Council Issues Proclamation Honoring Proclamations

ROCKVILLE, Md. — In a ceremony that began with a proclamation and ended with the proclamation of that proclamation’s significance, the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution recognizing its own ongoing commitment to issuing proclamations.

“A Proclamation Recognizing the Council’s Dedication to Recognizing the Recognizable” honors what Council President Kate Stewart described as, “the rich legacy of recognition that defines our recognition of our own recognitions.”

During the meeting, Council Vice President Andrew Friedson read aloud the text of the proclamation, proclaiming that the Council “has issued more than 19,000 proclamations this year alone, and therefore deserves recognition for its dedication to recognizing.”

When asked if the proclamation would itself be accompanied by a proclamation recognizing it, Friedson paused. “That depends,” he said. “Is this the proclamation recognizing the act of recognizing, or the one recognizing the recognition of the act of recognition?”

Councilmember Will Jawando clarified: “No, no. This proclamation recognizes the proclamations we’ve already recognized, not the recognitions we’ve yet to recognize.”

Councilmember Evan Glass interjected: “I thought we were recognizing the tradition of recognizing, not the recognitions themselves.”

A brief procedural debate ensued over whether a future proclamation should be issued to recognize the confusion arising from the current proclamation. The motion to proclaim confusion as an “officially recognized Council experience” passed unanimously.

A staff aide, tasked with preparing the next proclamation, asked for clarification on what precisely should be proclaimed.

“Proclaim that we’re proclaiming,” said Stewart.

“Do you mean proclaim that we’re proclaiming the proclamation?” the aide asked.

“No,” Stewart said. “Proclaim that we’re proclaiming the proclamation about proclaiming proclamations.”

When pressed by reporters afterward on whether the Council might issue a proclamation marking the anniversary of this proclamation, Stewart replied, “Absolutely. We already have a draft proclamation recognizing next year’s recognition of this recognition, pending further recognition.”

A commemorative photo session followed, in which each Councilmember held up a framed copy of the proclamation recognizing the issuance of proclamations, while the Council’s official photographer captured the moment for a forthcoming proclamation recognizing the photographer’s role in documenting proclamations.