Bethesda district County Councilmember Roger Berliner filed for re-election on Wednesday.
The two-term council member from Bethesda so far doesn’t have any announced opponents. Wednesday was also Berliner’s 63rd birthday.
In a statement announcing his filing, Berliner touted his leadership on more than 20 energy and environmental bills, his efforts to protect Ten Mile Creek in Clarksburg, development of “next generation” transit systems and his advocacy for better Pepco service:
“It has been a privilege to serve the residents of the 1st District of Montgomery County as their Councilmember for the past eight years. During this time, I have sought to combine principled leadership, civility, consensus building, and the highest quality constituent service. If the voters of the 1st District conclude I have represented them well, I would be honored to continue in public service.”
Councilmember Berliner’s accomplishments on the Council include:
- Lead sponsor of over twenty energy/environmental bills that foster a more sustainable community and green jobs, and a leader of the effort to protect Ten Mile Creek;
- Leading Council development and passage of the next generation of transit and traffic mitigation;
- Advocate for short and long-term strategies for increased reliability of WMATA infrastructure and service;
- Leader in the County in advocacy for greater electricity reliability;
- Championing efforts to make our county a more vibrant, bikeable, and walkable community while at the same time increasing protections for our beautiful residential neighborhoods;
- Sponsor and supporter of legislation that reduces income disparity, assists working families, and provides for more affordable housing opportunities;
- Lead sponsor of laws that strengthened our County’s economic development efforts, greater innovation, and support for small businesses;
- Leading Council to reduce energy taxes; and
- Supporting our extraordinary school system and school modernization funding.
“Our county is a wonderful community. And yet, there is more work to be done if we are to continue to prosper. I would be most honored to be given the opportunity to continue my work on behalf of our community for four more years.”
Berliner, who started his political career as an aide for a Cincinnati mayor named Jerry Springer, bounced around to California, both houses of Congress and eventually settled in Potomac. He hosted a show called Search for Common Ground in Montgomery County on Montgomery Community Television, meant to bring together adversaries on various local political issues. He became an energy lawyer, which has often put him in the lead of the county’s interactions with Pepco.
Berliner reported $52,000 in available campaign money in his annual report for 2013.
Photo via Roger Berliner
