If residents want some choice in whom will represent them on County Council, as County Executive, in the Maryland General Assembly, now is the time to engage. Think it doesn’t matter much? These are the people who make land use decisions, decide what to do with county property, who set tax rates, who decide how much money will go to schools, who control services that affect traffic and many other things that affect quality of life more than anything that happens at a national level.
COUNTY EXECUTIVE
Incumbent County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) will face Republican challenger Jim Shalleck.
COUNTY COUNCIL
Potomac residents are represented by the District 1 county councilmember and the four at-large councilmembers. The incumbent Democrats in all of these positions won their primary elections.
COUNCIL DISTRICT 1
Voters choose one candidate.
Incumbent Roger Berliner (D-1)
Republican challenger Jim Kirkland.
COUNTY COUNCIL AT LARGE
Voters can vote for up to four candidates of the nine names on the ballot.
Democrat incumbents will face four Republican challengers and one Green Party candidate.
Marc Elrich (D-at large), marcelrich.com
Nancy Floreen (D-at large), www.nancyfloreen.org
George Leventhal (D-at large), www.georgeleventhal.com
Han Riemer (D-at large), hansriemer.com
Robert Dyer (R), www.RobertDyer.net
Chris P. Fiotes Jr. (R)
Adol T. Owen-Williams II (R)
Shelly Skolnick (R)
Tim Willard (Green)
Montgomery County State’s Attorney
Incumbent Democrat John McCarthy, johnmccarthy.us
Republican Dan Gaskill, www.facebook.com/pages/Dan-Gaskill-for-States-Attorney/202411253290307
Montgomery County Board of Education
All voters will choose one candidate from each of the four districts.
There are seven members of the Montgomery County Board of Education, plus a student member. Two members serve at-large, while the other five members live in their geographic districts. But all members are elected county-wide by voters across the county, and serve staggered terms. Members of the Board of Education are non-partisan and elected without identifying as belonging to any political party.
This year, one at-large member and members of Districts 1, 3 and 5 are on the ballot.
Board of Education At Large, voters choose one of two:
Shebra Evans, www.shebraevans.com
Jill Ortman-Fouse, www.jill4allkids.com
Board of Education District 1, voters choose one of two:
Judy Docca
Kristin G. Trible
Board of Education District 3, voters choose one of two:
Laurie Halverson,www.lauriehalverson.com/
Patricia O’Neill, www.patoneill.org
Board of Education District 5, voters choose one of two:
Mike Durso, www.facebook.com/durso4boe
Larry Edmonds, www.facebook.com/pages/Larry-Edmonds-for-Board-of-Education-District-5/389020714546495
U.S. Congress
Potomac is divided between Maryland Congressional Districts 6 and 8.
District 6:
Incumbent John K. Delaney (D), www.delaneyforcongress.com
Dan Bongino (R), www.bongino.com
George Gluck, (Green), georgegluck.com
District 8:
Incumbent Chris Van Hollen (D-8)
Dave Wallace (R)
Governor/Lieutenant Governor
Voters will choose one ticket:
Anthony Brown and Ken Ulman (D) www.anthonybrown.com
Larry Hogan and Boyd Rutherford (R) www.hoganforgovernor.com
Shawn Quinn and Lorenzo Gaztanaga (Libertarian)
Comptroller
Incumbent Peter Franchot (D)
William H. Campbell (R)
State Delegates and Senators
Potomac is split between District 15 and 16. Each resident is represented by one state senator and three state delegates from their district. District 16 includes Bethesda, Chevy Chase and parts of Potomac.
District 15 Senate:
Brian Feldman (D), brianjfeldman.com
Robin Ficker (R), www.fickersfor15.com
District 15 Delegate:
Voters can vote for up to three of the six candidates on the ballot:
Kathleen Dumais (D), www.kathleendumais.com
David Fraser-Hidalgo (D), fraserfor15.org
Aruna Miller (D),
Ed Edmundson (R) ed4md.org
Flynn Ficker (R), fickersfor15.com
Christine Thron (R)
District 16 Senate:
Susan Lee (D), susanleeforsenate.com/
Meyer Marks (R), marksformaryland.org
District 16 Delegate:
Voters can vote for up to three of the six candidates on the ballot:
Bill Frick (D), www.billfrick.com
Ariana Kelly (D), kellyfordelegate.com
Marc Korman (D), marckorman.com
John Andrews (R), www.andrewsfordelegate.com
Lynda del Castillo (R)
Rose Maria Li (R), www.voteroseli.com
BALLOT QUESTIONS:
There will be one Montgomery County question and two statewide questions on the ballot:
Statewide Question 1 Constitutional Amendment (Ch. 422 of the 2013 Legislative Session) Transportation Trust Fund – Use of Funds
(Amending Article III by adding Section 53 to the Maryland Constitution)
Limits the use of Transportation Trust Funds to the payment of principal and interest on transportation bonds and for constructing and maintaining an adequate highway system or any other transportation-related purpose. Also prohibits the transfer of Transportation Trust Funds into the General Fund or a special fund of the State, except for: (1) an allocation or use of highway user revenues for local governments or (2) a transfer of funds to the Maryland Transportation Authority or the Maryland Transportation Authority Fund. Transportation Trust Funds may be used for non-transportation related purposes or transferred to the general fund or a special fund only if the Governor declares a fiscal emergency and the General Assembly approves legislation, by a three-fifths vote of both houses, concurring with the use or transfer of the funds.
Statewide Question 2 Constitutional Amendment (Ch. 261 of the 2014 Legislative Session) Special Election to fill Vacancy in Office of Chief Executive Officer or County Executive
(Amending Article XI-A, Section 3 and Article XVIII, Section 2 of the Maryland Constitution)
Authorizes charter counties to provide for special elections to fill a vacancy in the office of chief executive officer or county executive, and exempts a special election to fill a vacancy in the office of chief executive officer or county executive of a charter county from the constitutional requirement that elections for state and county officers be held on a specified four-year cycle. Under existing law, charter counties may only authorize special elections to fill vacancies on the county council.
Montgomery County Question A, Charter Amendment by Act of County Council District Councilmember Residency Requirement
Amend Sections 102, 104, 106, and 114 of the County Charter to:
clarify that a candidate for a District Council seat must reside in the district at the time of the primary and general election;
provide that a councilmember elected by a district must reside in that district during the member’s entire term;
provide that any change in the district boundaries during a district councilmember’s term does not render the councilmember ineligible to complete that term;
clarify that any revised Council District boundaries apply in any special election held to fill a vacancy after the boundaries are amended; and
clarify that, if a vacancy occurs, the Council appointee, or the candidate elected in a special election to fill the vacancy, must reside in the district as it exists when the vacancy occurs.