A week after naming a transition steering committee of former White House and current state and local officials, Montgomery County Executive-elect Will Jawando (D) identified the folks who will serve on the 11 policy committees for the transition, which he’s calling “Our Moment Montgomery.”
Some of the members include former Del. Alfred Carr Jr., who served in the House from December 2007 until 2023, when a failed bid for county couuncil cost him his House seat. He will serve on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which will be co-chaired by Shawn Eum, chief of staff with the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration; and Ken O’Connell, president of O’Connell and Lawrence Inc., an engineering and consulting firm.
Joanne Antoine, executive director of Common Cause Maryland, will serve on “A Government That Works for All” committee, co-chaired by Del. Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Montgomery) and Michelle Whittaker, the executive director of Ranked Choice Voting Maryland.
Each committee is slated to provide recommendations for Jawando’s first 100 days in office and beyond. A committee kickoff was held Wednesday, with community workshops throughout the county set to begin the week of Nov. 30. Jawando will be sworn in as executive Dec. 7.
“Montgomery County’s greatest strength is its people, and these committees look like the county we love,” Jawando said in a statement. “There’s a young person at every table, next to faith leaders, union members, small business owners, teachers and advocates. I asked them to tell us the truth and help us build a government that works for everyone.”
Montgomery delegation shuffle
The Montgomery County House delegation will have a new chair leading its 26 members: Del. Ryan Spiegel.
Spiegel, who was appointed to the House in 2023 to replace former Del. Kumar Barve, was unanimously chosen to lead the all-Democratic delegation during a post-election delegation meeting Thursday.
“I intend to focus on advocating for, and delivering on, the priorities of Montgomery County; providing leadership development opportunities for our members; and debating and moving local legislation with fair and transparent processes,” Spiegel, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement.
He replaces Del. Julie Palakovich Carr, who was term-limited in her position as chair for four years.
The delegation also unanimously chose Del. Sarah Wolek as vice chair in place of Del. Emily Shetty, who was also term limited.
Dels. Bernice Mireku-North and Aaron Kaufman were chosen as the new co-chairs of the county’s House Democratic Caucus. They replace Wolek and Del. Lorig Charkoudian. The delegation is the largest in the House, representing 18% of the 141-member House chamber.
Halfway there
When a number of progressive organizations announced earlier this week that they were going to hold a rally in Baltimore on Saturday, the goal was to get Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) to challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for the job of Democratic leader of the Senate.
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After being prodded by progressives, including some incoming senators elected in this fall’s blue wave of Democratic victories, Van Hollen announced Thursday that he would run for leader in the next Congress, when Democrats will be in the majority. Most analysts say Van Hollen has his work cut out for him against Schumer, the Senate Democrats’ leader since 2017, who is getting some of the credit for the stunning gain of at least eight Senate seats in this year’s elections.
The grassroots groups – Baltimore Rapid Response Network, Charm City Indivisible, Allies for Democracy and IfNotNow Baltimore – will still rally in support of Van Hollen at 2 p.m. Saturday outside the senator’s Baltimore office, but expect more anti-Schumer than pro-Van Hollen.
Another group, Progressive Maryland, is behind a change.org petition urging Van Hollen to run for majority leader. The petition, which had more than 4,000 signatures Friday, doesn’t name Schumer, but says that “if the caucus defaults to the leadership that has run it since 2017, this [blue] wave will fade into business as usual.”
Home-grown farm lobbying talent
The Maryland Farm Bureau has tapped a fifth-generation farmer as its next lobbyist.
The bureau announced Thursday that Sydnie Grossnickle will serve as director of government relations where she will “lead MDFB’s advocacy efforts in Annapolis and Washington, D.C., as well as heading up grassroots policy development between MDFB’s 23 county farm bureaus.” It said her experience coming from a farm family “will give her great insight as she advocates for MDFB’s over 6,000 members.”
She had served as government affairs coordinator for the Delaware Farm Bureau.
Grossnickle said she was honored to join the Maryland Farm Bureau and to “advocate for farmers and ag communities that helped shape my passion for the industry.” Farm Bureau Executive Director Parker Welch welcomed Grossnickle.
“With her years of advocacy work with the Delaware Farm Bureau and having been raised on her family farm in Frederick County, she will be a huge asset to our team when working with members and elected officials,” Welch said in the announcement.
Grossnickle starts at the bureau is gearing up for the 2027 General Assembly. But as director of government relations, she will direct the bureau’s public policy program year-round, including “the planning, organization, and implementation of legislative and regulatory goals within the boundaries of member-driven grassroots policy, budget, and Board of Directors direction.” She can be reached at [email protected].
