Jawando garners support of Washington-area AFL-CIO council

March 31, 2026 4:36 p.m.

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County Councilmember Will Jawando (D-At large) has picked up the backing of another organized labor group, as the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO late last week announced it is endorsing him for Montgomery County executive.

The regional labor organization is comprised of more than 150 affiliate union locals representing workers in Washington, D.C., and five counties in central and southern Maryland, including Montgomery.

Jawando is competing against two of his council colleagues, Andrew Friedson (Dist. 1) and Evan Glass (At-large), in the June 23 Democratic primary to succeed term-limited County Executive Marc Elrich—who is running for a council at-large seat, and was endorsed for that slot by the regional labor group.

Seventeen Democrats are running for four at-large seats on the council, three of which are open due to councilmembers’ retirements or pursuit of higher office. Besides Elrich, the AFL-CIO group endorsed the only at-large incumbent seeking re-election, Laurie-Anne Sayles, along with Navy veteran and LGBTQ activist Josie Caballero of Silver Spring.

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The regional labor organization also endorsed candidates in five races for district council seats – including long-time Elrich aide Debbie Spielberg of Bethesda in the three-way Democratic primary for the District 1 slot being vacated by Friedson, and Rockville City Councilmember Izola Shaw in another three-way Democratic contest to succeed term-limited Councilmember Sidney Katz in District 3.

Other endorsements include incumbents Kate Stewart in District 4, Kristin Mink in District 5, and Natali Fani-González in District 6; all three have Democratic primary challengers. The labor group did not make endorsements in District 2, where incumbent Marilyn Balcombe has no primary opposition, and District 7, where incumbent Dawn Luedtke faces two Democratic challengers.

For Jawando, the endorsement is the latest in a series by local and regional labor organizations, including the Montgomery County Education Association, which represents Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) teachers, and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 500, whose members include MCPS support staff.

Also endorsing Jawando are two other SEIU affiliates – 1199SEIU and 31BJ SEIU—representing area health care and property services workers, respectively, along with the American Federation of Government Employees—comprised of federal workers in the Washington metro region and the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA).

Housing a ‘major issue’ for many likely Democratic primary voters, poll finds

A recent poll conducted by Data for Progress on behalf of the land use policy organization Greater Greater Washington appears to confirm the mainstream view that housing policy will be a major issue for many voters in the June 23 Democratic primary election.

The data released last week is based on responses of 409 likely Democratic primary voters in Montgomery County between Feb. 10 and 19. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters in age, gender, race, education and geography, according to Data for Progress.

Among other findings, the poll shows that 39% of likely Democratic primary voters consider
the age and quality of housing in the county to be a major issue. The proportion was even higher for the college-educated at 43%, renters at 46% and for those younger than 45 at 50%.

While more survey respondents said age and quality of housing was a major issue, 26% said it was a minor issue and 28% said it was not an issue at all. Six percent of respondents said they did not know.

The survey also asked whether respondents would be more or less likely to vote for their representative seeking re-election to the Montgomery County Council if that councilmember supported a proposed housing development in their neighborhood.

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Of those surveyed, 33% said they would be more likely to vote for their councilmember’s re-election and 27% said they would be less likely if that councilmember supported a proposed housing development in their neighborhood.

The percentage of respondents who said they would be more likely to support their councilmember’s re-election was higher for the college-educated at 36%, renters at 51% and for those younger than the age of 45 at 58%.

MoCo Volunteer Fire Rescue Association endorses County Council candidates

The Montgomery County Volunteer Fire Rescue Association recently announced its endorsements for County Council — and the list includes term-limited County Executive Marc Elrich.

The Elrich endorsement by the association, which represents 19 volunteer fire and rescue companies around the county, comes after the organization last fall announced Councilmember Andrew Friedson (D-District 1) as its choice for the next county executive.

Elrich is among the candidates endorsed by the association in the 17-way Democratic contest for the four County Council at-large seats, three of which are open with no incumbents seeking re-election.

The group also endorsed former Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee Chair Scott Goldberg, at-large Board of Education member Karla Silvestre, and Maryland General Assembly staffer Jeremiah Pope of Silver Spring.

In the Democratic primary for district council seats, the association endorsed district Board of Education member Julie Yang for the seat being vacated by Friedson, and Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman for the District 3 seat left open by the retirement of term-limited Councilmember Sidney Katz.

The association’s other council endorsements included incumbents Marilyn Balcombe in District 2, Kate Stewart in District 4, Natali Fani-Gonzalez in District 6 and Dawn Luedtke in District 7.

The group opted to make no endorsement in District 5, where incumbent Kristin Mink is seeking re-election to a second term.

Although Mink voted for a couple of recent pieces of legislation favored by volunteer fire and rescue squads, neither she nor her campaign responded to inquiries from the group during the endorsement process — leading to the no endorsement decision. Mink faces one challenger, Charles Kirchman, in the Democratic primary. Josephine Salazar of Burtonsville is seeking the Republican nomination.

In October, the association announced its endorsement of Friedson for county executive. Friedson also has the backing of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1664, which representsMontgomery County’s career firefighters.

Glass gets new chief of staff

With the departure of Valeria Carranza, Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass (D-At-large) has a new chief of staff this week for the first time since winning election to his seat in 2018.

During the council’s general business meeting last week, Glass said he met Carranza 15 years ago while both were advocating for the passage of Maryland’s marriage equality law.

At that time, Carranza was working in the office of then-Councilmember Hans Rieimer (D-At-large). When Glass won election to his seat in 2018, Carranza was the first person he hired to work in his office, he said during the March 24 council meeting.

Carranza’s last day as Glass’ chief of staff was Friday. Taking over for Carranza is Jill Ortman-Fouse of Silver Spring, a community organizer who served one four-year term as an at-large member of the Montgomery County Board of Education from 2014 to 2018. Bethesda Today spoke to Ortman-Fouse on March 24 and she said she would start March 30.

Ortman-Fouse and Glass were among the 33 candidates who sought the Democratic nomination for four council at-large seats in 2018. According to Maryland State Board of Elections records, Ortman-Fouse came in eleventh place that year with 3.3% of the vote while Glass came third with 8% of the vote.

According to Glass, Carranza left for a new position leading federal policy for MomsRising, an organization dedicated to increasing family economic security and ending discrimination against women and mothers.

Glass is one of three sitting council members seeking the Democratic nomination for county executive in the June 23 primary election. The others are Jawando and Friedson.

Also seeking the Democratic nomination for county executive this year are landlord Mithun Banerjee of Silver Spring and small business owner Peter James of Gaithersburg. Shelly Skolnick, a Friendship Heights attorney, and Esther Wells, a certified public accountant from Montgomery Village, are seeking the Republican nomination. The general election is Nov. 3.

Louis Peck, a contributing editor for Bethesda Magazine, can be reached at lou.peck@bethesdamagazine.com.

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine