Contributor Opinion by Councilmember Piotr Gajewski: Mayor and Council Vision 2020
Jun 23, 2010 7:00 - 4 Comments
>Citizens of Rockville!
I command the Mayor and Council Vision 2020 to your attention!!!
At its June 21, 2010 meeting, the Rockville City Council unanimously passed a vision of how the Council imagines Rockville in year 2020. The document is used to guide the City staff in its work of managing the City and in assisting the City Council as it adopts policies that reach for the articulated city vision.
In recent weeks the Council has been contentious on a number of issues. Mayor Marcuccio and Councilmember Newton have staked out minority positions, voting against the budgeting principles on which the FY 11 budget is based and against the renewal of the contract of the City Manager Scott Ullery. For her part, the Mayor also recently cast the sole vote against renewing the City’s contract with Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI). But just when only a week earlier it seemed that the Council was heading for another 3-2 split, after much discussion and many edits, consensus on the city vision was achieved.
The following is the last paragraph of the preamble:
“The vision builds on the following seven themes: Strong and Distinctive Neighborhoods; Urban Sensitivity; Engaged Governance; Business Friendly; Multimodal Transportation; Exceptional City Services and Amenities; and Quality Environment. These themes have equal importance and Mayor and Council view them as mutually compatible. Budget priorities are explicitly not part of the vision; these are best addressed in the normal budget process.”
Many will find fault with one or another aspect of this vision, but it is my sincere hope that many will also find in the vision a direction that they can embrace. The city vision document is a must-read for all who engage in Rockville civic affairs. It can be found here: http://www.rockvillemd.gov/government/mc/vision.htm.
Piotr Gajewski
This is a Contributor Opinion. Rockville Central encourages readers to submit such pieces for consideration — the more voices the better. Simply send them to rockvillecentral@gmail.com. We ask that all such contributions be civil and we reserve the right to edit (in consultation with the author) or reject. Contributor opinions should not be seen as reflecting opinions held by Rockville Central editors, as they are just as frequently at odds with our own views. That’s the whole point!
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Dear Council Member Gajewski,Thank you for providing information on the newly passed Vision 2020.However, I am troubled by your second paragraph. Differing ideas/positions within a governing body are healthy, especially when discussions turn to spending tax payer money and renewing contracts. Respecting others’ positions is the hallmark of a good leader. Thank you for your hard work on the Council. Respectfully,Gerry Cashin
I applaud the many innovative ideas in the document, and point attention to the pedestrian/cycling aspect. “…Rockville Pike is transitioning to a denser and more pedestrian, bicycle and mass transit-friendly environment.” This is reminiscent of the Earth Day strategy offered here http://rockvillecentral.com/2010/04/contributor-opinion-by-herb-winkler-a-strategy-for-earth-day.html/ Thanks for including it, and connecting to the Montgomery College campus. Let’s not wait ten years to implement this. Our present governing body has the vision, and should act on it. We will all breathe easier when we find alternatives to driving.Herb Winkler
Ms. Cashin:Thanks for your comment.I absolutely agree with you that “differing ideas/positions within a governing body are healthy,” and I fully respect the differing positions on issues that are staked out by individual Council members. The point I was making is that on occasion, municipal Councils are encouraged to develop a consensus approach, and in the case of the city vision, the Rockville City Council was successful in reaching consensus.There is, of course, also nothing wrong or unfair in pointing out that had Mayor Marcuccio and Councilmember Newton prevailed in their position to not renew the City Manager’s contract, we would now be looking for a replacement for the City Manager. (It is worth noting that the City Manager has received unanimous favorable job performance reviews, most recently on January 25, 2010.) My understanding is that Councilmember Newton voted against the renewal of the contract because she opposed the three year term of the contract (this is the same length of term as in the current contract). Mayor Marcuccio is yet to fully explain her vote.Likewise, on the issue of funding for the Rockville Economic Development, Inc.: had the Mayor prevailed, REDI would cease to exist a week from today. These are important positions, and while I respect them, I do disagree with them. I am most pleased about the unanimous vote on the city vision. I believe that many in Rockville would like to see the Council build on this consensus approach.
On the subject of what Rockville is and might be – look at this excerpt from America, One Door at a Time, (Confessions of a Census-taker) in the Wash Post July 4: “In one Rockville neighborhood, I met immigrants from Suriname, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Bolivia, El Salvador, Peru, Lesotho, Russia, Ukraine, Malawi, Tanzania, Ivory Coast and Sri Lanka – all living within a mile of one another.”WOW!