Who Decides the Future of Rockville?
2007 Rockville Election Trends by Age
If you want to influence the government of Rockville, you need to recognize who makes the decisions. Usually it’s the Mayor and Council, and you need to persuade just three of the five. In an election, it’s voters. Although there are 60,000 residents in Rockville, only about half are registered to vote. As much as we talk about “democracy” and “the power of the people,” ultimately, people who can’t vote, can’t decide.
So if you want to make a difference in your community, state, or nation, Rule #1 is register to vote. Two centuries ago, only white men who owned real estate had the right to vote. Since then, the rules have changed thanks to the battles fought by our predecessors. Today, the only citizens who are ineligible to vote in Maryland are imprisoned felons, the mentally disabled, and those under 18.
Now here’s the rub: Continue reading →
Chestnut Lodge fire adds to Rockville losses
This morning at about 3 am, Chestnut Lodge caught fire and nearly burned to the ground. All that currently survives are the brick walls and they are in extremely fragile condition. Arson is suspected and after the investigation is completed in the next few days, I believe the entire building will be demolished to protect public safety. The City of Rockville just lost one of its most significant historic landmarks.
Chestnut Lodge began its life as the Woodlawn Hotel, a resort that attracted residents from Washington DC, and ended as Chestnut Lodge, the internationally renowned sanitarium that included such pre-eminient psychologists as Dr. Frieda Fromm Reichman. The four-story French Second Empire building in its park-like setting provided a visual anchor for the West End neighborhood. Its abandonment in 2001 caused wide concern in the city but eventually Chestnut Lodge Properties purchased it with plans to rehabilitate it into eight luxury condominiums. At this time, its future is unclear– Continue reading →
Hometown Holidays
For both days of Hometown Holidays, the annual street fair in downtown Rockville held over the Memorial Day weekend, I manned a booth to publicly declare my candidacy for City Council. I was the only candidate or elected official at any level (city, county, or state) with a booth and one of two booths related to politics (next door was the Republican Womens Association).
The days were long and hot, but it was a great way to meet lots of people, even though the booth was a bit off the main axis of activity (I was one of two booths on Montgomery Avenue in front of the Regal Movie Theater; most booths lined Maryland Avenue). When I wasn’t chatting with people, I was being entertained by live music from the “Montgomery Stage,” each day bringing three great bands (I was expecting at least one band that would cause me to grind my teeth for an hour, but really every band was top notch).
Here’s what I learned: Continue reading →
