Developer Dollars

This space has included discussions of how little party labels can mean to enterprising politicians eager to move up the ladder, so it shouldn't surprise you to learn that Montgomery County's only Republican councilmember (Howard Denis) lost a committee vote recently to limit the building of McMansions. It also won't surprise you to learn who overruled him: Steve Silverman and Nancy Floreen.

Both Silverman and Floreen were members of the End Gridlock slate in 2002, which relied heavily on campaign donations from the development and building industry.

A recent study by Neighbors for a Better Montgomery, a political action committee, found that Silverman received 71 percent of his money and Floreen 70 percent of hers from development-related interests. But council members dispute the findings, saying they are not accurate.

Money probably doesn't influence policymaking though, right?