County Council to Hold Town Hall Meeting in Gaithersburg

Following is the press release from the County Council.

Contact: Neil H. Greenberger 240-777-7939 / Jean Arthur 240-777-7934 / Delphine Harriston 240-777-7931

Montgomery County Council to Host Gaithersburg West/N. Potomac/ Darnestown Area Town Hall Meeting
On Wednesday, Oct. 7
Residents Invited to Express Their Views on Issues, Ask Questions of Councilmembers at Universities at Shady Grove

ROCKVILLE, Md., September 29, 2009—The Montgomery County Council will continue its efforts to find out what issues most concern residents when it hosts a Town Hall Meeting for the Gaithersburg West/North Potomac/Darnestown area on Wednesday, Oct. 7. The meeting at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville will start at 8 p.m. A pre-meeting reception will begin at 7:30 p.m.

This will be the second Town Hall Meeting hosted by the Council in 2009. The Council is composed of President Phil Andrews, Vice President Roger Berliner and Councilmembers Marc Elrich, Valerie Ervin, Nancy Floreen, Mike Knapp, George Leventhal, Nancy Navarro and Duchy Trachtenberg. In 2008, the Council held Town Hall Meetings in downtown Silver Spring, Clarksburg, Bethesda and Burtonsville. Most meetings have attracted more than 200 residents.

The Universities at Shady Grove are located at 9630 Gudelsky Drive in Rockville. The Town Hall Meeting will be in Building No. 2.

The meeting will allow residents to let the Councilmembers know how they feel about specific issues and will allow them to ask questions of the Councilmembers in an organized, but informal, setting.

Topics expected to be of interest include the proposed Gaithersburg West Master Plan, the proposed Corridor Cities Transitway, schools, public safety, traffic, growth, the County budget, deer control and affordable housing and taxes.

“In many ways, our County is facing one of its most difficult periods in a very long time. We are all in this together and we want residents to tell us about their most important concerns as we approach making important decisions about growth in this area,” said Council President Andrews. “This Council has made a priority of having better direct communication with residents, and Town Hall Meetings have proven to be an excellent way to do just that. For the citizens, these meetings provide a forum where they can see their elected officials in a different format than a televised meeting or through a news release.”

The meeting will be taped for later broadcast on County Cable Montgomery (CCM—cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon). Susan Kenedy, a producer for the county station, will moderate the meeting.

For more information about the Town Hall Meeting or about the broadcast times, call 240-777-7931.

# # #