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ROCKVILLE, Md., April 1, 2022—The Montgomery County Council is seeking applicants to fill a vacant position on the County Board of Appeals due to the passing of our dear friend, Bruce Goldensohn. The partial term ends Sept. 2023. Applications for the position must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, April 8.
By law, no more than three members of the board shall be from the same political party. This position can be filled by a Republican, a voter who is unaffiliated with a party, or a voter who is a member of another party officially recognized by the Board of Elections. This position cannot be filled by a Democrat.
The current members of the Board include Chair John Pentecost (Democrat), Richard Melnick (Unaffiliated), Caryn Hines (Democrat), and Roberto Pinero (Democrat). Members of County Boards, Committees and Commissions may not serve on more than one such group at a time.
Members of the Board currently receive $16,042.13 annually, with the chair receiving $22,671.98. Salaries are adjusted each December to reflect 50 percent of the change in the Washington Area Consumer Price Index.
Duties of the Board of Appeals include hearing and deciding requests for variances from development standards contained in the Zoning Ordinance; hearing appeals from certain administrative decisions rendered by County government agencies; and hearing oral argument on and deciding appeals from decisions of the Hearing Examiner on conditional uses. The Board also considers and decides requests for modifications of special exceptions.
The Board normally holds weekly hearings all day Wednesday and worksessions every other week on Wednesdays. If necessary to accommodate an extended caseload or continued hearings, the Board may schedule hearings on other weekdays. Members are expected to prepare for the hearings by reading the cases to be heard and to share the workload of drafting and editing opinions or to follow-up on investigations on specific cases. Members work approximately 15-25 hours a week.
The principal jurisdiction of the Board of Appeals does not include the municipalities of Brookeville, Poolesville, Laytonsville, Rockville, Barnesville, Gaithersburg, and Washington Grove. The Council is not precluded from appointing someone who resides in one of these municipalities, although the Council may avoid doing so.
Letters expressing interest, including a resume (no more than 4 pages in length) listing professional and civic experience, political party affiliation, home and office telephone numbers and an email address, should be sent via email to county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov addressed to Council President Albornoz, or sent via mail to Council President Albornoz, County Council Office, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20850. Letters of application must be received no later than 5 p.m. on April 8, 2022. It is the Council’s policy not to consider applications received after the deadline. After the closing date, Councilmembers will review the letters of application and select applicants to interview.
Letters of application and resumes are made public as part of the appointment process (personal contact information is redacted). Any interviews held are open to the public and will be televised. A financial statement of assets, debts, income and family property interests will be required of all applicants. Only the appointed candidates will be required to make the financial statement available for public review.
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