[
Editor's Note: This post has been updated significantly so we are re-publishing it. New candidate interviews have been added and typographical errors have been fixed.]
As
Rockville Central readers
know, I have been working on interviewing every declared
candidate for a Rockville city office. I've already completed and
posted interviews with all the declared candidates for Mayor.
I have now just about completed 30-minute interviews with (just about) every
candidate for Rockville City Council.
There are four seats on the
City Council. Three are held by incumbents, who are running for re-election -- that's Robert E. Dorsey, Phyllis Marcuccio, and Anne Robbins. There are eight other candidates. Every voter will choose four candidates on election day (November 6).
If there is anything that almost all of the candidates agree on, it is that decision making at the Council level has (in the words of one candidate) become "deeply flawed" in recent years. Time after time, candidates told me they were sick of the infighting and bickering on the City Council, and that the voters they talked to were sick of it too. It's not unfair to say that these candidates believe that what appears to be the current gridlocked state of the city council (many brought up the inability to come to any real decision on the trash issue) is an embarrassment. You'd think it would just be the challengers who are concerned about how the current City Council is operating -- but it's incumbents too. So, any four candidates that Rockville voters vote for will say they plan to work hard so that the City Council can work better.
Having said that, though, as with mayor,
Rockville voters face a real choice when it comes to their representatives on City Council. These are eleven very different candidates. Here is a quick recap (in alphabetical order) of my conversation with each one.
I'm trying to present a fair snapshot of what each candidate is about. If I get something wrong it is not because I secretly favor one candidate over another. It's just an honest mistake. I encourage you to use the "comment" section to continue the conversation.
I asked a lot more questions than I have room for here! Many of the candidates have a lot of interesting stuff to say...so I encourage you to
listen to the podcast audio of the interviews linked after each candidate writeup.
THEO ANDERSON
Hungerford resident Theodric (Theo) Anderson currently serves as chair of the city's Human Rights Commission. He is retired USAF and currently works for the Department of Justice as chief of their Detention Standards Compliance division.
Theo says he is running for City Council because he feels that, "through [his] contacts with neighborhood associations and citizens, there is a sense that their concerns are not being taken seriously." He wants to bring back what he calls a "grassroots connection" to the City Council. While "Rockville does a fabulous job promoting itself and attracting new business," Theo says he believes it is "beginning to lose touch with various communities. As we go forward with economic development, there are concerns that certain neighborhoods have. They believe their concerns may be pushed aside in favor of business interests."
"The face of Rockville is changing," he says, and it is becoming "more diverse and more eclectic" than it used to be. "We need to reach out to
all communities and citizens that make up Rockville -- Russians, Africans, Latinos, Asians, and the anchor communities [Black and White] too." In another context, Theo points out, "Look at our boards and commissions and there are very few that contain anything other than Whites." He goes on, "[We] need to do better at reachin out to new cultures and including them."
Theo's favorite restaurant is a Korean restaurant just off the Pike, "behind the 7-11 and near where they are building the new CVS." And his favorite park? The
Newmark Commons park.
(Click here for full audio of the interview -- large file, 4MB)JOHN BRITTON
Planning Commission member John Britton says he is running because "I would like to apply my experience and expertise and apply them in a different, more nuanced way."
Currently an attorney in private practice (he's managing partner of his firm's DC office), John says he moved to Rockville 9 years ago because he and his wife, Katherine, had "identified Rockville as a great place to raise a family." Shortly after moving to Rockville, he joined the cultural arts commission, and then moved over to the Planning Commissions. He is also a member of the RORZOR commission, which is charged with redesigning the City's zoning rules top to bottom.
The key issues facing Rockville, according to John, are the same ones that face "any local jurisdiction: development and growth. Building activities consume a lot of our local focus." He is interested in sustainable development and says that "city leaders have been very successful at balancing growth. But now I think we should go a step further; we need to look at how our built environment impacts on our health and environment." He associates himself with the New Urbanism and Smart Growth schools of thought.
John says the new Town Square is "a great success. They did a terrific job integrating the public aspects with the private aspects." In fact, he goes on to say:
You can see lots of mixed use in lots of places. In this case, we have a grand public structure (the library) and an arts building. Having a well-used public structure to anchor your project is wonderful. It hasn't been done, to my knowledge, in other places in the area.
John says picking a favorite restaurant is tough, because there are so many, but he did allow that he has a soft spot for
Tara Asia. And, while he likes many parks including Dogwood and Monument, he favors the top of Monument Hill for watching fireworks.
(Click here for full audio of the interview -- large file, 4MB) ROBERT E. DORSEY
Robert E. Dorsey is finishing up his 7th term on the City Council, and before that served 12 and a half years on the Human Rights Commission. When asked why he's running for re-election, he does not hestitate: "I really do understand what is required to serve in office," he says. "I am willing to make the personal and professional contributions. It takes a lot more time than you might imagine." And, while "it is flattering to be recognized in the store," he says, it is critical that any candidate be able to put in "the time it takes to actually serve."
But for Bob, it is not only his understanding of what it takes to serve that makes him well qualified, but also that he has put in the time and has been around the block. The reason people ought to vote for him, he syas, is "the actual experience that I have."
One key piece of experience, according to Bob, is the understanding that "a huge percentage of what we [in the city] do is dependent on other people too. We need to get along with others of similar interests." That, according to Bob, is one thing that sets him apart from other candidates: "I actually have a comfortable level of access to people who influence what happens in Rockville. . . . I wish the rest of the candidates realized that a lot of what has to happen in Rockville needs to be charmed out of people who do not necessarily live in Rockville."
Bob's favorite meal comes from his wife's kitchen but when pressed he admits he also likes Wendy's -- though he does not have a favorite location. But when it comes to Rockville parks, he can't say enough about Dogwood Park. "It's like a Yankee Stadium for kids," he says. "What an opportunity, not just for Rockville kids but for children on other teams who come and play here. It represents sharing at the ultimate level."
If he could say one thing to his fellow candidates, according to Bob, it would be: "Calm down."
(Click here for full audio of the interview -- large file, 4MB) PIOTR GAJEWSKI
It's fair to say that Piotr Gajewski has the most interesting day job of all the candidates for City Council. He's the musical director and conductor of the
National Philharmonic at Strathmore. He's lived in Montgomery County more than 20 years. Born in Poland, he grew up in the Boston area. Now he lives in King Farm. Asked why he's running for City Council, he says "I love this city. My children go to school here, and I look forward to providing leadership."
Piotr -- who goes by "Peter" to his friends, like Rockville Central readers -- says there are "a number of issues" facing Rockville that he plans to work on if elected. "Effective and efficient government" tops the list, "but not at the expense of quality government services." Among the biggest challenges facing the city is the task of "balancing growth with road, transit, and school capacities."
Peter says Rockville has a "special challenge" when it comes to Town Square. "We have seen a string of failures in that area, we can't afford another one. We need to aggressively market our Town Center and make it a destination for people outside of Rockville."
People should vote for Peter, he says, "becuase I bring a fresh perspective and a new face." Furthermore, in his position as director of the National Philharmonic, "I have had much experience articulating a creative vision for the future, molding partnerships, proposing creative solutions to complex problems, successfully getting funds from government, and responding to public concerns."
Peter's favorite restaurant is the same one as me --
Il Pizzico on the Pike near Gude. He says his offices used to be right above it and he watched it grow from a stand to the 4-star powerhouse it is now. (I promise, just because we share the same favorite restaurant I am not biased!)
And, like most of the candidates for Mayor, Peter favors Mattie Stepanek Park...but he has the added benefit of living right near it.
(Click here for full audio of the interview -- large file, 4MB)RICHARD GOTTFRIED
Richard Gottfried, who
got into the race for City Council relatively late (just under the wire for filing) says his background as a CPA is at the core of why he is running. "My decision to run," he says, "is based on my assessment that every issue that comes before the Council involves numbers." He says that "Rockville citizens need someone who understand what those numbers mean in real terms."
Rich moved from Connecticut to Rockville to attend Georgetown at night "and never went back," in his words. In 2001, he says, "I made a commitment to Rockville and bought a [home] on Twinbrook Parkway." He's a CPA with a Master's in taxation, and has been director of finance and controller of a number of nonprofit organizations, most recently 4-H. He's originally from New Rochelle County in New York, and went to Syracuse University.
Rich sees four top issues facing the City Council. Aside from funding the full range of services the city must provide and recognizing that the primary purpose of government is to enhance the lives of its citizens, he says there are two interrelated financial problems that must be addressed: "[We need to] address infrastructure deficiencies created by years of unchecked growth," he says, and "create a financial exit strategy from the shortfall created by the three parking garages in Town Center." Rich thinks the city needs to do a better job of informing Rockville citizens about the issues coming up, perhaps through "additional Rockville Reports." And, he says, "once citizens let us know their opinions, we need to listen to them."
Rich's favorite restaurant is Mama Lucia's (the one in the Trader Joe's mall), and he has two favorite parks: Glenview Mansion and
Broome Athletic Park.
(Click here for full audio of the interview -- large file, 3MB)CARL HENN
Hungerford resident Carl Henn has lived in Rockville for 20 years and has been on many boards and commissions. He currently works on the environment commission and on the bicycle committee. He jokes that he is running for City Council because he is a "glutton for punishment." But seriously, he says, "Rockville can do a lot better to prepare for the energy and environmental challenges facing it."
While other candidates for City office (just about all of them, in fact) say that "green development" is important, Carl is alone in making renewable energy, global warming and
peak oil the exclusive, almost single-minded focus of his campaign. Just about every other issue, he says, connects to those. "The big issues that face [Rockville]," he says, "are the same ones that face the nation. The sooner we address them, the better off we will be."
"They say that, if you are in a hole, the first thing you should do is stop digging," says Carl. "Rockville is in a hole," and needs to take serious measures to begin to get out of it. There are things that can be done at the local level to make a difference, he says. "Every transit trip begins and ends on foot," he points out. So, we can improve pedestrian safety and we will do more walking. The planned interchange at I-270 and Gude would not work, he says, "and would damage the Millenium Trail and take out trees behind the Senior Center." He also says that when oil eventually runs out, we will need to grow our own food -- food production right now is heavily dependent on cheap oil. As a way to get ready, he says, we can begin community gardens such as the one he began in King Farm.
"Preparing for the energy future is not on the list" of things Rockville is thinking about right now, he says. "Ultimately, I would like to see a community planning effort like
Imagine Rockville, but this time focused on energy." Carl goes on to say: "The Council is just not wrapping their minds around" the seriousness of the energy situation that we face. "Everyone knows that oil is finite; it will run out," he says. "There is a form of denial on the part of the City Council." When asked if anyone now on the Council really seems to be getting his point, Carl answers, "Sadly, no."
Carl's favorite Rockville restaurant is Tamari Cafe (near Wintergreen) and his favorite park is Dawson Farm Park -- which his kids call "the rocky park."
When asked what he will between the time he is elected (if he is) and his first day in office, Carl wins special mention from Rockville Central for being
the only candidate who says the first thing he will do is "get my signs back from people's yards." (Come on, people!)
(Click here for full audio of the interview -- large file, 4MB)PHYLLIS MARCUCCIO
Phyllis Marcuccio says says she is just an "East Rockville kind of person," and jokes that she has "always lived on the wrong side of the tracks." She went to Richard Montgomery High School, and has lived here since 1942.
"I'm running because a lot of work I began still needs to be done," she says. (She's an incumbent, finsihing up her first term.) "Citizens of the city need someone who speaks from their point of view. I feel like I am a champion for the guy who goes to work and is just trying to live comfortably in the city." She goes on to say, "I want to see that we get the best and do the best for our citizens who are here."
Phyllis shows a remarkable breadth of detailed knowedge about the ins and outs of many of the issues facing Rockville. In fact, that's one of her hallmarks: "I hope people will see I do my homework," she says. "I really read those briefing papers."
She says that, if re-elected, she would like to start by "cleaning up the process by which we choose candidates for boards and commissions." In her view, "we have slipped" in the way we applied the existing process in recent years.
She also says she "would like to pursue the notion that citizens carry a tremendous burden of city costs. Tax relief is important, but there are other things we can do to make Rockville livable. Living in Rockville should be a lifetime event," she says. "[But] fixed income people find it hard to live here."
Phyllis says that, when it comes to restaurants, Town Square has some nice spots and "I am still getting acquainted with them." But, she has "an old-time favorite: the
Apollo Restaurant." (Hey, I love that place.) As for her favorite park, she has two. Pumphouse Park is one, and
Mary Trumbo Park is the other -- "it was our community who said, 'hey, there's an empty piece of ground, let's make a park.'"
(Click here for full audio of the interview -- large file, 4MB)BRIGITTA MULLICAN
Twinbrook resident Brigitta Mullican says she is running "because I feel I have a lot of knowledge and experience and leadership" to offer the city. She's lived in Twinbrook for 42 years and has 36 years of federal government service. "I've been proven to do my homework," she says, "and I have a record of being persistent."
"We all know that Rockville is a great place to live," says Brigitta. "We have a big budget." The key is that we need to think about "how to keep this budget reduced so that retired people can live here."
Brigitta
ran for mayor in 2005 and had a respectable showing. In this campaign, she says, the issues are similar: "Reducing taxes, having stronger internal controls on our accounts, ensuring services are provided at a fair cost, the safety of neighborhoods and streets." But, she says, the biggest issue is "having a council that works together. You can have the best plan . . . but you need good people working together." She says that, while "everyone says they want new policies, people are not concentrating on implementing policy" enough.
Brigitta says that, among other things, the city needs to improve its approach to infrastructure. "Infrastructure and operating services have gone down since Town Center [was built]," she says. "I am all for Town Center, but the city also has to look at its neighborhood's needs."
People ought to vote for Brigitta, she says, becuase "I will come to the Council without a preconceived agenda. I have no conflicts and no job interference. I will do this job 100%."
Brigitta does not have a favorite Rockville restaurant, and says she "sure wishes there were a German restaurant and bakery." (She says there used to be one in Derwood -- anyone remember?) And, Brigitta points to
Glenview Mansion as her favorite Rockville park. "It's the only park in Rocvkille that can hold a large number of peope," she says. "It's the one place where you can have big events. We are lacking one place where we can bring all people together. Town Center is great but it can't bring enough people together."
(Click here for full audio of the interview -- large file, 4MB) 
Tracy Pakulniewicz-Chidiac entered the race for City Council just under the wire. She threw her hat in the ring, "because I looked at the city council and I didn't see anyone who represented me," she says. "I am first generation American, married to a naturalized citizen, a working mother, a daughter, a granddaughter." She goes on, "[I]f I wanted to have my daughter's best interests and future represented, [I knew] that I really needed to throw my hat into the ring."
Tracy is a Twinbrook resident who has lived with her husband in Rockville for five years. She has a 21-month old daughter, Layla.
She points with pride to her time in the Bill Clinton administration, not because of the aura of working in the White House, but because of what it taught her about fiscal discipline. She is quick to say that the Clinton White House "was the one that brought you a balanced budget and no deficit." Now in her fifth term as president of her homeowner's association, Tracy attributes that time to giving her the experience she needed to turn the association's finances around – all without raising fees.
Tracy also worked for a Hollywood production company, but did so abroad as they were filming Black Hawk Down in Morocco, Bad Company in the Czech Republic, and Kangaroo Jack in Australia – all at once. Again, she does not point this out to brag, but to explain where she gets her diplomatic skills. In fact, Tracy estimates she has been in "over 30 countries."
Her top issues are to manage growth of Phase 2 of Town Center, and increase public safety. "In DC," she says, "there are 2.26 police officers for every 1,000 citizens. In Rockville, it is 0.86." She wants to look at ways to increase the force and retain officers we now have, as well as ways to improve infrastructure.
Finally, she points to fiscal discipline as her overarching theme, a point she comes back to repeatedly.
Asked why voters should choose her, Tracy says with assurance: "I have a broad vision for the city, global experience, and I know what it's like to work with various levels of government. I am extremely diplomatic and I know how to make my opponents not my enemy. That's what our city needs right now: a reconciliation."
Listen to the interview with Tracy here (large file, 3MB)
ANNE M. ROBBINS
Rockshire resident Anne Robbins has served four terms on the City Council and is running for her fifth. She attended the Maxwell School of Public Policy in Syracuse, New York and peppers her comments with quotes and anecdotes she picked up from her time there. Her words reveal an abiding faith in the power and ability of people to work together to find local solutions to issues. "I come from a political family," she says. "My family has always been involved in politics. My husband was on the city council from '87 to '93," says Anne. "I helped him. Later I ran."
Asked why she's running now, Anne says "I have a record that shows I have stood up for the citizen. Most of the people who come before [the City Council] like developers have expensive attorneys. Citizens do not have the same access. When I decided to run, I hoped that I would be the advocate for the citizen. My record shows I do that."
The top issue facing Rockville, for Anne, is quality of life. "Rockville is my home town," she says. "We have to keep our quality of life. It is always threatened by overdevelopment. This brings with it related traffic congestion and other hazards."
After overdevelopment, Anne says, the top issues are "traffic, pedestrian safety, and tax relief. . . . When you talk to people, you hear what their issues are. I kept hearing from people that taxation was out of hand, and that they never really got anything back." This was the impetus, she says, of working with others on the Council to get a pair of tax rate reductions over the last two years.
Anne says people should vote for her "becuase they know me. They knew me when I helped my husband when he was on the City Council. I have been on the Council myself for 8 years, and they know me." She also points out that she seeks to focus exclusively on Rockville. "I am not trying to run for higher office. I have kept my promises."
Anne, like other candidates, says she is working through the list of restaurants at Town Square -- but she has a couple of old-time favorites, Theo's (in Rockshire) and Giuseppe's (by the Regal). They are friends of the family for her.
Asked about her hobbies, Anne gets personal: "I work out, and have a wonderful new appreciation of life. I am a breast cancer survivor. They caught it early and luckily it was the size of a piece of rice. . . . I never start a day without thanking God that I am still alive and life is so wonderful."
Click here for full audio of the interview -- large file, 4MB)
ERIC KUOHWA WANG
(No photo available.)
Eric Kuohwa Wang, a 19-year letter carrier and a resident of Twinbrook since 1991, is devoted to helping others. This is the overriding theme of his campaign. "As a member of the Human Services Advisory Commission for the last four years," he says, "I have met with all kinds of people. I want to bring more resources and solutions to help people who are in need."
In this respect, he is alone among the candidates in the emphasis he places on helping individual people. He points out that the City only accounts for 5% of the budget for human services in the area -- and that it needs to do more. "Traffic, pedestrian safety, these are issues which take a long time to solve," he says. "I am saying we should spend our resources helping people who need it right now, and work on other issues afterwards."
Eric backs up his rhetoric with action, not only through service on the Human Services Advisory Commission but also in his personal life: He cooks meals every first Sunday at Chase Partnership House, a shelter for homeless men on Gude Drive.
Asked what he would like to say to his opponents, Eric states simply, "Whoever wins is not important. What is important is how you can benefit others."
Click here for full audio of the interview -- large file, 2MB)
Article continues.
Click to expand and read more...
Click for summary only...
Rockville's annual Music Festival and Chili Cookoff was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon and, if you missed it, you missed out.
Just about every candidate for city office (mayor as well as city council) was out, as well as some office holders who have the year off from campaigning.
