Gabe Albornoz was elected president of the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday and Council Member Evan Glass was elected vice president.
Both votes were unanimous. Tom Hucker concluded his one-year term as County Council president, which started last December. Albornoz was vice president for that year.
Albornoz and Glass begin their new leadership posts as the coronavirus pandemic still affects decisions throughout county government, including the county’s indoor mask mandate and coronavirus vaccine distribution.
They also take over the positions as the focus on next year’s primary elections for county executive and County Council seats increases. County voters approved a ballot measure in November 2020, increasing the number of County Council district seats from five to seven, and the overall size from nine to 11 members.
In his outgoing remarks, Hucker — who is running in the 2022 Democratic primary for county executive — said there were many challenges as council president during the pandemic.
“Thank you for your engagement and your partnership in this process every step of the way,” Hucker told his colleagues. “It’s been a very intense period. I feel like I aged five years this year. But it’s an absolute privilege to serve this amazing county.”
Albornoz said he looks forward to working with Glass. He added that Glass is the first openly gay County Council member to serve in a leadership post.
As council president, Albornoz said, some of his main focuses are closing gaps in health disparities, combating food insecurity countywide and continuing to help residents navigate challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic.
More specifically, Albornoz set a goal of ending childhood hunger countywide in the next three years.
“As council president, I will work with our partners and stakeholders to make this vision a reality and work with all of my council colleagues to announce the path forward in the new year,” Albornoz said.
Steve Bohnel can be reached at steve.bohnel@moco360.media