POTD: Extreme Makeover

City Council candidate Brigitta Mullican reports that, even if she did not win, something very good came out of all her work over the summer: a new coat of paint on her house. Here is a before-and-after showing the new vibrant blue, taken by Brigitta herself. Look at how muted the old yellow was in the inset. (Want to submit a POTD? Email me for consideration!)

Theo Anderson, City Council Candidate

Campaign photo.

Theo Anderson is chair of Rockville Human Rights Commission.

From the Rockville Central Interview with Candidates:

Hungerford resident Theodric (Theo) Anderson currently serves as chair of the city’s Human Rights Commission. He is retired USAF and currently works for the Department of Justice as chief of their Detention Standards Compliance division.

Theo says he is running for City Council because he feels that, “through [his] contacts with neighborhood associations and citizens, there is a sense that their concerns are not being taken seriously.” He wants to bring back what he calls a “grassroots connection” to the City Council.

While “Rockville does a fabulous job promoting itself and attracting new business,” Theo says he believes it is “beginning to lose touch with various communities. As we go forward with economic development, there are concerns that certain neighborhoods have. They believe their concerns may be pushed aside in favor of business interests.”

“The face of Rockville is changing,” he says, and it is becoming “more diverse and more eclectic” than it used to be. “We need to reach out to all communities and citizens that make up Rockville — Russians, Africans, Latinos, Asians, and the anchor communities [Black and White] too.” In another context, Theo points out, “Look at our boards and commissions and there are very few that contain anything other than Whites.” He goes on, “[We] need to do better at reachin out to new cultures and including them.”

Theo’s favorite restaurant is a Korean restaurant just off the Pike, “behind the 7-11 and near where they are building the new CVS.” And his favorite park? The Newmark Commons park.

Click here for full audio of the Rockville Central interview with Anderson (large file, 4MB)

News: Anderson Gazette Profile

(This is the main page for information on this candidate. It will be updated whenever new information comes in.)

John Britton, City Council Candidate

From law firm bio page.

From the Rockville Central Interview With Candidates:

Planning Commission member John Britton says he is running because “I would like to apply my experience and expertise and apply them in a different, more nuanced way.”

Currently an attorney in private practice (he’s managing partner of his firm’s DC office), John says he moved to Rockville 9 years ago because he and his wife, Katherine, had “identified Rockville as a great place to raise a family.” Shortly after moving to Rockville, he joined the cultural arts commission, and then moved over to the Planning Commissions. He is also a member of the RORZOR commission, which is charged with redesigning the City’s zoning rules top to bottom.

The key issues facing Rockville, according to John, are the same ones that face “any local jurisdiction: development and growth. Building activities consume a lot of our local focus.” He is interested in sustainable development and says that “city leaders have been very successful at balancing growth. But now I think we should go a step further; we need to look at how our built environment impacts on our health and environment.” He associates himself with the New Urbanism and Smart Growth schools of thought.

John says the new Town Square is “a great success. They did a terrific job integrating the public aspects with the private aspects.” In fact, he goes on to say:

You can see lots of mixed use in lots of places. In this case, we have a grand public structure (the library) and an arts building. Having a well-used public structure to anchor your project is wonderful. It hasn’t been done, to my knowledge, in other places in the area.

John says picking a favorite restaurant is tough, because there are so many, but he did allow that he has a soft spot for Tara Asia. And, while he likes many parks including Dogwood and Monument, he favors the top of Monument Hill for watching fireworks.

(Click here for full audio of the interview — large file, 4MB)

Robert E. Dorsey, City Council Candidate

Official City of Rockville photo.

Robert E. Dorsey is a current council member — is running for re-election to an eighth term. Here is his official City Council Website.

From the Rockville Central Interview with Candidates:

Robert E. Dorsey is finishing up his 7th term on the City Council, and before that served 12 and a half years on the Human Rights Commission. When asked why he’s running for re-election, he does not hestitate: “I really do understand what is required to serve in office,” he says. “I am willing to make the personal and professional contributions.

It takes a lot more time than you might imagine.” And, while “it is flattering to be recognized in the store,” he says, it is critical that any candidate be able to put in “the time it takes to actually serve.” But for Bob, it is not only his understanding of what it takes to serve that makes him well qualified, but also that he has put in the time and has been around the block. The reason people ought to vote for him, he syas, is “the actual experience that I have.”

One key piece of experience, according to Bob, is the understanding that “a huge percentage of what we [in the city] do is dependent on other people too. We need to get along with others of similar interests.” That, according to Bob, is one thing that sets him apart from other candidates: “I actually have a comfortable level of access to people who influence what happens in Rockville. . . . I wish the rest of the candidates realized that a lot of what has to happen in Rockville needs to be charmed out of people who do not necessarily live in Rockville.”

Bob’s favorite meal comes from his wife’s kitchen but when pressed he admits he also likes Wendy’s — though he does not have a favorite location. But when it comes to Rockville parks, he can’t say enough about Dogwood Park. “It’s like a Yankee Stadium for kids,” he says. “What an opportunity, not just for Rockville kids but for children on other teams who come and play here. It represents sharing at the ultimate level.”

If he could say one thing to his fellow candidates, according to Bob, it would be: “Calm down.”

(Click here for full audio of the interview — large file, 4MB)

News: Dorsey announces

(This is the main page for information on this candidate. It will be updated whenever new information comes in.)

Piotr Gajewski, City Council Candidate

Campaign photo.

Piotr Gajewski is music director & conductor of the National Philharmonic at Strathmore.

From the Rockville Central Interview with Candidates:

It’s fair to say that Piotr Gajewski has the most interesting day job of all the candidates for City Council. He’s the musical director and conductor of the National Philharmonic at Strathmore. He’s lived in Montgomery County more than 20 years. Born in Poland, he grew up in the Boston area. Now he lives in King Farm. Asked why he’s running for City Council, he says “I love this city. My children go to school here, and I look forward to providing leadership.”

Piotr — who goes by “Peter” to his friends, like Rockville Central readers — says there are “a number of issues” facing Rockville that he plans to work on if elected. “Effective and efficient government” tops the list, “but not at the expense of quality government services.” Among the biggest challenges facing the city is the task of “balancing growth with road, transit, and school capacities.”

Peter says Rockville has a “special challenge” when it comes to Town Square. “We have seen a string of failures in that area, we can’t afford another one. We need to aggressively market our Town Center and make it a destination for people outside of Rockville.”

People should vote for Peter, he says, “becuase I bring a fresh perspective and a new face.” Furthermore, in his position as director of the National Philharmonic, “I have had much experience articulating a creative vision for the future, molding partnerships, proposing creative solutions to complex problems, successfully getting funds from government, and responding to public concerns.”

Peter’s favorite restaurant is the same one as me — Il Pizzico on the Pike near Gude. He says his offices used to be right above it and he watched it grow from a stand to the 4-star powerhouse it is now. (I promise, just because we share the same favorite restaurant I am not biased!)

And, like most of the candidates for Mayor, Peter favors Mattie Stepanek Park…but he has the added benefit of living right near it.

(Click here for full audio of the interview — large file, 4MB)

Carl Henn, City Council Candidate

From campaign website.

Carl Henn is a Hungerford resident and community activist.

From the Rockville Central Interview with Candidates:

Hungerford resident Carl Henn has lived in Rockville for 20 years and has been on many boards and commissions. He currently works on the environment commission and on the bicycle committee. He jokes that he is running for City Council because he is a “glutton for punishment.” But seriously, he says, “Rockville can do a lot better to prepare for the energy and environmental challenges facing it.”

While other candidates for City office (just about all of them, in fact) say that “green development” is important, Carl is alone in making renewable energy, global warming and peak oil the exclusive, almost single-minded focus of his campaign. Just about every other issue, he says, connects to those. “The big issues that face [Rockville],” he says, “are the same ones that face the nation. The sooner we address them, the better off we will be.”

“They say that, if you are in a hole, the first thing you should do is stop digging,” says Carl. “Rockville is in a hole,” and needs to take serious measures to begin to get out of it. There are things that can be done at the local level to make a difference, he says. “Every transit trip begins and ends on foot,” he points out. So, we can improve pedestrian safety and we will do more walking. The planned interchange at I-270 and Gude would not work, he says, “and would damage the Millenium Trail and take out trees behind the Senior Center.” He also says that when oil eventually runs out, we will need to grow our own food — food production right now is heavily dependent on cheap oil. As a way to get ready, he says, we can begin community gardens such as the one he began in King Farm.

“Preparing for the energy future is not on the list” of things Rockville is thinking about right now, he says. “Ultimately, I would like to see a community planning effort like Imagine Rockville, but this time focused on energy.” Carl goes on to say: “The Council is just not wrapping their minds around” the seriousness of the energy situation that we face. “Everyone knows that oil is finite; it will run out,” he says. “There is a form of denial on the part of the City Council.” When asked if anyone now on the Council really seems to be getting his point, Carl answers, “Sadly, no.”

Carl’s favorite Rockville restaurant is Tamari Cafe (near Wintergreen) and his favorite park is Dawson Farm Park — which his kids call “the rocky park.”

When asked what he will between the time he is elected (if he is) and his first day in office, Carl wins special mention from Rockville Central for being the only candidate who says the first thing he will do is “get my signs back from people’s yards.” (Come on, people!)

(Click here for full audio of the interview — large file, 4MB)

Phyllis Marcuccio, City Council Candidate

Campaign photo.

Phyllis Marcuccio is an incumbent member of the Rockville City Council. (Official City page.)

From the Rockville Central Interview with Candidates:

Phyllis Marcuccio says says she is just an “East Rockville kind of person,” and jokes that she has “always lived on the wrong side of the tracks.” She went to Richard Montgomery High School, and has lived here since 1942.

“I’m running because a lot of work I began still needs to be done,” she says. (She’s an incumbent, finsihing up her first term.) “Citizens of the city need someone who speaks from their point of view. I feel like I am a champion for the guy who goes to work and is just trying to live comfortably in the city.” She goes on to say, “I want to see that we get the best and do the best for our citizens who are here.”

Phyllis shows a remarkable breadth of detailed knowedge about the ins and outs of many of the issues facing Rockville. In fact, that’s one of her hallmarks: “I hope people will see I do my homework,” she says. “I really read those briefing papers.”

She says that, if re-elected, she would like to start by “cleaning up the process by which we choose candidates for boards and commissions.” In her view, “we have slipped” in the way we applied the existing process in recent years.

She also says she “would like to pursue the notion that citizens carry a tremendous burden of city costs. Tax relief is important, but there are other things we can do to make Rockville livable. Living in Rockville should be a lifetime event,” she says. “[But] fixed income people find it hard to live here.”

Phyllis says that, when it comes to restaurants, Town Square has some nice spots and “I am still getting acquainted with them.” But, she has “an old-time favorite: the Apollo Restaurant.” (Hey, I love that place.)

As for her favorite park, she has two. Pumphouse Park is one, and Mary Trumbo Park is the other — “it was our community who said, ‘hey, there’s an empty piece of ground, let’s make a park.’”

(Click here for full audio of the interview — large file, 4MB)

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.

Brigitta Mullican, City Council Candidate

From the Rockville Central Interview with Candidates:

Twinbrook resident Brigitta Mullican says she is running “because I feel I have a lot of knowledge and experience and leadership” to offer the city. She’s lived in Twinbrook for 42 years and has 36 years of federal government service. “I’ve been proven to do my homework,” she says, “and I have a record of being persistent.”

“We all know that Rockville is a great place to live,” says Brigitta. “We have a big budget.” The key is that we need to think about “how to keep this budget reduced so that retired people can live here.”

Brigitta ran for mayor in 2005 and had a respectable showing. In this campaign, she says, the issues are similar: “Reducing taxes, having stronger internal controls on our accounts, ensuring services are provided at a fair cost, the safety of neighborhoods and streets.” But, she says, the biggest issue is “having a council that works together. You can have the best plan . . . but you need good people working together.” She says that, while “everyone says they want new policies, people are not concentrating on implementing policy” enough.

Brigitta says that, among other things, the city needs to improve its approach to infrastructure. “Infrastructure and operating services have gone down since Town Center [was built],” she says. “I am all for Town Center, but the city also has to look at its neighborhood’s needs.”

People ought to vote for Brigitta, she says, becuase “I will come to the Council without a preconceived agenda. I have no conflicts and no job interference. I will do this job 100%.”

Brigitta does not have a favorite Rockville restaurant, and says she “sure wishes there were a German restaurant and bakery.” (She says there used to be one in Derwood — anyone remember?) And, Brigitta points to Glenview Mansion as her favorite Rockville park. “It’s the only park in Rocvkille that can hold a large number of peope,” she says. “It’s the one place where you can have big events. We are lacking one place where we can bring all people together. Town Center is great but it can’t bring enough people together.”

(Click here for full audio of the interview — large file, 4MB)

News: Mullican Gazette profile Britton, Mullican Announce

(This is the main page for information on this candidate. It will be updated whenever new information comes in.)

Anne M. Robbins, City Council Candidate

Official City photo.

Anne M. Robbins is an incumbent member of the Rockville City Council. Here is her campaign website.

From the Rockville Central Interview with Candidates:

Rockshire resident Anne Robbins has served four terms on the City Council and is running for her fifth. She attended the Maxwell School of Public Policy in Syracuse, New York and peppers her comments with quotes and anecdotes she picked up from her time there. Her words reveal an abiding faith in the power and ability of people to work together to find local solutions to issues. “I come from a political family,” she says. “My family has always been involved in politics. My husband was on the city council from ‘87 to ‘93,” says Anne. “I helped him. Later I ran.”

Asked why she’s running now, Anne says “I have a record that shows I have stood up for the citizen. Most of the people who come before [the City Council] like developers have expensive attorneys. Citizens do not have the same access. When I decided to run, I hoped that I would be the advocate for the citizen. My record shows I do that.”

The top issue facing Rockville, for Anne, is quality of life. “Rockville is my home town,” she says. “We have to keep our quality of life. It is always threatened by overdevelopment. This brings with it related traffic congestion and other hazards.”

After overdevelopment, Anne says, the top issues are “traffic, pedestrian safety, and tax relief. . . . When you talk to people, you hear what their issues are. I kept hearing from people that taxation was out of hand, and that they never really got anything back.” This was the impetus, she says, of working with others on the Council to get a pair of tax rate reductions over the last two years.

Anne says people should vote for her “becuase they know me. They knew me when I helped my husband when he was on the City Council. I have been on the Council myself for 8 years, and they know me.” She also points out that she seeks to focus exclusively on Rockville. “I am not trying to run for higher office. I have kept my promises.”

Anne, like other candidates, says she is working through the list of restaurants at Town Square — but she has a couple of old-time favorites, Theo’s (in Rockshire) and Giuseppe’s (by the Regal). They are friends of the family for her.

Asked about her hobbies, Anne gets personal: “I work out, and have a wonderful new appreciation of life. I am a breast cancer survivor. They caught it early and luckily it was the size of a piece of rice. . . . I never start a day without thanking God that I am still alive and life is so wonderful.”

(Click here for full audio of the interview — large file, 4MB)