Friends of White Flint head Amy Ginsburg eyeing new county council seat

December 14, 2021 2:45 p.m.

Amy Ginsburg, executive director of Friends of White Flint, said Monday she’s seriously considering running for a new county council seat that stretches from Takoma Park to North Bethesda.

Meanwhile, Takoma Park Mayor Kate Stewart, who had previously expressed an interest in running for that district, has filed as a candidate.

The new District 4, which also includes Silver Spring and Kensington, is the product of the redrawing of Montgomery County Council’s political map. That was prompted by the need to redistrict after population changes determined by the 2020 U.S. Census and the addition of two council seats through a ballot initiative.

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To date, Stewart, 51, is the only candidate to officially file to run in the district. Ginsburg, 60, has been vocal about her interest in running.

“I believe we have a narrowing opportunity to make a difference in the county, and I want to help make that difference,” Ginsburg said.

She also said she’s still “looking at who is in the district” before making her candidacy official.

A resident of North Bethesda, Ginsburg said she’s a lifelong resident of District 4.  A graduate of Charles W. Woodward High School, she has headed a number of nonprofits, including Neediest Kids, the  Manna Food Center and the Low Vision Information Center.

Most recently, as executive director of Friends of White Flint, Ginsburg is involved in efforts to promote a “walkable, bikeable, sustainable, transit-friendly community” in an area that once was dominated by the now-demolished White Flint Mall on the Rockville Pike.

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Ginsburg said her background makes her an ideal candidate for a downcounty district that is home to “the most progressive people in the county.”

The Montgomery County Council’s approval last week of a new map, which now has seven council districts as well as four at-large seats, has attracted a number of candidates, especially to a redrawn east county District 5, which has a plurality of Black residents. More candidates for County Council are expected, especially in District 4, District 5 and other districts that will not have incumbents, including Wheaton-based District 6.

In addition, two upcounty districts will have no incumbents: District 2, which includes North Bethesda, Darnestown and Poolesville, and District 7, which includes Laytonsville, Olney and Damascus.

The candidate filing deadline is Feb. 22.

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