Hoffmann, Gajewski Thank You Speeches On Video

I could only be one place at a time when the election returns came in, and I happened to be at >Giuseppe’s Restaurant on Regal Row when the news came in, so I was able to catch Susan Hoffmann’s and Piotr (Peter) Gajewski’s acceptance speeches. They were holding tandem election night parties. (Another successful council candidate, John Britton, was holding his celebration a few doors down at Tara Asia.)

Here are Mayor-Elect Hoffmann’s and Council Member-Elect Gajewski’s thank you speeches:

I didn’t see any other video cameras at the time, so I think this may be the only copy of it!

(If you are receiving this in email, the video won’t come through and you will have to come back here to Rockville Central to view it.)

Election Numbers From The City

Here is a better breakdown of the election results, including winners and those who did not. Basic numbers are >from the City, but I reordered them in descending order. Above the line won, below the line did not.

Mayor / Votes / %

• Susan Hoffmann / 2,733 / 47.02%
• ———————————-
• Mark Pierzchala / 1,591 / 27.37%
• Drew Powell / 1,475 / 25.38%
• Write-in Votes / 13 / .22%

City Council (4 seats) / Votes / %

• Piotr (Peter) Gajewski / 3,019 / 14%
• John Britton / 2,609 / 12.10%
• Anne Robbins / 2,426 / 11.25%
• Phyllis Marcuccio / 2,397 / 11.12%
• ———————————-
• Carl Henn / 2,284 / 10.59%
• Brigitta Mullican / 1,870 / 8.67%
• Richard Gottfried / 1,858 / 8.62%
• Bob Dorsey / 1,844 / 8.55%
• Tracy Pakulniewicz-Chidiac / 1,336 / 6.20%
• Theo Anderson / 1,333 / 6.18%
• Eric Wang / 550 / 2.55%
• Write-in Votes / 34 / .16%

Please feel free to begin Wednesday-morning quarterbacking here, in the comments section.

I will say right now that no one got the results prediction contest exactly right. Watch this space for who got closest, and will receive fabulous prizes.

Winners

>2007 Rockville Mayor and Council Election

Mayor:

• Susan Hoffmann — 2,733 votes

City Council:

• John Britton — 2,609 votes
• Piotr (Peter) Gajewski — 3,019
• Phyllis Marcuccio — 2,397
• Anne Robbins — 2,426

…The results are unofficial until they are certified by the Board of Election of Supervisors. Here’s a link to the unofficial Election Results with all precincts reporting.

Beall Submits Voter Records

I have just been told that Beall, the last polling place to do so, JUST turned in their data. Long night!>

It’s 9:37 now; info should start flowing soon.

An Answer To The Absentee Voter Conundrum

City Manager Scott Ullery has posted a >thorough answer in the comments section to the post that described how some voters in today’s election showed up improperly as having already requested an absentee ballott. This situation made an appearance in the Washington Post as well as earlier (natch!) on this blog.

Scott writes, in part:

We had a very direct conversation today with the responsible state officials, who explained what happened and took full responsibility for what they called “a dumb mistake.” I made a strong verbal request, which will be followed up in writing, for a full accounting of (1) how this occurred, including a full description of the relevant procedures, software applications, and databases involved; (2) how the “quality control” measures employed in this instance compare and contrast with those employed in other elections, including statewide elections; and (3) measures to be put into place to prevent this mistake from ever happening again.

In brief, the immediate source of the problem was the extraction of Rockville’s poll book information from a statewide database that was accurate and up to date in every way, except that it had been altered for training purposes to simulate a database with absentee voters tagged. The simulation was created by arbitrarily tagging all street addresses beginning with “5,” thereby approximating a 10% absentee vote. Rockville’s poll book was mistakenly created from this database. When the “tags” showed up at our polls this morning, we knew immediately they were incorrect, and took corrective action, including instituting a “work around” process and a separate sign in process for those voters. We are confident the quick response was effective, and that no one was denied their right to vote, all votes will be counted, and if anyone voted twice they will be identified and dealt with.

Test Of The System

Dear Readers–>

This is just a test of a liveblogging feature I have activated for election night.

At key points, I will post relevant election status. I promise not to inundate you. Tonight’s volume will subside in the morning.

As soon as we have final election totals, we will publish an end-of-night update.

Thank you

Plan Your Election Night

It appears we do not have a big party crowd running for Rockville city offices this year, for I have only learned of a handful of election night celebrations. Most are open to the public, but some are private affairs due to space or other limitations.>

Tonight, I plan to circulate to as many as I can get to before I turn into a pumpkin. I hope to get photos and maybe even video of speeches.

Here is the rundown so far.

• Susan Hoffmann’s election night celebration will be at Giuseppe’s. Susan pans to be there beginning about 8:30.
• John Britton’s fete will be a few doors down at Tara Asia. He writes: “Whatever the result, a toast to the process and the experience is warranted.”
• Piotr (Peter) Gajewski will also be a Giuseppe’s. Peter will be vying with Susan for the coveted small room off to the side.
• Phyllis Marcuccio says she will be at her sister’s home at 205 Evans St. and graciously says “any and all are welcome.” She adds, “Then we will all get some rest.”

If you know of other celebrations, please post them in the Comments section.

Voting Bugs [WAS: "Have Patience . . ."]

[UPDATE: There are more machine-related strangenesses in the comments section. Read on.]>

[UPDATE: The City has a response on the absentee-ballot issue. It's in the comments.]

As Rockville Central reader David points out, when you go to vote today you may need to take along with you a small dose of patience. But, it is not a nightmare and your vote will get counted, do not worry.

There appears to be a database error in the voting rolls: Most (not all) people who come to the check-in table are indicated as already having received an absentee ballot. I am told this is happening across polling places, not just one place.

Poll workers are working around it by manually issuing a voting card and writing down the name and address of the voter. Presumably, sometime later those names will be entered in the city’s database so the voter gets credit for having voted. In case that doesn’t work as planned, I just want to go on record now as saying I did vote!

Regardless, the actual vote is definitely being counted.

And, the line was not too bad, even with all the manual-this and workaround-that. So, don’t let this keep you home.

I am interested, though, in knowing about how voting is going, as a process, across the City. Please use the comment space here to keep readers up-to-date!

POTD: It's Your Turn

>

Today is Election Day. Don’t almost vote, don’t mean to vote, don’t get around to it after your other errands are done, don’t wait for the skies to clear — vote! The polls are open from 7am to 8pm.

The candidates have done their part. There is no more electioneering to be done. Your turn. You are choosing a new mayor, and four city council members.

Make your decision based on all the factors that are important to you: candidate statements, interviews, voting and other records, personal ties, or just your sense of who’s right for the job. Remember, when you vote, you are not just stating a preference or registering an opinion. You are making a decision that, if enough agree with you, will be binding for all in the community.

OK, off my soap box.

Your Predictions for Election Day?

> In the last couple of days, a few commenters and contributors have said who they plan to vote for, in the hopes of swaying a few more their way. I wholeheartedly approve — Rockville Central is a place for respectful sharing of opinions.

But, I have a new question, and a fun way for you to answer. It’s a contest!

Here is the question: Who do you predict will win in the City elections tomorrow?

Note that I asked who you predict, not who you want, to win.

Now, here’s the contest. If you wish to enter, it’s free. All you need to do is fax me your prediction to 240-597-5343 (no cover sheet needed) or email it by clicking this link by midnight EST tonight. If you fax, make sure I have a way to reach you.

Whoever is right first, or closest to being right first, will win a fabulous prize. I guarantee this prize will be priceless in value, and commensurate with the steep entry fee for this contest. Knowing me, it may be The West End swag. (Insert smiley here.)

[UPDATE: Don't worry, I will not publicize any predictions until Wednesday.]

Family members and Rockville Central contributors are welcome to enter too, but you can’t claim a prize other than bragging rights. [UPDATE: By "contributor," I mean people on the list on our masthead. Readers who have submitted "contributor opinions" are encouraged to enter and can win fabulous prizes.]

Get out your crystal ball and start prognosticating! You only have a few hours left to get me your predictions.

(I have turned off comments on this post so people don’t predict here. It’s a contest!)

(Image Skeptiseum.)

Where Do I Vote?

> [UPDATE: Did you come here looking to vote in teh 2008 election? That's a different deal than this. Go here for more on that, including how to find out where to vote!]

Christina Ginsberg has sent along a very helpful rundown of voting locations…by neighborhood. I have heard from a few people that it can be bothersome to have to click on links and look at maps all the time to figure that stuff out, especially when viewing on a handheld device.

• Hungerford and New Mark Commons: Elwood Smith Recreation Center
• The West End: Beall Elementary School
• East Rockville and Lincoln Park: Lincoln Park Community Center
• Twinbrook, Silver Rock, and Burgundy Estates north of Veirs Mill: F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater
• Twinbrook south of Veirs Mill: Twinbrook Community Recreation Center
• Montrose: Montrose Community Center
• Fallsmead: Ritchie Park Elementary School
• Fallsgrove: Lakewood Elementary School
• Woodley Gardens and College Gardens: Rockville Senior Center
• King Farm: King Farm Community Center at Saddle Ridge
• Same Day Registration and Voting: City Hall

Saturday Election Roundup

>Rockville Central typically stays dark for the weekend, barring interesting tidbits. This weekend is the last one before Election Day, and many readers are no doubt pondering their choices for Tuesday, November 6. And, many candidates are putting in last-ditch efforts to make sure public opinion sways their way.

So, rather than inundate your in boxes, we decided to create one omnibus election roundup today. So, here are the highlights.

Get Informed

First, we recommend, if you have a minute, listening to and reading the candidate interviews we conducted of every candidate.

when you’re done, you might want to take a look at a few other election guides. There’s one in the Washington Post, one in the Town Courier, one in the Gazette, and one on the City’s election page.

Candidate Mailers

I thought I had dodged a bullet when the postman came and there was no election-related material in my mailbox. But then I went out to a Cub Scout event and returned to a sheaf of flyers stuffed in my door. Here they are, below. (Click each thumbnail for a larger photo, or go here for the whole album of all election flyers and mailers I have received.)

Real Rockville:

Powell:

Gottfried:

Marcuccio:

Another Real Rockville:

New Yard Sign!

I have been looking and not finding . . . but just this morning I spotted a yard sign for Theo Anderson (running for City Council). Here’s a snap (click it for a bigger version):

Go here for the album of all the yard signs. Or watch the slideshow:

Signs Hijinx

I have received a report that yard signs for Tracy Pakulniewicz-Chidiac and Susan Hoffmann have been taken away in the Baltimore Road area. Keep it together, people! You just have a few more days, don’t succumb to bad behavior, no matter how much you want your person to win. (Please report downed campaign yard signs and I will pass them on.)

Election Night Celebrations

We are planning a listing of all the election-night celebrations, for all you who want to celebrate or commiserate with your candidates in person. Most candidates have public events, open to all. Expect that on Monday.

One Last Thing

Remember, if you are not registered to vote, it’s OK! You can register and vote in one easy step on Election Day, but you must do so at City Hall (111 Maryland Street).

Candidate Contribution Totals

Thank you to all who wrote to me as I wrestled with whether to post PDF versions of the candidates’ finance reports. I got a >lot of email, from candidates and from ordinary folks. While the information is all public record, I have decided not to post the documents.

I heard from a number of private people who would really rather not have their addresses and donation amounts posted on the Internet for any just any old yahoo to pull down and exploit. As it stands now, at least people who want the data have to expend a bit of effort.

One emailer was a recent victim of identity theft. Others mounted very convincing and sensitive arguments. Only a couple spoke out for publication.

Still, part of me wants to answer back like this: “In today’s age of the Internet, and in the post-Watergate financing era, it is not reasonable for an individual to believe their political contributions are private. While they might not be very comfortable with the details being easily available, that’s the world we live in. I can plug my address into a database and instantly get a list of my neighbors who have given to national candidates — names, addresses and amounts. When a city adopts a campaign finance ordinance, that’s what they are getting into. Public means public.”

That makes sense for a news outlet to say, or even a blogger. But Rockville Central, while a news source, and while it exists in blog form, is more than that. It is a neighborhood hub, and I feel a strong obligation to behave in a neighborly way. Here is roughly how I explained it to a candidate:

• If I were just a “journalist” I would just go for it and post…this is news and other outlets don’t have the infrastructure to do this, so it is a niche for us.
• If I were just a “blogger” I would also just post…information should be free!
• BUT…I am also a “neighbor”…I respect my fellow neighbors and have compassion for their own reactions to their contributions being made public.

So, I am not going to post the reports this time around. In the next city election, if I am still at this, I may go ahead and post — this is fair warning folks!

All that said, I did go ahead and do some more analysis on the reports. I put together a simple spreadsheet of total number of donors, total amount of donations, and average donation per person for each candidate. I think this covers some of the most important overall information that people would like to have to make their decisions. The spreadsheet has inherent limitations, which are detailed in the notes, but it shows basic trends.

Contributor Opinion: Erik Read – Revisiting Argyle Street

>West Argyle Street has been a legal route for City of Rockville voting district 1 commuters to gain access to gain access to I-270 via Maryland Avenue. In recent years, the City of Rockville has made changes to Argyle Street (west of Monroe) to enhance safety (speed bumps and a pedestrian sidewalk) and reduce cut-through traffic (a bumpout at Maryland Avenue and road signs redirecting traffic bound for Dogwood Park). I consider these changes to be much needed improvements.

Unfortunately, the City has recently put a No Left Turn onto Maryland Avenue from Argyle Street restriction between the hours of 7 and 9 AM, Monday through Friday. This restriction is clearly meant to redirect the local commuters in the neighborhoods of Hungerford-Stoneridge, Waddington Place, Fireside, Lynfield, Rockville Heights, New Mark Commons (Big Oak Court) and Town Center through a more circuitous and time-consuming route of traffic light controlled, left hand turns on Fleet Street.

The City Council, as currently composed, seems to consider this matter closed, despite the enduring vocal entreaties of residents from District 1 neighborhoods comprising well over 1000 households. Fortunately, in this election season there are two City Council candidates who live in the Hungerford neighborhood within Voting District 1. Both have made statements of support in reopening the Argyle discussion with affected residents.

Theo Anderson has said, “Before the beginning of my campaign and decision to run as a candidate for City Council I had responded to the Citizens for Argyle group with the commitment as an ordinary Rockville citizen to join and work with this group to try and get the Argyle Street concerns re-investigated and looked into.”

Carl Henn has said, “I support allowing left turns from Argyle onto Maryland in the morning. While this would regrettably increase traffic on Argyle, it would reduce traffic up Monroe, Fleet and part of Maryland, which will improve pedestrian safety in the area close to the Richard Montgomery High School.”

For their positions on the Argyle issue (and other issues) and in hopes of reopening the Argyle Street discussion with a newly constituted City Council, I will be casting two of my four Rockville City Council votes for Theo Anderson and Carl Henn on November 6, 2007. I ask other District 1 residents to consider voting for Theo Anderson and Carl Henn as well.

–Erik Read, Waddington Place

Note: Rockville Central runs occasional, edited opinion pieces by contributors. Their views are not necessarily those of Rockville Central, which takes no position on candidates. To submit your opinion for consideration, contact us.

My Aching Mailbox!

The first batch of last-weekend election >mailers has arrived at my doorstep. We read the mail, so you don’t have to!

Click on each image (front or back) for a larger version. Click here to go right to the whole album.

Hoffmann:

Pierzchala:

Powell (large image, lots of text):

Gajewski:

Gottfried:

Robbins (large image; lots of text):