MARYLAND, November 6 - For Immediate Release: Tuesday, June 11, 2024

ROCKVILLE, Md., June 11, 2024—Today the Montgomery County Council appointed Khandikile Sokoni as the new Hearing Examiner in the Office of Zoning and Administrative Hearings (OZAH). The County Council interviewed Ms. Sokoni in closed session on May 21, 2024, for the position.

The Hearing Examiner is responsible for conducting complex administrative hearings for County agencies and issuing written reports and recommended decisions. OZAH conducts hearings on land use applications and contested cases referred by County agencies. The hearings deal primarily with land use issues but may also include matters referred by the other County departments and agencies. The Hearing Examiner also provides advice and assistance to the County Council on amendments to the County Zoning Ordinance and County Code.

"I have had the opportunity to see Khandikile Sokoni's outstanding work firsthand as a Council legislative attorney, and I know she will bring the same level of critical analysis, dedication and professionalism to her new role as hearing examiner," said Council President Andrew Friedson, who also serves as chair of the Planning, Housing and Parks Committee. "The Office of Zoning and Administrative Hearings plays an essential role in providing due process to all parties in land use cases and other matters. I'm confident that Ms. Sokoni's legal acumen, commitment to fairness and sound judgement will serve our community well."

Ms. Sokoni has been a Legislative Attorney at the Council since July 2022. Prior to her work at the Council, Ms. Sokoni had over 20 years of local government experience which included practicing as an attorney in both public service and private practice. Following an in-house career in the Ithaca City Attorney’s Office in Ithaca, New York, she transitioned to private practice joining a firm in which she subsequently became a partner (True, Walsh & Sokoni, LLP). In private practice she continued to represent New York municipalities as clients including the Towns of Dryden, Ulysses, and Richford. Her extensive local government experience includes drafting zoning laws as well as litigating land use and zoning matters. In service to the legal profession, she served as president of the Tompkins County Bar Association, as well as the Finger Lakes Women’s Bar Association, in New York State. She also served as a Commissioner on the Independent Judicial Election Qualifications Commission (IJEQC) for the New York Appellate Division’s Sixth Judicial District. She is admitted to the Bar in Maryland and New York and is a graduate of Cornell Law School.

Copies of reports and recommended decisions by OZAH’s may be reviewed on their website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/ozah.

Mrs. Sokoni will begin her position as Hearing Examiner on July 1, 2024.

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Release ID: 24-220
Media Contact: Lucia Jimenez 240-777-7832
Categories: Andrew Friedson