Rockville Patch: 10 County Leaders Endorse Izola Shaw In Rockville City Council Race
This article originally appeared on the Rockville Patch.
By Michael O’Connell, Patch Staff
ROCKVILLE, MD — Ten Montgomery County leaders have endorsed the candidacy of Izola Shaw for the Rockville City Council.
Shaw, who has a broad range of experience in community activism in affordable housing, racial equity and social justice, announced the following endorsements during a fund-raiser last Thursday:
Will Jawando — Montgomery County councilmember At-Large
Kate Stewart — Montgomery County councilmember and former Mayor of Takoma Park
Virginia Onley — Former Rockville councilmember and 2019 Rockville mayoral candidate
Lisa Henderson — Gaithersburg City council vice president
Robert T. Wu — Gaithersburg City councilmember
Rabbi Rain Zohav — Community faith leader and Rockville resident
Dr. Jeni Stepanek (Mama Peace / Mattie's mom) — Community leader and Rockville resident
Dr. Tasnuva Khan — Public health leader
Alex Vazquez — Montgomery County community organizer, leader and activist
Sandy Shan — Community organizer, leader and Rockville resident
CASA in Action and Progressive Maryland have also endorsed Shaw, according to a campaign release.
“I am proud to support Izola Shaw for Rockville City Council,” said Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando. “She has a proven track record of community service and policy experience. Our County has benefited from her dedicated work to advance equity.”
Shaw's goal is to ensure that all residents of Rockville are able to access the services they need and the opportunity to make policies that will directly impact their lives.
A Howard University alum, Shaw earned a master's degree in economic development from Johns Hopkins University. She went on to lead community development projects in 12 African countries.
In addition to servings a commissioner on the Rockville Charter Review Commission, Shaw successfully advocated for a temporary hold on rent increases during the pandemic. Not only did she co-founded a coalition to draft and advocate for the Montgomery County Racial Equity and Social Justice Act, she chaired the committee that worked to pass the act.
“You will hear a lot of buzzwords in this race like ‘government equity,' ‘diversifying our workforce’ and ‘more representation,’” Shaw said, in a release. “If candidates are not working to build support from different communities across our beautiful diverse City and addressing those communities’ needs, then they are just words.”
More information about Shaw can be found on her campaign website.
Rockville City residents will be casting ballots by mail for mayor and six councilmembers in the upcoming election.
Shaw is one of 12 candidates certified to run in the city council race. The other candidates are Danniel Belay, Kate Fulton, Richard Gottfried, Harold Hodges, Barry Jackson, Ricky F. Mui, incumbent David Myles, Anita Neal Powell, Paul Scott, Marissa Valeri, and Adam Van Grack. Incumbent Councilmembers Monique Ashton and Mark Pierzchala are also certified to run in the mayor's race.