Openings on Montgomery planning panel draw 29 applicants - Gazette

19 Democrats vie for Gene Lynch’s seat
by Margie Hyslop | Staff Writer

Twenty-nine applicants are seeking appointment to two seats on the Montgomery County Planning Board.

The County Council will consider 19 Democrats to fill the seat held for less than a year by the late Gene Lynch. The council also will consider eight Republicans and two unaffiliated applicants to succeed Allison Bryant, whose second term expires in June.

Among the better-known applicants are:

* Joseph L. Alfandre (D) of Potomac, who built the Kentlands in Gaithersburg and comes from a prominent family of developers.

* Robin Ficker (R) of Boyds, an anti-tax activist who has petitioned many issues onto the ballot and is former state delegate who most recently ran for county executive.

* Cary Lamari (D) of Silver Spring, a civic activist who has run for county council

* William M. Mooney Jr. (D) of Olney, a former acting deputy director at the park and planning agency who is a partner in Smart Growth Investments, a firm founded by Lynch.

* Amy Presley (R) of Clarksburg, a strategic planning and marketing consultant and co-founder of the Clarksburg Town Center Advisory Committee. That group’s research and persistence uncovered hundreds of overlooked violations in her community and reform at the planning agency.

* Gerald J. Roper Sr. (D) of Silver Spring, a former Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission member. Roper was pushed off the utility’s board in 2004 by County Executive Douglas M. Duncan over turmoil at the agency surrounding the ouster of its general manager, John R. Griffin, who is now the Maryland Secretary of Natural Resources. Formerly a hearing examiner for the District of Columbia and director of minority business contracting for the Maryland Transit Administration, Roper is now a consultant.

Also applying are:

* Lourdes Baldoza-Cabanas (unaffiliated) of Silver Spring, chief financial officer of an auction and appraisal firm

* Jeff Baron (D) of Bethesda, a part-time foreign service officer at the U.S. State Department and former staffer for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

* Paula Bienenfeld (R) of Bethesda, a consultant for environmental and cultural resource management.

* Pamela R. Bingham (D) of Silver Spring, a construction management consultant and industrial engineer.

* Walter S. Booth (D) of Bethesda, a civil and criminal defense lawyer.

* Alan S. Bowser (D) of Silver Spring, a lawyer and former deputy assistant secretary of commerce.

* Gerald R. Cichy (R) of Rockville, a certified planner and former transportation director for the county.

* Leonard S. Cohen (D) of Silver Spring, a retired entrepreneur and engineer.

* Benjamin W. George (R) of Boyds, a real estate agent.

* Bruce Goldensohn (R) of Gaithersburg, a former two-term mayor of Gaithersburg who has worked in the defense industry.

* Wendell M. Holloway (D) of Potomac, a member of the Board of Appeals and former interim president of Bowie State University.

* Herbert N. Jasper (D) of Bethesda, a retired federal employee and consultant.

* Issa Khozeimeh (R) of Bethesda, an electrical engineer and utilities manager for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

* Philip Litman (unaffiliated) of Rockville, former audit manager for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission of which the county planning board is a part.

* Jon M. Lourie (D) of Silver Spring, an architect.

* Cynthia Pansing (D) of Gaithersburg, a marketing and strategic planning consultant.

* Carol A. Placek (D) of Kensington, a lawyer and former business development manager at the county’s Housing Opportunities Commission.

* William S. Richbourg (D) of Potomac, a mortgage banker for Wells Fargo.

* Goldie W. Rivkin (D) of Bethesda, a planning consultant.

* Nelson M. Rosenbaum (R) of Bethesda, civic activist and president of a health care information services firm.

* Benjamin Ross (D) of Bethesda, president of the Action Committee for Transit and a retired physicist.

* Patrick E. Ryan (D) of Silver Spring, a lawyer and civic activist who ran for county council in the recent special election to replace the late Marilyn Praisner.

* Marye Wells-Harley (D) of Silver Spring, former director of Parks and Recreation for Prince George’s County.