The County Council is looking for a new commissioner to join Montgomery County’s five-member Planning Board.
Planning Board Commissioner Amy Presley’s second four-year term will end June 14. Since commissioners are restricted to two full terms, Presley is not eligible for reappointment.
The replacement for Presley, a Republican, can’t be a registered Democrat. County law says no more than three board commissioners can be from the same political party and Chairman Casey Anderson and Commissioners Natali Fani-Gonzalez and Marye Wells-Harley are Democrats.
Presley’s replacement must be a Republican, an independent or a member of a smaller political party officially recognized by the county’s Board of Elections. Commissioner Norman Dreyfus is the board’s other Republican.
Presley, a former chief marketing officer for The Chronicle of Higher Education, was appointed to the board in 2008.
The board reviews applications for property rezoning and development projects, makes zoning recommendations in area master plans, approves the annual Montgomery Parks budget and makes nonbinding recommendations concerning development proposed by other government entities, including Montgomery County, Montgomery County Public Schools and federal institutions in the county.
The County Council is accepting applications for the position until 5 p.m. April 20 and will likely narrow down applicants to a group of finalists for public interviews.
The board meets all day most Thursdays and has other meetings and events as scheduled. A County Council press release on the opening said a board commissioner spends an average of two full days a week in scheduled and informal meetings, plus prep work.
The four board members are each paid $30,000 annually. Anderson gets $200,000 a year for his full-time chairman’s role.
Letters of application expressing interest, including a resume listing professional and civic experience, should be addressed to: Council President Nancy Floreen, County Council Office, Stella B. Werner Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville, Md. 20850. Applications can also be submitted via email to county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov.
