February 14-2014
Neda Bolourian has announced she is running for a seat on the County Council in Montgomery County, Maryland, which takes in the western suburbs of Washington, DC.
Bolourian, a lawyer, is a Democrat and will challenge an incumbent Democrat, Craig Rice, in the June 24 primary. Rice, an African-American, is the current president of the nine-member council.
Bolourian, 32, a lawyer who lives in Gaithersburg and will be running from that part of the county, is critical of the substantial pay raise, effective after the election, that council members approved last year. She said she is also “dismayed” by Rice’s lack of leadership on environmental issues.
“I’m running because I think it is time to shake things up,” Bolourian told The Washington Post.
Bolourian was raised in Montgomery County, the daughter of Iranian immigrants. In her campaign website biography, she touts the fact that her parents are immigrants, but doesn’t mention where they came from.
Bolourian received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, a master’s degree in international relations from St. Mary’s University of San Antonio, Texas, and a doctorate in law from the University of the District of Columbia.
Bolourian currently writes, revises, and negotiates contracts as associate counsel for a financial services firm in Bethesda.
Bolourian told the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) that she decided to run to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in Montgomery County and to provide transparency to the people.
“There is a huge divide between people’s interests and their representatives in Rockville [the county seat] that is eerily reminiscent of what is plaguing Washington. I refuse to let that happen.”
Her website says she advocates raising the minimum wage, reducing class sizes, and lowering property and payroll taxes.
