Planning Board member Shawn Bartley makes case for second term

Republican emphasizes importance of equity

April 30, 2024 10:04 p.m.

Seeking a second term on the Montgomery County Planning Board, member Shawn Bartley emphasized the need for affordable housing and the importance of making space for a diversity of housing and lifestyles during a Tuesday interview with the County Council.

“There’s this old idea of ‘winner takes all,’ majority rules, and you go along with whatever the majority wants,” said Bartley, who lives in Silver Spring. “Well, there are people with different cultural standards, different cultural ideas, different modes and ways of living and different ideas on how they should live amongst themselves.”

Bartley, a Republican, is reaching the end of his partial term and his seat will be vacated on June 14. He has applied for a four-year term on the board. He began serving in March 2023.

Bartley was selected for a seat on the board after the entire Planning Board resigned in October 2022, following controversy involving former Chair Casey Anderson and other members on the board. He is a longtime attorney in the county and currently serves on the Maryland State Board of Education, according to the resume he submitted to the council.

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The Planning Board serves as the council’s principal adviser on land use planning and community planning. Planning Board members also serve as commissioners of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Currently, the Planning Board is tasked with implementing the Thrive Montgomery 2050 plan, an update to the county’s general master plan that is expected to guide development for the next 30 years.

Yearly compensation for board members is $30,000, according to county documents. Members generally serve four-year terms and are limited to two full terms. No more than three members of the Planning Board may be from the same political party. Currently, two unaffiliated voters, two Democrats and one Republican serve on the board–Bartley is the only Republican.

While Bartley’s seat was open to applications from county residents, he was the only finalist interviewed by the council Tuesday. Councilmembers asked him to share his perspectives from being on the Planning Board for a partial term, how he would engage with constituents, and what he thinks the major issues facing the board are.

Bartley told the council it’s important to consider different ways of living when making planning decisions, and that some residents are going to want dissimilar things than other residents.

“You have to look at the variety of things that people want in their lives,” Bartley said. “You have to have equity and look and say, ‘this person, or this group, wants to live this way’ and you should meet them where they are.”

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Bartley offered the examples of county residents who desire to own a large house with lots of land while others may prefer to live in an apartment in an urban area where they are able to walk to work, school and stores.

While emphasizing the importance in having a “diversity of housing,” Bartley also said he is concerned about high housing prices after hearing from many residents with stable incomes who cannot afford homes in the county. He said affordable housing is something he wants to work on.

“I was shocked to learn [about] highly educated couples, highly educated partners who can’t afford homes in Montgomery County because of lack of availability, and that lack of availability means that prices are too high,” Bartley said. “Even with handsome incomes, they might not be able to afford a house.”

A vote on Bartley’s appointment has not yet been scheduled.

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