Gazette interview ranges wide
The Gazette, the weekly local newspaper for Rockville (and other communities in Maryland), interviewed me this morning in order to determine who they would endorse for the upcoming Mayor and Council election. I met with two editors (no reporters) in a conference room at the Gazette’s offices off Shady Grove Road for over an hour. Like good journalists, they knew the issues, asked good questions, and listened. Our conversation covered a wide range of topics, including Red Gate golf course, Town Center parking, the Rockville Pike, the development of the Shady Grove area, service on Metro, relationship between Council and city staff, Beall’s Grant II, the city budget, Victory Housing, community engagement, Town Square II, cultural diversity, affordable housing, and the relationship between the city and state and county governments. To help voters decide, they’ll be assembling a special section on their Web site that will include candidate profiles, related news stories, video statements, and more. The Gazette will announce their endorsements in late October, just before the election. Stay tuned!
Rockville safe from politicians this weekend
With the rain and the Redskins game (or whatever you call that fiasco), the candidates had little opportunity to knock on doors to meet voters. I was only able to find a couple hours to visit Woodley Gardens, a very charming 1960s neighborhood in the northwest corner of the city. Surrounded by a forest preserve and set on gently curving roads with mature trees, it’s hard to believe that downtown is just a mile or so away. The residents I met were gracious and Aster Boulevard was peppered with families of various ages and political leanings. And given my interests, I enjoyed the architectural variety of the houses, including a small row of contemporary ones on Nelson Avenue. How did those get there?
While it was raining and the Redskins were losing, I suspect all the candidates were at home as I was, Continue reading →
Candidate Orientation Provides Overview and Grim News
On Friday, September 16, the City of Rockville hosted an orientation for council candidates at Glenview Mansion to provide a general overview of city government and its operations. Every candidate except the incumbents attended, and we received short presentations for every department head and the City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk that outlined the current status, anticipated challenges, and major projects.
The City Manager opened the orientation by recognizing the importance of elected citizens because we “can’t have a city government without a council” and noted that 2010 will be auspicious Continue reading →
Gazette profiles Max as candidate
In a series of profiles to introduce the candidates for Rockville City Council, the Gazette, a local weekly newspaper, featured Max in the September 16 issue. Staff writer Nathan Carrick opened his story with,
Anyone who knows Max van Balgooy knows he has a passion for preserving the past. But he said it is his passion for shaping a better future that inspired him to run for Rockville City Council.
The 47-year-old Twinbrook resident, who serves as president of Continue reading →
MaxForRockville a Fast Growing Blog in WP
Wow! WordPress has listed this blog as one of the fastest growing blogs for June 9, 2009 (that’s a result of the interest in the Chestnut Lodge Fire) out of the more than 2 million blogs that they host.
If you’re not familiar with WordPress, it’s a free (yes, free) blogging/Web site service. It’s easy to use and it’s free (did I mention it was free?), so there’s no excuse why an organization or person can’t have an attractive and informative presence on the Internet.
Rockville’s Taxes Too Hot? Too Cold? Just Right?
When people about taxes and city services, you often hear:
- Our taxes are too high. Why can’t the Mayor and Council lower the tax rate?
- We pay a lot in taxes. We deserve to have trash picked up twice a week. Why haven’t they fixed my sidewalk?
- Our taxes are fine, but why does the money always get spent on the west side of town?
and so on. I’ve never heard anyone say their taxes are too low.
Taxes are certainly one of those topics that will bring nearly any citizen to a frenzy so I try to avoid it whenever possible except to say that Continue reading →
Stepping Stones Shelter hosts VIPs and Volunteers
Volunteers clearing brush at Stepping Stones Shelter
Despite the rainy weather, more than one hundred volunteers came to the Stepping Stones Shelter in the Jefferson Square/Hungerford section of Rockville today as part of the National Day of Service commemorating 9-11. When I arrived at 1 pm, it was buzzing with people. They had removed carpet from the house exposing the original oak floors, were fixing radiator covers on the front porch, clearing LOTS of brush from the woods, and refinishing picnic tables in the back yard to make the historic house a more attractive and enjoyable place for its residents and staff. The project in Rockville launched a three-year partnership between Continue reading →
Petition for City Council Certified
I am delighted to announce that my candidacy for Rockville City Council is official! I submitted my papers with a petition of 100 registered Rockville voters this morning and the City Clerk’s office certified them this afternoon. This Web site will change over the weekend as I move from the “exploration” to “candidate” stage. In the meantime, thanks to everyone who has encouraged me to run, gave me sober advice, and signed my petition.
A Very Long HDC Meeting
Last Thursday the Historic District Commission held its regular monthly meeting and if anyone was watching to the end, you may have noticed that the clock was nearing midnight. We usually try to finish at 10 pm but we had an ambitious agenda, including:
1. A joint meeting with the Environment Commission, which included three Planning Commissioners. The City has about two dozen commissions and boards but they rarely, if ever, talk with each other, even if they share some common goals or are tackling the same issue. This past year the HDC has requested meetings with other commissions but it’s been slow because finding mutual agreeable times is difficult and sometimes, I regret to say, the Chair of the other commission refused to respond to emails or phone calls to meet (what’s that about??). So far, we’ve met with the Planning Commission and this month with the Environment Commission. These meetings are just an hour so no decisions are made, but they provide introductions and we learn a bit more about each other to discover areas of mutual interest. It’s obvious that the Environmental Commission and the HDC both want to encourage Continue reading →
The Proposed Green Building Regulations: Can We Do More?
On May 21, the City of Rockville provided an update on the revisions to the Building Code, including the new Green Building Regulations, to the Historic District Commission and Recreation and Parks Committee.
I am delighted that this action is finally taking place, indeed, I sense it will be adopted with few objections because so many of these ideas have been already accepted by the community with our growing awareness that the nation’s resources are limited and our current ways of living are no longer sustainable. I especially appreciate that the City is following the standards of LEED from the US Green Building Council, while providing a less costly alternative through “Rockville Certified” and “Rockville Silver” ratings.
However, I urge the Mayor and Council to be more visionary and adopt higher standards than proposed, as follows:
1. Ensure that the City Code is aligned with the latest LEED rating system. I believe the proposed code is based on LEED 2 (released in 2000), however, the US Green Building Council adopted LEED 3 (aka LEED 2009) in April 2009 and all new projects must be certified under LEED 3 after June 27, 2009. Builders and property owners should not be required to meet two different standards and it will only result in opposition to green building practices in Rockville.
2. Require that all new construction, no matter the size, meet the Green Building Code. Continue reading →
Max for Rockville 