By Adam Pagnucco.
Council Member Gabe Albornoz, who is finishing his second term in one of the council’s four at-large seats, has announced that he is not running for reelection. Before he was elected to the council, Albornoz was County Executive Ike Leggett’s recreation director and was once also chair of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee.
Albornoz is well liked among MoCo political insiders. Last November, my sources picked him as the sixth-most likely person to be elected county executive behind Council Members Andrew Friedson, Evan Glass, Will Jawando and Kate Stewart and Chief Administrative Officer Rich Madaleno.
It’s unusual for elected council members to leave office for reasons other than term limits, running for a higher office (like executive) or defeat at the ballot box. The last time this happened was in 2013, when Council Member Valerie Ervin resigned to lead a nonprofit.
Council Member Laurie-Anne Sayles is now the only at-large member seeking reelection. The only other time I can recall vacancies in three council at-large seats in the same election was in 2018, when Hans Riemer was the only incumbent left and 33 Democrats ran, many assisted by the county’s then-new public campaign financing program. How many more folks will jump into the race now?
I will have more to say about Albornoz, but for now, let’s reprint what he said earlier today on Facebook.
*****
After a great deal of consideration, I have decided not to seek a third term on the County Council. Serving the county that I love and have proudly called home my entire life has truly been an honor. It has been both humbling and deeply meaningful to represent this community as an elected official, and I am profoundly grateful for the trust, support, and work achieved over the past two terms.
