10/27/2022: UPDATE: Planning Board Chair and Commissioners that the Montgomery County Council picked by violating MD Land Use law are highlighted below.
The Montgomery County Council has apparently taken a secret vote to defy Maryland Land Use law and is only giving the public about 48 hours to review the list of candidates for Planning Board chair and commissioner seats.
Montgomery County residents are already doing their own due diligence to research these candidates. We are getting lots of information from various sources. We are opening up this blog post as a clearinghouse for filling in missing information on the candidates. We will update this post as new information comes in and the comments are open.
The candidates' resumes are part of the packet released by the County Council at 5 PM on Monday, October 24, 2022. However, the packet did not reveal which candidate applied for which position, chair or commissioner, and party affiliations were not available for all candidates. We are also finding out additional information about the candidates and posting here.
Candidates: Feel free to update your information, that is, if you are a fan of transparency.
All candidates must be residents and registered voters of Montgomery County § 15-102 (a)(2)(i). Are they?
Maryland law also requires:
Restrictions on commissioners
(c)(1) Of the commissioners from each county, not more than three shall be members of the same political party.
But the Montgomery County Council didn't put any Republicans on the interview list so that's not going to happen. But wait! Party affiliations appear to be changing by the hour.
D = Democrat R = Republican I = Independent
Raj Barr-Kumar (D)
- Potomac
- Council packed misspelled last name as Kuma
Cherri Branson (D)
- Silver Spring
Francoise Carrier (D)
- Rockville
- Currently a registered lobbyist - lobbying MNCPPC Planning Board
- Previously on Planning Board with Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson
🔻Norman Dreyfuss (not a registered voter in Montgomery County)
- As of 2020, Mr. Dreyfuss appears to have moved to Colorado. He's active in land use issues there.
- Previously on Planning Board with Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson
- On Board of Barbara Goldberg Goldman - Affordable Housing Conference
🔺Barbara Goldberg Goldman (D)
- Potomac
- March 15, 2022, Article in Maryland Matters
- Political contributions to Councilmember Andrew Friedson
- See Maryland Judiciary Case Search
- Affordable Housing Conference Co-Chair and Founder (Norm Dreyfuss also on Board)
David Hill (I)
- Rockville
- City of Rockville Planning Commission 2006-2016
William Kirwan (D)
- Silver Spring
- only a Redacted Resume was made public
- campaign contributions to Councilmember Hans Riemer
- campaign contribution to Councilmember Andrew Friedson
- Council packed misspelled last name as Kirwin
- Previously applied for Planning Board
- MCPS is a client of his firm
Vincent Napoleon (D)
- Potomac
- Treasurer for CERG 2.0 PAC which endorsed Councilmember Gabe Albornoz, Evan Glass, Will Jawando and Sidney Katz.
- See Maryland Judiciary Case Search
Roberto Pinero (D)(I)(D)
- Silver Spring
- Housing Opportunity Commission experience
- Already on Board of Appeals
- Switched party from last time applied for Planning Board
- Clarksburg
- Previously on Planning Board with Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson
- Presley Facebook: "masks are a farce"
Jeff Zyontz (D)
- Rockville
- 2006 - 2020 Montgomery County Council Staff
- 1974 to 2006 Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, attorney
Good catch, PCMC! Norman Dreyfuss' home in Potomac is coded in SDAT records as "Not principal residence" and gives his mailing address in Colorado.
ReplyDeleteNorman Dreyfuss is not even registered to vote in Maryland.
ReplyDeleteBarbara Goldberg Goldman
ReplyDeleteNot quite sure how Barbara qualified to make the "short list" as her primary occupation is running a personnel placement agency specializing in domestic/household staffing.
She does have big time State Democratic Party credentials as a fundraiser and has contributed to Friedson's recent campaigns.
I think we should look carefully at home addresses, as I suspect large number on short list reside in District 1...
Address:
Potomac MD 20854
Barbara Goldberg Goldman is (was?) the deputy treasurer of the Maryland State Democratic Party
Employer(s):
President Regal Domestics, Inc.-- (from Linkedin) "Welcome to the Original Regal Domestics, Inc.– the Nation’s #1 Placement Agency ranked by W Magazine’s Black Book and featured on CNN and FOX Network Television.
In 1985, Barbara Goldberg Goldman saw the need for a nationwide upscale, personalized and highly professional staffing agency. Her vision went way beyond what was available two decades ago."
ALSO
Partner Quorum LLC -- (from LinkedIn) "A full-service consulting firm specializing in mixed use and mixed income developments, land use and syndications. Creating and maintaining sustainable communities and improving the quality of life for all residents."
Contributions to Andrew Friedson
12/17/2019 $500
12/1/2020 $250
1/11/2022 $100
And have you checked her out on the Maryland Judicial case search. Numerous State and Federal tax liens, some as much as six figures, going back to the late 1990’s through the mid 2010’s.
DeleteRaj is an architect and real estate consultant, who lives in Potomac.
ReplyDeleteRaj Barr Kumar, Age 76
Potomac, MD 20854-4215
Raj Barr-Kumar - Wikipedia
In 1996, Raj was nationally elected to serve as the National 1997 President of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and became the first person of color to lead the organization in its 140-year history.[9]
During his tenure, Raj pioneered the annual AIA Legacy Project at the organization's national convention in New Orleans. He called for every AIA National Convention to leave improvements to the built environment of the host city. The first Legacy Project, an $11.5 million, 117,000 sf facility for New Orleans's homeless was called, "A model of cooperation and achievement." The project has been replicated in every host city since 1997, improving schools, community centers, housing, and hospitals.[14]"
HOWEVER,
His brother (Raj Mahadevan) may have been involved in a land speculation/fraud scheme that may have involved Raj Barr?
https://www.gripeo.com/barr-group-international/
Cherri Branson
ReplyDeleteFormer member County Council (Democrat) who lives in Silver Spring. (She served on Education and Gov Ops/Fiscal Policy Committees -- NOT PHED Committee.)
I see no experience in planning, zoning or land use.
Cherri Branson, County Council, Montgomery County, Maryland
Currently serves on Police Advisory Commission.
Member Bios - Policing Advisory Committee
She tried to get reelected to Council in 2018 but lost...
Branson, One Time Member of Montgomery County Council, Seeks Re-Entry
I have used Maryland Judicial Case Search (https://casesearch.courts.state.md.us/casesearch/processDisclaimer.jis) before so it’s not like I am a newbie. Vincent (J) Napoleon (and his wife) have a recent (as in June of 2022) IRS lien of a jaw dropping $375,000. And from other searches I have done it does not look like there are other Vincent Napoleons in MC. Have never done a State of Maryland financial disclosure but have done numerous yearly Federal ones. This is generally something which is reportable, so have to ask has he reported.
DeleteIt is spelled Kirwan. William Kirwan is former chair of Montgomery County’s Historic Preservation Commission. Applied and was interviewed for PB the year they selected Partap Verma instead.
ReplyDeleteWe wonder why the Montgomery County Council spelled it as Kirwin in the packet?
DeleteProbably a typo….
DeleteWhich is how they missed that Norm Dreyfuss lives in Colorado. Typo.
DeleteFrancoise Carrier was Chair of the Planning Board when Casey was first appointed. Casey worked hard to have her replaced by him as Chair by sweet talking to Floreen and co. It would be great to see her bookend the Anderson years! She is the best candidate for temporary chair!
ReplyDeleteFrancoise Carrier has outstanding expertise in land use law and in Montgomery County planning and zoning matters. But she is currently a registered lobbyist who represents developers seeking favorable Planning Board and Council decisions on these subjects. The revolving door is alive and well.
DeleteWhere do you see Carrier's registration as a lobbyist?
DeleteCarrier's work as a land use attorney is not news. She was very up front about it in her council interview.
Deletehttps://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/Lobbyist/ActivityReport.aspx
DeleteBottom of first page.
She was extremely upfront. Also, she was an outstanding Hearing Examiner.
DeleteWell let's hear from all the Candidates that were previously on the Planning Board with Casey Anderson about in office alcohol consumption.
DeleteThe county council misspelled Raj Barr-Kumar's last name
ReplyDeleteThey sure did. Thanks! Just shows the level of thought put into this list.
DeleteÀ la carte Smorgasbord
ReplyDeletePolitical payback it seems!
ReplyDelete"Council packed misspelled last name as Kirwin"
ReplyDeleteHa hah.
COUNCIL INFORMED ABOUT PRESLEY’S CONSPIRACY THEORY FILLED SOCIAL MEDIA IN ADVANCE
ReplyDeleteOCTOBER 27, 2022 DAVID LUBLIN
After the appointment by the Montgomery County Council of Amy Presley as an interim Planning Board Member, I reported here about her right-wing conspiracy theory filled Facebook posts.
Turns out that the Council was informed about them in advance through a public submission. Not only that, but Council Executive Director Marlene Michaelson wrote to a resident:
We will be checking the social media comments of those the Council chooses to interview so they will have that as background for their decisions
The Council could offer a number of rationales for appointing her. They had advanced only three non-Democrats to the interview stage and needed to appoint at least two of them on a Board of five members. It turned out one candidate lives out of town and is ineligible.
Except these excuses don’t wash. They could have appointed just three members total and still had a quorum for Board business. Alternatively, they could’ve gone back to the pool and done more interviews.
Instead, after adjourning to a private closed session, the Council appointed someone who is part of the “but her emails” crowd and gives credence to coronavirus conspiracy theories among others.