Commissioner Bartley enters second term as Planning Board member
WHEATON, Md. – The Montgomery County Council unanimously voted to reappoint Shawn Bartley to the Montgomery County Planning Board, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) at its May 21 meeting. Bartley, who was first appointed in March 2023 to complete the unexpired term of Commissioner Gerald Cichy, will now serve a second four-year term on the Planning Board and as a M-NCPPC Commissioner.
“I’m honored to continue to be in service to the residents of Montgomery County and I thank the County Council for this reappointment,” said Commissioner Bartley. “It is a privilege to work with my esteemed colleagues on the Planning Board as we continue advancing racial equity and social justice in our work, finding options for housing for all and welcoming as many people as possible into the planning process.”
“We are so pleased about Commissioner Bartley’s reappointment,” said Planning Board Chair Artie Harris. “He has a long record of public service focused on improving the quality of life in the county and the state, and he has brought that commitment of serving his community to his great work as a M-NCPPC Commissioner. We look forward to continuing our work with Commissioner Bartley.”
Since his appointment to the Montgomery County Planning Board, Bartley has contributed his perspective to the Board’s work reviewing and voting on a variety of Montgomery Planning and Montgomery Parks projects, including the Pedestrian Master Plan, Rustic Roads Functional Master Plan the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan, the Takoma Park Minor Master Plan Amendment, the Attainable Housing Strategies initiative, updates to the Growth and Infrastructure Policy, as well as weighing in on a number of regulatory applications.
In December 2023, Chair Harris nominated Commissioner Bartley to serve on Montgomery County’s Racial Equity and Social Justice Advisory Committee. The County Council created the committee as part of its 2019 Racial Equity and Social Justice Act to actively address racial disparities within the county. The committee, which reports to the County Executive and the County Council, sets the county’s racial equity and social justice priorities, and works with the community to identify critical areas of improvement and ensure racial equity issues are incorporated in policymaking.
About Commissioner Bartley
Shawn Bartley, Esq. brings to the Montgomery County Planning Board a wealth of knowledge and experience as a board member for a variety of organizations helping Marylanders improve their lives and their communities. In addition to being a Planning Board member, Bartley is the Chairman of the Board for the nonprofit Primary Care Coalition and a member of the Maryland Board of Education. Previously, he was Chairman of the Montgomery Collaboration for Children, Youth and Families, and was a board member for The Shepherd’s Table in Silver Spring. Bartley is a practicing attorney and is the founder and principal partner of Shawn D. Bartley and Associates, LLC. In 2011, he was recognized by Legal Shield as its top corporate referral attorney in its North American attorney network. He earned his law degree at Valparaiso University School of Law in Indiana and was a scholar-athlete (football) at the University of Maryland, College Park while earning a bachelor’s degree.
About the Montgomery 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 Planning Board is also responsible for the development and management of Montgomery County’s nationally recognized 36,512-acre park system. No more than three Planning Board members may be from the same political party and all members must be residents and registered voters in Montgomery County when appointed. Current members of the Planning Board include: Chair, Artie Harris, Vice Chair Mitra Pedoeem, and Planning Board members Shawn Bartley, James Hedrick and Josh Linden.