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April 2,
2008: GAZETTE ENDORSES PAT RYAN FOR COUNTY COUNCIL
Read the full article
here
Pat Ryan
Announces Candidacy for Montgomery County Council
District 4
Long-time resident and civic activist Patrick E. “Pat”
Ryan announced today that he is seeking the Democratic
nomination for the Montgomery County Council seat which
will be contested in a special primary election on April
15.
“This county has
given a lot to me and my family. It’s been my home for
most of my life. It’s time to give something back, so
that the county’s future will be even brighter than the
past.”
Ryan, 55,
currently works as a federal consultant and is retired
from the Federal government. He and his wife reside in
northeastern Silver Spring. Their three children
attended local schools and two have graduated from the
University of Maryland.
“I spent many
years doing volunteer work in my community, including
thirteen years serving on the Fairland master plan
citizens’ advisory committee. I’ve also worked for
elected Members of the House of Representatives, and
have watched Montgomery County officials work hard over
the years to strengthen and improve the services
provided to citizens. I think my experience as an
advocate for the needs of veterans, shepherding ideas
into laws, and analyzing complex budgets are talents
that will serve the citizens of District 4 well.”
“Everyone knows
that the late Marilyn Praisner was a courageous and
independent voice on the council, and although I don’t
have all the knowledge she acquired in her long public
career, people who know me believe I have the courage
and integrity to confront the tough choices which are
looming before the Council in the coming months.”
Ryan pledged to
fight to maintain the county’s top-ranked school system,
to oppose proposals which will lead to further
over-crowding of county schools and further congestion
on highways, to find creative means to build housing in
the county which county employees can afford, and to use
his knowledge acquired over a lifetime of living in
Montgomery County for the benefit of all citizens. He
also announced he will not accept campaign contributions
from developers, and urged other persons considering
entering the race to do the same.
The Montgomery County Council has
nine seats, with four of the members elected “at large”
and five members who are elected by voters in council
districts, which comprise roughly one fifth of the
county’s households. The current vacancy was created by
the recent death of widely-admired Council Member
Marilyn Praisner, who was the longest serving member of
the Council.
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