Contributor Opinion By Joseph Jordan: Pros And Cons Of NGF RedGate Report

Contributor Opinion by Joseph Jordan:

Photo courtesy Redgate Golf Course

On Monday, February 7th, RedGate Golf Course will once again be on the Mayor and Council agenda. This will be an opportunity for the Council to discuss their reactions to the National Golf Foundation study (presented on January 10th), to determine next steps and give some direction to the staff. The RedGate Advisory Committee was invited to submit its response to the NGF Report, and will be given time on the agenda to speak. You can read the Committee’s report here at this link.

The NGF report contains a great deal of information on the history of the golf course, including the controllable and uncontrollable factors that contributed to RedGate’s current situation. It also lays out several options the City might consider going forward. We highly recommend that people read the report to get a better understanding of the issues and the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

The Advisory Committee’s report, though brief, highlights what we think are the pros and cons of the NGF recommendations. Bringing in an outside company to manage the course means current RedGate employees will likely lose their jobs. While on the surface, outsourcing may seem to produce better financial results, there are costs associated with such an arrangement. There would be, of course, the fee paid to the management company. There would also be other additional line item costs the City would have to cover that would be passed through from the management company. Based on the projections provided by NGF, these additional line item costs exceed the savings from terminating the city employees. These and other considerations are covered in our report, so please take a look.

We trust our elected officials will do the hard work required of them and do whatever necessary to keep RedGate a City owned and operated golf course. Given the jobs at stake and the future of our green space, we need them to approach this thoughtfully and carefully, and not make a quick decision that has long term repercussions that will stretch way beyond their terms.

Joseph Jordan, Chairman
RedGate Advisory Committee

This is a Contributor Opinion. Rockville Central encourages readers to submit such pieces for consideration — the more voices the better. Simply send them to [email protected]. 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!

Reader's Note From Joseph Jordan: Congratulations On Candidate Forum

A many >Rockville Central readers know, we held out first-ever candidate forum on Saturday. It went very well, and we will be posting video and other information shortly.

Joseph Jordan, campaign manager for mayoral candidate Phyllis Marcuccio, sent along this nice reader’s note just after. (Joe was writing as an individual, I believe, and not on behalf of the campaign, but it’s our policy to make such identifications for transparency’s sake.)

Either the mail is backlogged or the mirrors in the room played tricks, but I am sure there was a room full of people at the Rockville Central Candidates Forum [Saturday] morning. Frankly, I am a bit surprised there haven’t been any comments posted, so allow me to be among the first to congratulate and thank Brad and Cindy for hosting the most unique and interesting forum of the bunch, so far. Even with all the chicken jokes, no one layed an egg.

I would have liked more time to meet the folks that were there….it would have been nice to put a face to a name of some of RC readers and posters that turned out this morning. Regardless, it was a great event, the candidates all did well and I hope it is the start of a new tradition in elections to come. Thanks again to the Brad, Cindy and those that helped make the morning a success.

Joseph Jordan

If you would like to contribute a Reader Note or other piece of writing, please send submissons to [email protected]. The more community voices, the better Rockville Central will be. Please remember that the views of contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors.

Note: Rockville Central does not endorse candidates. We are encouraging towards all people who choose to run for office the city and try our best to make ourselves open to all. We actively encourage candidates to submit opinion pieces and other news. We don’t include every last bit, but we try to be fair to all and give useful information about what is happening. We ran this piece because it adds to the substantive debate on a subject that people are concerned with.

Joe Jordan Remarks At Citizens Forum: Email Sharing Policy Needed

Potential City Council candidate >Joe Jordan gave the following address at Citizen’s Forum at last night’s Mayor and Council meeting. (It’s taken from prepared text that he shared with us this morning.)

Jumping the shark is a phrase used to denote the point in a tv program history where the plot veers off into absurd story lines or out-of-the-ordinary characterizations. It corresponds to the point where a show with falling ratings becomes more desperate to draw in viewers. Shows that have “jumped the shark” are deemed to have passed their peak and declined in quality. Witnessing the display exhibited by members of this M&C two weeks ago, it could be said this M&C has indeed “jumped the shark”.

As part of a response to a speaker’s citizen forum statement on the budget, CM Robbins took the opportunity to explain why she voted against the FY2010 budget. Her greatest concern was the $1.7M in COLAs and merit increases included in it. She had spoken eloquently as to why she would vote against the budget when it came before M&C for approval in May. That should have been the end of the story.

Some weeks after the vote CM Britton wrote an opinion piece as to why he voted for the budget and why he supported the salary increases. It was posted on the Rockville Central blog and illicited 8 responses, divided equally for and against his position. Rather then being content with expressing his own views, Mr. Britton brought Ms. Robbins and a city resident into the fray. There was no mention of Ms. Marcuccio, who also voted against the budget, nor other residents who had letters published in the Gazette or spoke at CF in opposition to the raises.

Among those Mr. Britton copied was City Manager Scott Ullery, who forwarded the piece to his senior staff, some of whom forwarded the piece to their staffs. I’m sure before long it was all over city hall. Ms Robbins spoke of how this action by the CM was damaging to her personally and as an elected city official. She heard things that were hurtful. She made it clear she took no issue with an elected official writing, and having published, opinion pieces. What she did have a problem with was staff sending them to city employees…and without her knowledge. The story could have ended here, but the mayor didn’t let it. When Ms. Robbins finally agreed to continue discussion later in the meeting, you Madam Mayor…egged her on, asking if she was finished…interrupting CM Marcuccio who was trying to intervene…referring to Ms Robbins in a condescending manner, referring to her as “MAM” and cross-examining her as though she were on trial. All the while this was going on, CM Gajewski was snickering and making fun of Ms Robbins, and Mr. Britton interjected that he “confesses”…he wrote the piece. This was after he challenged us to figure out what he really said when he told Ms Robbins she was full of “it”. I would expect this behaviour from kids in the schoolyard.

Mr. Gajewski then read email comments and praised staff for not saying pejorative things about Ms Robbins, encouraging them to continue sending out these kinds of pieces. What he didn’t do was venture a guess at how many of the 500+ city employees saw the emails…or what was said at lunch or over coffee. Ms Robbins has every right to be upset by what some see as an abuse of power and position.

In closing, the only one who showed any leadership or understanding of the harm done was CM Marcuccio. She spoke of how this episode suggested favor of one councilmember over another…of how it is crucial for hired city staff members and employees to remain neutral and not suggest that something written as an opinion by one carries more weight then that of another.

It was a sad thing to witness and those who took part in bullying Ms Robbins should be ashamed and owe her an apology. I am speaking out on this because I care about our city, how we treat each other and how others see us.

Note: Rockville Central does not endorse candidates. But we are glad to publish major statements and significant events of all candidates for City office, always trying our best to be fair to all. We don’t publish everything, but we do publish most things! If you are a Rockville city candidate, please share as much information with us as possible so we can make sure your voice is heard.

Another Note: I have long been meaning to encourage all who speak before Citizen’s Forum to share their prepared remarks with Rockville Central, as we are eager to print them for all to read. As with candidate activities, we won’t necessarily print every last one, but we’ll run most!

Contributor Opinion By Joseph Jordan: City Lost Golden Opportunity With All-America City Competition

>I have no desire, nor is it my intent, to take anything away from those folks that represented Rockville in the 2009 All-American City competition, held in Tampa last week. However, it is most disingenuous of both Mayor Hoffmann and City Manager Ullery to refer to the project as a “community building experience”. What community are they talking about, the 28 people that traveled to Tampa last week? It is my opinion the City lost a golden opportunity to include and rally citizens as well as the public and private sectors that do business in Rockville. The City could have asked for volunteers to work on the project. They could have had rallies in Town Center or City Hall, created a blog, made better use of their own website.even have staged a pep rally in Town Square to send them off with the support and best wishes of all of Rockville.

The names of the participants were never announced, nor what they would do once in Tampa. When I asked for and received a sheet with the names, there was no way to know who were city employees, who were participants and who were guests or family members. Several weeks before the competition, a not-to-exceed budget of $38,000 was approved. The City paid the entire tab up front, stating they expected some people would reimburse at least a portion of what it cost for them to spend 4 days and 3 nights in Florida. Councilmember Marcuccio objected to this use of taxpayer money. I think an accounting of who went, what it cost and what monies were reimbursed should be made. My research shows that many of the finalist communities spent no public funds at all. For example:

• Richmond, Indiana raised $35,000 by kids manning lemonade stands and doing car washes. The shortfall was covered by private donations.
• Phoenix, Arizona used no public tax dollars. Plane tickets, hotels and other travel expenses were either donated or paid for using private donations.
• Caroline County, Virginia, another winner, said no public money was appropriated. Funding was provided by private donors and individuals.

I applaud those who worked hard in representing our City. I hope one day we get to learn more about who you are and what your project was. I also hope that if the City sees fit to apply again, that more effort is made to involve the entire residential and business community as well as all Council members. One is just left with the sense this effort was done in a vacuum, with only a few invited “insiders” participating.

I hope people agree that the process should have been more transparent and more inclusive. This could have been a true “community building experience” by opening the door to all of Rockville, and maybe next time it will be.

Joseph Jordan

This contributor opinion is by Joseph Jordan.

This is a contributor opinion. Rockville Central encourages readers to submit such opinions for consideration — the more voices the better. We especially welcome people who disagree with us. 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!

Contributor Opinion By Joseph Jordan: Connect The Dots On Redgate

>This is a contributor opinion. Rockville Central encourages readers to submit such opinions for consideration — the more voices the better. We especially welcome people who disagree with us. 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 authors, as they are just as frequently at odds with our own views. That’s the whole point!

The following contributor opinion is by Joseph Jordan.

I have been hesitant to write an opinion piece on the controversy over how Redgate Golf Course will be managed. My hesitancy stemmed from weighing what might be best for the “factory”…the golf course itself, versus what would be best for the Redgate staff, residents of Rockville and the men, women and children that enjoy what Redgate offers. After Monday’s amazing outpouring, it is obvious to me, the City must keep management of Redgate with the City.

If you have been following the story in the Gazette and Sentinel, or watched the Council meeting Monday, you know the City is moving in the direction of turning the management of Redgate over to a third party, viz. the Montgomery County Revenue Authority. Brad Rourke covered the essence of what went on during Citizen Forum Monday. Over 60 people turned out in support of the City keeping management of the golf course within the City, and 25 to 30 of those spoke publicly to that point. While Brad did “..note that the depth of support did appear to move members of the Mayor and Council…”, it is my opinion all it did was maybe slow down an inevitable conclusion. Here is why I think that, and I welcome differing views.

First of all, it is extremely frustrating trying to get opinions made public because the Council has decided to meet every other week rather than weekly, and the Gazette and Sentinel are weekly publications. I love the idea of Rockville Central, but doubt it is seen by as many people that follow Council meetings or read the paper. So, here is what I want Rockville Central readers to do…please connect the dots on this Redgate business. I said from the very start that this was on a fast-track, a moving freight train that would be difficult to stop, or even slow down. However, as stated above, we did slow it down a bit this week. Why? Consider what was said by Councilmember [Piotr] Gajewski and Mayor [Susan] Hoffmann at Monday’s meeting..”…of course we will take public comment.”, “…we will of course have a hearing.”

Okay, now consider the facts stated by the City Manager, Scott Ullery, in this week’s Gazette. The target date to consummate the deal is April 1. The draft lease is expected to go before the council on March 23rd, which will be in general session. Without too much strain on the brain, one can deduce that, before the turnout Monday, the council will have had to vote on the decision that evening in order to meet the April 1 target date. To now say a public hearing will be held the following week, March 30th, and was always going to be held, is disingenuous at best. This, no doubt, would move the date for the Revenue Authority to take over because I assume the council will have to wait for the next council meeting to vote, which would be April 6th.

What is at issue is more than who manages Redgate. The issue is how our City government has chosen to do business. I continue to maintain things were done behind closed doors to prevent such outpourings as Monday and to get the deal closed as quickly as possible. The timeline was about as short as you could get it and still do business in a responsible fashion. I don’t want to see this swept under the carpet like other issues we still have no answers to, such as the Town Center pavers debacle. I believe we need to have all the facts on the evolution of this proposed deal. When did discussions start? Who was in those discussions? Who initiated the deal? Were RFP’s or RFQ’s sent to other golf course management companies? If not, why not; if not, were there even informal discussions with other management firms?

A public hearing is great, but to paraphrase the newly-former governor of Illinois…let’s hang him…wait, he’s entitled to a fair trial….right, let’s give him a trial then hang him.

Regardless of where you stand on whether or not Rockville should own and manage a golf course, please consider expressing your opinion at the public hearing on the 30th of March. You don’t have to a golfer. If you think the City should not run Redgate, come and tell them that and why. Likewise if you have an opposite view. But remember this, every Parks and Recreation facility and program is open to residents and non-residents, not only the golf course. Remember, every operation under Parks and Recreation gets taxpayer subsidies…not one I am aware of pays for itself, and Redgate is one that does (on a cash basis) or comes closest, and ask yourself why the golf course is the only amenity in the Parks and Rec department that remains an Enterprise Fund, exposing it like no other amenity, and not placed in the General Fund. I know it is a long way off, so write it on your calendars. Post your opinions here on Rockville Central. Watch a replay of Monday’s Council meeting on TRC 11, or at your convenience on the City website.

I won’t have many friends in City Hall these days, but I am passionate about this idea of openness and transparency. You should be too.

Joseph Jordan

Contributor Opinion By Joseph Jordan: State Of The City

>The following Contributor Opinion is by Joseph Jordan:

The proposed State of the City meeting scheduled for February 11th tells me this City Council makes up the rules as they go along. From what I understand, two Council members and the Mayor decide to have a meeting, but don’t invite the other two Council members. They now have a quorum and intend to discuss city business, policy, ordinances, etc. Isn’t this considered an official Council meeting? I believe it is, and there are rules governing such meetings. I’d like to see the City Attorney weigh in on this.

I pushed back on this Council when they wanted to have work sessions off-camera, when they voted to eliminate responses at Citizen Forum, when they wanted to have quarterly “retreats” that would be closed, off-site meetings. Now they want to have something as important as a report on the State of the City, and have it in a library conference room…with only three Council members….with no cameras or recording devices so that residents that can’t make the meeting can at least see a playback? Give me a break…something is wrong here. If elected officials want to meet their constituents, then do what Mr. Gajewski does…have your own Town Hall meeting. If you want to present and discuss the State of the City, then do it in City Hall, with all council members and the City Manager present, with the cameras and recording devices rolling.

Joseph Jordan

Contributor Opinion by Joseph Jordan: Planning Commission Behaved Poorly

>The following contributor opinion is by Rockville Central friend Joseph Jordan:

Contributor Opinion by Joseph Jordan: RedGate A Green Space

>The following contributor opinion is by Rockville Central friend Joseph Jordan:

Redgate Golf Course is the single largest piece of open, green space left in the city. It has been a jewel in the city crown for 35 years. For 29 of those years the golf course enjoyed strong financial success, finishing in the black every year - until 2003. Yet, during every budget cycle, questions are raised about its fiscal performance. This is to expected, especially when it operates as an enterprise fund. It is the only Recreation and Parks entity left as such. The recent subsidies to the fund pale in comparison to those given to other city programs. Two years ago, light was shed on several things that had negative impact on the course’s ability to sustain its’ outstanding performance as a revenue generator. These factors included a 58% increase in administrative charges; a year when it rained more than it didn’t; the summer of the sniper, when no one went outside; the summer when dozens of courses were hit with drought, then heavy rains and turf disease; outside, annual income promised to the golf course was taken away and redirected to another fund. These were all factors that led to significant decline in play and subsequent loss of revenue. It is this recent loss that now gets carried forward every year. It gives the appearance RedGate is doing worse than it is.

In an effort to remedy the situation and give the course a fighting chance, in 2006 a five year plan was drafted by staff and approved by the previous Mayor and Council. FY 08 marks the end of the second year of that five year plan, and it is my understanding that on a cash basis, Redgate did in fact finish in the black the first year and is on track to do so again in FY08.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have been a strong advocate and supporter of the golf course. I have worked closely with Burt Hall (director of Recreation and Parks) and the golf course staff in helping come up with ways to improve service as well as revenues. I chair an advisory group that consists of players representing the diverse population using the golf course — Asians, seniors, residents, non-residents, women, Hispanics. We established a volunteer program where players “adopt” holes and, on their own time, repair ball marks, seed tee boxes, etc. At my own expense, I have designed and conducted web based surveys that provided valuable information to Mr. Hall, as well as golf staff, on topics including course conditions, comparisons to other courses, fees, staff, pro shop, snack bar, tournament programs, etc. I mention all this because it is important to know what the players are willing to do to help the golf course succeed, as we ask for continued support.

We expect our elected officials to weigh and scrutinize discretionary expenses. I am not sure why Redgate is frequently singled out as the one city amenity to make a case for shutting down. Several years ago there was speculation selling the land could fund future Town Center development. There is a view by some that golf is an elitist sport and taxpayers are subsidizing such a sport. If you spent any time at Redgate you would quickly see nothing could be further from the truth. It is a melting pot of people from all walks of life looking to enjoy a few hours of outdoor recreation.There can be such things as amenities that bring value and prestige to the city that outweigh the bottom-line. I hasten to add some can also drive revenue in other areas. For example, many people playing golf at Redgate make a day of it…doing some shopping as well as staying in town for dinner and maybe a movie.

It is my understanding the RORZOR folks expressed concern about the possibility of the city selling the golf course . . . even parts of Glenview Mansion. The general consensus in RORZOR was that a developer-oriented Mayor and Council could, with three votes, sell off Redgate at will. I was told the city agreed to designate RedGate as “park zone” as opposed to residential. I don’t think this has been done yet. There was a great deal of talk about a “Green Rockville” during last years election. There is nothing greener in the city than the acres of green grass, green trees and storm water management ponds that make RedGate the special place it is.

My passion for preserving Redgate goes beyond saving a golf course. Redgate represents a community within a community, where men, women and children…young and old…all ethnicities…share a love and passion for a game. New friendships are made and old ones nourished. Just last week one of those friends passed away, and another in February. Both were charter “members” of the Redgate family, and as friends recall fond memories, many of the stories told will revolve around times shared at Redgate over the past 35 years.

Rockville Central runs occasional, edited opinion pieces by contributors as well as other guest columns. Their views are not necessarily those of Rockville Central. We encourage you to join the growing list of contributors! To submit your piece for consideration, contact us.

(Photo from RedGate Website.)

Contributor Opinion by Joseph Jordan: What's Going On?

>The following contributor opinion is by Joseph Jordan:

I am not sure who received Piotr Gajewski’s “press release”, but I learned of his intended town hall meeting via the Rockville Central blog. What’s going on here? We have John Britton sending letters on the court house, but no idea who they are being sent to. Mr. Gajewski is having his own meetings at City Hall. At the same time, meeting after meeting is canceled because there is not enough business to discuss. Yet Mr. Britton wants to have quarterly meetings to discuss ideas. Is this a body working together, for the citizens of Rockville, or is there another election going on we are not aware of?

Mayor and Council meetings scheduled for this Monday (19th) and the following (25th) have been canceled because of “insufficient business.” It seems to me this affords the perfect opportunity to have a “Town Hall” kind of meeting involving all the mayor and council, maybe even some staff members. Wear stripes, jeans — whatever — roll up your sleeves, and have an open dialog with the people who elected you and whom you represent. What are our issues, our concerns?

Here are some suggestions on agenda items for future meetings:

1. Town Center - Financial information on the original plans and projections for revenue and expenditures and the trend lines on actual outcomes on both measures, including information on sales and rentals of the condos, parking garages, etc.;
2. Information on contingency plans that the City has (if any) for dealing with a major reduction in tax assessment revenue and reduced funding for current projects from the County and State, should the County and State make their expected cuts;
3. Information about how the funding requirements for any plans for new development will be met if the anticipated revenue is not forthcoming;
4. Pros and cons of hiring a Lead City Attorney versus retaining outside law firm;
5. Report on status of pavers debacle — who did, or did not do, what and who pays;
6. What can the city do to reverse the perception that Rockville is not business friendly. What can be done to find balance between serving the tax paying residents and the tax paying businesses.

Joseph Jordan
New Mark Commons

Rockville Central runs occasional, edited opinion pieces by contributors as well as other guest columns. Their views are not necessarily those of Rockville Central. We encourage you to join the growing list of contributors! To submit your piece for consideration, contact us.

(Image from MOG.com)