MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Montgomery County council officials announced Thursday who they have selected from a pool of more than 120 local applicants for the planning board.
All five of the former planning board members resigned in early October due to allegations of alcohol in the workplace, a toxic work environment and what the Council President called a lot of finger-pointing.
Council leaders said they accepted the resignations of the five-member board because it lost faith in the board's ability to work together. The new, temporary board members will serve the remaining terms of the former members.
The council has appointed Rockville local, Jeffrey Zyontz as the temporary acting chair. The Democrat has held numerous positions at the Maryland National Park and Planning Commission, including serving eight years as chief of the county-wide planning division. He's also a former legislative attorney with the council where he rewrote the county zoning ordinance, according to Montgomery County Councilmember Andrew Friedson, who announced the appointees.
Amy Presley has been appointed as the temporary acting vice chair. She is a former member of the Montgomery County Planning Board, where she set policies on growth, transportation and environmental protection. The Clarksburg resident is a Republican, president of the Clarksburg Town Center Advisory Committee, Inc. and the managing partner of Trusted Estate Partners.
Cherri Branson, David Hill, and Roberto Piñero will all serve as temporary acting Planning Board members.
A Democratic resident of Silver Spring, Branson is the former director of Montgomery County’s Office of Procurement, where she managed a staff of 37 employees and oversaw a $4.4 million budget. She is also a lawyer and a former member of the Montgomery County Council.
Silver Spring neighbor and fellow Democrat, Piñero has been a senior analyst focused on housing, financial markets, and community investment in the U.S. Government Accountability Office for nearly 20 years. He also is a former Housing Opportunities Commission member. He stepped down as a member of Montgomery County’s Board of Appeals to become a temporary Planning Board member.
Hill, an unaffiliated registered voter in Rockville, served on the City of Rockville’s Planning Commission for a decade. Prior to that, he was a member of the city’s Board of Appeals. He currently works as a senior systems analyst at Westat.
Montgomery County Councilmember Andrew Friedson said that the new selections reflect the county's diversity in their backgrounds, experience and party affiliation.
The temporary council will be inaugurated on Dec. 5. The filling of permanent board positions will begin in March and should be fully appointed by June 2023, according to council leaders.