Eleven Democrats in Disrict 14 have applied for the delegate seat that will open once Eric Luedtke resigns from his position to join Gov.-elect Wes Moore’s administration. For the first time in more than a decade, no member of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee has applied for a legislative vacancy.
The central committee will host a town hall Wednesday evening to interview candidates. Members will make their selection in January and send their name to the governor for approval.
Some committee members had recently proposed a rule change that would require committee members to resign before seeking a legislative vacancy. The practice of committee members elevating one of their own had come under criticism from some committee members and the general public.
That rule change has not been voted on, but none of the current committee members have applied for the vacancy. District 14 covers part of Damascus, Laytonsville, Olney, Sandy Spring, Burtonsville and other eastern parts of the county.
The 11 Democrats who applied for the vacancy are:
- Nathan Aaron Feinberg, a Montgomery County Public Schools teacher
- Jodi Finkelstein, executive director of the Montgomery County Commission for Women, who ran but lost for a District 14 House of Delegates seat in 2010
- Paul Geller, a former PTA head in the county who most recently was a candidate for County Council District 7
- Bernice Mireku-North, another former candidate for Montgomery County state’s attorney
- Perry Paylor, a former candidate for Montgomery County state’s attorney
- Matt Post, former student member of the county’s Board of Education
- Raj Rajendran, a tech contractor
- Hafizur Rahman, a finance manager
- Paul Schwartz, a County Council District 7 candidate from earlier this year
- Tom Smith, who ran for delegate in District 14 earlier this year but finished fourth
- Doug Terry, a TV production and documentary film company owner
After the town hall this week, the central committee will meet on Jan. 3 to select someone for consideration by the governor.