access to city and community spaces.
Expand free and affordable Spanish, French, and English language classes for children and adults—building a multilingual community that connects cultures, strengthens career opportunities, and makes lifelong language learning accessible to everyone.
Calendar
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Join Me for the Ward 1 Candidate Debate!
I'll be taking the stage with fellow Ward 1 candidate Shana Fulcher on Thursday, October 15, at 6:30 p.m. at the Takoma Park Community Center. I'm excited for the opportunity to share my vision for our community and its future! I expect the debate will also be broadcast by the City of Takoma Park and available on YouTube for those who can't attend in person, but I really hope you'll come out, join us, and show your support!
Hecho en Takoma Park. Made in Takoma Park.
Doug Glynn, Ph.D. is a third-generation Takoma Park resident, and his roots in our community run deep. His campaign slogan, “Hecho en Takoma Park,” is inspired by the familiar Mexican expression “Hecho en México,” meaning “Made in Mexico,” and by “Hecho en CU,” the slogan of his university in Mexico.
Hecho en CU” means “Made at Ciudad Universitaria,” the campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and is used by the Pumas soccer club which Doug passionately follows and supports. As well, it expresses pride in being shaped by a particular place and belonging to the community that formed you.
There’s also a little wordplay in it. In Spanish, hecho (made) can also mean 'fact'. For Doug, working with 'the facts' is an important part to maintaining transparency and truth as representative for Ward 1.
As a Spanish professor, Doug has spent much of his life building connections between languages and cultures. “Hecho en Takoma Park” brings those parts of his life together. It is a celebration of his hometown, his connection to Mexico, and the community that made him who he is.
Made in Takoma Park. Committed to Takoma Park’s future.
Doug’s commitment to Spanish language and culture extends beyond the classroom. He has presented at numerous academic conferences, as well as moderated community conversations with Teatro de la Luna, bringing his experience as a Spanish professor to discussions connecting cultural studies, language, theater, and the arts.
Digging Deeper
I've always loved old cars, especially my Triumphs, and was taught how to work on them by my grandfather when I was a teenager. When something goes wrong, I don't just replace a part and hope for the best. I dig deeper. I ask questions. I get my hands dirty. And sometimes, after hours of searching, the answer turns out to be something as small as debris in the oil pan.
But finding the problem is only half the job. You have to understand what caused it in the first place. Getting to the root of the problem is sometimes arduous, but more valuable when searching for real, lasting solutions.
I think about Takoma Park government much the same way. When something isn't working, we need to look beneath the surface, ask difficult questions, examine the evidence, and understand what's causing the problem before deciding how to fix it. Sometimes that means getting our hands dirty. Sometimes it means asking questions that haven't been asked before or taking a more critical look at answers we've accepted for years.
Because just cleaning some debris from a drain plug is only beginning at the surface. And fixing a problem in government requires more than a superficial understanding of the issues at hand, too.