Council interviews Faisal Amin for deputy director of county Office of Management and Budget

Montgomery County Council members interviewed Faisal Amin, the county executive's nominee for deputy director for results in the Office of Management and Budget, during a public session. The executive's representatives—Rich Maddalino and OMB Director Jenny Bryant—introduced Amin and outlined his federal experience, including roles at the White House and as chief financial officer at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "He has extensive experience in budgeting, financial management, strategic planning, continuous improvement, stakeholder engagement, financial systems, and engaging with the legislature as well," Maddalino said. Amin told council members he would focus on aligning resources with the county executive's priorities, improving performance measurement and fostering transparent communication between OMB, the executive and the council. "My goal every day is to help each colleague exceed his or her own expectations," Amin said when asked about his management philosophy. On racial equity and social justice, Amin cited work establishing the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and providing technical assistance for historically under-resourced grantees after passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. He said he had overseen efforts to help communities access and manage federal grants and advocated for remediation funding for Alaska Native villages as an example of focused equity work. Asked about improving the county's performance and outcome measurement, Amin described consolidating strategic planning, performance management and program evaluation functions and running periodic desk-officer briefings and quarterly performance reviews to present progress to senior officials. On budgeting process design, Amin said a two-year budget cycle can offer stability but that many legislative bodies are reluctant to cede annual control; he said the county's existing supplemental appropriation process provides agility to meet midyear needs and that he would support studying alternatives if the council requested it. On technology, Amin said he supports investments in software tools and explained prior use of robotic process automation to reduce manual tasks; he said local government should take measured approaches toward adopting AI tools to improve analysis while managing risks. Multiple council members praised Amin's experience and expressed support for his nomination during the interview, and several said they intended to vote in favor of confirmation. Amin said he was not aware of any conflicts of interest. The session was an interview; no confirmation vote occurred during the meeting.