About Roger Berliner
Councilmember Roger Berliner has a distinguished record of service to Montgomery County, the Democratic Party, and our larger community.
He was the Legislative Director for U.S. Senator Howard Metzenbaum, a Policy Advisor to U.S. Congressman Henry Waxman, a Senior Policy Advisor to the California State Legislature, and the Director of Congressional Liaison for a federal agency in the Carter Administration. As a result of his vast experience, he is an expert on the legislative process.
He has been equally accomplished in his 20-year legal career. President of Berliner Law, PLLC, Roger is considered one of the nation’s foremost energy lawyers, and his views on energy policy are regularly sought by leading newspapers and journals. He was at the forefront of the fight against Enron, and he fought for County ratepayers against high utility rates. The Maryland Public Service Commission is considering his proposal to require utilities to offer a voluntary “carbon neutral” tariff. It is this background that enabled Councilmember Berliner to introduce and pass a groundbreaking package of energy/environmental bills praised by the Washington Post and others as the most comprehensive and aggressive approach in the entire region.
Councilmember Berliner’s commitment to inclusion and civil society is reflected in his service on the Board of Directors of the internationally renowned nonprofit Search for Common Ground, and on the Council of Advisors to the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington. He was the host of the Montgomery Community Television show “Search for Common Ground in Montgomery County”, a unique award-winning program that constructively brought adversaries closer on issues of great concern to our community. As one District 1 community leader has said about Councilmember Berliner, he “doesn’t just talk the talk about finding common ground, he does it.”
Roger has also been a “true blue” democratic activist. He has served as a Montgomery County “precinct coordinator”, a Trustee of our Maryland Democratic Party; and was the very first elected official in Montgomery County to endorse President Obama, served on the State Steering Committee, and went to New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia campaigning for the President.
Roger was first elected to the Montgomery County Council in November 2006 as the District 1 representative for the Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Potomac areas. He currently serves as Lead Member for Energy and Environment on the Council’s Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy, and Environment Committee and as recently became a member of the Public Safety Committee, where he successfully fought to keep the Bethesda Police Station open 24/7. He also serves as the Council’s representative to the County’s Sustainability Working Group and Green Economic Task Force. Regionally, he is on the Washington Regional Board of Directors of the Council of Governments where he is an active member of the Climate, Energy, and Environment Policy Committee.
Roger obtained his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College. He is a passionate fly fisherman and golfer and an avid Redskins, Nationals and Wizards fan.
Roger lives by, and loves, the C&O Canal in Potomac with his wife, Susan Dillon, their children Jesse and Owen, and their two dogs, Max and Molly.