At-Large Montgomery County Councilmember Gabe Albornoz announced he will be stepping down before the end of the year.
Albornoz, who was first elected in 2018, said Thursday he will officially resign on Dec. 1. He recently said he wouldn’t seek a third term.
Albornoz told News4 he’s leaving his position to take another job in public service.
“This has been the honor of my lifetime to serve the county council and to be an elected official in the community that I grew up in and I love. But it’s also an opportunity for me to transition to another opportunity. I can’t announce quite [what] that is yet, but in the next few days I’ll be able to talk about where I’m going next,” Albornoz told News4.
He said he’s particularly proud of two things he accomplished during his seven years on the council.
“I’m proud that we have been able to strengthen our social safety net. I’m proud that we have been able to expand opportunities for children, youth and families and I’m most proud to have been able to serve the community that I call home and gotten us through some pretty challenging times,” Albornoz said.
Some of his colleagues hugged him after he acknowledged his decision to resign during a Thursday meeting.
Council President Kate Stewart said Albornoz’s connection with the Latino community will be missed.
“Councilmember Albornoz has been wonderful. As I mentioned before, his work during Covid on the last county council, his connection with the Latino community and the work he did to make sure that they were receiving information about vaccines and countering misinformation,” Stewart said.
The Montgomery County Council will appoint a new member to fill Albornoz’s seat. That person will fulfill the functions of the office for less than a year, with the current term ending on Dec. 1, 2026.
“We are seeking a Montgomery County resident to serve on the Council who is knowledgeable about budgetary, public policy, and legislative work,” Stewart said in a release issued earlier Thursday. “Additionally, we are seeking individuals who do not intend to run for office in 2026 to eliminate any potential unfair advantage in the upcoming election cycle.”
Stewart said the appointee must live in Montgomery County and be registered to vote as a Democrat, the same political party registration as Albornoz.
“We would be looking for somebody who could really hit the ground running who really understands county budgets. As we have discussed in many of our media availabilities, given the Trump administration, given the financial constraints at the state, this budget cycle is going to be a very difficult one for us,” Stewart said.
The deadline to submit a letter of interest and resume is Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. Applications must be submitted via email to: council.clerk@montgomerycountymd.gov. Go here for more information.
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