The towns and villages of Chevy Chase will host one of the first candidates forums featuring the two competitors for what’s expected to be the County Council’s fiercely contested District 1 seat.
On Wednesday, April 30 at 7 p.m., incumbent Councilmember Roger Berliner and challenger Duchy Trachtenberg will take part in a forum at the Town of Chevy Chase Town Hall (4301 Willow Lane).
Berliner and Trachtenberg, who served as an at-large council member from 2006-2010, are former allies. On filing deadline day for the June 24 primary, Trachtenberg surprised many by choosing to run against Berliner and not for one of her former at-large seats or a position in the state legislature.
The race has already touched off a break with Berliner in a portion of the development community, as a number of developers unhappy with Berliner’s work on the Clarksburg Ten Mile Creek decision will host a fundraiser for Trachtenberg this week at the Congressional Country Club.
Berliner must also make up a significant fundraising gap. The two term council member wasn’t expecting such an established Democratic primary opponent. Trachtenberg has tried to mend rough relations with labor by promising to restore effects bargaining rights for police.
Also taking part in the April 30 forum will be Republican Jim Kirkland, who was nominated by the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee to run in District 1. He’ll be on the general election ballot.
Other Chevy Chase forums will include one for all the Council at-large candidates on Wednesday, May 21 at 7 p.m. at the 4H Center (7100 Connecticut Ave.).
All four incumbents — Marc Elrich, Nancy Floreen, George Leventhal and Hans Riemer — are in the race and will be challenged by Dickerson resident Beth Daly and Olney resident Vivian Malloy. The Republican side has four candidates that will all make the general election ballot, including Bethesda resident and blogger Robert Dyer.
Finally, the county executive candidates will get together on Sunday, June 8 from 2 p.m. at the 4H Center for yet another county executive forum. That forum will be hosted by Charles Duffy, the host of a show on Montgomery Municipal Cable and a familiar face to the candidates. He hosted the Women’s Democratic Club county executive forum Sunday in Silver Spring.
