Anderson will serve second full term as chair and Verma, a community activist, will join Board on July 26
SILVER SPRING, MD – On Tuesday, June 25, 2019, the Montgomery County Council voted unanimously to reappoint Casey Anderson as the chair of the five-member Montgomery County Planning Board, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
The Council originally appointed Anderson to the Planning Board in June 2011 and first designated him as chair in July 2014.
“I am honored to be reappointed by the County Council as Planning Board Chair,” says Anderson. “I look forward to advancing our multi-modal transportation goals to reduce dependence on cars and vehicles, exploring a wider variety of housing types to meet the needs of our changing population and working to ensure community equity across the county. We are at a critical point in updating the General Plan, the land use and planning blueprint for the county, as our communities grow more populous and diverse.”
The Council also unanimously named Partap Verma as the newest member of the Planning Board. In making their decision, Council members cited Verma’s commitment to creating policies to serve the county’s most vulnerable residents while prioritizing transit, pedestrian safety and affordable housing. Twenty-four residents applied for the two positions and seven candidates were selected for interviews.
Verma’s appointment is effective on July 26, 2019 and he will participate in his first Planning Board meeting on September 5. He replaces Norman Dreyfuss who completed two, consecutive four-year terms, the maximum allowed, as a member and Vice Chair of the Planning Board.
An attorney who currently works at the United States Department of Homeland Security, Verma has a proven record of civic engagement in leading community planning and advocacy efforts. He has advocated for transit infrastructure and helped start a grassroots group in Forest Glen and Montgomery Hills. Partap serves on the Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board and as a mediator and panel attorney for the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
“I am looking forward to joining the Board and working with the Board members to encourage smart growth and pedestrian safety, promote affordable housing and, most importantly, provide a sense of community for all,” says Verma.
Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson cites Verma’s community advocacy as an asset in reviewing the plans and policies put before the Board. “We welcome Partap Verma to the Planning Board as someone who understands the many challenges and opportunities that our communities must address over the coming years.”
In addition to Anderson and Verma, the Planning Board members are Natali Fani-Gonzalez, Gerald Cichy and Tina Patterson.
About Casey Anderson
Casey Anderson is a Silver Spring resident, attorney and community activist. Before joining the Montgomery County Planning Board in 2011, Anderson served on the boards of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, Citizens League of Montgomery County, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and Committee for Montgomery. He is a former vice president of the Woodside Civic Association and executive vice chairman of the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board. Anderson holds undergraduate and law degrees from Georgetown University, and a graduate degree in journalism from Columbia University.
About Partap Verma
Partap Verma currently works at the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as an Associate Counsel focusing on privacy law and compliance. Prior to joining DHS, Verma served as general counsel at the US Department of State, specializing in interagency information sharing, national security issues and immigration law. Additionally, Partap represents Forest Glen issues at the Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board as its land use chair and serves on the executive board for Sierra Club Montgomery. He is also a mediator and panel attorney for the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs’ Commission on Common Ownership Communities.
Verma received a law degree with honors from the Pennsylvania State University School of Law and certificates in transnational law from Duke University and comparative law from the University of London. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Maryland. Partap lives in Forest Glen with his husband Palmer Phillips and three children Rakshan, Shivant and Vedanti.
About The Montgomery County Planning Board
The Montgomery County Planning Board plans for livable communities by developing large and small scale plans, providing guidelines for the pattern and pace of future development, and preserving historic resources throughout the 323,000-acre county. The Planning Board implements plans through its review of development applications and its subdivision decisions. The Board is also responsible for the development and management of Montgomery County’s nationally recognized 36,512-acre park system.
Planning Board members serve four-year terms and are limited to two full terms. No more than three members may be from the same political party and all members must be residents and registered voters in Montgomery County when appointed. Current Board members are Chair Casey Anderson, Vice Chair Norman Dreyfuss, Natali Fani-Gonzalez, Gerald Cichy and Tina Patterson.
About The Montgomery County Department of Parks
Montgomery Parks manages more than 36,000 acres of parkland, consisting of 418 parks. Montgomery Parks is a department of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), a bi-county agency established in 1927 to steward public land. The M-NCPPC has been nationally recognized for its high quality parks and recreation services and is regarded as a national model by other parks systems. www.montgomeryparks.org