Montgomery County voters will be asked to approve three proposed charter amendments when they head to the polls for the November election.
Passage of Question A would allow the County Council to fill a vacancy in the office of the county executive by special election. An election isn’t required, but it would be allowed. Currently, a vacancy would be filled by a majority vote of the council. If members can’t reach a majority, the central committee of the majority party on the council would vote to fill the vacancy.
"It’s a tidying up, which needs to happen from time to time with any document," said Linna Barnes, president the Montgomery County League of Women Voters.
Question B asks voters to limit the county executive and County Council members to three consecutive terms in office. It also provides that a county executive or any member of the council who has served three or more consecutive terms on Dec. 3, 2018, cannot serve another successive term.
Question B also provides that service of a term is defined as completing a full term and also partially completing a full term. Under Question B, council member Nancy Navarro could not serve another term because she was first elected in a special election in May 2009, which was two years and six months into the term and has started her third term.
Question C would amend the county charter to define partial service of a full term for either a council member or the county executive to mean service of more than two years of a term.
If Question B and Question C pass, local officials expect the term-limits matter to head to court.
