Update Nov. 15:  On Monday, Gov.-elect Wes Moore announced two additional Montgomery County appointees will serve in influential roles in his administration.

Bethesda’s Amanda LaForge, currently counsel for the Democratic National Committee, will serve as Moore’s Chief Legal Counsel. Maryland State Del. Eric Luedtke will serve as Chief Legislative Officer, advising the Governor on legislative issues, crafting bills, and acting as a liaison with members of the General Assembly.

LaForge previously served as the Director of Community and Governmental Relations in former Gov. Parris Glendening’s administration.

Luedtke has served in the House of Delegates since 2011 and has been the Majority Leader since 2019. He has been a prominent member of the Ways and Means Committee since his election and is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. Luedtke’s wife, Dawn, is councilmember-elect for Montgomery County District 7.

Original: Representatives from Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties will play key roles in Governor-Elect Wes Moore’s transition team, which is being implemented to ensure the administration is prepared and well-versed in the issues affecting every corner of the state when they take office in January.

The team will be chaired by Lieutenant Governor-Elect Aruna Miller, who previously represented District 15 in the Maryland House of Delegates, and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, among others.

Miller said Alsobrooks’ leadership experience will be vital to the success of the transition team, calling Prince George’s one of the most successful counties in the state, “if not the nation,” at a press conference at the University of Maryland on Thursday.

“She’s a proven leader. She’s committed to the state of Maryland. And you know, she has taken Prince George’s County to the highest of elevation,” Miller said.

Representatives from both Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties also make up a visible presence on the team’s steering committee. Miller is far from the only familiar face from Montgomery County.

Sen. Susan Lee of District 16, employment attorney Joe Gebhardt from Silver Spring, writer and owner of Politics and Prose Bookstore Lissa Muscatine, and Susie Turnbull – the 2018 Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor – will also play a part. Both Muscatine and Turnbull are from Bethesda.

Prince George’s County has a similarly visible presence. Two heavy-hitting political figures will be involved with Moore’s steering committee: former Prince George’s County Executive and Gov. Parris Glendening, and former Maryland Secretary of State John McDonough, who hails from Bladensburg.

The goal of the bipartisan Steering Committee is to “help lead policy recommendations across government,” according to a press release from the Moore campaign. The members will work in conjunction with members of policy committees, the participants of which will be announced in the near future.

“Wes and I always ran on the campaign that those closest to the challenge are closest to the solution. And we want to bring those solution makers to the table; We want to hear their ideas on how we can grow and thrive in the state of Maryland,” Miller said.

The steering committee is being directed by Baltimore’s Cleo Hirsch, who served as the Executive Director for COVID Response for Baltimore City Public Schools.

Including Miller, there are five co-chairs. The bipartisan steering committee has 25 members representing nearly every region of the state. The areas from which these representatives are selected could play an important role in the governor-elect’s relationship with constituents and issues in the counties.

After nearly a decade of Republican leadership in the state under Gov. Larry Hogan, these positions on the steering committee could elevate the needs of Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties to the desks of the Democratic Moore-Miller administration. Both Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties have significantly more registered Democratic voters than Republican ones. In Montgomery County, there is one Republican for every four Democrats; In Prince George’s County, there is one Republican for every 14 Democrats.

“You’ve had a lot of really smart, really energetic Democratic operatives working in county governments now for eight years and I think you’re going to see a lot of talent move up to the State House level, move up to Annapolis, and start getting some things done.” Danielle Gaines, the editor-in-chief of Maryland Matters, told WAMU/DCist. “When you have that happen, there’s going to be natural connections back to the counties that they’re coming from, so there could be a lot of synergy in the next few years.”

On Thursday, Moore met with Hogan at the State House in Annapolis. During a brief press conference in the building’s atrium, Hogan said “Our entire administration is going to do everything we possibly can to not only ensure the peaceful transition of power but make sure we can help them get up to speed with whatever information they want.”

Moore and Miller plan to host town halls and community discussions about areas where they believe their administration should pay special attention. And through the team’s website, all Marylanders are being encouraged to participate in the transition by signing up to receive invitations to future events, submitting an idea for an area of policy focus, applying to be a transition policy committee member, or submitting a resume.

Wes Moore will be inaugurated on Jan. 18, 2023 — the third Wednesday in January following the election — as is specified in the state Constitution.