County Council re-appoints Hedrick to Planning Board 

Elrich declined to say if he would confirm re-appointment following veto of initial appointment in 2023

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July 29, 2026 11:45 a.m.

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The Montgomery County Council on Tuesday voted to re-appoint housing policy professional James Hedrick, a Democrat, to a four-year term on the Montgomery Planning Board. 

Through a spokesperson, County Executive Marc Elrich (D) on Tuesday declined to answer a question from Bethesda Today about whether he would confirm Hedrick’s re-appointment. Under the county code, he has 30 days to do so. 

When the council initially appointed Hedrick to serve out an unexpired term in 2023, Elrich vetoed the appointment saying at the time that Hedrick had “made insulting and dismissive statements about those with opposing viewpoints” regarding housing. The council then overrode Elrich’s veto with a unanimous vote.  

Hedrick’s partial term as a Planning Board Commissioner expired June 14, according to a council staff report.  

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The council selected him to fill the vacant seat over John Schlichting, a Democrat who is the former director of planning and code administration for the city of Gaithersburg. The council interviewed both candidates publicly on July 14. 

“Serving on the Planning Board has been both an honor and a great responsibility,” Hedrick said in a Tuesday press release. “I’m grateful to my colleagues, the Parks and Planning staff, and community members who brought their perspectives to some of the county’s most important conversations. I look forward to helping shape policies that will continue to positively affect people’s daily lives.” 

Hedrick’s initial appointment to the Planning Board followed a series of controversies surrounding the entity, which is part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. 

In October 2022, all five members of the previous Planning Board resigned after the body met in closed session to fire former Planning Director Gwen Wright. Then-board chair Casey Anderson had earlier been found to have violated Planning Department rules by keeping a full bar in his county office.  

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In February 2023, the council chose Hedrick over four other Democrats to replace Cherri Branson, who had been serving on the Planning Board in a temporary capacity since the raft of resignations.   

Planning Board terms are typically four years long, according to a council staff report. Commissioners are paid $30,000 annually and are limited to serving two full terms. No more than three of the five commissioners can be members of the same political party. 

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine