County Executive Visits Rockville Chamber of Commerce

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett joked that if he was taken aside and told that the County had just been invaded by locusts in biblical proportions, “I would not be surprised.” It’s been that kind of year after the weather challenges, budget gap, and even an earthquake.

Rockville Chamber of Commerce Board Member, Brian Barkley, introduced Mr. Leggett by recalling The Washington Post line “steady leader skillfully navigates lean times”. During his talk, Mr. Leggett described the tough decisions he has been forced to make.

People ask Ike Leggett why he would even want to be Montgomery County Executive during this difficult economic period. He believes this is the most important time to be helping the public.

Every decision is a crucial one. When there is plenty of money, you can make mistakes. But if I don’t get it right, it could have a profound impact on the future of this County.

This year alone, the County has had to cut $1 billion from the budget and Mr. Leggett emphasized we’re “talking serious business here”. The County’s budget is larger than many states including New Hampshire, Montana, North & South Dakota, and Alaska. He continually asserts that the top three issues in the County are the budget, the budget, and the budget. Back in 2007 when he first said “cut spending now” many thought he wasn’t painting a rosy enough picture but his predictions have come true.

Almost 85% of the budget gap was closed with sacrifices by employees so that the County’s AAA bond rating could be maintained. Montgomery County has had this top bond rating from all three of the big credit rating agencies for almost 40 years, which is the second longest continuous record. Although the County was forced to reduce the reserves from 6% to 5%, he is committed to raising it up to 10% by growing the reserve by a ½% each year. Wall Street was impressed and re-issued the top bond ratings.

Compared to other places, Montgomery County is much better off. People from outside the County incredulously ask “This is your problem?” when they hear about the Seneca Science City controversy. They can’t believe that having Johns Hopkins build in an area designated for development to provide up to 50,000 jobs would even be considered a problem.

Business-wise Mr. Leggett knew the County had to make smart growth decisions. When he first proposed moving County facilities such as the bus depot and fire/rescue training center away from the Shady Grove Metro, people told him it couldn’t be done. But the valuable land was swapped and this development will occur without expense to the County.

When speaking about income taxes, Mr. Leggett explained that 82% of the Maryland State “Millionaire Tax” would have come from Montgomery County. 3% of the wealthiest families contribute 45% of the County’s income taxes. Even though the law never went into effect, the number of taxpayers in the high tax bracket went from 10,000 to 7,300 so “either they died in a hurry or they moved.”

With yesterday’s news from the Maryland Court of Appeals, Mr. Leggett spoke about ambulance fees. The County budget was approved with $14-$15 million per year in ambulance fees. If voters force the County to remove them, the difference will have to be made up with reductions in programs or additional taxes totaling $170 million over ten years. The ambulance fee is used by surrounding jurisdictions so Montgomery County residents are already impacted. If health insurance companies were billed for ambulance services instead of using tax funds, 2/3rds of the amount would be paid by Medicaid or Medicare.

During his comments following the County Executive, Steve Silverman, the Director of the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development, described the County’s efforts to keep the U.S. Health and Human Services agency in Rockville as “very aggressive”. Also, the County is competing to attract the corporate headquarters for Choice Hotels. Although competitive, one “huge problem” is the distance to an airport.

Rockville Economic Development Director, Sally Sternbach, also spoke about air travel. Mid-tier companies need to land their corporate jets, so she advises the County to take a good look at infrastructure and talk about the issue.

As the Chamber works to promote businesses in Rockville, Executive Director, Andrea Jolly, concluded the event by inviting both Mr. Leggett and Mr. Silverman to take their wives out during the upcoming Rockville Restaurant Week.

Weekend To Weekend Pick 9/30/10: Dinner With Rockville Central

To support Rockville Restaurant Week, we’re finally inviting you all to join us for an evening get together.

Meet us at La Tasca on Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 7 PM. During Restaurant Week, dinner is a set price of $25 per person at La Tasca, so you’ll know what to expect. If you order any beverages, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, they will be extra along with the tax and tip.

Hopefully the Town Square location will make it easy for Metro rail commuters. This is a perfect opportunity to Buy Rockville, support our restaurants, and meet fellow Rockvillians.

We don’t have an agenda or any speeches, rather we invite you to come and discuss what’s important to you and meet each other in person. It’s that simple. You don’t have to RSVP in advance, but if you think you are coming, please let us know: [email protected].

During the past three years, I’ve often highlighted events in and around Rockville. For a year and a half I researched and wrote the Weekend to Weekend listing of all the happenings in Rockville before we asked Helen Triolo at Rockville Living to automate the process and encouraged everyone to post event announcements on her wonderful calendar. For a while I picked the best of the week to highlight here on Rockville Central. Now I’m back at it again with the W2W Pick.

Transformer Fire, Power Outages In Montgomery County

Photo by Herb Winkler

While today’s storm has not been anything close to the cataclysmic ones we had recently, it was still a large enough event to wreak just a little bit of havoc. Many Montgomery County intersections experienced flooding, there was a tornado warning, and Pepco is reporting a number of power outages (7,600 customers in Montgomery County as of 3:00 pm).

In the West End neighborhood in Rockville, we had a dramatic example. A tree limb fell, crossing power lines and creating arcs in the nearby transformer. Rockville Central friend Herb Winkler happened to be right nearby and captured these dramatic photos of the resulting fireball.

Photo by Herb Winkler

E-Recycle And Help A School

Periodically the City of Rockville collects unwanted electronics for recycling but you need to check for the specific dates. This fundraiser for Twinbrook Elementary School makes it easier.

You can drop these types of electronics into a box in the Twinbrook Elementary Main Office (map) during school hours throughout the school year:

• inkjet/laser cartridges
• cell phones
• ipods
• digital cameras
• GPS devices, and
• laptops (with enough charge to turn on or preferably a power cord to make sure the battery does not die in transit).

Twinbrook PTA President, Susan Pickell, encourages everyone to recycle the unused electronics cluttering up your homes and support the PTA as they strive to lower as many barriers as possible for students at Twinbrook Elementary. Many are on the Free and Reduced Meals program. The school offers two field trips per grade each year and some students can use help paying their way. These important learning opportunities can be expensive, as even renting the buses to the Smith Center in Rockville can cost as much as $300. The PTA offers many services to families. They even provide a vinyl folder for each student to facilitate communication between home and school. All of the money raised will help pay for educational programs. The processing plant pays for each item and even covers the UPS shipping costs.

Recycling at Twinbrook Elementary started during their 2009 Earth Day endeavors which were funded by a grant from the City of Rockville. The school community came together on a Saturday to landscape the property and started recycling. Last spring they also held another green initiative by having a used book drive.

If your church, office, or other group would like to join together for an electronics recycling drive for Twinbrook Elementary contact Susan Pickell at 301-294-6573.

We all know we have them laying around. What a tremendous way to support recycling and Twinbrook ES!

Ambulance Fee Repeal Now On Ballot

In a swift ruling, the Maryland Court of Appeals has ordered that the ballot initiative asking whether or not to repeal the Montgomery County ambulance fee be placed on the November ballot.

From Rockville Central editor Cindy Cotte Griffith’s piece on this subject:

On Thursday August 19, 2010, the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association submitted the final group of signatures on petitions to place the law authorizing an ambulance transport fee on the ballot in November. On their website they report over 52,000 voters in Montgomery County who signed the petitions against the fee. They believe the number of signatures gathered for these petitions was the largest number ever recorded for a ballot referendum in Montgomery County and likely the State of Maryland.

However, in a case last June, Jane Doe v. Montgomery County Board of Elections, the Maryland Court of Appeals decided that the state law requires a voter to sign his or her name on petitions exactly as it appears on the statewide voter registration lists. So, if you have a middle initial on your voter registration or a hyphenated name, etc., you must sign petitions the same way. Apparently, many signatures were rejected under these more stringent requirements.

The Court of Appeals in this instance appears to have been very skeptical of the Board of Elections’ reasoning in rejecting the signatures. According to the Washington Post, “‘No physician would ever be able to get his or her name on the petition,’ quipped Court of Appeals Judge Joseph F. Murphy Jr.”

More from the Post:

In the culmination of an extraordinarily swift challenge that made it from Rockville through the high court in Annapolis in just a month - not the years it can sometimes take to fight government overreach - Maryland’s highest court ruled in favor of the petition signers. In a 5 to 2 decision, with an opinion to come later, the majority ordered the lower court to have the referendum placed on the ballot in November.

“It’s a crucial victory for democracy and common sense,” said Montgomery County Council member Phil Andrews (D-Gaithersburg-Rockville), who was irked after some of the signatures he gathered were among the thousands elections officials threw out.

POTD: Furry

I love how the stems of the plant with the pink flowers look all furry.

Strong Arm Robbery In Twinbrook

Click for larger image

Major Tim Marsh of the Rockville Police Department recounted an incident at approximately 2:30 PM today when a Kenny’s Sub Shop delivery man was making a delivery to an address in the 13000 block of Aleutian Avenue.

Upon arriving at the address four subjects yelled to the delivery man who turned around and was punched in the face. Cash and food were taken by the group of four suspects of which only two could be described. They are said to be between 15 and 20 yrs of age and either white or hispanic males. One wore a red shirt with a number on the front and another wore a black hoodie. Suspects three and four fled with these other two towards Twinbrook Park and the direction of Atlantic Avenue.

Rockville City Police Criminal Investigative Unit is conducting the investigation.

School Tour Bus Crash On I-270

TBD has up-to-the-minute updates on the bus crash on the I-270 spur. Here’s what they know so far:

The bus was traveling on the HOV sky ramp from I-495 westbound to I-270 northbound when it drove off the ramp and landed on the I-270 spur.

Fire officials say one person is dead, two patients are critical condition, two patients are in serious condition, and numerous other patients suffered minor injuries.

ABC 7′s Brad Bell is reporting it was a school bus trip from Carlisle, PA. The tour bus appears to belong to Wolf Bus Lines out of York Springs, PA.

At 5:06 PM Northbound and southbound lanes of I-270 are closed.

See the scene through a live traffic camera.

Updates and more information can be found at this post on TBD.com.

German Students Are Enjoying Their Rockville Visit

Robert Lucke at Mayor and Council Meeting Photo by Cindy Cotte Griffiths

Teacher Robert Lucke excitedly stated “It’s a wonderful experience for all of us!” when Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio gave certificates of welcome to visitors from our Sister City, Pinneberg, Germany, at Monday’s Mayor and Council Meeting.

Pinnenberg Student and Teacher Picture by Brigitta Mullican

Twelve students and two teachers from the Theodor-Heuss Schule in Pinneberg are visiting Rockville from September 24th through October 11th, 2010. Most of the students are in their 11th or 12th year of school (16-17 years old) and are preparing to go on to the University in Germany.

Jerol Briggs from Rockville’s Sister City Corporation Board explains why they are having such a terrific time:

Their visit will include several days with their host students at Wootton High School, attending classes and learning about American education. They group will also travel to New York City for a few days, and visit several museums, including the Udvar Hazy Center, and other activities in the Washington DC area. They have also enjoyed a pizza party, a visit to Great Falls, and will also go on a shopping excursion to a local outlet mall next week. So far, all the students are having a great time getting to know their host families and exploring a large American high school.

Families in the Wootton school district are hosting the visitors so they can learn about family life and school in our country. In addition to Mr. Lucke, the group is accompanied by another teacher, Mrs. Geeske John. Tony DeRosa, foreign language teacher at Wootton High School, is coordinating the visit along with members of the Rockville Sister City Corporation.

New Cell Phone Law Starts Friday

Come Friday, it will be illegal in the state of Maryland to use your hands while talking on a cell phone and driving. In other words, you cannot hold the phone to your ear or text while driving. You’ll be able to use an earphone if you simply must talk on the phone.

The new law, which takes effect October 1, sets the fine for first offense at $40, and it’s $100 for subsequent infractions. It’s a “secondary offense,” which means you can’t be pulled over just for using your cell phone.

Distracted driving is, in many ways, the new drunk driving. New laws are beginning to be instituted to crack down, and there is a great deal of public will behind them. The Federal government is also pushing hard on the issue, and has developed a clearinghouse of information at distraction.gov.

Did you know, for instance:

• In 2008, almost 20 percent of all crashes in the year involved some type of distraction. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - NHTSA).
• Nearly 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted driver, and more than half a million were injured. (NHTSA)
• The younger, inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes.
• Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
• Using a cell phone use while driving, whether it’s hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. (Source: University of Utah)

The new law makes Maryland the 7th state to institute a ban on cell phone use, in addition to the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

POTD: Barbed

I pretty much don’t like rain. However, a rainy day can sometimes create nifty images, like this radio tower rising in the distance over the gas transmission field on MD-355 near Montgomery College. The barbed wire around the property always fascinates me.

City Issues Updated At The Town Hall Meeting

First Speaker At the Town Hall Meeting

Last night’s Town Hall Meeting was held in the Mayor and Council Chambers due to rain. The planned interaction at Rockville Town Square might have brought some new voices to the podium but the event attracted the usual speakers to City Hall. However, the low turnout and unlimited speaking time allowed for more direct interaction between residents and the Mayor and Council who were able to respond to each person individually while they were at the podium.

Present: Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio, Councilmembers John Britton, Piotr Gajewski, Mark Pierzchala, and Bridget Donnell Newton.

Only two people signed up in advance to speak. Elvie Moore from the Musical Theater Center asked the Mayor and Council to support this “Treasure of the City” to make a permanent home in Rockville and to attend the upcoming performance of Guys and Dolls. One of the MTC’s performers, Max, then proficiently sung Out There from the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Tom Doerr, from the Bicycle Advisory Committee asked for extra time and was jokingly told he could have it if he would sing. He responded that it would be off key since he’s tone deaf. But then it was explained that there were no time limits for speaking during the Town Hall meeting. Usually people are held to a maximum of 3 minutes (5 if for an entity) during Citizen’s Forums at Mayor and Council Meetings.

Being able to speak to the Mayor, Council, and City Staff without any time limits was a rare offer, but only seven people took advantage of the opportunity.

Biking

Mr. Doerr said “Ride With A Friend On the Carl Henn” had popped into his head. On behalf of the Rockville Bike Advisory Committee, he explained that the entire length of Rt. 355 is a barrier to biking and he hoped the City would incorporate the Bike Master Plan into the Master Plan for the City by adding the necessary transportation options. Nancy Breen also spoke about the upcoming city-wide bike safety program planned for next year.

College Garden Neighborhood Access To Montgomery College

Ms. Breen then asked if there had been any progress on opening the gate between the College Gardens neighborhood and Montgomery College. The situation was still described as a stalemate. However, Mark Pierzchala explained the Board of Trustees was meeting with homeowners and College Gardens Civic Association on Monday night. They were presenting a plan to open the fence so the College will have to react.

Town Center Grocery Store

An update on the grocery store situation was also requested by Ms. Breen. City Manager Scott Ullery periodically checks in with Federal Realty and they are still pursuing a grocery store and talking to a few.

The Municipal Growth Element and Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance

Susan Donohue explained she was nervous since she had never previously been to a meeting but she wanted an explanation about why the Municipal Growth Element (MGE) didn’t take the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) into account. The explanation included “It didn’t take it into account and it didn’t not take it into account.” The MGE exercise required by the State will give a synopsis of future trends, so the City can plan appropriately.

Theresa Defino requested that the Mayor and Council agree to put on their October 4th agenda a discussion of an amendment that would exempt affordable housing from the APFO. Brigitta Mullican said she always had a problem with the APFO and it needs to be more compatible with Montgomery County. As for traffic, it comes from outside Rockville and goes right through, so the City’s APFO will not correct the problem. The main solution will be to ask the County to work with the City.

Charter Commission

Joe Jordon asked the Mayor and Council for their opinions on forming a Charter Commission. Councilmember Britton thought it would be great to have a Commission discuss the issues of the number of council members and length of term as well as whether officials should be elected at-large or from specific areas of the City. Councilmember Pierzchala wondered what the timing should be since they are nine months into the term. Mayor Marcuccio ran on the platform that she would like to see a Charter Commission and mentioned an interest in expanding the council and terms. Councilmember Gajewski said that the Mayor was on the 2002 Charter Commission. Shouldn’t we give it more than 8 years? Now there is efficiency. Seven would be more time consuming. Ms. Mullican joined in the discussion summing up the issues from a financial viewpoint. Longer terms would “be better money-wise”. Financially she would say “no” to the expense of more council members but if people can give more input then she would say “yes”.

Citizen Participation

After everyone had spoke, Mayor Marcuccio wondered if participation was down in all the different neighborhood associations in the City. Was it a perception or a reality? A couple of citizens and council members spoke about their neighborhoods of Twinbrook, the West End, New Mark Commons, King Farm, and College Gardens, especially to compare this year’s National Night Out participation. Mr. Jordon suggested they call in all the leaders and find out if it’s true. Councilmember Gajewski didn’t know if the government should be reaching out when people would rather be riding their bicycles or playing with their kids. Perhaps they should handle the issues as elected officials and represent people. Mayor Marcuccio decided that if people see a value in pulling together then they should let the Mayor and Council know.

So, will the Mayor and Council get a response from leaders wanting to discuss involving more of their neighbors?

Would the Town Square location have attracted more participation at this Town Hall? Many ideas for the format were discussed, yet it resembled a typical Citizen’s Forum. Would a more innovative approach have brought people out for a Town Hall meeting? If people are content to have their elected officials make the decisions, is that enough? When people disagree we often see an outcry, so was the low turnout a sign of contentment with our local government or a lack of interest?

Carl Henn Honored Twice By The City

Carl Henn was honored for his lifelong, dedicated public service at last night’s Mayor and Council Town Hall Meeting. Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio described him as the embodiment of “Think Globally. Act Locally.” He loved Rockville and blazed a trail we all strive to follow.

As we know, Carl died in July following a lightning strike. He was our leading environmental advocate and had served on the City’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and led the Environment Commission in addition to running for Rockville City Council.

Wanting to properly honor all of Carl’s volunteer work, the City officially renamed our 10-mile bicycle beltway, the Carl Henn Rockville Millennium Trail. One of the new signs was presented to his family. A plaque recognizing his work will be posted on the Trail. Future signage and maps will reflect the new name of the Trail.

When Carl testified at April’s Budget Work Session in support of adding directional signage around the Millennium Trail, he was excited about the project. Many people did not realize you could ride all the way around the City to reach landmarks. He thought if people knew how easy it would be to bike on the Trail and reach their destination, they would be more likely to choose their bike as a means of transportation. He described the nation’s energy and transportation problems as causing our economic problems due to the draining cost of peak oil. When he researched bicycle beltways, he found that Rockville was the only jurisdiction to complete such a beltway. He felt it rivaled the Capital Cresent Trail but people didn’t know about it. Also, sections were not properly marked to guide riders. He spent many hours working on the signage placement for the Trail to save consultant fees.

When Carl’s wife, Carol Henn, spoke, most in attendance unsuccessfully attempted to hold back tears. She explained that it wasn’t in Carl to let others do things. He would get up and do it himself. When they had their two daughters and he would wade through streams and walk through the woods, he wanted to ensure that his daughters would also be able to do these things. He dedicated himself to finding ways to get around without burning fossil fuels.

The Mayor and Council also renamed the City’s environmental award as the Carl Henn Outstanding Individual Environmental Achievement Award then made Carl the first recipient posthumously. Environment Commission members Kris Dighe and Beri Kravitz helped present the award to Carol and Allison Henn while explaining that Carl was “more dedicated than anybody to the environment.” The Award will continue to recognize “those whose efforts have improved the health or quality of Rockville’s environment or have increased public understanding or participation in environmental issues.”

During the Meeting, everyone asked “Who will fill Carl’s shoes?” in reference to the question made by Carl’s friend, Art Stigile, earlier this summer. All of us must do our part.

Carl was our most frequent and popular Contributor at Rockville Central. My small bit today is to guide you to Carl’s writing. Maybe someday we’ll have discounted solar options for our homes. Hopefully the Redgate property will never be developed.

Personally, I have looked at new cars. When I think of Carl, I can’t buy one. I’ll wait for better, affordable green technology and we’ll continue to use our bicycles more around town. I don’t think Carl would want us to put up these signs and think we are done. Rather he’d want us to evaluate our lives, make better choices for the environment, and work to change policies for the better.

What will you do to fill his shoes?

Breakfast With Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett This Thursday

Ike Leggett

Our friends at the Rockville Chamber of Commerce are putting on what looks to be a very informative event this Thursday, September 30. It’s a breakfast with Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett. He’s almost sure to have another four-year term, and this is a chance to hear directly from him on a range of issues.

Here’s the description from the Chamber:

Please join the Rockville Chamber of Commerce at a special breakfast meeting with County Executive Ike Leggett. The meeting will be held this Thursday, September 30 at the Hilton Rockville, 1750 Rockville Pike from 8-9:30 AM.

This is an opportunity to hear from the Montgomery County Executive about plans for his expected next four year term and to share the concerns of the business community with him. It will also provide an opportunity to network with other business leaders.

How much, you ask? Good question. It’s just $15 for Chamber members, and $20 for guests. Go on over here to register.

POTD: Change

Another harbinger of fall . . . slightly-changed leaves drooping off of this tree.