Marilyn Balcombe is gearing up for another race for a seat on the Montgomery County Council.
Balcombe, the president and CEO of the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce, launched her campaign for District 2 on Thursday morning.
District 2 is currently represented by Council Member Craig Rice, who is term-limited and unable to run for his office again. Rice is considering a run for county executive.
Balcombe, who lives in Germantown, ran for an at-large seat on the council in 2018. She finished fifth out of 33 candidates in the Democratic primary. The top four — Gabe Albornoz, Evan Glass, Will Jawando and Hans Riemer — were elected.
“Representing the Upcounty just makes sense. … I love this community and have worked tirelessly to champion the needs of District 2 and will continue to represent them strongly on the Council,” Balcombe said in a statement she released on Thursday morning.
District 2 includes Germantown, Montgomery Village, Clarksburg, Damascus, Darnestown, Boyds, Barnesville, and Goshen.
Balcombe is as a member of the Montgomery County Small Business Recovery Workgroup and the Upcounty COVID Community Committee.
“There’s no doubt that I’m qualified for this role,” she said. “I’m ready to hit the ground running when the next Council takes office in 2023.”
Balcombe is the first challenger to declare a run for any district seat in the 2022 primary. The only council candidate who has filed is Christa Tichy, who is seeking an at-large seat.
Brandy Brooks, who finished seventh in the at-large field in the 2018 Democratic primary, also is running for an at-large seat in 2022, although she has not filed yet.
Of the four at-large council incumbents, three — Gabe Albornoz, Evan Glass and Will Jawando — have said they will seek re-election. The fourth — Hans Riemer — also is term limited and is considering running for county executive.
The deadline to file for the June 28, 2022, primary is Feb. 22.
Briana Adhikusuma can be reached at briana.adhikusuma@moco360.media.
