Natali Fani-González will serve as the Montgomery County Council’s next president, council members unanimously voted Tuesday.

Fani-González, 45, has represented the county’s District 6, which includes Wheaton, Glenmont and Aspen Hill, since 2022. She served as vice chair of the Montgomery County Planning Board from 2014 through 2021.

She was instrumental in several of the county’s major controversial zoning changes, including the Thrive Montgomery 2050 master plan and the More Housing N.O.W. initiative, which aims to increase access to workforce housing in the county.

Fani-González is chair of the council’s Economic Development Committee and serves on the Planning, Housing and Parks Committee. An immigrant from Venezuela, Fani-González has been open about how she was at one point undocumented.

She previously worked for the immigrant rights group CASA.

“There’s no room for political distractions,” Fani-González said following her election. “We must remain united in service and support for the common good of all who choose to call our community home.”

Council member Marilyn Balcombe, who represents District 2, was unanimously elected as vice president.

She evaluates “what is best for her constituents based on good faith and for the county as a whole,” council member Dawn Luedtke said in nominating Balcombe for the role. “That’s what our job is, and she is here for all the right reasons.”

Balcombe represents the Upcounty, including Germantown, Poolesville and Clarksburg, and is vocal about the need for more resources for that region.

She sits on the Transportation and Environment Committee and the Economic Development Committee.

Prior to her first council term in 2022, she was the president and CEO of the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce.

Given council tradition, Balcombe is likely to assume the presidency in late 2026 following Fani-González’s term.

The council president sets the meeting agenda, leads general Tuesday council meetings and represents the council on ceremonial occasions. The vice president presides over meetings when the council president can’t attend.