Chevy Chase Election 2009

Today, the Town of Chevy Chase is voting to elect two councilmembers. At least one of the two will be new as incumbent Rob Enelow is stepping down. The four candidates are Linna Barnes, Pat Burda, David Eason, and Deborah Vollmer.

Linna Barnes has served three two-year terms on the Council, including two years as mayor. She is currently serving as Treasurer and will be most senior member of the Council if reelected.

Pat Burda is currently chair of the Town's Long Range Planning Committee and a leader in the Town's efforts on the Purple Line. She has a part-time business in interior design and formerly worked as a strategic planning consultant for museums.

David Eason is the Town's representative on the Police Advisory Board and works in commercial construction, though is perhaps best known in the Town through his activity in the Washington Ireland Program.

Deborah Vollmer is a non-practicing attorney perhaps best known around the County as a frequent challenger to incumbent Rep. Chris Van Hollen in Democratic primaries and the general election.

The election roughly breaks down into three groups. David Eason, a registered Republican, is running with the support of opponents of the FAR (floor-to-area ratio) ordinance passed by the Town just prior to the 2008 election as part of his general opposition to regulations. Linna Barnes and Pat Burda, both Democrats, are running with the support of proponents of the FAR law (as did I, last year) and argue that the Town needs to move on to other issues. Spurred on by the planned new home adjacent to her own, Deborah Vollmer has campaigned for much stronger controls on development in Town and historic preservation.

However, many other issues have been discussed during the campaign including police and security, the Town's protections for trees and environmental initiatives, spending on the Purple Line, playgrounds and dog parks, term limits, and the Town's government and citizen committees.