CABIN JOHN CITIZENS ASSOCIATION ANNUAL OFFICERS ELECTION
The CJCA annual election will be held at the Wednesday, May 20 CJCA meeting. Officers are elected each year for 1-year terms running June – May. Interested candidates are welcome to contact any current CJCA officer to learn about serving the community and express interest in standing for the election. Email cjcapresidents@gmail.com
Announced candidates currently include:
President – Pete Cousté (currently serving 1st term as VP)
Vice President: Marcy Harrison (running for 8th term) and Carrie Stokes
Treasurer – Gil Schwartz (running for 2nd term)
Secretary – Leslie Myers
In addition to the newly elected officers, the immediate pas president also serves as an officer to advise the president and provide institutional continuity. Heidi and Scott Lewis will transition to the immediate past president position post-election.
While officers fulfill key responsibilities, the real vitality of CJCA is the many volunteers who help run events and provide energy and manpower for the advocacy and outreach efforts. It’s fun, it’s a great way to meet new people, and it helps make Cabin John the truly unique and wonderful place that it is (as shown in responses to the CJ survey). If you have never volunteered — the Crab and Chicken Feast in September is always in need of new volunteers — make this the year that you give it a try!
By Scott and Heidi Lewis
CJCA NEWS
The March CJCA meeting was held on Wednesday, March 25 at CBNRC. The primary topic was the closing of the Bethesda Co-op. The balance of the meeting included approval of the February meeting notes and a reminder that it is CJCA dues season. Residents are invited to pay their dues via the return envelope enclosed in the recent CJCA letter or to use the QR code for Cheddar-up. Lastly, CJCA announced it is joining CLEAR Potomac (Coalition for Long-term Environmental Accountability and Restoration). CLEAR Potomac was established as a multisectoral coalition to unify and strengthen the response of public health, outdoor recreation, community, and environmental organizations, to the Potomac Interceptor sewage spill in January 2026. This coalition exists because a crisis of this scale demands a coordinated, science-driven response. By aligning our short- and long-term goals, we can be more effective in ensuring a full recovery for the river and the communities that rely on it.
The April CJCA Meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 29 at the Clara Barton Neighborhood Recreation Center at 7:30 pm. Two interesting topics will be featured:
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- Clive Harris, Cabin John resident, longtime birder, past president of the Montgomery Bird Club, and a member of the Maryland-DC Bird Records Committee, will give a talk on spring birds. Each spring, our resident bird population is augmented by migrant birds who arrive in April and May and spend the summer here to raise their young before returning south in late summer and early fall, to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central or South America. You may not have seen these birds, but on a walk along the C&O Canal or Cabin John Creek in spring and summer you can hear them and, with a bit of effort, spot them as well. Clive will tell us about these migrants–how they get here, what they look and sound like, where you can find them and where they spend their winters–with a talk featuring his photos.
- Greg Gurley of Friends of Cabin John Creek will give a community update on the health of Cabin John Creek. Clean water matters—to our families, our wildlife, and the Chesapeake Bay. Friends of Cabin John Creek will discuss how volunteers monitor macro-invertebrates, chemicals, and bacteria in Cabin John Creek and its tributaries. They will share what this data tells us about the creek’s health, highlight some interesting monitoring results, and explain why stormwater runoff from our neighborhoods is the biggest threat to our local creeks.
If you would like to attend virtually, please join the Zoom link at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86260012468?pwd=iibbu0IDvCNazDDjLdZa2YDPbmuQXm.1 Meeting ID: 862 6001 2468 Passcode: 671191
By Scott Lewis
MONTGOMERY COUNTY EXECUTIVE CANDIDATE FORUMS
CJCA is contacting candidates for Montgomery County Executive encouraging them to come to Cabin John to discuss their platforms, answer questions, and hear community concerns. Two candidates so far have taken the initiative to schedule forums:
- Evan Glass (D) —April 27, 7:30 pm at Clara Barton Neighborhood Recreation Center.
- Andrew Friedson (D) —June 8, 7:30 pm at Clara Barton Neighborhood Recreation Center
Will Jawando (D), Peter James (D), Mithun Banerjee (D), Shelly Skolnick R) and Esther Wells R) have been contacted but have not yet scheduled forums as of the time the April VN went to print.
By Jeff Shipp and Scott Lewis