Montgomery County Commissioners participate in a reorganization meeting on Jan. 5, 2026. Pictured, from left, is Solicitor Benjamin Field, Montgomery County Commissioners’ Vice Chairman Neil Makhija, Chairwoman Jamila Winder and Commissioner Tom DiBello. (Photo courtesy Montgomery County PA)
The Montgomery County Human Relations Commission gained eight new members dedicated to providing a space for residents to fight acts of discrimination.
County commissioners authorized the eight-member appointment during a recent meeting. The Democrat leadership, Chairwoman Jamila Winder and Vice Chairman Neil Makhija, voted in favor of the action while Republican Commissioner Tom DiBello abstained.
Samuel Coleman IV, Desha Dickson, Fiona Dow, John Han, Rosemary Jenkins, Shahidul Partha, Burt Siegel, and Akilah Williams-Valdez were selected in late February to serve on the committee initially established in September 2025.
“I think the commission sends a clear message to our residents that discrimination has no place here, and if you face it, you have a county that will stand with you,” Winder said during a September 2025 board meeting.
Montgomery County Solicitor Benjamin Field previously stated the body would “be independent and nonpartisan” as they fulfilled responsibilities, “determining appropriate bylaws, and ensuring the human relations commission is able to provide access and assistance in accordance with the laws of the state and our country.”
Commission members “will be tasked with providing protections consonant with those enumerated” by the state commission in an effort to ensure everyone “enjoy[s] the full benefits of citizenship, and are afforded equal opportunities for employment, housing, commercial property, and the use of public accommodations,” according to the resolution, which encompasses encompasses age, ancestry, color, familial status, handicap or disability, national origin, race, religious creed, and sex.
“The implications for our residents would be real and immediate, and for the first time, they would have a place here locally to bring issues of civil rights and human relations,” Makhija said in September 2025.
Request for proposals approved
County commissioners unanimously authorized the advertisements of a series of requests for proposals during a recent meeting. The Montgomery County Department of Assets and Infrastructure sought “equipment rentals with operator services” for maintenance along existing roads and trails. Scenarios include “winter road clearing and general equipment repair services,” per the request for proposal, which will be funded through the county’s capital and general-operational budgets. Bids will be due at 11 a.m. on March 26.
Some equipment rentals will be required for work throughout the year, including “building, replacing, repairing and cleaning of various county roads and bridges and other county projects,” per the request for proposals.
Other procurement needs will be rendered for as needed “miscellaneous repairs and services,” on an according to the request for proposals, including “construction and repair of paved and unpaved trail surfaces, erosion and drainage repairs, building demolition, debris removal, material hauling and waterway/canal cleaning/repairs and internal road and parking lot improvements or repaves.”
In addition, the county’s Human Resources Department required supplemental contracted employees. Interested parties should “provide a list of authorized firms who will provide supplemental staffing services to county departments on an as-needed basis,” according to the contract, which stipulates “in-person, electronic and telephone capacities.” Funding will be obtained through the county’s general-operational budget.
Both aforementioned requests for proposals were considered a “previously solicited service due for re-solicitation in 2026,” according to county officials.
The next Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meeting will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 5 on the eighth floor of One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede St. Those interested in attending can also do so virtually. Visit montgomerycountypa.gov for more information.
