Meet Omar Lazo
Omar Lazo is a father, husband, Small Business Owner who has lived and worked in Montgomery County, Maryland for well over 30 years. He is the son of immigrants from El Salvador who immigrated to the Washington D.C. Region in the 1970s.
His family started one of the first El Salvadoran restaurants in Montgomery County in 1989. They later moved to Aspen Hill. Mr. Lazo attended St. Catherine Laboure School, then Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Wheaton, MD. He went on to study at the University of Maryland in College Park, where he received his Bachelors in General Business and Management.
After college, he worked on a government contract with the Department of Justice for four years while at the same time running the family-owned restaurant. At the Department of Justice, he played a vital role in the Finance Departments' implementation of a nationwide monetary intake system along with other duties.
Omar puts his community first. He has served on numerous committees and boards. In 2008 he became a member of the Wheaton & Kensington Chamber of Commerce. In 2012, Omar Lazo advocated and testified for the Small Business Assistance Program that was sponsored by Councilmember Nancy Navarro to help protect the small businesses in downtown Wheaton during the construction of the new County building. The project took away the only immediate parking for the small businesses on the triangle. The loss of parking for all these small businesses would create hardship and loss of revenue for all of these small businesses. The SBAP would provide grants to these businesses that could prove that the redevelopment directly caused a dramatic decrease in revenue for these businesses. Omar Lazo was very connected to the community and helped in the implementation of this groundbreaking program. Many businesses can attest that this legislation is the sole reason that they are still in business.
Omar was on the Wheaton Redevelopment Advisory Committee, which oversaw the redevelopment of Wheaton, which eventually brought about the new County Building and Marian Fryer town Plaza next to the metro. After serving on WRAC, he was appointed by County Executive Ike Leggett to the Wheaton Urban District Advisory Committee. For almost a decade, Omar Lazo championed his community along with his fellow committee members. WUDAC was responsible for much of the input for many of the projects in Wheaton, including the Wheaton Library and Community Rec Center, the 14 story county building on Reedie Drive, the Marian Fryer town plaza, the Wheaton Arts Parade, and many more projects in Wheaton over the years.
While on WUDAC, Omar Lazo was involved in the re-designation of Wheaton as an Arts District. He has been a strong proponent of the Arts Community. Out of WUDAC came the idea of starting an Arts Parade to showcase the beautifully diverse Arts Community in Wheaton. As a member of the Board of the Arts Parade, Omar has sponsored and supported the Arts community in many ways. From sponsoring the Arts Parade to providing direct support to new artists, he sees the value in creating a community where art can be appreciated and artists are given the support that they deserve.
Education equality is very important to Omar. As a father of 3 daughters in Montgomery County Public Schools, Omar was alarmed at the statistics of black and brown students in our county. He has been a member of the Black and Brown Coalition for Education Equity and Excellence. Knowing that African American and Latino children graduate at very disproportionate rates, he partnered with the Coalition to bring about systemic change. He has fought to make sure that no child is left behind just because of the color of their skin or socioeconomic challenges. This eventually led to him seeking an appointment with the Board of Trustees of Montgomery College. In July of 2021, he was appointed by the Governor's office to this very prestigious position where he hopes to have a positive impact on the future student population.
During the pandemic, Omar stepped up and helped those who needed it the most. At the beginning of the pandemic, the state of Maryland issued several grants, but only those companies with connections or legal resources were able to apply. By the time Omar and most of the small business community found out, the funds had already depleted. Seeing the unfairness of this process, Omar created a Whatsapp group and added all the small business owners that he knew. Whenever a grant came out from the state, county government, or private entities, Omar would send a group message with the details and links to the applications with deadlines. When the application deadlines came around, he would notify the group. His efforts helped save many small businesses in his district.
He provided food and volunteered at The Upcounty Hub in Gaithersburg and Hughes United Methodist Church in Silver Spring. Omar partnered with community members to provide food to Covid positive families that could not leave their homes after coming down with Covid. He also worked with community members to get food to many school children whose school lunch was sometimes their only meal.
Omar has been very committed to pedestrian and bicycle safety. He has worked in conjunction with the Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Traffic Safety Advisory Committee to work on reducing the unacceptable amount of pedestrian deaths in the county. He has led walking tours with political and community leaders, worked with the Maryland State Highway Administration to coordinate with the community to improve road safety, shining a spotlight on the inequities that lead to disproportionate amounts of minorities who lose their or a loved one's life. Omar has been directly involved in the implementation of much needed crosswalks and continues to advocate for a much more walkable District 6.
Omar has a proven track record of getting things done in the community. He is not afraid to put his community first and help those who need it the most. He wants to bring new, innovative ideas to the county council. He will fight to make sure that every child has access to high quality education regardless of their socioeconomic status. Whether you are a small business owner struggling to pay rent, or a family who can’t put food on their table, Omar will work hard everyday for his constituents and ensure that they get the help and resources they need.
Montgomery College Board of Trustees
Montgomery County Workforce Development Board
Montgomery County Latino Restaurant Association, President
Committee for Montgomery, Board Member
Los Chorros Restaurant, Owner
Latino Democratic Club of MC, Treasurer
Wheaton & Kensington Chamber of Commerce, 2nd Vice President
Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence