Executive Marc Elrich (D) led Montgomery County through the pandemic.
"I remember the TV scenes of body bags being taken out of apartments in New York City and I was like, this is not going to happen here," Elrich said speaking with 7News in Takoma Park. "I think I offer a style of leadership where people can at least have confidence."
Elrich, 72, took a strict stance against COVID-19, which led to some criticism, perhaps most notably at a May 2020 press conference in the Kentlands neighborhood of Gaithersburg.
"The tone of that, I thought, was just really nasty."
Violent crimes in the county, particularly homicides and carjackings, have spiked in recent years. Downtown Silver Spring, has arguably seen the highest concentration.
"We've been able to affect a pretty decent turnaround in Silver Spring over the past couple of months by using more license plate readers, the police officers have returned having a presence there," Elrich said.
The Purple Line is years delated and hundreds of millions of dollars over budget. Elrich, who is a big supporter of public transit, said state leaders are ultimately to blame.
"This is already going to be astoundingly expensive and to have a contract where people can escape was a huge mistake, and the county has no role in this," he added.
Elrich explained that his greatest achievement was keeping COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations low compared with other counties across the nation.
"My focus is just to tell people what I've done and what I want to do. I hope that works," Elrich said.
Elrich, a longtime Takoma Park resident, said he wants another four years in office to accomplish longstanding political goals like affordable housing and social justice, both put on the back burner during the pandemic.
"I wish the circumstances were different so we could have done more, but you play the hand you're dealt."
The Maryland Primary Election is Tuesday, July 19.
7News also interviewed Elrich's three Democratic opponents, David Blair, Peter James, and Hans Riemer. Their candidate profiles will also air on 7News and be posted on wjla.com in the days ahead.