By Adam Pagnucco.
Seventh State’s David Lublin has released the list of interim planning board applicants and – wow! – there are a lot of them. The county council will now narrow them down to a much shorter list to interview. This post contains a few thoughts on the better-known applicants.
But first, let’s recognize that the council is getting this part of the planning board rebuild right. The board needs interim members to handle routine business. The permanent board should be, and will be, picked by the incoming council. The council deserves credit for recognizing these distinctions and moving quickly to restore a functioning planning board.
Here are a few interim board applicants that stand out for me.
Liz Brent – A powerhouse real estate agent who has emerged as one of the leaders of the county’s smart growth community in recent years.
Francoise Carrier – Casey Anderson’s predecessor as chair of the planning board who served for one term. Three members of the council – Nancy Navarro, Craig Rice and Hans Riemer – were on the council at the expiration of her term. Since then, Carrier – a former county hearing examiner – has been a land use attorney in private practice.
Bonnie Casper – Real estate agent and long-time player in county politics. She has held leadership positions in both the state and regional realtor associations.
Norman Dreyfuss – A former two-term planning board member and a developer whose most famous project is Leisure World. Planning board members have term limits so I don’t know if his former service disqualifies him from coming back as an interim member. (I’m sure the council will figure that out.)
Larry Giammo – A former mayor of Rockville.
Alison Gillespie – A dedicated smart growth civic activist in Silver Spring who was a prominent supporter of Hans Riemer in the last election.
Barbara Goldberg Goldman – Known by everyone as BGG, she is a serious power player in state and county Democratic politics. BGG got into a bit of trouble for her advocacy of Tom Perez in the gubernatorial race but nothing keeps her down for long!
Edgar Gonzalez – A long-time senior transportation manager in county government, Edgar is now the Executive Director of the Suburban Maryland Transportation Alliance.
David Hondowicz – A former staffer for Council Member Phil Andrews who has since worked for outgoing Delegate Al Carr. When I worked at the county council, David was hands-down the best constituent service staffer in the building. He is a knowledgeable guy who would treat the public fairly if he were on the board.
Jennifer Hughes – One of Ike Leggett’s most loyal and effective lieutenants who has held a variety of positions in the executive branch and county council. Has one of the best BS detectors I have ever seen so if she is on the board, developers and other stakeholders had better know their stuff!
Jody Kline – A veteran land use attorney whose kind demeanor compliments a deep knowledge of land use in the county.
Amy Presley – A legendary civic activist who led the effort to clean up development violations in Clarksburg 15-20 years ago. As with Dreyfuss, Presley served a full two terms on the planning board, so the council would need to verify that she is eligible for interim service if they would like to bring her back.
Reemberto Rodriguez – The long-time regional services director in Silver Spring.
Jennifer Russel – Currently a principal with real estate firm Rodgers Consulting, Russel has planning experience going back to the 1970s. She is highly respected in the business community.
Mike Sesma – A former member of the Gaithersburg City Council and a widely respected figure in the municipal community. I have always been a fan of Mike’s thoughtful, steady temperament and he would be a calming influence at the planning board.
Mel Tull – A key figure in Silver Spring and beyond who once worked for county government and now works for Lee Development Group. He understands both government and real estate.
Jeff Zyontz – A zoning attorney for both the planning department and the county council for more than 40 years but he is a lot more than that. Jeff is brilliant, extremely knowledgeable and hilarious. Just read this profile in the Washington Post. When I was at the council and we did the zoning code rewrite, Jeff was THE essential person in getting that done. He would be an outstanding pick for the planning board.
There are many more names deserving of comment and I’m sure I am going to hear from some of them. But here is the larger point – this is a tremendous list filled with talent, experience and genuine interest in service. It’s a reminder of how special this county is. Whoever they pick, the council has many choices available from which to build a strong interim planning board.