Should Jawando Be Elected Council President in December?
When the Montgomery County Council meets in December to elect its next president, the choice will carry more weight than usual. Traditionally, the vice president ascends to the presidency each December in a nearly automatic rotation meant to preserve collegiality and continuity. For more than two decades, that ritual has held without exception.
This year, though, the tradition collides with politics. The current vice president, Will Jawando, is also a declared candidate for County Executive in 2026. No sitting Council vice president has ever been elected president while actively campaigning for the County Executive office. If Jawando follows the customary path, it would be precedent-setting.
No Rules Against It
There’s no legal barrier to his election. The County Charter requires only that the Council elect a president “from among its members.” The County Code and Council Rules add nothing more restrictive. Jawando is fully eligible.
The Council presidency may be largely procedural—presiding over meetings and setting agendas—but it carries heightened visibility, media access, and an institutional platform. Past councilmembers have waited until after their presidencies to run for Executive. Roger Berliner, and Nancy Floreen each launched their campaigns only once they no longer held the gavel. Marc Elrich was a councilmember but never an officer.
Were Jawando to lead the Council while seeking the Executive seat, it would blur that traditional separation. The overlap between official duties and campaign activity could raise questions of fairness and propriety, especially in high-profile media appearances, as well as in joint events with the sitting County Executive, Marc Elrich, who has endorsed Jawando as his successor and is himself a candidate for an at-large council seat in 2026.
An Awkward Vote for a Divided Field
The Council presidency is decided by a simple majority of members present and voting. Under ordinary circumstances, Jawando’s elevation would be a formality. But this year’s vote won’t occur in a political vacuum. Two of his colleagues, Evan Glass and Andrew Friedson, have also entered the County Executive race.
That dynamic makes the December leadership election far more complicated. It would be unusual, if not uncomfortable, for either of them to support installing a direct rival in a position of year-long visibility. Even if they refrain from open opposition, the optics of three competing Executive candidates serving simultaneously—one as Council President—will present some awkward moments. Some may argue that the Council should select a non-candidate to preserve neutrality during an election year.
Precedent on the Line
If Jawando is elected president, he would make county history as the first sitting candidate for Executive to hold the Council’s top leadership post. If the Council turns to another member, it will break the long tradition of the vice president's ascension.
Either outcome will say something about the body’s tolerance for blurred lines between governance and politics. This December’s vote, once a routine rotation, now doubles as an early test of how Montgomery County’s leaders plan to navigate the long election year ahead.
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Photo by Mogami Kariya, serving as Historian for the Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association, on Flickr
