All five members of the Montgomery County Planning Board resigned Wednesday at the insistence of the county council after weeks of escalating misconduct accusations, media leaks and worsening staff morale.
The council, which appoints the board, voted unanimously in a closed session Tuesday to ask the entire board to resign, according to two people familiar with the vote, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Those who didn’t resign would have faced a public hearing seeking their removal, the people said.
The upheaval at the planning agency shocked even longtime political observers in a county accustomed to intense development spats. It follows a trail of scandals and leaks that has dogged one of Montgomery’s most influential institutions since mid-September.
