Former Montgomery County Planning Department Director Gwen Wright’s saga–which started with her firing shortly before her planned retirement in 2022–ended Thursday with the Montgomery Planning Board announcing in a statement that it “amicably resolved a claim” with her and would be naming an award in her honor.
According to Montgomery Planning Board Chair Artie Harris, the Board “regrets the manner” that Wright was removed from her position.
“Ms. Wright served the Montgomery County Planning Board and the public with great distinction for 30 years,” Harris said in the statement. “She is recognized as one of the top planning directors in the country and her positive impact on the community will be felt for generations.”
Attempts by MoCo360 to reach Wright on Thursday through a former phone number were unsuccessful, and her attorney, Timothy Maloney, a civil litigation attorney with Joseph, Greenwald & Laake in Greenbelt, could not be reached for comment.
The Planning Board, which is part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, terminated Wright in October 2022. Wright then requested public records, such as texts and emails, regarding her firing. She filed a lawsuit in March in the Montgomery County District Court, claiming that the board did not release any text messages about her termination.
There was a pre-trial hearing in the District Court in August, and a trial was scheduled to take place in January.
In the lawsuit, she said she wanted access to the records because she believed she was wrongfully terminated since no reasoning was provided as to why she was getting fired just months before her retirement.
Wright has said she believed it may have been because of her support of former Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson after allegations were lodged against him. The County Council received allegations of a hostile work environment at the Planning Board in October and forwarded these claims to the M-NCPPC for a full investigation. Wright was fired in October, and soon after, the entire Planning Board resigned at the request of the council.
Harris also said that the Planning Board will be renaming the Montgomery County Award for Design Excellence to the Gwen Marcus Wright Award for Design Excellence.
“Given Ms. Wright’s significant contributions to promoting great design and having previously received the [American Institute of Architect’s] Paul H. Kea Medal for Architectural Advocacy, the Planning Board feels that naming the top award for her is an appropriate way of recognizing her work.”
Also, in the statement, the Planning Board highlighted some of her most notable achievements during her tenure, including the acquisition of historic properties such as the Josiah Henson property, Warner Circle and Darby House and Store, the creation of the Design Excellence Program and the completion and adoption of Thrive Montgomery 2050 (which aims to create a “vibrant economy, equity for all residents, and a healthy environment through 2050 and beyond,” its website says).
MoCo360 reporter Ginny Bixby contributed to this article.