By Adam Pagnucco.
This is the first post in a series on answers to this year’s Montgomery Perspective questionnaire for county council at-large candidates. Here is the question.
Before you decided to run for elected office, how did you serve Montgomery County residents?
Fatmata Barrie (D)
Before running for office, I served Montgomery County residents through my legal work, community engagement, and leadership in County government. As a special education and immigration attorney, I’ve spent nearly a quarter century helping families navigate complex systems and advocate for their rights, including providing free workshops and legal clinics. I’ve served on the East County Citizens Advisory Board, the African Affairs Advisory Group, and worked with many other groups and organizations to ensure our communities have a voice in County decision-making and fight to uplift voices usually not heard. Inside government, I worked as a legislative aide to Councilmember Will Jawando and later as Executive Director of the Police Accountability Board and Administrative Charging Committee, where I saw firsthand how policy decisions impact residents’ daily lives. With over 20 years of experience working and advocating in Montgomery County, I am running to make the county better for all residents.
Josie Caballero (D)
Before running for office, I served Montgomery County residents in both a personal and professional capacity. I served on the state Commission for LGBTQIA+ Affairs, appointed by Governor Moore, where I also served as the Policy Committee Chair. In this capacity I advocated for all Montgomery County residents, and all Marylanders, by working with elected officials to safeguard the civil and human rights of LGBTQIA+ Marylanders and their families, especially in an increasingly hostile climate due to the Trump Regime. In a personal capacity, through my work with rent stabilization, I personally organized and worked on passing rent stabilization to make sure that we have a cop on the beat to prevent abuse of tenants and their rights.
Radwan Chowdhury (D)
Before running for office, I served Montgomery County through both professional leadership and direct community engagement. I have held executive roles managing multi-million-dollar budgets, improving operational efficiency, and ensuring accountability in complex organizations.
At the community level, I served as a Board Member and now serve as Chair of the Board of the East County Citizens Advisory Board, where I worked closely with residents and county agencies to address local priorities. I was also a founding member and Acting Secretary for the Fairland Master Plan Implementation initiative, helping advance long-term planning and development goals for the community.
Additionally, I was part of the first graduating class of the Montgomery County Planning Academy and contributed to the development of its curriculum, helping expand civic education and resident engagement in planning processes.
These experiences shaped my commitment to transparent, accountable, and community-driven governance.
Marc Elrich (D)
I was a civic and environmental activist in the County for years before being elected to the Council the first time. I worked with community groups on development issues involving understanding impacts on communities and schools. In the process, I learned how to read/interpret traffic studies and how impacts were calculated. I taught elementary school for 17 years and served on the Takoma Park City Council for 19 years. I was appointed to serve on the Silver Spring CBD Sector Plan committee and on the Transportation Task Force created by Executive Duncan. I helped several tenant groups organize and exercise their right of first refusal to buy their apartment buildings. I was a founder of my neighborhood association, a founder and one of the original worker managers of the Takoma Park-Silver Spring Co-op, and was involved in early efforts to revitalize the Flower/Piney area. I’ve worked with communities and PTAs on school issues, including working with a coalition that was able to stop some school closures that were being planned at the same time that neighborhoods were starting to see new family growth.
Dana Gassaway (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Scott Goldberg (D)
+ Founded a small business that employs nearly 20 Montgomery County residents
+ Represented tenants in Landlord-Tenant Court for free
+ Montgomery Parks Foundation, Board of Directors
+ YMCA of Silver Spring, Board of Directors
+ Workforce Development Board, Director
+ Bethesda Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors
+ Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board, Chair
+ Montgomery County Democratic Party, Chair
Hamza Khan (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Matt Losak (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Jim McNulty (D)
I’ve been deeply involved in our community since I first moved to Montgomery County in 2000, including volunteering for organizations like Meals on Wheels, Montgomery County Little League, and the Knights of Columbus. I founded a PTSD peer to peer support group called The Upper Room at St. Patrick’s Catholic parish in Rockville after I survived the attempted suicide bombing at Discovery HQ in Silver Spring in 2010. There, I’ve worked with war veterans, survivors of domestic abuse, and other kinds of trauma. I also was elected to the Board of Directors and served as president of the Saybrooke HOA—a community of 478 single-family homes in Gaithersburg—where I learned that good governance is about listening, solving real problems, and spending people’s money carefully. During my tenure, I advocated to the Board of Education for the construction of Tubman Elementary and updated boundaries for Forest Oak Middle School. In 2016, I was appointed by the Mayor of Gaithersburg to serve on the City’s Transportation and Olde Towne Advisory Committees, and was elected by the residents of Gaithersburg to the City Council in 2021—and again in 2025—focusing on good governance, economic development, pedestrian safety and increasing accessibility to housing.
Jeremiah Pope (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Laurie-Anne Sayles (D-Incumbent)
As a first-generation Jamaican-American raised by public servants, my commitment to community service was shaped early. Before I ran for and was elected to public office in 2017 and 2022, my work in Montgomery County focused on advancing public health, environmental protection, and community equity.
I served as a Health Program Manager and Nationally Certified Pharmacy Technician at Kaiser Permanente, where I worked to expand access to care and improve health outcomes for working families. I later served as Executive Assistant to the Division Director at The Nature Conservancy, supporting Natural Climate Solutions initiatives across the Mid-Atlantic and Central Appalachians. I also supported national research efforts as a Clinical Trials Communication Coordinator at the National Institutes of Health.
Alongside my professional roles, I held civic leadership positions focused on service and accountability. I served on the Montgomery County Community Action Agency and as President of the African American Democratic Club and Vice President of the Montgomery County Young Democrats. In these roles, I advanced priorities such as early childhood education, economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and equal rights.
As a parent, I also served as a liaison to the NAACP Parent Council throughout my daughter’s education, grounding my advocacy in lived experience. This blend of professional service, civic leadership, and community engagement led me to seek office and continue delivering results for Montgomery County residents.
Prabu Selvam (D)
I served seven years of active duty in the U.S. Air Force, including a deployment to Afghanistan where I cared for injured U.S. soldiers. I chose to serve because, as the son of immigrants, born and raised in Montgomery County, I felt a deep responsibility to my greater community. As an ER physician, I have worked in Rockville and Germantown, caring for families on the hardest days of their lives. In this role, I have witnessed firsthand the consequences of unstable housing, lack of healthcare access, and the cruel actions against immigrant families. Through these experiences, I have connected with our residents on a deeper level than most can imagine.
I am not running for office as a reward for prior service. I am running for office as a means of serving my community in the most impactful way possible. In my humanitarian work, I travel around the world responding to disasters, solving challenging problems, and supporting individuals thousands of miles from home with dedication and care. For me, when it comes to serving the residents of Montgomery County, the mission is even more personal and even more urgent.
Karla Silvestre (D)
Before I held elected office, my work focused on helping Montgomery County residents access opportunity and navigate systems that are often too complicated. I served in the County Executive’s Office of Community Partnerships as the Latino liaison and later managed the Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center, working directly with residents to connect them to legal services, English classes and other support. That work grounded me in what residents experience when government is responsive, and when it is not.
I have spent my career in education and community engagement. Today, as Director of Community Engagement at Montgomery College, I help residents connect to education and workforce opportunities that lead to economic mobility and long-term stability. That work is personal to me because I have seen how access to education can change people’s lives.
I served on advisory groups for MCPS for 10 years, and I mentor first generation college students.
On the Board of Education, including two terms as president and now as chair of the Fiscal Management Committee, I have had to make difficult decisions and stay focused on results. I am running for Council to bring that same practical, grounded approach to the challenges we face today.
Steve Solomon (D)
I’ve spent the last several years volunteering for civic, community, and nonprofit groups. I am an active member of my civic association, the county Civic Federation, I serve on the board of directors of the Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame, the Library Board, and the Sports Advisory Committee. I volunteer for a nonprofit food pantry, and I’ve volunteered to assist on several other campaigns.
Lelia True (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Vicki Vergagni (D)
Vice Chair (2 years) and Commissioner (3 years), Montgomery County Commission on Common Ownership Communities
Dispute resolution, education and public policy related to condos, co-ops and HOAs.
Harvest Intercontinental Church and Oak Chapel United Methodist Church
Contributed meat, packed food bags, and distributed to residents with food insecurity in zip code 20906.
As a private citizen, initiated and saw to the finish line, six policy changes at the State and County levels to support the disabled, homeowners, and common interest communities. Policy changes also supported the environment and public safety while saving money.
Muhammad Arif Wali (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Sherwin Wells (R)
Worked with youths from Magruder, Watkins Mill, Clarksburg, Gaithersburg, Bullis and surrounding High Schools as a Basketball Coach and Mentor for over 8 years.
Worked with residents to assist with property tax appeals as well as help residents register and start businesses and remain in compliance with local, state and federal filings.
As a Real Estate Broker I testified before City of Gaithersburg Mayor & Council to assist property owners and small businesses owners in petitioning for Zoning Text Amendment for Automotive Use of Warehouses. Zoning Text Amendment was approved and I was instrumental in bringing the issue to Mayor & Council who directed staff to look into ZTA which benefit many Mechanics today.