Council District Boundary Changes Could Be Big for Upcounty, East Montgomery County

County Council elections are still more than two years away, but members are already faced with redrawing district maps ahead of the race.

The county’s nine-person redistricting commission is required to study the county each decade and change the five council districts so that they remain "compact, continuous and substantially equal in population." 

The commission presented its proposed map of council districts to the County Council Tuesday, Oct. 4.

Under the redistricting commission’s proposed map, Districts 1 and 2 would change, most notably moving Poolesville from District 2 to District 1 and removing Olney from District 2.  Councilmember Craig Rice (D) represents District 2. Council Vice President Roger Berliner (D) represents District 1.

The third district, which includes Rockville, did not significantly change under the commission’s proposal.

Most of East Montgomery County would move from District 4 to District 5, placing neighborhoods like Burtonsville and Colesville in the same council district as downtown Silver Spring and Takoma Park. 

“Now, East County has two distinct council members that both kind of represent different parts of East County,” Miti Figueredo, director of the , said.

“[With the proposed changes] East County would be represented by one council member who would have to balance the needs of the northern East County residents with the down county residents and the more urban areas of Silver Spring and Takoma Park,” she continued.

According to the redistricting commission’s proposed maps, many neighborhoods would shift into different groups. 

District 4, which now includes Colesville and Burtonsville and is currently represented by Councilmember Nancy Navarro (D), would be centered around Georgia Avenue and Route 182 and include parts of Wheaton, Glenmont, Olney and Aspen Hill.

Council President Valerie Ervin (D)’s largely urban jurisdiction, District 5, which now includes downtown Silver Spring, Wheaton and parts of White Oak, would change to encompass the entire Route 29 corridor from downtown Silver Spring to Burtonsville.

Colesville would bisect both districts, with neighborhoods east of New Hampshire Avenue becoming part of District 5 and neighborhoods west of New Hampshire Avenue remaining part of District 4. (See the proposed district map, attached to this article.)

The council will hold a public hearing on the commission’s report on Tuesday, Nov. 1 in Rockville. Council members will vote to adopt or amend the district changes later this year, and changes would go into effect for the 2014 election year.