Three people selected to fill an upcoming vacancy on Montgomery County Council all have experience on various agencies. They are Shebra Evans, Reemerto Rodriguez and Henry Lee.
The three candidates to be interviewed were selected from 67 applications that were submitted to replace Councilmember Gabe Albornoz, who announced his resignation, effective Dec. 1.
Evans and Lee both have served on the Board of Education. Reemberto Rodriguez served as director of the Silver Spring Regional Services Center from July 2009 to July 2021.
Evans served eight years on the school board but lost her bid to be reelected during the Nov. 2024 election.
Lee was chosen for the board of education following the resignation of the then-Vice President Reginald M. Felton. Lee was selected from among five candidates who were interviewed in 2004. At that time, 17 people applied.
Under the county charter, a vacancy occurring on or after Dec. 1 of the year before a council election will be filled by a person appointed by the council and not by voters. The person appointed will serve until the Nov. 2026 election, which is less than one year.
On Dec. 2, the council will interview the three candidates and then vote during the Dec. 9 meeting.
“Montgomery County is fortunate to have so many talented individuals who want to give back to our community through public service,” said Council President Kate Stewart. “These interviews will enable the Council to find the best fit for this caretaker role which is focused on budgetary, public policy and legislative work as well as understanding the diverse needs of more than one million residents.”
The interviews will be open to the public and conducted in the council’s hearing room in Rockville. The interviews also will be shown live on County Cable Montgomery and streamed on Facebook and YouTube.
In a post on Facebook, resident Paul Bienenfeld called the candidate selection “a secret, undemocratic ‘process.” Bienenfeld received about a dozen replies, all sharing the same sentiment.
