Esther L. Wells, a Republican, is running for Montgomery County executive in the Nov. 3 general election. Democrat Will Jawando is also in the race.

Asked in our candidate questionnaire why she is running, Wells said, "It's too expensive to live here! I'm seeking elective office because I care about my community and I want to reverse the pain and suffering that my opponent has caused our families over the last eight years that he has been in County Government." She listed "fiscal discipline, government accountability and improving public safety in Montgomery County" as her priorities.

Candidate information

Party: Republican

Education: Wells holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Maryland (2009) and a master's degree in taxation from Northeastern University (2015), according to BallotReady. She is a certified public accountant in Maryland. Asked about her background in our questionnaire, Wells said her family "migrated to Montgomery County, MD from the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago in 1995." She attended Watkins Mill High School.

Family: Asked about her family, Wells said in our questionnaire, "Esther is an Autism mom and single-parent of two MCPS students."

Previous elected or appointed office: N/A

Experience and public service

Asked about her work history in our questionnaire, Wells said, "I am a Certified Public Accountant and state and local tax professional with more than 16 years of experience in public accounting and corporate tax leadership." She said she began her career at Ernst & Young and then "worked in the satellite telecommunications sector focusing on State Income Tax and managing multistate corporate income tax compliance, controversy and audits."

Wells added that she is "the State Indirect Tax Leader for a multi-billion dollar enterprise of companies in the Energy sector with a proven record of monetizing multi-million-dollar savings for stakeholders and ratepayers."

She said she is president of the Montgomery County Taxpayers League, where she has "supported appropriate actions to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness in Montgomery County government," according to our questionnaire. She also cited serving as an "NAACP Parent Council Representative" and as "President/Chair of the Board of Trustees of a local faith-based non-profit."

On the issues

What sets her apart: Asked about the critical differences between herself and other candidates, Wells said in our questionnaire, "As a Maryland CPA, I have led complex tax strategies, delivered multimillion-dollar savings, and know how to scrutinize budgets, control costs, and demand results." She said she would "fight to lower taxes, restore the $692 ITOC Homeowner Tax Credit, and make Montgomery County affordable."

On public safety, Wells said, "I will fully fund police, rebuild staffing, and provide the resources officers need to protect every neighborhood. I support restoring School Resource Officers in our high schools to strengthen safety, prevention, and relationships with students."

She added, "I will confront antisemitism and anti-Black hatred, impose stronger consequences, and protect students, families, and residents."

MCPS funding: Asked how she would fund Montgomery County Public Schools, Wells said in our questionnaire, "I will fund schools at Maintenance of Effort, with additional dollars tied to measurable improvements in reading and math proficiency and closing achievement gaps for Black and Brown students, students with disabilities, and low-income students. Until those outcomes improve significantly, union wage adjustments should be limited to cost-of-living increases."

Wells said she would "implement zero-based budgeting and commission a forensic audit of the operating budget to identify waste, mismanagement, and savings that can support long-term facility priorities."

Taxes and budget: Wells said on her campaign website that she would reverse the recent 4.7% property tax rate hike and restore the $692 homeowner property tax credit. She also called for government accountability and audits of the 7.6B operating budget, and for streamlining government operations, including automation and AI tools she estimated could reduce costs by 20%.

Housing: Wells said she would protect single-family zoning by opposing "by-right" high-density rezoning while also reducing restrictive zoning rules and regulatory costs that hinder new home construction. She called for streamlining the permitting process and reducing annual property assessment increases by 50% of the cap.

The general election is Nov. 3.