Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando is set to return to in-person duties Tuesday, Sept. 22, 17 days after suffering a heart attack during a pickup basketball game.
Jawando, 43, the Democratic nominee for county executive, plans to address the media at 10:30 a.m. at the Council Hearing Room, 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville, his office announced Monday, according to Bethesda Magazine. It will be his first public appearance since the Sept. 5 heart attack.
The at-large councilmember was playing basketball with friends in Washington, D.C., when the heart attack struck. Doctors at George Washington University Hospital placed a stent in his heart. Dave Kunes, Jawando's chief of staff, told Bethesda Magazine that Jawando had no prior cardiac issues before the episode.
Jawando returned to his Ashton home on Sept. 9 but missed the council's Sept. 15 meeting.
In a video posted Sept. 10, first reported by The Banner, Jawando urged residents to pay attention to their health. "Take care of yourself. Don't ignore the warning signs, especially us guys, but women too," he said. "I'm in shape. I work out a lot. But things can happen."
Council President Natali Fani-González said in a Sept. 7 statement, reported by Bethesda Magazine, that Jawando was "staying fully engaged in critical matters" and would participate remotely during his recovery.
New Hampshire Avenue BRT hearing
The same afternoon, the council will hold a public hearing on bus rapid transit options for New Hampshire Avenue. The hearing starts at 1:30 p.m.
County planners have proposed five alternatives for the 8.5-mile corridor stretching from the Colesville Park & Ride near Randolph Road to the D.C. line at Eastern Avenue, according to Bethesda Magazine's summary of a council staff report. The options range from mixed-traffic queue jumps, where buses share lanes but get priority signals at intersections, to dedicated median bus lanes south of Piney Branch Road.
The Montgomery Planning Board and the Prince George's County Council both favor a hybrid alternative. That option would provide dedicated transit lanes between Powder Mill Road and Lockwood Drive and south of Piney Branch Road.
The council's Transportation and Environment Committee is scheduled to review all five options on Oct. 19.
Residents can register to testify at the hearing through the council website or by calling 240-777-7803. The meeting will be livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube and televised on CCM channels.
The session also includes a 1 p.m. celebration of Montgomery County's 250th anniversary. County Executive Marc Elrich, former County Executive Ike Leggett, Maryland Secretary of State Susan Lee, state Del. Lily Qi and former Councilmember Nancy Navarro are among the expected speakers.
