The Montgomery County Council will elect its president and vice president during its meeting Tuesday—the first to include four new members elected in the Nov. 6 general election.
District 4 council member Nancy Navarro, who served as vice president during the past year, is expected to be chosen as the next council president, succeeding at-large council member Hans Riemer. Each post has a one-year term. Navarro last served as council president during the 2012-2013 session. The president facilitates meetings and represents the council at county and intergovernmental functions. As of Dec. 4, 2017, the president receives an annual salary of $149,883, compared to $136,258 for the other eight council members.
It is less clear who will be chosen as vice president. Council member Craig Rice said in an interview Friday that it would likely be an incumbent member who hasn’t served as president. That narrows the contenders to District 3 council member Sidney Katz and District 5 council member Tom Hucker, who are both entering their second terms. Traditionally, the vice president serves one term and then is elected president.
Tuesday’s meeting will be the first for new council members Evan Glass, Will Jawando, Gabe Albornoz and Andrew Friedson, who will be sworn in along with County Executive-elect Marc Elrich during an inauguration ceremony Monday morning at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda. The four council members replace Nancy Floreen, George Leventhal, Elrich and Roger Berliner, who could not run for re-election this year due to term limits. Elrich is succeeding three-term County Executive Ike Leggett.
Montgomery County delegation to hold public hearing Monday night
The Montgomery County delegation to the Maryland General Assembly will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. Monday at the Montgomery County Council Office Building to consider bills that legislators plan to introduce in the upcoming session.
One bill would give dispensaries under the authority of the county Department of Liquor Control the ability to sell chilled beer and wine for off-site consumption, provided that the alcohol is to be used for the purpose of a tasting and the amount does not exceed specific quantities.
Another bill, sponsored by Del. Jheanelle Wilkins of Silver Spring, would require landlords to give a reason, or “just cause,” before evicting a tenant from a property. Wilkins introduced a similar version of the bill last year, but it didn’t advance past committee consideration.
School board to elect officers at Tuesday meeting
The Montgomery County Board of Education on Tuesday will elect new officers. District 4 member Shebra Evans, who is currently serving as vice president, is expected to be elected to succeed outgoing president Michael Durso. Tuesday’s meeting will also be the first that includes new board members Karla Silvestre (at-large) and Brenda Wolff (District 5), who were elected in the Nov. 6 general election. Wolff and Silvestre replace outgoing members Durso (District 5) and Jill Ortman-Fouse (at-large), respectively.
Dan Schere can be reached at Daniel.schere@moco360.media
