ROCKVILLE, Md., May 19, 2022—Today the Montgomery County Council reappointed Carol Rubin to the Montgomery County Planning Board. Councilmembers recognized Ms. Rubin's experience at the Montgomery County Planning Department, as well as her ability to navigate complicated negotiations, her analytical and legal skills and passion for the position.

“The Council was delighted that Planning Board Member Rubin reapplied to serve on the Planning Board for a full term, after completing a partial term in this role,” said Council President Gabe Albornoz. “Her experience, professionalism and commitment to the job are outstanding. The Council is grateful for her public service, and we look forward to continuing to work with her on important land use and planning matters that impact our entire community and the future of Montgomery County.”

Ms. Rubin was first appointed to a partial term on the Planning Board in Oct. 2021 after she retired as a special project manager for the Montgomery County Planning Department. Prior to that, she served as acting deputy planning director with oversight responsibility for the Divisions of County wide Planning and Policy, Management Services, Information Technology and Innovation and Research and Strategic Projects.

Public service has been an essential focus throughout Ms. Rubin's career and includes more than seven years as assistant county attorney in the Office of County Attorney and sixteen years at Montgomery County Park and Planning.

Previous roles for Ms. Rubin included her time as principal counsel of the Transactions Practice Team, representing both the Montgomery Parks and Prince George's Parks and Recreation Departments. More recently, as special project manager for the I-495 and I-270 Managed Lanes Study, she worked closely with technical staff to focus on the avoidance, minimization and mitigation of impacts to parkland throughout the project area. She also served as acting deputy director at Montgomery Planning in 2018 and as principal counsel for the Montgomery County Planning Department and Montgomery County Planning Board in the Office of the General Counsel at the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission from 2005 to 2018. 

In addition to Ms. Rubin (Democrat), the current Planning Board members include Chair Casey Anderson (Democrat), Gerald Cichy (Republican), Tina Patterson (Unaffiliated), and Partap Verma (Democrat).

Members of the Planning Board serve four-year terms and are limited to two full terms. No more than three members of the Planning Board may be from the same political party, and each member must be a resident and registered voter of Montgomery County when appointed. The chair of the Planning Board is a full-time position, and Planning Board members are part-time positions.

The Planning Board serves as the Council's principal adviser on land use planning and community planning. Planning Board members also serve as commissioners of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

Some of the Planning Board's responsibilities concerning planning include the development of the County's General Plan, master plans and functional plans, the formulation of subdivision regulations and the preparation of, or recommendations on, text amendments to the Montgomery County Zoning Code.

The Planning Board also implements the subdivision process by reviewing and approving all preliminary plans, site plans and other development plans, provides advice on the planning implications of capital facilities and programs. In addition, the Planning Board provides comments, under its mandatory referral authority, on plans for public facilities of local, state and federal agencies and approves the work program and the annual operating budget for the Planning Department and the Commission's bi-county offices.

The Planning Board also sits as the Park Commission. It approves the annual Parks Department operating budget and Capital Improvements Program (CIP), reviews and approves land acquisition contracts and major development contracts, and development plans for individual park facilities.

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