Montgomery County Council Elects New President, VP

ROCKVILLE, MD — The Montgomery County Council on Tuesday unanimously elected Nancy Navarro as president and Sidney Katz as vice president of the council. Navarro, who was the council's vice president, will replace Hans Riemer. Both Katz and Navarro will serve in their roles for one year.

This is Navarro's second time being council president. Navarro, the first Latina elected to the council, served as council president from December 2012 to December 2013.

In prepared remarks, Navarro laid out her priorities for the 2019 session, which include closing the achievement gap, expanding early child care and childhood education, creating jobs, and revamping areas of the county.

"The watchword for me is equity, and I am passionately determined to continue that work as president of this great council," said Navarro. "To me, One Montgomery means recognizing the differences among us, while emphasizing that however different our backgrounds or our lifestyles may be, we are all connected. We all share the same need for a government that encourages economic growth, protects our families, educates our children, and provides a safety net in case we fall on hard times."

Navarro represents District 4, which includes Wheaton, Kensington Heights, Glenmont, and Olney. She serves as chair of the council’s Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee. She also is a member of the Education Committee. Navarro has been on the council since 2009.

"My promise is to build upon the work of the leaders before me, and to extend the conversation and direct the work in new equitable ways to reflect the needs of our changed county," said Navarro. "It is the right thing to do, and I welcome the opportunity to work with my colleagues, County Executive Marc Elrich, key leaders, and stakeholders on new and exciting initiatives. "

The election results come a day after Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and the all-democratic council were sworn in to office.

District 3's Katz — who represents areas such as Gaithersburg, Rockville, and Potomac — will serve alongside Navarro. Katz was the mayor of Gaithersburg for 16 years and joined the Montgomery County Council in 2014. Currently, he is the chair of the Public Safety Committee and a member of the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee.

Images via Montgomery County Government

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