Nancy Navarro

Early years

Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Navarro and her family moved to Rolla, Missouri, when she was ten years old so her father could study engineering at the University of Missouri–Rolla. Navarro later returned to Venezuela to attend high school in Maracaibo, Zulia State. Navarro attended the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri and graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology.

After graduating from college, Navarro worked as a social worker for the Boone County Council on Aging. At age 26, she married her husband Reginald, and they moved to Wheaton, Maryland, a few years later.

She decided to open a child care center in Montgomery County, but she found the state licensing process to be burdensome. She reasoned that it must be even more burdensome for individuals who have limited or no English-speaking abilities, leaving them at risk of fines and closures if they decide to provide unlicensed child care services. In 1998, Navarro co-founded Centro Familia, a small local nonprofit organization that trained people so they can be licensed in child care. She volunteered for the organization at no pay until the organization received enough state and county grant money that it could pay her a salary and hire four instructors two years later. She was with the organization until 2006.

Navarro moved to Colesville in 2003.

Prior to serving in elected office, Navarro served in a number of volunteer leadership roles. She was co-president of the White Oak Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA); chair of the Youth, Schools, and Childcare Work Group of the Long Branch Revitalization Task Force; co-founder of the Montgomery County Non-Profit Village; member of the Montgomery County Gang Prevention Task Force; member of the National Child Care Action Campaign; Member of the Advisory Committee for the Washington Area Foundation Portrait Project. She also served as a bilingual classroom parent volunteer.

Montgomery County Board of Education

When incumbent Henry Lee resigned from his seat on the Montgomery County Board of Education representing District 5, Navarro was one of four individuals who expressed interest in replacing him. Members of the Board of Education chose her to fill the vacant seat in a vote of 4 to 3. Navarro began her term on December 1, 2004. Navarro said she would focus on the academic achievement gap in Montgomery County schools, strengthening parental involvement, improving teacher training, and asking the state for more funding for school construction so that class sizes may be reduced. Navarro served on the Board of Education's Strategic Planning Committee and Communications and Public Engagement Committee.

In a vote whether to replace Seven Locks Elementary School in Potomac with a new school on Kendale Road, Navarro was in the minority by voting against the plan. Residents in the neighborhood wanted to build a new school on the old school's grounds, rather than in a different location. Montgomery County's independent inspector general questioned whether the Board of Education had been upfront about cost projections and community support of the project. The Montgomery County Council voted against building a new school on Kendale Road, deciding that Seven Lock Elementary School should be expanded instead.

Navarro ran for reelection in 2006. Navarro was challenged by Philip Kauffman. Navarro's candidacy was endorsed by Service Employees International Union Local 500, which represents Montgomery County school system employees, and Montgomery County Education Association, the local teachers' union The editorial board of the Washington Post endorsed Kauffman. Navarro won the election, receiving 64 percent of the vote. Members of the Board of Election elected her Board President, a position in which she served for two consecutive terms.

In 2007, Navarro voted with all of her colleagues to support sex-education lessons that "introduce the topics of sexual orientation and homosexuality." The lessons "teach what it means to be homosexual but say little about how people become gay, resisting pressure from a divided community to define homosexuality as nature or nurture, right or wrong."

As a member of the School Board, Navarro supported pre-kindergarten for all children, penning an op-ed in the Washington Post with then-County Councilmember and former school board member Valerie Ervin.

Navarro was named a 2007 Hispanic Hero Award winner by United States Hispanic Youth Entrepreneur Education, which provides Hispanic youth with opportunities that lead to college and careers.

2008 election

In February 2008, Navarro announced her candidacy for the District 4 seat on the Montgomery County Council, to fill the vacancy left after Marilyn Praisner died. Other candidates included Praisner's widower Don Praisner, Cary Lamari, Pat Ryan, Steve Kanstoroom, Mark Fennel, and John McKinnis.

On the subject of land use and development, Navarro said she held a middle ground and supported livable communities. She said he favored a balanced approach to policy-making and building coalitions of labor unions, individuals, and business interests.

Navarro's candidacy was endorsed by the Montgomery County Education Association, Service Employees International Union Local 500, the Montgomery County Association of Administrative and Supervisory Personnel, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1994, and the AFL-CIO Washington, D.C. Metro Council. Council Member Valerie Ervin backed Navarro's candidacy, while four other sitting council members backed her opponent. The editorial board of the Washington Post endorsed Navarro's candidacy, noting her passion, her preparedness, and her way of finding a middle ground between different interests.

In the Democratic primary, Navarro lost to Don Praisner, who won with 44 percent of the vote.

2009 election

Don Praisner died in January 2009, following surgery for colon cancer. Navarro ran for the vacant seat.

Navarro's candidacy was endorsed by sitting Council members Valerie Ervin, Nancy Floreen, Michael Knapp, and George L. Leventhal, noting Navarro's experience with difficult budget issues on the Board of Education. The editorial board of the Washington Post called Navarro a good choice for the position, but it favored her opponent State Delegate Ben Kramer, saying that while it was encouraged by Navarro's negotiation of smaller raises for teachers due to budgetary limitations, she was less willing to oppose positions of labor unions. County Executive Isiah Leggett endorsed Kramer.

Navarro criticized Kramer for support of a bill that would have made it easier for victims of domestic violence to get permits to carry handguns, calling it "pro-gun legislation" that did not protect children. Navarro also criticized Kramer's support for a bill that would have expunged records in some unproven domestic abuse in order to prevent dismissed protective orders from being used to deny innocent people housing or jobs. Navarro said the bill sided with defense attorneys rather than victims of domestic violence.

Navarro won the Democratic primary, receiving 62 more votes than Kramer.

Navarro advanced to the general election, where she was on the ballot with Republican Party candidate Robin Ficker and Green Party candidate George Gluck. Ficker opposed increasing property taxes in order to close budget gaps, and Ficker was proud of his successful ballot initiative that prevents increases in property tax revenue beyond a certain limit, tied to inflation, without the votes of all nine council members. Gluck wanted to institute graduated property tax rates, and he opposed the Intercounty Connector, which was under construction. Navarro won the general election with 63 percent of the vote. She was sworn into office on June 3, 2009.

Partial Term (2009-2010)

Navarro sponsored a bill to require contractors doing business with Montgomery County to provide the same benefits it offers to their employees' domestic partners as they do to their employees' spouses. The bill covered construction contracts greater than $500,000 and service contracts above $50,000; nonprofit organizations and other government agencies are exempt.

Navarro voted against a bill that would have charged health insurance companies between $300 and $800 for ambulance transport, similar to what is done in the District of Columbia, Prince George's County, and Fairfax County. County Executive Isiah Leggett, who supported the bill, said the fees would have helped close the budget gap and help fund improvements to the county's emergency services. Opponents of the bill were skeptical that insurance companies would pay the fees and wondered if the fees would reduce emergency service calls.

Navarro voted in favor of a bill in support of widening Interstate 270 north of Maryland Route 124, to make room for reversible high-occupancy toll lanes, which would be free to carpools, vanpools, and buses. The state would still need to vote to build and implement the lanes. She also voted in favor of the Corridor Cities Transitway, a proposed light rail between Shady Grove Metro station and Clarksburg.

In 2010, President Obama appointed her to the Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, where she served on the Early Childhood Education Committee.

2010 election

Navarro ran for a full term on the Council in 2010. She ran unopposed in the Democratic Party primary election. In the general election, she ran against Republican David W. Horner. Her candidacy was endorsed by the editorial board of the Washington Post. Navarro won the general election with 70.5% of the vote.

First Term (2010-2014)

In 2011, the Montgomery County Council elected Navarro to the position of vice president of the Council. In December 2012, the Montgomery County Council elected Navarro president of the Council. She chaired the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee and served as a member of the Health and Human Services Committee.

Navarro supported a ballot initiative to recognize same-sex marriage.

She also supported a ballot initiative that would allow undocumented immigrants living in Maryland to be eligible for in-state tuition at community colleges and four-year public universities in Maryland. She opposed Secure Communities, a controversial federal program ended by the Obama Administration in which local police share arrest data with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Navarro asked the state to fund the Purple Line, a proposed light rail that would connect New Carrollton, Maryland, College Park, Silver Spring, and Bethesda. She supported a bill that allows free bus fare to Montgomery County students under age 19 on weekdays between 2 and 8 p.m. Navarro was an early supporter of the White Oak Science Gateway Master Plan, but opposed the increased residential development the plan called for in the early stages. She ultimately supported the plan, which is set to bring a major medical and life sciences research hub in White Oak that would include 11 million square feet of new commercial and residential development.

Navarro voted in favor adding the Aspen Hill Minor Master Plan Amendment to the Planning Board's Work Program, which opponents characterized as a vote to bring Wal-Mart to Aspen Hill. Proponents of adding the Amendment to the Work Program said the proposed redevelopment would bring jobs to the area and lead to the demolishing of a blighted, vacant office building. Opponents of adding the Amendment said the proposed Wal-Mart would hurt other businesses in the area and the county would have to pay for social services because of the low wages Wal-Mart pays to many of its employees. Ultimately, Navarro voted with the majority of the Council to approve zoning that would allow a grocery store or other commercial use, but prohibits a combination retailer, such as Wal-Mart.

Navarro was the lead co-sponsor of a bill to gradually increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $11.50 per hour in 2017. She had concerns about a bill to mandate an increase in the Working Families Income Supplement (WFIS), a tax credit for low-income working residents in Montgomery County, saying the Council already had the authority to increase the WFIS through the budget process, which she had supported consistently during her service on the Council.

Navarro authored a compromise to phase in the salary increase for council members of about six percent per year for three consecutive years, as opposed to the proposed 18% increase in a single year. Navarro supported a bill to institute public financing of campaigns in Montgomery County elections.

Navarro supported a resolution asking the Washington Redskins to change their name.

2014 election

Navarro ran for reelection in 2014. She was unopposed in the Democratic primary. The Sierra Club Maryland Chapter endorsed her candidacy. Her general election opponent was Republican John O'Malley. She won the election with 64.6% of the vote.

Term Limits

In 2000 and 2004, Robin Ficker successfully collected signatures to place a question on the ballot that would have imposed term limits on the County Executive and members of the County Council. In 2000, the voters rejected term limits 54% to 45%. In 2004, voters rejected term limits 52% to 48%. In each instance, the definition of the word "term" was undefined and the offices were limited to two consecutive terms. With the assistance of Help Save Maryland, a group designated as "nativist extremist" by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Ficker successfully gathered the requisite signatures to place term limits on the 2016 general election ballot. The 2016 ballot measure (Question B) set a three-term (12 year) limit on the County Executive and County Council. It also included language defining term "as either a full or partial term," which would have term-limited Navarro after only 10 years of service. Ficker asserted to the Washington Post that, "he included similar language in his 2000 and 2004 proposed amendments, long before he ran against Navarro or even knew who she was." However, "a review of the two ballot questions shows no such provisions." Navarro responded by saying that she believed, "Ficker's intent was 'pretty clear'," and that, "if it passes, everybody gets three terms, but not the Latina woman." Question B was approved with 69.79% of the vote.

The Council added a ballot question (Question C) that defined "partial service of a full term," a previously undefined term in the Montgomery County Charter, as two-years or more. Question C was approved with 78.92% of the vote.