Endorsement of Carol Rubin for Planning Board

Letter to County Council, October 9, 2021

The Action Committee for Transit strongly endorses Carol Rubin for the Planning Board vacancy created by the resignation of Natali Fani-Gonzalez.

Carol Rubin is uniquely qualified for this position by her in-depth knowledge of the planning and zoning process, her commitment to making Montgomery County a better place, and her strategic thinking about how to reach that goal through the intertwined mechanisms of land use and transportation policy.

Her skills will strengthen the Planning Board in many ways. In the short run, Carol Rubin's knowledge of the complexities of the zoning code will help ensure that the Board's actions on individual projects conform to the intent of master plans and the zoning code. In the longer run, her strategic understanding of the process will enable the Board to draft master plans and text amendments that actually accomplish what they are intended to do.

These are goals of great importance. Effective democratic governance requires that the will of the majority expressed by Council votes must be implemented. Both builders and county residents benefit by minimizing zoning disputes over individual buildings, which waste the time of all concerned and degrade the county's business climate.

We urge you to select Carol Rubin for the current Planning Board vacancy.

Paul Goldman

Action Committee for Transit