Richard Gottfried, City Council Candidate

>

Campaign photo.

Richard Gottfried is a Twinbrook resident, longtime activist, and CPA who is running for ciity Council.

Recap of the Rockville Central interview (download audio here):

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.

Share and enjoy:

Hide Sites