Unlike the 2016 presidential race, where it seems that a dozen people have announced their intent to run, it’s been incredibly quiet in Rockville.  The elections for Rockville City Council are coming up on November 3, 2015–that’s five months away–and usually by this time several people have announced their interest.  Brigitta Mullican, president of Rockville Sister City, announced in February she is running for a council seat and former city councilman Mark Pierzchala stated in March he is not running, otherwise, nothing is certain.  The rumored candidates at this time are:

• Beryl Feinberg (on council)
• Richard Gottfried (president of Twinbrook Citizens Association)
• Brigitta Millican (confirmed)
• Virginia Onley (on council)
• Julie Palakovich Carr (on council)
• Zina Pizano

No word on council members Tom Moore or Bridget Newton, although as incumbents, they have a significant advantage over newcomers and don’t need to announce right away.  Summer is typically very quiet, but the election season will pick up in mid-August as candidates form their teams and begin raising money in anticipation of the September 4 deadline for getting on the ballot.  This election will be more important than usual because the terms expand from two to four years.  We’ll want to have an especially good council because we’ll be living with them for twice as long.

If you’re interested in running for office, pick up your candidate information election packet soon.  You’ll have to submit signatures from 100 Rockville residents who are registered voters along with appointing a treasurer and filing a financial disclosure form.  The process takes longer than you expect, especially to get those signatures.  The most efficient way is to obtain the current list of registered voters from the City Clerk’s office or the County Board of Elections and only go to the homes of registered voters.  At this point, you don’t need to ask for their support or an endorsement–you just want their signature to get on the ballot and offer voters a choice.  Do not gather signatures at Metro, grocery stores, or city events.  You’re wasting your time because many won’t be registered voters or don’t live in the City of Rockville, and their signatures will be disqualified.  And just in case, get an extra ten signatures to be sure you have some wiggle room (I’ve had signatures tossed because a person’s married name was different from their registered name–double-check to be sure names match and they’re legible).