Council President Valerie Ervin One of 'Washington’s 100 Most Powerful Women’

In October's issue of the Washingtonian magazine, Montgomery County Council President Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) is among many local prestigious business leaders, members of Congress and Supreme Court Justices being recognized as “Washington’s 100 Most Powerful Women.”

The magazine highlights Ervin's accomplishments during a difficult budget year for Montgomery County.

Reflecting on the passage of the 2012 budget, Ervin called it a "watershed moment for the Council.” She added, “This year the Council did more than balance the budget for a single year, we worked together to create a blueprint for addressing the County’s long-term structural challenges.”

First elected in 2006, Ervin became the first African American to serve on the council. She got her start through grassroots activism as a union organizer. During this time she fought to make sure working parents knew about their rights in the workplace and received appropriate benefits.

Currently, she serves as Montgomery County's Council President and chairs the Council’s Education Committee, which reviews more than half of the county's operating budget. She also sits on the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee, which conducts budget reviews and program oversight for various county departments and offices.