The deadline for the questionnaire for Community Ministries of Rockville passed on October 15, so I thought you’d be interested in my response (and their intriguing questions):
Question: Affordable housing is a top priority because it is good for business, it attracts younger people to an aging community, and it improves the quality of life for everyone. What do you propose be done during the next term to increase affordable housing in Rockville?
Answer: Diversity, including a range of incomes, is essential to a healthy community. However, I support the dispersion of affordable housing in every neighborhood rather than concentration in high density apartment dwellings. The City Code currently requires affordable housing units in large developments, but this does not go far enough. Because of the high cost of land and construction, I support in-fill housing in alternative formats, including granny apartments and duplex houses, as well as leveraging financial incentives available through historic preservation in older neighborhoods. Furthermore, I support property tax credits for persons with low and moderate income of any age, not just seniors.
Follow-up: “Affordable housing” is controversial because some people believe that it attracts crime and reduces property values. What do you think?
Max for Rockville 
what is effecting our lives in Rockville is the HIGH property taxes, and for those of us retired it is the biggest bill of the year in September and December payments. Living conditions can not be sustainable if the property taxes continue to increase, we are already faced with high and higher medical insurance costs every year and to make ends meet is a real struggle for us Rockville residence. I hope that the property taxes will be addressed at the meeting planned at the Fallsgrove community center on October 24th it is a major concern for the residence of Rockville. Reduction in the property taxes would preserve Rockville’s high quality of life and not additional government spending on unnecessary programs and projects. We are the ones that are most vulnerable to the ever increasing costs to just live in this area.
I did a post on property taxes previously (https://maxforrockville.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/rockville-taxes-comparison/) that you might find interesting because it provides a comparison to other municipalities. I have heard many people mention that taxes are too high but I’ve also heard just as many people say that the Council went too far with their recent tax cuts and it’s jeopardized city services. I hope to do a bit more investigation on this soon to learn more but there are so many forums this week, I don’t think I’ll be able to touch it until next week. But just off the cuff, my sense is that the majority of our property taxes go to the county, not the city or state, but because of citizen control and direct benefit, I would prefer the greatest share go to the city, then the county, and finally the state.
Hope that you address these concerns with the other candidates and better our way of life. Thanks