All five Montgomery County planning board members step down after controversies - The Washington Post

The upheaval successful the readying agency’s governance has shocked adjacent longtime governmental observers successful a region accustomed to aggravated improvement spats. It follows a way of scandals and leaks that has dogged 1 of Montgomery’s astir influential institutions since mid-September.

“The Council has mislaid assurance successful the Montgomery County Planning Board and accepted these resignations to reset operations,” said Montgomery assembly president Gabe Albornoz (D-At Large). “We are acting with deliberate velocity to name caller commissioners to determination Montgomery County forward. We convey the commissioners for their work to our county.”

The resignations came from committee Chair Casey Anderson, Vice Chair Partap Verma and members Gerald R. Cichy, Tina Patterson and Carol Rubin.

The assembly said it would question their replacements “swiftly” and volition prime “temporary acting” members connected Oct. 25 to service until it appoints caller imperishable members. It’s unclear however overmuch the shake-up mightiness hold pending improvement applications.

Controversy mounted precocious successful confidential emails betwixt committee members, readying section employees and the region assembly that steadily leaked to the public. Escalating allegations of committee members’ misconduct flew, archetypal successful August, erstwhile an anonymous extremity triggered an probe that recovered Anderson kept and shared intoxicant successful his office.

Anderson, Verma and Rubin were reprimanded by the region assembly successful October for consuming oregon accepting drinks and had their wage docked arsenic punishment. Anderson faced further scrutiny aft the region assembly received a ailment alleging helium had utilized misogynistic connection successful the workplace. The complaint led the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission to unfastened different investigation.

On Friday, the committee voted to occurrence readying manager Gwen Wright successful a closed league by a 4-0 vote, with Anderson recusing himself, a time aft Wright defended Anderson successful an interrogation with WJLA. The committee did not springiness a crushed for Wright’s dismissal. Residents progressive successful readying issues said it was the abrupt and unexplained firing of Wright, a nationally recognized readying expert, that caused the astir interest astir the board.

On Monday, a ailment sent to the assembly by Deputy Parks Director Miti Figueredo accused Verma of misconduct successful some investigations, including improperly soliciting allegations astir Anderson’s connection and firing Wright successful retaliation. Albornoz told The Post connected Tuesday those allegations would beryllium investigated arsenic well.

On Tuesday evening, Verma wrote to The Post that helium was taking a aesculapian permission of lack owed to stress. He expressed assurance successful Montgomery’s aboriginal successful a substance connection Wednesday, saying, “It’s been an grant and pleasance to service this astonishing county.”

The five-member readying committee is appointed by the region council. Members are part-time but for the chair, whose occupation pays much than $200,000 and is considered highly influential successful a region wherever improvement issues often predominate the governmental discussion.

The committee approves idiosyncratic improvement proposals and recommends to the assembly elaborate maestro plans that find wherever and however rapidly communities should grow. It besides manages the county’s parkland strategy and recommends to the assembly sites for historical designation. Members are term-limited aft 2 four-year terms.

Asked astir the readying committee contention astatine his play media briefing Wednesday, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) called the concern “a spot of a mess.” Elrich said helium had lone heard rumors astir imaginable resignations but added, “I bash deliberation determination is surely a request to bash something.”

The upheaval comes arsenic the assembly finalizes the county’s 30-year maturation plan, known arsenic Thrive 2050, based connected the readying board’s recommendations. The program sets wide policies for however the region should make semipermanent and has sparked contention among opponents seeking little density and slower growth.

The committee unanimously approved a draught of the program to nonstop to the region assembly successful April 2021. The assembly is scheduled to determination guardant with the plan’s expected support Oct. 25 contempt the readying committee controversy, Albornoz said Tuesday.

“The magnitude of increasing controversies could person perchance clouded immoderate of the decisions that the committee would make,” Albornoz said Wednesday of the resignations. “With the competing controversies that were mounting, we thought this was the champion people of action.”

The assembly governs a region that continues to alteration from a erstwhile bulk White and affluent chamber assemblage into a suburb of much than 1 cardinal radical who are progressively lower-income and much racially diverse. Planners person said Thrive 2050 volition assistance the region pull jobs and economical improvement portion becoming much environmentally resilient.

The policies, planners say, besides volition marque the region much equitable for lower-income residents and communities of colour harmed by erstwhile readying policies that led galore neighborhoods to become, and remain, segregated by contention and income.

This is simply a processing communicative and volition beryllium updated.