Alan Bowser for Montgomery County Planning Board 2011 - Letter of Application

April 26, 2011

The Honorable Valerie Ervin
Montgomery County Council President
Stella B. Werner Council Office Building
100 Maryland Avenue
Rockville, Maryland 20850

Dear Council President Ervin:

I am pleased to present my application for the position of Member of the Montgomery County Planning Board. I am a member of the Democratic Party.

My interest in serving the Council and the residents of Montgomery County as a member of the Planning Board is longstanding. With the encouragement of members of the Montgomery County Council, I have been privileged to meet with the Council on other occasions to discuss my views about the important planning and development issues facing Montgomery County.

As you know, I had the honor and privilege of serving Montgomery County as Chief of Staff to former Montgomery County Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, Chair of the Council’s Management and Fiscal Policy Committee. While serving in that position, I was able to participate in every important policy discussion and decision that the County Council made on behalf of our County’s residents. Through my service in Councilmember Trachtenberg’s office, I had the opportunity to productively interact with all members of the Montgomery County Council, their staff members, the Council’s professional staff, members of the Executive Branch, senior staff at the County’s Planning and Parks Departments, and representatives of the private sector and civic community. My experience in supporting the County Council’s work on the many land use and planning issues in front of the Council during my tenure have well prepared me for serving on the Planning Board.

From this experience, I believe that County Council members were able to obtain the best possible view and impression of my personal work ethic, my judgment, my interpersonal skills, my intellectual abilities, my strong interest in land use and planning issues, and my commitment and dedication to our common work

In previous correspondence to the Council and in our meetings, I have shared my ideas about Montgomery County planning. I’ve noted my strong support for preserving Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve and my commitment to smart growth and the idea that “great urban design—focused on great transit, pedestrian safety and convenience, green space, public amenities, arts and culture—is the future for our transit station areas…” I affirmed the Council’s view that that the County’s regulatory processes must be up to the task of 21st century development, and that “community input and transparent decision making are more important than ever.” I also expressed my support for the application of the best principles of community design, adequate public facilities and sustainability to guide future growth and development toward our smart growth centers.

Montgomery County Service. Throughout my career, I have been extensively involved in community development and planning issues as an attorney, economist and policy analyst. Since the last time the Council considered my candidacy for appointment to the Planning Board, I have continued my extensive work on the County and local levels in planning and community development issues. On the County level,

I served as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services.

I served as an alternate member of the Montgomery County Planning Board’s Purple Line Master Plan Advisory Group.

I served on the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board and as the Chair of its Neighborhoods Committee. I also served on its Transportation and Pedestrian Safety Committees, and its Commercial and Economic Development Committees.

I continue to serve on the Montgomery County African American Advisory Group.

I continue to serve as a member of the Silver Spring Arts & Entertainment District Advisory Committee.

In Silver Spring, I served as President of the Park Hills Civic Association, one of the oldest civic associations in Montgomery County. In this capacity, I helped our neighbors advocate for environmental protection, public and pedestrian safety, sustainable transit, and community revitalization. I continue to serve as Treasurer of our civic association. As PHCA’s past President, I am a member of the Presidents’ Council of Silver Spring Civic Associations (Prezco) and have supported their work on transit, pedestrian safety, budget integrity, and public safety. As I have previously stated to the County Council, I strongly support transit, and the Purple Line, in particular, and the mode and alignment recommended by the MTA.

I continue to serve as President of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. and have undertaken extensive outreach activities to Montgomery County residents, veterans, artists, and very importantly, area youth. In this position, I have produced numerous arts & entertainment events throughout Silver Spring, including our “Tribute to America’s Veterans” benefit concerts, which have supported “Operation Second Chance,” and “Rebuilding Together,” Montgomery County non-profit organizations that assists wounded military personnel in their return to civilian life. I also founded and serve as co-executive producer of the Silver Spring Blues Festival in Downtown Silver Spring, which has brought thousands of guests and patrons to businesses in the Silver Spring Central Business District.

I have supported important community organizations such as the Friends of the Library, Community for a New Silver Spring Library, Friends of Sligo Creek, Impact Silver Spring, and the Sligo Creek Golf Association. I continue my strong advocacy for the County’s parks and recreation programs and have encouraged and participated in several environmental clean-up programs in Sligo Creek Park, Long Branch Park and Broad Acres Park.

Professional Experience and Education. Please recall that my professional experience spans over thirty years working on energy, environment, transportation, housing and agriculture issues, in the public and private sectors. I have worked as an economist for the United States Treasury and the Executive Office of the President and I served as a legislative assistant in the United States House of Representatives. I have also worked as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Federal Transit Administration, and the U.S Secretary of Veterans Affairs. In the Clinton Administration, I was appointed to the Senior Executive Service of the United States. I served as the United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Basic Industries, with responsibility for one of the largest group of offices in the International Trade Administration. As U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary, I managed over 100 professional staff members in the U.S Office of Automotive Affairs, the U.S. Office of Energy, Infrastructure and Machinery, and the U.S. Office of Metals, Material and Chemicals. Among many significant achievements at Commerce, where I worked to raise the profile of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies, I developed President Bill Clinton’s Clean Energy Trade Initiative, which promoted the sales of U.S. clean energy and environmental technology throughout the world.

I believe that my appointment to and service on the Montgomery County Planning Board can help the Board move forward with even greater community understanding of its mission and public support for its decisions. I look forward to assisting the Chairman and the other Board members with their work.

I look forward to discussing this matter further with you and your colleagues on the County Council.

I hope to have your support for this appointment.

Sincerely yours,

Alan S. Bowser, Esq.