For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 3, 2021
ROCKVILLE, Md., March 3, 2021—The Montgomery County Council issued the following statement about an incident that occurred during Tuesday's Council meeting.
The Montgomery County Council stands in solidarity with Councilmember Nancy Navarro after a troubling and unacceptable incident occurred during Tuesday's televised Council session, in which concerning background audio was heard on the broadcast. The entire Council is committed to racial equity and safe workplaces. Furthermore, our community expects that our Council and its employees and contractors are held to the highest standard.
County Council President Tom Hucker and Vice President Gabe Albornoz met with Council central staff leadership immediately following the incident and have directed the County's Office of Human Resources to conduct a full independent investigation of this incident. They are grateful to Councilmember Navarro for her willingness to come forward to shine a light on this disturbing incident. While the facts involved with this matter are being investigated, we will recommit ourselves to educating our workforce and fostering a culture that is absolutely respectful, free of bigotry and reflective of Montgomery County's values.
The Montgomery County Council reaffirms its pledge, which is found in our in our laws and policies, to foster equal opportunity for all without regard to race, color, religious creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, marital status, age, gender, disability, presence of children, family responsibilities, source of income, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic status as strictly in accordance with their individual merits as human beings.
We will all continue our work to address inequity and racial bias, and to create a future society where incidents like these do not ever happen.
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Release ID: 21-075