Montgomery County Council appoints Carol Rubin to the Montgomery County Planning Board

Montgomery County Council appoints Carol Rubin to the Montgomery County Planning Board

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For Immediate Release

ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 26, 2021— Today the Montgomery County Council appointed Carol Rubin to the Montgomery County Planning Board. Councilmembers recognized Ms. Rubin's experience at the Montgomery County Planning Department, as well as her ability to navigate complicated negotiations and her analytical and legal skills.

"Ms. Rubin has dedicated over 20 years to public service in Montgomery County, including 16 years with Park and Planning," said Council President Tom Hucker. "We are thrilled that she will bring her passion for Montgomery County, in-depth knowledge and breadth of experience to the Planning Board."

"Ms. Rubin's long career in public service has prepared her well for this role," said Councilmember Hans Riemer, who serves as chair of the Council's Planning, Housing, and Economic Development Committee. "I am confident she will make an excellent addition to the Planning Board and continue their work to achieve our shared goals of abundant housing, green, efficient transportation, and a high-functioning economy that benefits all corners of the County.

Ms. Rubin recently retired as a special project manager for the Montgomery County Planning Department. Prior to that, she served as acting deputy planning director with oversight responsibility for the Divisions of County wide Planning and Policy, Management Services, Information Technology and Innovation and Research and Strategic Projects.

Public service has been an essential focus throughout Ms. Rubin's career and includes more than seven years as assistant county attorney in the Office of County Attorney and sixteen years at Montgomery County Park and Planning.

Previous roles for Ms. Rubin included her time as principal counsel of the Transactions Practice Team, representing both the Montgomery Parks and Prince George's Parks and Recreation Departments. More recently, as special project manager for the I-495 andI-270 Managed Lanes Study, she worked closely with technical staff to focus on the avoidance, minimization and mitigation of impacts to parkland throughout the project area. She also served as acting deputy director at Montgomery Planning in 2018 and as principal counsel for the Montgomery County Planning Department and Montgomery County Planning Board in the Office of the General Counsel at the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission from 2005 to 2018. 

Ms. Rubin will complete the remaining term of the former member of the Planning Board Natali Fani-Gonzalez, who resigned on Aug. 31, 2021. 

In addition to Ms. Rubin (Democrat), the current Planning Boardmembers include Chair Casey Anderson (Democrat), Gerald Cichy (Republican), Tina Patterson (Unaffiliated), and PartapVerma (Democrat).

Members of the Planning Board serve four-year terms and are limited to two full terms. No more than three members of the Planning Board may be from the same political party, and each member must be a resident and registered voter of Montgomery County when appointed. The chair of the Planning Board is a full-time position, and Planning Board members are part-time positions.

The Planning Board serves as the Council's principal adviser on land use planning and community planning. Planning Board members also serve as commissioners of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

Some of the Planning Board's responsibilities concerning planning include the development of the County's General Plan, master plans and functional plans, the formulation of subdivision regulations and the preparation of, or recommendations on, text amendments to the Montgomery County Zoning Code.&

The Planning Board also implements the subdivision process by reviewing and approving all preliminary plans, site plans and other development plans, provides advice on the planning implications of capital facilities and programs. In addition, the Planning Board provides comments, under its mandatory referral authority, on plans for public facilities of local, state and federal agencies and approves the work program and the annual operating budget for the Planning Department and the Commission's bi-county offices.

The Planning Board also sits as the Park Commission. It approves the annual Parks Department operating budget and Capital Improvements Program (CIP), reviews and approves land acquisition contracts and major development contracts, and development plans for individual park facilities.