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Scott Goldberg of Silver Spring has entered the race for a general seat on County Council next year.
Including Goldberg, the field has now grown to at least nine candidates – including three incumbents – for the four general seats.
Goldberg, 39, previously led an unsuccessful campaign for the House of Delegates in District 16 in 2010 and was elected to the Democratic County Central Committee in 2018.
He told Bethesda Beat on Friday that he was thrilled to show up for the opportunity to make Montgomery County a better place to live.
He identified economic progress, the environment, housing and what he calls the “shecession” – a fallout from the “recession” – as major issues in this electoral cycle.
Her explanation for the ‘shecession’ is, “Basically how, when COVID hit, and often when the economy gets much more fragile, women pay the price financially, taking on increased childcare responsibilities. . And as a society, we have to solve these problems. ”
He said he chose to run for a county-wide seat instead of a district seat because of the possibility of meeting more voters in Montgomery County. Goldberg added that he was eager to speak to residents about his experience as a lawyer and small business owner, and his overall vision for the county.
“Being able to travel throughout the county seemed very appealing as part of the job description,” Goldberg said.
Goldberg joins six other Democrats who have asked for a general seat:
• Member of the Board Gabe Albornoz
• Board member Evan Glass
• Kim Kellerman of Poolesville, mother of four
• Laurie-Anne Sayles, member of Gaithersburg city council and employee of the Food and Drug Administration
• Brandy Brooks of Wheaton, an educational and nonprofit leader
• Christa Tichy from Rockville, who works in construction
Council member Will Jawando and Kristin Mink of Silver Spring, both Democrats, also said they were running but did not file a case on Saturday morning. Mink, a former Montgomery County public school teacher, works at the Center for Popular Democracy.
According to the county’s latest public fundraising report, Gaithersburg city council member Neil Harris has filed plans to use the county’s public election fund in a general race. Harris, a Democrat, works in the software and computer industry. He had not submitted his candidacy on Saturday morning.
The next county council will be made up of 11 members: seven from the districts and four general seats serving the entire county. Voters approved this change in the 2020 general election.
A commission on redistribution is working on the development of new maps that the Departmental Council will examine. The commission is to choose two maps to release for public comment at a meeting on October 13.
A public hearing on these maps is scheduled for October 20, with approval of a map for the final report expected by October 27. By November 3, the commission must approve its final report to the county council.
The candidates for district races to date are:
District 1: Bethesda, Poolesville, Potomac
• Council member Andrew Friedson, a Democrat, recently announced he was running for re-election.
District 2: Germantown, Montgomery Village, Clarksburg, Damascus
• Marliyn Balcombe, Democrat and CEO of the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce, requested the seat. Incumbent Craig Rice, a Democrat, has a limited term and cannot run for re-election. Rice has yet to announce his future plans.
William Roberts, who sits on the board of directors of the Montgomery County Renters Alliance and works for the Center for American Progress, appeared to show interest, filing plans to use the county’s public funding system. Roberts, a Democrat who lives in Clarksburg, had not requested the seat on Saturday morning.
District 3: Gaithersburg, Rockville
• Incumbent Sidney Katz, a Democrat, has said he is running again. No one had filed a file on Saturday morning.
District 4: Wheaton, Aspen Hill, Olney, Laytonsville
• Four people applied for this seat, currently held by Nancy Navarro. Navarro, a Democrat with a limited mandate, said on Friday that she would announce her future plans “soon”.
Four Democrats have applied to succeed him:
• Natali Fani-González, former member of the county planning council and business / PR consultant
• Omar Lazo, co-owner of Los Chorros restaurant in Wheaton
• Maricé Morales, lawyer and former State Delegate
• Paul Schwartz, former columnist for Sentinel newspapers and currently lobbyist in Annapolis, focusing on representing current and retired federal employees
District 5: Silver Spring, White Oak, Takoma Park, Burtonsville
• Since Saturday, no one has applied for the seat, currently held by County Council Chairman Tom Hucker. Hucker, a Democrat, said he was exploring a candidacy for the county executive, but did not rule out running for re-election.
Democrat Fatmata Barrie, a resident and lawyer of White Oak, has announced that she is running for a district seat, which is currently this one.
Brian Anleu, a Democrat who is chief of staff for the county planning council, has said he’s interested but wants to see what Hucker decides to do.
County Executive
The incumbent Marc Elrich is running for a second term. He is currently being challenged by Hans Riemer, an executive member of the Board, whose mandate is limited. Businessman David Blair, who lost to Elrich in the primary in 2018 by less than 100 votes, is also running for the seat.
Devin Battley, a former owner of a motorcycle shop in Gaithersburg, said he was interested but did not file a case on Friday.
All are Democrats.
The deadline for submitting candidatures for next year’s elections is February 22, 2022. Primary elections are scheduled for June 28 and general elections are scheduled for November 8.
Steve Bohnel can be contacted at [email protected]