Sidney Arnold Katz (born March 24, 1950) is an American politician and businessman. He currently is a member of the Montgomery County Council representing District 3.

Early life and education

Katz is a lifelong resident of Gaithersburg. He attended Gaithersburg Elementary and Gaithersburg Middle School. He graduated from

Gaithersburg High School Gaithersburg High School (GHS) is located in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Part of Montgomery County Public Schools, the school was founded in 1904 as "Gaithersburg School" and offered grades K-12. Since 2013, the school resides at 101 Education Blvd a ...

in 1968. He attended the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

, where he received his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

public administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit establ ...

Career

Katz was a member of the City of Gaithersburg Planning Commission from 1976 until 1978. He served as a Gaithersburg council member beginning in 1978. After Mayor W. Edward Bohrer died in office of a stroke in 1998, the Gaithersburg Council appointed Katz the new mayor. In 2008, Katz supported a law to prohibit seeking work or hiring someone to work while on most city streets, sidewalks, and parking areas. The law was declared unconstitutional by

Maryland Attorney General The Attorney General of the State of Maryland is the chief legal officer of the State of Maryland in the United States and is elected by the people every four years with no term limits. To run for the office a person must be a citizen of and qual ...

Douglas F. Gansler. Gansler said the law regulated speech in public without being narrowly designed to increase public safety and traffic flow. The City of Gaithersburg accepted the opinions expressed in the Attorney General's letter and the specific Gaithersburg law was not tested in court. Katz said he would find other ways to regulate day laborers. In 2008, Katz was elected president of the Maryland Municipal League, the association that represents Maryland's 157 cities and towns. In 2014, Montgomery Council Council Member Phil Andrews announced that he would not run for re-election and would run for County Executive instead. Katz announced he would run to replace Andrews on the County Council representing District 3. Katz's campaign focused on early childhood education, after-school programs, and career and technical training. Katz won the Democratic Party primary election. With no opponent on the general election ballot, Katz won the general election in 2014. His term began on December 1, 2014. He sits on the government operations and public safety committee.

Personal life

He was the co-owner, along with other family members, of Wolfson's Department Store on East Diamond Avenue in

Gaithersburg Gaithersburg ( ), officially the City of Gaithersburg, is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, making it the ninth-largest location in the state. Ga ...

from 1971 until he closed the store on October 26, 2013. The business was started by his grandparents, Jacob and Rose Wolfson, in 1918. Katz is married to Sally Katz, a pupil personnel worker for

Montgomery County Public Schools Montgomery County Public Schools may refer to: *Montgomery County Public Schools (Maryland) *Montgomery County Public Schools (Virginia) Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is the school district serving Montgomery County, Virginia. Schools P ...

, and is the father of two adult children. He lives in the Pheasant Run neighborhood of Gaithersburg.

References

External links

* * – County Council * – campaign {{DEFAULTSORT:Katz, Sidney Living people Mayors of places in Maryland University of Maryland, College Park alumni 1950 births

Katz Katz or KATZ may refer to: Fiction * Katz Kobayashi, a character in Japanese anime * "Katz", a 1947 Nelson Algren story in '' The Neon Wilderness'' * Katz, a character in ''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' Other uses * Katz (surname) * Katz, British C ...

People from Gaithersburg, Maryland Gaithersburg High School alumni County commissioners in Maryland