8 Comments

1. Peter Mork

   I agree that the candidate forum was a wonderful event. I particularly liked the question about how best to decide whether or not to allow chickens as pets. It revealed a great deal about how the candidates would go about making decisions.

   However, I was dismayed that not a single candidate mentioned the need to reach out to under-represented populations. Whereas it is important to reach out to civic associations, it is also important to reach out to individuals out of the political mainstream. For example, in the scenario presented, it would have seemed sensible to ask the human rights commission to engage with various minority communities.

2. Ruth

   Ah yes, the chicken issue. I thought it was particularly interesting that none of the candidates mentioned contacting the BUSINESS that was most atfected by the decision made during the Giammo rule to drive out the chickens that resided peacefully and with no complaints in Rockville. Animal Exchange had routinely been providing chicken food for our admittedly small number of pet chicken owners at least one of whom was visited at 8:00 PM on a Sunday night by the enforcers.
   In any event, I will be glad to speak to anyone who wishes to sign our petition to stop chicken discrimination in Rockville and permit up to 3 chickens in a household.
   Full disclosure - I have been president of Animal Exchange for 30 years.

3. Tom Moore, Candidate for Rockville City Council

   Peter, Ruth —

   Thanks for your thoughts on that. Ideally when I’m figuring out a complete response to an issue such as the one presented to us, I would have more than 90 seconds to come up with every possibility! (And would not be doing so in front of a room full of people!)

   When I was a journalist, the two key pieces of information I wanted to extract from people were: 1. What do you know, and 2. Who else should I talk to about this? I think this is a useful approach to bring to the City Council.

   If I’m elected, especially early on, I’m not going to know every player on every issue. I will always be open to suggestions. Communication like your comments can be a very important part of this process, and I thank you for them.

   Tom

4. Theresa Defino

   I thought many of the candidates did a great job describing how they would approach the issue with such short notice…and without a lot of time (and I also expressed my kudos to Brad and Cindy on another thread for the forum).

   I thought the exercise revealed a real lack of experience and forethought by a few of the candidates who continue to evidence a fundamental lack of understanding about how Rockville city government functions and what the real roles of the mayor and council are.

   To your credit, Tom-you have always been very clear on this issue and I support you for that. Piotr Gajewski and Susan Hoffmann do as well, having served already and they also have my support.

   I’m extremely wary of candidates who thinking pandering to what the “citizens” (ie, those most well-organized and who yell the loudest, whether they are right or wrong) want is the way to govern.

   Beware of those who over-promise, either out of a desire to get elected or out of ignorance of the style of governance in our fair city!

5. Jonathan in NMC

   Regarding the famous Chicken Question… I was disappointed that most of the candidates strove to express a position on chickens in Rockville when the question was clearly stated as an opportunity to talk about their governing and decision-making style.

6. Tom Moore

   To be fair, that was a tough question be answering toward the end of the line. I had the good fortune to go first, which made it easier to say something fresh. I’m not surprised it devolved into a discussion of the merits of chickens. Better might have been to ask two process questions, one to each half of the candidates. Having said that, I think it might be the best question I have been asked all season so far.

7. John Cooper-Martin

   I was out of town, visiting my daughter, in her first year in college, so I missed what everyone says was a wonderful event. I have handicaps, which also make it hard for me to attend various functions, so I concentrate on what I can do and pretty much ignore what I can’t do. Anyway, I would like to Reply to two Replies, please.

   To Theresa Defino in your Reply #4, where you wrote, “Beware of those who over-promise, either out of a desire to get elected…” I could not agree with you more. When I was working, I was a pastoral psychotherapist, which means you are a psychotherapist who is willing to incorporate a person’s spiritual dimension into the person’s psychotherapy IF THE PERSON WANTS TO have it incorporated; it would have been unethical for me to incorporate spirituality, faith, or any kind or religious viewpoints, into a person’s therapy, UNLESS the person wanted it. Anyway, that’s a little beside the point.

   The point is that I studied Jungian psychology, as part of my training. In Jungian psychology, when a person, right away, comes on very strong and hard and says she/he definitely, without a doubt, do something that, on the surface, taken at face value, sounds very appealing and positive, which she/he would do, if she/he gets the position, which she/he is seeking, believe me, if she/he does get the position, she/he will almost always do and be the complete OPPOSITE of what she/he said she/he said she/he would do and be when she/he was trying to get the position.

   A hypothetical example, not taken from any candidate, I hope, (if it is, it is unintentional) might be to, RIGHT AWAY, state a position like the following, sounding something like, “I would be a very democratic person, in working with the staff. The staff and I would make decisions jointly, as a team. The staff will have just as much influence and input, as to the outcome of decisions, here, as I will. The decisions coming from me will really not be mine but will be team decisions. Above all else, I’m a team player.” If you hear those kind of promises being made, hard, unequivocal, and right away, most of the time, the person is really just the opposite, very dictatorial in her/his decision-making processes. The person is unaware of what Jungians call the person’s “shadow side” of a particular part of her/his personality. We all have “shadow sides” to our personalities, but when we are not aware of them very well, they get us off balance and in trouble. I’ve seen this happen, not only with politicians but with people interviewing for executive positions, as well. Often, the electorate, with politicans, or search committees, with executives, gets mezmorized by the person’s flare, dramatic presentations, etc. Anyway, I hope that does not happen, in our City’s elections, or any elections, and I hope the agencies that are needed to help make everything work, fairly smoothly do not get sucked into these kind of false hope-promises, which cannot be kept. Sorry for the long narrative to agree with your point and compliment you for writing it much more succintly than I.

   My second Reply is to Tom Moore in Reply #6:
   Geez, Tom, my feelings are hurt; you liked the “chicken question” better than the one I asked all of the candidates their positions on parking fees and paid parking hours should be in the Town Square. Guess I get the rubber chicken award.

8. Brigitta Mulilcan

   The trash subject was heard again at this
   Candidate Forum. The Mayor mentioned that the City of Rockville refuse rate has not gone up. I want to share the household costs of this service. I am sure when the next analysis is made on the refuse enterprise fund we will be surprised what we learn.

   Rockville residents do not get their refuse service “free” nor is it part of their property tax. We all expect costs to increase, but I expected a savings once the service changed from once a week to twice a week. Rockville tax payers did not see a cost saving.

   Here are my quarterly charges for my refuse cost in the City of Rockville Utility Bill.

   1. 2009 $32.70 per month - $98.10 per bill
   2. 2008 $32.70 per month
   3. 2007 $31.00 per month
   4. 2006 $29.50 per month
   5. 2005 $27.50 per month
   6. 2004 $25.50 per month
   7. 2003 $23.75 per month

   Having the larger refuse and recycle bins, I wonder if I should put them out once a week even if I have only a few small bags of refuse and a half filled recycle bin. Or do I wait to roll the bins to the curb when the bins are full, which might take three weeks.

   In my 2009 real property tax for Montgomery County there is an annual charge of $24.45 for solid waste and a new Rockville storm water management fee of $40.00.

   In 2005 my annual solid waste charge was $51.86. The County did something to make that cost decrease. Do any of the Council Members know why?

Leave a Reply

Read our comment policy. Please be civil. Don't write something you would not say to someone's face. COMMENTS ARE MODERATED. We reject comments with vulgarities, obscentities, or that personally attack other commenters.

• Recent Comments
• Most Active
• Tags