Barack Matite Appointed Acting City Manager—Again!
This morning the Rockville City Council appointed Barack Matite as Acting City Manager effective May 24, 2024 in a unanimous decision with no discussion. The resolution to appoint a new City Manager was introduced at the beginning of the meeting and was not listed on yesterday’s public agenda:
Mayor Monique Ashton: Good morning Rockville, today is Friday, May 24th and we are going to move into meeting number 13-24. We have an agenda item focused on the Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit Rental Program Agreement for phase one of Twinbrook Quarter development. We would like to add another agenda item focused on a resolution for the Acting City Manager.…[vote on MPDU Agreement with no discussion]
Mayor Monique Ashton: Alright, so we have our second agenda item focused on the resolution to appoint the Deputy City Manager to service Acting City Manager. Do we have a motion?
Councilmember (unidentified): I move to adopt a resolution appointing Deputy City Manager Barack Matite to serve as the Acting City Manager effective today, May 24th, 2024 until such time as the Mayor and Council shall appoint a permanent City Manager.
Mayor Monique Ashton: Thank you, the motion has been made and seconded, all those in favor please raise your hand and say aye. I want to thank our new Acting City Manager Barack Matite for stepping into this role to support the City. We really appreciate it. Thank you all staff and I want to also send a few thanks to Craig Simoneau who has done an outstanding job in terms of supporting the operations in the City. We appreciate the leadership of the staff and supporting and making sure Rockville is the best place to live, work and play. Thank you very much.
Evidently this change in administration was in the works because the staff report and resolution are the missing pages 3-4 mentioned earlier and the staff report states that, “This is the second time this item has come before the Mayor and Council.” Watch the meeting for yourself (it takes less than four minutes!).
Barack Matite was appointed Acting City Manager in August 2023, when Rob DiSpirito resigned under murky circumstances. A few months later, Matite also resigned under murky circumstances and as one of their last acts, the outgoing Mayor and Council appointed Craig Simoneau as Acting City Manager on November 15, 2024. Depending on how you count, that’s four city managers in the last year?!? Despite the larger city council, it doesn’t look like leadership has improved.
As of 4:30 pm, no official announcement on the city website.
Rockshire Development and Town Square Management Set for Council Review
At its Monday, May 20, 2024 meeting, the Rockville Mayor and Council will discuss approval of the historical designation for 4 Courthouse Square (1930 Farmer’s Banking and Trust building, the last remaining Art Deco architecture in Rockville)(page 30). On the Consent Agenda (items approved without discussion) are purchase of a utility truck for $283,582; a cooperative agreement with the Chesapeake Bay Trust; bus transportation for recreation programs for $150,000, among others. The Mayor and Council will also receive reports on the development of 2401 Wootton Parkway in Rockshire by EYA Development LLC (272); amending building regulations in Chapter 5 of the City Code to align with international codes (571); the agreement with Morguard to manage Town Square (882); and a multiyear agreement with Rockville Economic Development Inc. (884).
Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI) is requesting a multi-year agreement through June 30, 2028. Primarily supported by the City of Rockville, REDI promotes economic development and supports local businesses. In 2025, its proposed budget of $1.4 million includes $983,960 from the City of Rockville. The organization has ten staff members, with Cindy Stewart Rivarde as CEO and is currently chaired by Susan Prince, with Mayor Monique Ashton and Acting City Manager Craig Simoneau serving on the board.
The Mayor and Council are conducting hybrid meetings. If you wish to submit comments in writing for Community Forum or Public Hearings, please email the comments to MayorAndCouncil@RockvilleMD.gov by no later than 10:00 a.m. on the date of the meeting.
More details in the 905-page agenda packet (more than 90 Mb!) are available at https://www.rockvillemd.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05202024-7194.
Max for Rockville 