Political Notebook: Montgomery County Democrat joins race for 6th District

Montgomery County Council member running for Congress in 6th District

A Montgomery County Council member is joining the large field of candidates to replace Democratic U.S. Congressman David Trone to represent Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District.

Laurie-Anne Sayles, a council member at-large and former Gaithersburg council member, filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission to run for the seat made available by Trone’s decision to run for the open U.S. Senate seat.

Sayles, a Democrat, joined the Montgomery County Council in December of last year. She previously worked as a senior consultant with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

— Dwight A. Weingarten

Who else is running in the 6th Congressional District primaries?

The field is crowded on both sides of the aisle in the race to replace David Trone, who announced earlier this summer that he was seeking to replace U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat, who is retiring.

The list of Democrats includes Hagerstown Mayor Tekesha Martinez; Joel Rubin, a Montgomery County resident who served in a senior role in the Obama Administration’s Department of State; Destiny Drake West, the founder and CEO of a policy institute; State delegates Joe Vogel and Lesley Lopez, both Democrats representing Montgomery County districts; Stephen McDow, once the director of membership for the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce, and George Gluck, a mathematician who ran in last year’s primary.

More: A campaign that 'knocks the socks off': Martinez says she's running for Congress

The list of Republicans includes Hagerstown's former state delegate Brenda Thiam; Germantown resident and former naval flight officer and IT sales executive Tom Royals; Frederick-area U.S. Air Force veteran Mariela Roca; Heath Barns of Woodsboro; Chris Hyser, a retired state trooper; and Todd Puglisi, a McDonald’s employee who ran for U.S. Senate in 2022.

Republican Neil Parrott announced he has formed an exploratory committee for the seat. If Parrott does run, it would follow two of his unsuccessful attempts to win the district that Trone, a wine retailer, won again in 2022.

Germantown Republican running for Congress part of conservative education rally

Tom Royals, Republican candidate for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, participated in an Opt-Out Silent Rally last week outside the Federal Courthouse in Greenbelt with fellow Maryland parents, according to a news release from his campaign.

Previously: Germantown Republican joins 6th Congressional District race

“Parents have fundamental rights in the education of their children — and if they have deep-seated convictions and beliefs that conflict with material being taught in the classroom, they should have the freedom to opt out.” Royals said in the news release. “When parents send their children off to school in the morning, they deserve to know their student is getting the best education possible to set them up for success, free from an ideological agenda.”

Hagerstown man named to state transportation needs commission

Jim Kercheval with the Greater Hagerstown Committee was appointed to the Maryland Commission on Transportation Revenue and Infrastructure Needs, according to a news release from the Maryland Department of Transportation.

The 31-member commission will review, evaluate and make recommendations concerning the prioritization and funding of transportation projects. The first meeting is set for Aug. 24 in Annapolis, according to the release.

The commission is comprised of legislators; representatives from local government, transportation, industry, business, labor and environmental organizations; and several members of the Moore Administration including Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld, Budget and Management Secretary Helene Grady, Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson and Planning Secretary Rebecca Flora.

Members were selected by Gov. Wes Moore, Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson and Maryland House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, according to the release. The Maryland Department of Transportation and the Department of Legislative Services will provide staff support to the commission.

In his role as leader of the Greater Hagerstown Committee, Kercheval has advocated for Washington County transportation projects, specifically upgrades to Interstate 81.

Under the 2023 legislation that formed the commission, members are charged with considering a number of transportation topics, including:

    • current funding sources and structure of the Maryland Transportation Trust Fund;      • transportation funding in other states;      • short- and long-term transportation funding needs;      • options for public-private partnerships;      • changes in transportation technology and trends;      • practices for prioritizing project funding;      • options for regional transportation authorities;      • options for sustainable, long term transportation funding; and      • practices to improve project delivery.

The commission will meet throughout 2023 and 2024. Meetings will be livestreamed from the Maryland General Assembly’s website. Opportunities for public participation will be available. An interim commission report is due to the Governor and legislature on or before Jan. 1, with a final report on or before Jan. 1, 2025. Dates, times, agendas, updates and other information will be posted on the commission website at www.mdot.maryland.gov/commission.

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This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Sayles latest to join crowded field for 6th Congressional District