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LOCAL GOVERNMENT GUIDE 2007

 

County Executive

 

§        Chief Executive of Montgomery County, Maryland

§        Address:  Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe St., Rockville MD 20850

§        Phone:  240-777-2500

§        Email:  ike.leggett@montgomerycountymd.gov

§        Incumbent:  Isiah (Ike) Leggett

§        Elected by all County voters for four-year term

§        Began current term in December 2006

 

County Council

 

§        Legislative Branch of Montgomery County Government

§        Address:  100 Maryland Avenue, Council Office Building, Sixth Floor, Rockville MD 20850

§        Phone:  240-777-7900 (general number; individual Councilmembers have their own numbers)

§        Web:  http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council

§        Nine members are all elected at the same time for four-year terms.  Current terms began in December 2006.

§        Five members of the Council are elected by the voters of their respective districts.  The current representative for the district including the Seven Locks area  (Council District 1) is  Roger Berliner  (Democrat) (240-777-7828; councilmember.berliner@montgomerycountymd.gov).

§        Four members of the Council are elected to serve at-large by all County voters.  Those elected in November 2006 are:  Nancy Floreen, George Leventhal, Marc Elrich, and Duchy Trachtenburg.

§        Citizens can testify before the Council.  See website for information on meetings, agendas and procedures for registering to speak and submit testimony, as well as information on broadcasts of Council sessions.

 

 

 

County Board of Education

 

§        Official policy-making body for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)

§        Address:  850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville MD 20850

§        Phone:  301-279-3617

§        Email:  boe@mcpsmd.org (Emails sent to this address are sent to all Board members)

§        Web:  www.mcps.k12.md.us/boe

§        There are seven members elected by County voters and one student member on the Board.  One member of the Board is chosen by the Board to serve a one-year term as School Board president.  The current president is Nancy Navarro.

§        The Board members serve four-year terms with elections held every two years.  Depending on the cycle, three or four Board positions are filled in alternating election cycles. Two Board members serve at-large and five represent the School Board district in which they live.  But, all candidates (unlike the County Council) run County-wide.

§        The School Board representative for the Seven Locks area (School Board District 2)  is Steve Abrams.  His term ends in 2008.

§        The Superintendent of MCPS is appointed by the School Board with approval of the State Superintendent of Schools for a four-year term.  The incumbent is Dr. Jerry Weast.  The School Board approved  his reappointment to a third term in Spring 2007.

§        Citizens can testify before the School Board at their two public meetings each month as well as at special hearings.  See website for information on hearings, agendas, and broadcasts of meetings.

 

County Planning Board

 

§        County body responsible for decisions on land use/zoning decisions and formulation of the County Master Plans (such as the Potomac Sub-region Master Plan governing the Seven Locks area)

§        Address:  8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring MD 20910

§        Phone:  301-495-4600

§        Email:  mcp-chairman@mncppc-mc.org

§        Web:  www.mc-mncppc.org

§        The Planning Board is headed by a chairman appointed by the County Council with the consent of the County Executive for a four-year term.  The current Chairman is Royce Hanson. There are four Commissioners who have four-year terms.

§        Citizens can testify in public hearings before the Planning Board.  See website for procedures.

 

Maryland State Government and Congress

 

§        Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin Cardin represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate.

§        Chris Van Hollen (D) represents the Seven Locks area  (Congressional District 8) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

§        Those representing the Seven Locks area in the Maryland State Government are Rob Garagiola (Senate) and Craig Rice, Kathleen Dumais and Brian Feldman (House of Delegates).

§        For information on incumbents and contacts, see League of Women Voters website below.

 

 

For  more information on local government and issues, see the following:

 

§        League of Women Voters of Montgomery County MD (12216 Parklawn Drive, Rockville MD 20852; Phone: 301-984-9585).  For their website, see www.lwvmd.org and click on Montgomery County.  At that site, click on “Citizens’ Handbook” for “Voter Information,” “Contacting Your Legislators,” and “Your County Government.”

 

§        Neighbors for a Better Montgomery PAC (P.O. Box 1847, Rockville, MD 20849 and website: www.neighborsPAC.org.  The mission of this organization is to “ensure that citizens, not developers or other special interests, control the future of Montgomery County.”   This organization’s website has particular information on campaign contributions to those seeking election in Montgomery County and a set of endorsements for the 2006 election.

 

§        Montgomery County Civic Federation.  See website: www.montgomerycivic.org for contact information and background.  This nonpartisan organization was established in 1925 to serve as an umbrella organization of civic associations in Montgomery County.  Most civic associations in the Seven Locks Coalition belong to the Civic Federation.