Politics

Montgomery County voters elected a historic slate of candidates to the county council on Tuesday, adding Latina, Asian and Black representatives to a body that will be majority-female for the first time. The six incoming members — all women — have their own priorities and beliefs that range from moderate to ultraliberal. On the whole, the changes are expected to shift the body further left in a deep blue county that already prides itself as a haven for progressive ideas and policymaking. “I’m really excited that we finally have a council that reflects the rich and beautiful diversity of our county” said Laurie-Anne Sayles, who was elected to an at-large seat Tuesday.

For years, electric vehicles posed something of a chicken-and-egg problem. Mass adoption, seen as critical to cutting the largest single source of U.S. carbon emissions, couldn’t happen until the infrastructure to allow drivers to recharge wherever they were heading was in place. And those charging stations weren’t coming until more drivers switched to plug-in electric vehicles. That’s one of the reasons why growth in electric vehicle sales was sluggish for much of the past decade, industry experts say. Times are changing, however. The commercials for electric versions of their best-selling trucks blanketing airwaves show major U.S. automakers like Ford and Chevrolet are jumping with both feet into the EV market, vying with the likes of start-ups like Rivian for a share of the lucrative pickup market. And far from offering a single electric model here or there, many automakers plan to go mostly electric over the next two decades.

Comptroller-elect Brooke Lierman announced Thursday that she has appointed a team of powerful women — and outgoing Comptroller Peter Franchot — to help her get ready for her historic role as Maryland’s first female chief financial officer. “You know, somebody said to me the other day, ‘Why are you appointing all women?’” Lierman said at a news conference in Annapolis. “And I said, ‘Why not?’”

Hundreds of thousands of Marylanders will soon have the chance to clear their criminal records of past cannabis charges and convictions, as a new law legalizing cannabis approved by voters Tuesday will expand state expungement statutes. The changes are all tied to Question 4, the state constitutional amendment allowing possession and use of recreational cannabis that voters approved Tuesday.

With Republicans hoping to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Kweisi Mfume said Thursday that “we’re not prepared to roll over and play dead” if Democrats lose their majority. Mfume, a Baltimore Democrat who was handily re-elected in Tuesday’s midterm election, hosted a forum of area faith leaders at Cylburn Arboretum, near the Coldspring neighborhood.

Despite months of legal wrangling over how to improve the odds for people of color to be elected to the Baltimore County Council, the racial diversity of the board remains unchanged after Election Day. In May, there were Black candidates running in five out of seven districts across the county, but this month only one candidate — an incumbent — was victorious.