Walking Tour of African American Places in Rockville
In October, the City of Rockville unveiled the new markers for the historic places around downtown associated with African American history. It was a beautiful day and a long trail of people followed along to visit the many sites, so if you missed it, Channel 11 now has it available online (it won’t be the same as doing it yourself, but you can get a sense of the fun we had that day).
Inauguration Marks New Beginning
The new Mayor and Council were elected on Sunday at the Fitzgerald Theater on a beautiful day. The auditorium was nearly filled and the inauguration started with great music from the Madrigal Singers. Eileen McGuckian did a wonderful job as the Master of Ceremonies, and as expected, integrated a bit of Rockville history whenever possible. The Rockville Police Department Color Guard presented the flags and we pledged allegiance to the flag and sung the national anthem. Then the Mayor and each of the Councilmembers were sworn into office, joined by their family and friends (John Britton’s daughter joined remotely by cell phone from her college in St. Louis). I was watching from the rear of the auditorium in the row with Carl Henn, Virginia Onley, Tom Moore, and Susan Hoffman–not sure how we all happened to be in the same place. Afterwards, a reception with food and punch in the foyer allowed the new Mayor and Council to mingle and celebrate (I ran into Waleed Ovase there, but didn’t see Trapper Martin–he’s in the restaurant business, so he was probably working). Here are a few snap shots from the day and you’ll probably spot some familiar faces.
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- Guests arriving for the inauguration of the Rockville Mayor and Council.
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- Bridget Newton at the inauguration reception for the Rockville Mayor and Council.
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- Councilman John Britton and “standout” candidate Virginia Onley.
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- Mark Pierzchala at the inauguration reception for the Rockville Mayor and Council.
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- Inauguration reception for the Rockville Mayor and Council.
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- Inauguration reception for the Rockville Mayor and Council.
Council Campaign Ends, Community Building Begins
The results of the 2009 Mayor and Council election came in much later than usual on Tuesday night, and I had already left the parties at but by the time I went to bed I had learned I was not elected. And it was only this morning that I saw the tallies and saw that I came in last with 780 votes or 3 percent of the vote. But I don’t feel horrible or depressed. I knew that this campaign would be very difficult to win: Continue reading →
Choosing a Great Mayor and Council for Rockville
With a dozen candidates vying for five seats on the City Council, the choices are particularly difficult. Voters have told me various strategies they use, from spreading out all the campaign literature on the dining room table to assess each candidate or attending forums and deciding who not to support to see who’s left at the end. Having served on many different types of “boards,” here are my three suggestions: Continue reading →
Rainy Sunday creates Angst and Relief
With two days left before the election on Tuesday, today’s rain creates both angst and relief. The worries are due to the desire to use every minute of daylight to walk precincts and meet voters–and we’ve been forced to sit out the game and watch. Yesterday, everyone was out in force. I walked three different precincts and found literature for Susan Hoffman, Tom Moore, Bridget Newton, and Piotr Gajewski on the doors I visited and when I stopped by Carl Henn’s house during my swing through Hungerford, he was out campaigning. I’m sure everyone else was as well. Today offered the last weekend day to campaign, so the incessant rain will cause some anxiety.
Most people don’t realize that if you’re campaigning seriously, Continue reading →
Max for Rockville 