Chevy Chase Election Results

The Town of Chevy Chase has just posted the election results. Incumbent Councilmembers Linna Barnes and Rob Enelow were reelected. Rob Enelow placed first with 345 votes followed by Linna Barnes with 309 votes. Scott Orbach fell short in his bid to return to the Council after his defeat last year with 161 votes. Six votes were cast for write-in candidates.

A total of 458 ballots were cast, including 110 absentee ballots. Only two ballots were spoiled. Interestingly, 97 people decided to bullet vote and cast a ballot for only one candidate based on the results. I suspect that most of the single-shot votes went to Scott as Linna and Rob were jointly endorsed by a couple of groups of town residents. However, one cannot really know if this is so without examining the ballots.

My interpretation of Rob and Linna's victory is that this is a resounding vote of support for the Town's new strategic plan and approach since the moratorium. The results should provide a major boost for several initiatives over the next year, including efforts to use the Town's new authority for the state to further regulate development and redevelopment as well as the expenditure of monies to assess the impact of the Purple Line. I think residents also supported the Town's efforts to promote an environmentally-friendly town as all candidates--an idea supported by all candidates.

It is also a validation of the effort to have a more inclusive and participatory process in running of the Town. All Town Councilmembers now spend a great deal of time working with committees composed of town residents. When Bill Hudnut was mayor, he worked hard to promote civility even as the Town discussed extremely contentious issues. I think Linna and Rob have worked hard to continue and build on this approach and voters supported that as well.

Congratulations to Linna and Rob. Thanks to Scott as well--elections matter a lot more when someone takes the time and effort to put themselves out there to provide voters with a real choice.