For Immediate Release: Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Montgomery County Council Elects
Nancy Floreen as President,
Roger Berliner as Vice President for 2015-16
New President Says ‘What Else Is On the Agenda for 2016?
Knowing My Colleagues, I Would Guess a Lot’
ROCKVILLE, December 1, 2015—The Montgomery County Council today unanimously elected Nancy Floreen as president and Roger Berliner as vice president of the Council. They will serve one-year terms as officers of the Council.
Council President Floreen, who serves at-large, served as Council vice president for the past year. She is beginning her 14th year on the Council. She previously served as Council president in 2010.
“What else is on the agenda for 2016? Knowing my colleagues, I would guess a lot,” Council President Floreen said to her fellow Councilmembers following her election. “You are all champions for closing the achievement gap, protecting public health, expanding access to opportunities and preserving the environment. So I am confident we will have many innovative ideas to consider. And we will do so in partnership with the County Executive and our Delegation in Annapolis.”
Council President Floreen has been an at-large member of the Council since she was first elected in 2002. She chaired the Council’s Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment (T and E) Committee until 2010, when she became chair of the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee. She remains a member of the T and E Committee.
President Floreen previously served as mayor of the Town of Garrett Park. In 1986, she was appointed as a commissioner on the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, where she served until 1994.
Throughout her tenure on the Council, President Floreen has been a tireless advocate for better transportation and transit options, expanded affordable housing, enhanced environmental protections and improved access to jobs and economic development.
Vice President Berliner is in his third term on the Council. He was first elected in 2006. He represents District 1, which includes the western part of the County from the Washington, D.C., line to the Frederick County border. District 1 includes the communities of Bethesda, Cabin John, Chevy Chase, Garrett Park, Glen Echo, Friendship Heights, North Bethesda, Potomac, Poolesville, Randolph Hills and Somerset.
In 2011, he was elected by his colleagues to a one-year term as Council president.
As chair of the Council’s Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee, Council Vice President Berliner has led the charge on creating more multi-modal transportation options. He guided the Council to supporting rapid transit, is a forceful proponent for improving Metro, and has been a strong advocate for providing greater bicycle and pedestrian safety.
Councilmember Berliner has been the author of more than two dozen laws that make Montgomery County one of the most sustainable communities in the country, including ensuring that the County buys 100 percent renewable power. He also guided the Council to provide protection to Ten Mile Creek in the Clarksburg area from the threat of over-development. Councilmember Berliner’s background as an energy lawyer has allowed him to play a lead role for the County and the state in holding Pepco accountable for greater electric reliability.
The complete remarks of Council President Floreen upon taking office today:
I’m gratified and humbled by this election. I want to congratulate Roger Berliner as he assumes the role of vice president. Roger is a seasoned veteran of Council leadership, having already served as president and vice president as well as chair of the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee. And this year he will be chair of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. All of us will benefit from his counsel and experience.
I especially want to thank outgoing president George Leventhal. Under his outstanding leadership, we have truly been ‘A Council That Works’ to create ‘A Government That Works.’ The breadth of the Council’s accomplishments this past year has been extraordinary. I will work hard to build on George’s record of listening carefully to our community and harnessing the ideas and energy of the entire Council. Thank you, George.
There is still plenty of work to do, especially since we anticipate serious budget challenges this spring. We must preserve and enhance the services that define us as a County, including public safety, transportation, the safety net for our most vulnerable residents and our world-class education system. But the question we will need to ask ourselves is whether, as the County Executive has implied, these fiscal challenges will warrant a significant tax increase next year.
Two weeks ago, at George’s suggestion, we started an intensive review of the factors driving the cost of government. We know that in the last 15 years, our per capita income has grown by 60 percent, but the percentage of our residents living below the poverty line has grown by just as much. In that period, our County budget has doubled, even though it was flat during the Great Recession and has only grown slowly since then. We can’t pre-judge the decisions we will make in the spring, but I really want to make sure that we base them on the realities our residents face.
That is why I’m so focused on doubling down on our commitment to economic development, job growth and expanding the tax base. Five years ago, in the depth of the recession, we launched the Montgomery Business Development Corporation, a public-private partnership designed to leverage the best minds, resources and institutions with the aim of fueling our economy.
In a natural next step from MBDC, we are now replacing the County’s Department of Economic Development with a new non-profit organization, led by business leaders themselves, to strengthen our ability to retain current businesses and attract new ones. I have high hopes for this new kid in town. We expect the new Economic Development Corporation to think differently, act nimbly and truly elevate the status of economic development and business growth in Montgomery County. That will be good for the bottom line and good for our entire community.
What else is on the agenda for 2016? Knowing my colleagues, I would guess a lot. You are all champions for closing the achievement gap, protecting public health, expanding access to opportunities and preserving the environment. So I am confident we will have many innovative ideas to consider. And we will do so in partnership with the County Executive and our Delegation in Annapolis.
I’m very proud to be a part of this pro-active and compassionate body. Colleagues, keep up the great work! Thank you for your support today and for your support in the coming year.