The deadlines coincide with the candidacy filing deadline, which currently is Feb. “If within 90 days after presentation of the Commission’s plan no other law re-establishing the boundaries of the Council districts has been enacted, then the plan as submitted becomes law,” according to a council statement. Within 30 days, the council must hold a public hearing. The commission must present a plan of proposed districts to the county council by Nov. Over the course of 2021, new councilmanic district lines will be recommended by a newly appointed 11-member redistricting commission determined by the Council.
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Just as congressional and legislative district lines are redrawn every 10 years following the latest Census numbers, the Montgomery County requires the county council to update its boundaries every 10 years, based on population changes.įrom 2010 to 2019, the county’s population grew approximately 8% - from 971,777 to 1,050,688 residents, according to Sonya Healy, a spokeswoman for the council. On top of the increased number of seats on the Montgomery County Council, a decennial redistricting process is currently underway - and that could scramble the county’s political terrain. It’s been a bittersweet situation that I hope will be remedied in 2022.” It’s so disheartening to see that, while at the same time, it is such an honor to be there. Then you just started seeing less and less, and then just one. “When I look at the photos of the previous councils and when I started serving, at that time it was four women.
“When I’m in meetings with the county executive and my colleagues, it’s not lost on me that I’m the only woman in that space,” Navarro said. When the 13-year-veteran lawmaker was asked if she would liken the council to an all boys’ club, she said it is, from the perspective of county leadership. It is illustrative of the society we live in, in general.
“It is something that we need to address as a whole. “There are times when I have encountered erasure, which is something that women face not just in politics, but in the boardroom, in the private and corporate sectors,” Navarro said. Navarro said she applauds her male colleagues for their support on women’s issues, and for treating her respectfully and fairly, but she won’t sugarcoat her council experience. In an interview, Navarro said she hopes the 2022 election will rectify the gender imbalance.
“…There’s a hunger for balanced representation, and women have a distinct voice.” “I expect a robust field of talented women from across the county and across the political spectrum,” Conway said. Other councilmembers could end up being challenged and incumbency - especially for first-term lawmakers - is no guarantee of reelection. Their collective departures will leave at least three vacancies on the council, coupled with the two new district seats, which will create a total of five open seats in the next election. Navarro, who represents a seat in the East County, and two other incumbents, Councilmembers Hans Riemer (D), who holds an at-large seat, and Craig Rice (D), who represents the Upcounty, are term limited. Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Navarro (D) Two additional district seats were approved by voters through a ballot referendum in the 2020 election, meaning there will be seven district seats up for grabs along with four at-large seats whose council members are elected countywide. When Montgomery County voters next head to the polls, they will elect not nine but 11 county council members. There will be a number of targets for politically ambitious Montgomery County women - and men - to aim for in 2022. “Elected representation should reflect the population.” “A county of over a million people should absolutely have more than one woman on a nine-person legislative body,” said Diana Conway, president of the Women’s Democratic Club of Montgomery County. Montgomery now has a record low number of female councilmembers, a trend at odds with the county’s reputation as one of the state’s most liberal bastions.īut that’s about to change, according to political professionals, activists and women who plan to run for the council in the 2022 elections - including some who came within striking distance in the 2018 elections. When the dust settled from the wild 2018 election - one that saw dozens of Democrats compete for County Council seats - Montgomery County wound up with just one woman on the nine-member council, Nancy Navarro (D).
The Montgomery County Council (minus Councilman Sidney Katz) meets with U.S.