ROCKVILLE — In a display of political timing so precise it should be taught at campaign school, Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando suffered a heart attack Saturday morning during pickup basketball, immediately solving his biggest problem: having to stand on a stage next to Esther Wells and explain why the county keeps getting more expensive.

Doctors inserted a stent. His office released the required statement thanking God, the friends who called 911, the hospital staff, and every neighbor who sent thoughts and prayers. He is expected to recover fully because of his “strong overall health.” Conveniently, that same strong overall health now requires him to “adjust office activities” right as the general election heats up.

The beneficiary of this medical intermission is Wells, the Republican CPA and immigrant single mom who keeps talking about property taxes, assessments, and the fact that Montgomery County treats working families like an ATM. In a county that votes Democrat by default, her actual threat was never winning a landslide. It was forcing Jawando to defend the record instead of reciting endorsements from the usual suspects.

A heart attack is the nuclear option of debate avoidance. Skip a forum, and you look scared. Collapse mid-game and anyone who still wants answers looks heartless. Sympathy polls better than policy. Recovery at home with the family photographs better than a split-screen on taxes.

Campaign sources insist this was an unfortunate medical event and nothing more. They also note, without irony, that the office remains “open, available, and ready to help meet the community’s needs” while the candidate himself will be following doctor’s orders for the coming weeks. Translation: the mailers will keep going out. The questions will not.

Wells is left in the classic trap. Wish him well and look weak. Press for a debate and look cruel. Meanwhile, the county’s affordability problems did not get a stent. They are still sitting there, growing, waiting for November.

Jawando and his family are grateful for the outpouring of support. The rest of Montgomery County is expected to be grateful he doesn’t have to explain the bill.