Kensington‘s vice mayor, who helped pass a resolution endorsing civil marriage for gay couples, is expected to fill the state legislative seat held by the late Del. Jane Lawton, who passed away in November.
Al Carr, a former town council member who has been active in Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters and Maryland Municipal League activities, received 14 of 22 votes cast by members of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee on Tuesday evening. Rick Kessler received six votes, and Rosalyn Woodward (Roz) Pelles, who was endorsed by some of Lawton’s family, received two votes in the election.
Carr said he plans to advocate in Annapolis for a statewide measure that would extend civil marriage rights to gay couples.
He said he also has three bills he’d like to introduce during this winter’s legislative session. One would expand caps on property taxes to cover homeowners who move, another would increase the incentives for property owners to fix up older homes rather than tear them down, and another would create a fuel energy tax for municipalities to “give businesses an incentive to invest in energy efficiency.”
The governor will officially appoint Carr the delegate for District 18, which encompasses Kensington and parts of Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Rockville, Silver Spring and Wheaton.
“He has a strong political packground as precinct vice chair of the District 18 caucus, a strong community association as mayor pro-tem of Kensingtown, and a lot of background in community advocacy,” said Milt Minneman, Communications Director for the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee.
“I like that he comes with legislative experience already,” said Del. Brian Feldman, chair of Montgomery County’s House delegation. “He understands the importance of building coalitions. Whether in Kensington or Annapolis, the same principles apply. I have every reason to believe he will hit the ground running.”
