Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Takoma Park Elections

The Washington Post Montgomery Extra has a roundup of the municipal contests in Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Takoma Park. In Rockville, the battle centers on factions surrounding supporters and opponents of the outgoing mayor, Larry Giammo, who has endorsed Council member Susan Hoffman to replace him:

Hoffmann and Giammo favored changing the city's twice-a-week trash collection to once-a-week pickup, based on positive feedback from residents who participated in a pilot program. The council favored a public hearing on the issue before a vote last December; Hoffmann and Giammo didn't. When the council approved holding a hearing anyway, that's when friction began developing, some council members said. In July, by a 3 to 2 vote, with Giammo and Hoffmann dissenting, the council adopted a semiautomated system with twice-a-week collection. . . .

Although trash collection has been a central theme in the election, there are other issues: development, traffic, the budget and environmental initiatives. Next year, the mayor and council will update the city's zoning ordinance, which has not been revised since 1975. Of the preliminary proposals in a draft document, the most contentious among residents is an emphasis on mixed-use development, which combines high-density office, retail and residential uses in a single property

In Gaithersburg, the debate centers on issues related to immigration and housing. Only one candidate directly opposes the day-laborer center, located outside the city's borders. However, there is a divide over enforcement of the anti-solicitation ordinance which does not have to do with prostitution but with attempting to hire labor.

Incumbents Stanley J. Alster, Geri Edens and John B. Schlichting announced unexpectedly that they would not seek reelection after one of the most trying periods for the city's government. A budget showdown over affordable housing threatened to shut down the government. A divisive debate about where to locate a center for immigrant workers dragged on for three years and put the city in a heated battle with the county.

Most of the candidates say they want to breathe new life into Gaithersburg's historic Olde Towne while retaining its character; ensure safe communities by attracting and retaining police officers; and build a multimillion dollar aquatic center. Some of the candidates' sharpest differences can be seen in how they would craft policies on affordable housing and immigration.

Two candidates, Jud Ashman and Cathy C. Drzyzgula, have joined together on a shared platform and are endorsed by [incumbent Mayor Sidney] Katz. . . .The mayor has also endorsed lawyer Ryan Spiegel, 29, who serves on the city's education advisory committee and who ran unsuccessfully for the House of Delegates last fall. Spiegel, in turn, is backing two other candidates: Ahmed Ali, 35, a government contractor and U.S. Navy veteran, and Carlos Solis, 48, a member of the police department's advisory committee who owns a dental practice in Olde Towne.

Turnout for a nonpartisan contest is typically low. In the last election, only 2,678 of 27,000 registered voters cast ballots. But this election has sparked new interest with the creation of One Gaithersburg, an allegiance of labor unions, the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans and the statewide advocacy group Progressive Maryland. The group has endorsed Ali, Solis and Spiegel, who have highlighted the importance of inclusion and diversity in the city's policies. . . .

Newcomer Wilson Lee Faris said he was inspired to run because of the immigration debate. Faris, 61, a sales specialist at Lowes, opposes the city or the county using public funds to operate a center or provide any services to illegal immigrants.

You can also find links to the many Gazette stories on the candidates in a previous posting here on MPW. Meanwhile, over in Takoma Park, all is quiet with the exception of one contested race for the city council. Council member Bruce Williams is considered a "shoo-in" to replace ten-year Mayor Kathy Porter. The contested race is to fill his seat in District 3:

In the one contested matchup, [Dan] Robinson is making his second run at the Ward 3 seat after running unsuccessfully against Williams in 2005. The 22-year city resident was one of the original founders of the Takoma Voice and also helped start the Takoma Foundation, a nonprofit group that makes small community loans.

Robinson, a program analyst for the Maryland Small Business Development Center, said he would push for more city contracts to go to local businesses. His other priorities would include making the budget process more streamlined and transparent, pushing for a bigger city tax rebate from the county and decreasing Takoma Park's reliance on carbon-based energy.

"We were a leader in starting recycling in Montgomery County and now the county has caught up," he said. "Now it's time for us to be a leader in reducing our carbon footprint."

His opponent, Bridget Bowers, is a Silver Spring native and Georgetown University administrator who moved to the city last year. Bowers said she was led to enter the race because of her recent experience before the council, when she spoke in favor of letting landlords increase rents to pay for major property improvements. Council members didn't seem to seriously consider any of the arguments against rent control, Bowers said.

"In general, I'm committed to sustainable affordable housing, but I'm not convinced that rent control is the best way of encouraging that," Bowers said. "I think you need to examine an issue from all sides, not just those you agree with. I didn't really feel like my voice was being heard, so I thought I'd throw my hat in."