THE GAZETTE
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013 z
Ervin announces she will leave seat in January County councilwoman taking position with New York nonprofit n
BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
Calling it one of the most difficult decisions she’s ever had to make, Montgomery County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin will leave her seat in early January to take over a New York nonprofit that advocates for working families. Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring said Tuesday that she would resign her seat on Jan. 3 to become executive director of the Center for Working Families. “I want to continue to make a difference, in a new way,” Ervin said. No one has been a stronger voice against inequality than Ervin has, County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) said Tuesday at a press conference at the Council Office Building in Rockville. Along with several other speakers, Leggett referenced Ervin’s direct way of dealing with issues. Ervin has been a friend and political supporter, but also one of his most vocal critics when they disagreed, he said. State Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Dist. 20) of Silver Spring said he’s also been on
“Valerie Ervin is a justice politician.” Jamie Raskin, state senator both sides of conflicts with Ervin. But he praised her Tuesday for her passion, as well as her dedication to justice and solidarity. “Valerie Ervin is a justice politician,” Raskin said. Council President Craig Rice (DDist. 2) of Germantown said Ervin has been like a mother to him since he joined the council in 2010. Rice said he can’t thank her enough for all of the ways she’s helped him be a stronger council member. Councilwoman Nancy Navarro (DDist. 4) of Silver Spring, who served with Ervin on the council and on the county’s Board of Education before that, said it was Ervin who first encouraged her to run for the school board. She said she’s happy that Ervin will be going on to another level with the new job. “I cannot think of anyone better
SPIEGEL
Continued from Page A-1 If Spiegel is elected to the County Council, he would need to leave his seat on the Gaithersburg City Council one year before it expires. Gaithersburg city law states that if a council member vacates his seat before his term ends, the rest of the council must appoint a replacement. The
KATZ
Continued from Page A-1 With many years of experience in small business ownership and municipal government leadership, Katz said he believes he could be a strong candidate for the position. If he decides to run, Katz could face competition from a Gaithersburg colleague. City Councilman Ryan Spiegel announced last Thursday that he will seek the same District 3 seat. Spiegel has not officially filed to run as of Tuesday, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections website.
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than you to lead,” she said. Since the vacancy caused by Ervin’s departure is occurring after Dec. 1 of the year before an election, no special election will be held, County Attorney Marc Hansen said Tuesday. The council will have 30 days to appoint a new member approved by a majority of the remaining members to serve out the rest of Ervin’s term, Hansen said. The new member will have to be a Democrat who lives in District 5, the same as Ervin, he said. If the council fails to act within 30 days, Leggett will appoint a candidate from a list provided by the county’s Democratic Central Committee, he said. Silver Spring Democrat Evan Glass announced in November that he intends to run for the District 5 council seat. Ervin has been on the council since 2006, and served as president for the 2010-11 term. She serves as chairwoman of the Education Committee and as a member of the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee. She also served on the Board of Education from 2004 until 2006. She has been a strong advocate over
appointed official will remain on the council until the next general election, provided no public petition for a special election is received within 30 days of the appointment. In the coming weeks, Spiegel said, his campaign will begin to unfold by sharing information about policy priorities, updating its website and scheduling campaign events. jedavis@gazette.net
Should Katz decide to run and win in the county election, he would have to leave his seat as mayor of Gaithersburg three years before it is due to expire. Gaithersburg city law states that if a mayor or councilmember vacates his seat before his term ends, the rest of the council must appoint a replacement. The appointed official will remain on the council until the next general election, provided no public petition for a special election is received within 30 days of the appointment. “I feel that this is my time,” he said. “I really think that I could be adding something to all of Montgomery County.” jedavis@gazette.net
TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
County Councilwoman Valerie addresses attendees before County Executive Isiah Leggett signs a minimum wage bill Thursday in Rockville. Ervin announced Tuesday that she would resign her seat Jan. 3 to take over a New York nonprofit that advocates for working families. the years for the poor, and was instrumental in making Montgomery the first in the country to have a countywide food recovery network. She called the food recovery network as one of her biggest achievements during her time on the council, as well as a program to provide meals
BIKER
Continued from Page A-1 and schools. For fiscal 2014, staff estimated that the costs for the thermoplastic sharrows and signage at certain designated locations will total $18,200. More improvements with thermoplastic sharrows and signage are expected to cost $15,780 and $13,610 in fiscal 2015 and 2016, respectively. Schwarz and Mumpower suggested that hard copy and electronic materials, like maps, be shared with the community to promote the bicycle travel improvements. Mayor Sidney Katz asked staff if it would be possible to speed up the plan for improvements if the city was able to give a bigger chunk of money to the project at the beginning than requested. Mumpower said that it would probably not be feasible because he does not have enough staff members to complete the work at a faster rate. Councilwoman Cathy Drzyzgula also said she would like to see the project progress faster, and wondered if the use of contractors initially could help to supplement the work
over the summer for low-income children. Earlier this session, Ervin was a cosponsor on a bill that will increase the county’s minimum wage to $11.50 an hour by 2017. rmarshall@gazette.net
completed by city employees. “I really would like to see if we could push up rolling it out,” she said. Gaithersburg resident and bicyclist Pat Sanderson said he often commutes to work from his home on Peach Leaf Court near Quince Orchard High School to a location near the Holiday Inn on Montgomery Village Avenue. He said that the city’s bicycle routes need more connectivity and integration to transportation and business centers. “If you look at Google Maps and you put in the bike map portion of Google Maps, you’ll see that the Gaithersburg bike lanes are very disjointed,” he said. “That’s one of the problems I have when I’m commuting.” Sanderson also said that he felt bike paths that are off of the road are more dangerous than bicycle lanes on the roadway. While he has not been hit by a vehicle in the past, Sanderson said he is often nearly hit by a car while riding on a sidewalk. “Bicyclists who ride in the road are there for a reason,” he said. “They’re there because they’re confident enough to ride in the road.” jedavis@gazette.net