Brian Anleu has entered the race to represent a proposed new eastern Montgomery County Council district.
The County Council has not yet finalized its proposed new map, which will increase from five to seven the number of district seats and keep four current at-large seats.
But Anleu, 32, chief of staff for the Montgomery County Planning Board, said he did not want to wait for final boundaries of the new district to begin his campaign to represent it. He filed on Tuesday.
The County Council is considering a new map with a district that will run along U.S. 29 from Four Corners to Burtonsville and include the White Oak area.
Anleu, a Democrat, said he realizes there may be changes in the proposed district before the redistricted map is made final.
“I feel it’s the right next step for me,” said Anleu, who lives in Hillandale.
He said he will focus on affordable housing issues, transportation and economic development.
Before working for the Planning Board, Anleu worked as a staffer for Tom Hucker, the council president, who is challenging County Executive Marc Elrich in a Democratic primary.
Anleu has said that he was waiting to see if Hucker, who represents District 5, planned to seek another term on the council. Last week, Hucker announced that he is running for county executive.
Anleu said he plans to participate in the county’s public campaign financing program and take an unpaid leave of absence from his county government job to focus on his campaign.
The prospect of two new council district seats has drawn interest from county residents seeking political office. Because there’s no final redistricting map, those running for County Council must file candidacy in the districts in which they currently live, unless they run for an at-large seat.
Multiple Democrats have expressed interest in running for the new east county seat.
Candidates and who are running or considering running include:
District 1
• Council Member Andrew Friedson, a Democrat, announced he is seeking re-election to his current seat
District 2
• William Roberts, a civil rights attorney, and Marilyn Balcombe, president and CEO of the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce, both Democrats, have announced their candidacies. Incumbent Craig Rice, also a Democrat, is term-limited.
District 3
• Council Member Sidney Katz, a Democrat, has said he plans to run again for this seat.
District 4
• Council Member Nancy Navarro, a Democrat, is term-limited and is running for lieutenant governor on a ticket with former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker.
Five candidates for County Council District 4, all Democrats, are:
• Natali Fani-González, a former member of the county’s Planning Board and a business/PR consultant
• Omar Lazo, co-owner of Los Chorros Restaurant in Wheaton
• Maricé Morales, an attorney and former state delegate
• Paul Schwartz, a former columnist for the Sentinel newspapers and currently a lobbyist in Annapolis, focusing on representing current and retired federal employees
• Dawn Luedtke of Ashton, an assistant attorney general for Maryland.
District 5
• Besides Anleu, Democrat Fatmata Barrie, a White Oak resident and attorney, is running for this seat, which is currently held by Hucker.
Also running are William “Chip” Montier of Silver Spring, a Democrat who works as a paralegal for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; community organizer Daniel Koroma, a White Oak resident and Democrat; and fellow Democrat Jeremiah Pope, a fundraising consultant.
At-large
Multiple Democrats have either filed, announced or shown interest. The candidates who have filed are:
• Council Member Gabe Albornoz
• Council Member Evan Glass
• Scott Goldberg, an attorney and member of the county’s Democratic Central Committee
• Kim Kellerman of Poolesville, a mother of four
• Laurie-Anne Sayles, a Gaithersburg City Council member and Food and Drug Administration employee
• Brandy Brooks of Wheaton, an education and nonprofit leader
• Christa Tichy of Rockville, who works in construction.
Council Member Will Jawando and Kristin Mink have both announced they’re running. Mink, a former Montgomery County Public Schools teacher, works at The Center for Popular Democracy.
Neil Harris, a Gaithersburg City Council member, filed his intent to use the county’s public election fund in an at-large race, but has since said that he is “doubtful” that he will run.
County Executive
Incumbent Marc Elrich, At-Large Council Member Hans Riemer, businessman David Blair and District 5 Council Member Tom Hucker will compete in a Democratic primary.
The filing deadline for next year’s elections is Feb. 22. The primary election is scheduled for June 28, and the general election is set for Nov. 8.