Montgomery County Planning Board Commissioner Eugene "Gene" Lynch Dies After Illness

SILVER SPRING, MD – Montgomery County Planning Board Commissioner Eugene “Gene” Lynch, who played key roles in local and state politics for close to two decades, died Thursday night after a battle with cancer.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family as we share the loss of a wonderful colleague and exemplary public servant,” said Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson. “Gene’s service as a Park and Planning commissioner was emblematic of his career – deep devotion to the public interest, incisive analysis of issues, creative problem-solving and extraordinary wisdom. Our lives and work were enriched by his friendship and example.”

The Montgomery County Council had appointed Lynch, 50, to the five-member board last June.

In 2002 and 2003, Lynch served as chief of staff for former Gov. Parris Glendening. That followed a four-year stint as the governor’s deputy chief of staff. Glendening now chairs the board of directors of the development company Lynch founded in 2003, Smart Growth Investments.

“Gene was a valued friend and a great public servant for the many years that we worked together,” said Gov. Glendening. “His contributions to the state and Montgomery County are innumerable. His dedication to his many pursuits was exceeded only by his love for his family. He will be sorely missed.”

Lynch began his career in public service when he served as chief assistant followed by chief administrative officer for Montgomery County Executive Neal Potter in the early and mid-1990s. He was appointed secretary of the Maryland Department of General Services in 1996. Throughout the 1990s, Lynch served on many county and state civic committees ranging from advocating for the blind to school construction.

Throughout, Lynch focused on smart growth. Bill Mooney, a colleague at Smart Growth Investments, says Lynch was particularly proud of co-founding the Montgomery Housing Partnership and the work he performed in the 1980s with Shelter Works, a residential construction company that built more than 150 projects from $30,000 to $350,000. Much of that housing was in the District of Columbia.

A viewing has been scheduled for Monday evening, February 4, at the Collins Funeral Home, 500 University Blvd., Silver Spring. A funeral service will be held at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 10103 Georgia Avenue, at 11 a.m., Tuesday, February 5. A reception following burial will be at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton and is open to the public.