Three hopefuls for the open Montgomery County Planning Board Chair seat made their case on Tuesday at the County Council meeting in Rockville as councilmembers asked how they would restore trust in the body and respond to constituents’ concerns.
The finalists are:
- Peter Fosselman (Democrat) – Montgomery County Director of Regional Services for Bethesda
- Artie Harris (Democrat) – Vice President of Real Estate at Montgomery Housing Partnership
- Hans Riemer (Democrat) – former County Council member and chair of Parks and Planning Committee, current senior consultant at the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office
The chair is paid almost $228,000 in a full-time role, and the other commissioners are paid $30,000. One of the chair’s first big tasks will be hiring a new planning director.
Both roles opened up after the entire Planning Board resigned last October, following controversies involving former Chair Casey Anderson and other members on the board. Anderson was recently cleared of allegations that he created a toxic work environment.
Gwen Wright was fired as Planning Board director in October and the rest of the members resigned shortly thereafter. Wright is suing the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission to obtain records related to her termination. Tanya Stern has been serving in an acting capacity as director.
Councilmember Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) asked the finalists Tuesday how they would work to “bring down the temperature” and create a productive environment considering these controversies and upheaval.
Riemer said he would like to foster a better working relationship between the County Council, the Planning Board and planning staff.
“One thing that I really thought was unfortunate about what we went through this past year was that the work of the agency got confused with the drama on the board,” Riemer said. He said that the planning staff was still pressing forward to get work done despite conflict between board members.
Harris said he would prioritize “building a team of trust” and ensuring members of the board and staff are able to get to know each other, through a retreat or similar event, to put a unified vision forward.
“We’re working on the same team, we’re working toward the same goals,” Harris said.
Fosselman said it’s not only important to build trust within the organization, but to repair relationships with outside partners and get involved in the community. He said the key is respect.
“We do not become unprofessional. We do not call people names, become negative, or embarrass people in front of others,” Fosselman said.
Councilmember Dawn Luedtke (D-Dist. 7) asked the finalists how they would balance their personal views while serving as chair, and whether they feel there is such a thing as “good” or “bad” development.
Riemer said he does believe there is a difference between “good” and “bad” development, and that has to do with meeting the community’s needs. For example, a shopping mall may have been a good development in the past, but might not be now, he said. Riemer said the county needs to make sure that development isn’t hostile to pedestrians, and that it is important to create accessible community spaces as well as retail spaces.
Harris said everyone has a bias, but it’s important to balance biases by using the best planning principles to inform decisions.
Fosselman said it’s “a 50/50” when working on development, and that it’s important to balance personal opinions and insight with the perspectives and needs of the community. He said it’s important for the Planning Board to prioritize communicating with constituents through social media and answering calls and emails.
“It’s imperative that when we listen, we hear the audience, not just lip service,” Fosselman said.
All three finalists voiced a strong belief in equity being at the core of effective planning.
“As a person of color, I feel strongly about bringing more focus on equitable growth in Black and brown communities,” Harris said. He said it’s important to not only focus on building affordable housing but create affordable communities for everyone.
Fosselman said outreach is vital in achieving equity. He said the Planning Board should make sure they are communicating with residents in multiple different languages, and working to include people who may not be able to make it to testify at a public hearing because of transportation inequities or work hours.
Riemer said racial equity needs to be thoroughly integrated into the board’s agenda as an intersectional issue.
“Smart growth is a climate issue, is a racial justice issue. And at the federal level, we have really integrated climate and racial justice. I think we need to do more of that integration,” he said.
Last fall, then-County Council President Gabe Albornoz (D-At-large) and his colleagues selected five new members to serve on a temporary basis. Three of them were replaced in March by James Hedrick (Democrat), Shawn Bartley (Republican) and Mitra Pedoeem (unaffiliated).
No more than three members of the Planning Board may be from the same political party, and each member must be a resident and registered voter of Montgomery County when appointed. The two applicants chosen by the County Council will replace temporary Planning Board Chair Jeff Zyontz and temporary Planning Board Commissioner Roberto Piñero, who are both serving through early June. 24 people applied in total, and the field was narrowed down to three finalists for chair and eight for commissioner last week after councilmembers reviewed applications.
Glass said during a press briefing Monday that he expects there to be a full council vote in two weeks, which will be conducted publicly as part of the council meeting. Individual councilmembers will nominate and second a candidate for a position. Officially nominated candidates will be able to have their name selected or voted on by the entire body, and whichever candidate has the support of a majority of councilmembers will be appointed.
