City of Rockville 2023 Election Candidate Responses and Backgrounds

October 19, 2023 – By Andrew Messick

Disclaimer: Messick is currently working a paid position as Izola Shaw’s Field Director

The Rockville city council race is in the homestretch with mail in ballots going out and GOTV efforts in full swing. This election is the first with the expanded Council increases the number of seats from 4 to 6 plus the mayoral race leaves people voting for 7 overall seats. There is only one incumbent running David Myles who has had many issues that I would be remiss if I did not at least talk about. The candidates are in the same order as on the Rockville City Website. Danniel Belay, Kate Fulton, Richard Gottfried, Harold Hodges, Barry Jackson, Ricky F. Mui, Councilmember David Myles, Anita Neal Powell, Paul Scott, Izola (Zola) Shaw, Marissa Valeri, and Adam Van Grack.  Monique Ashton and Mark Pierzchala are the mayoral candidates with a long history in Rockville City Politics and are in a dead heat to replace the current mayor Bridget Newton. The election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, and results will start coming in as soon as polls close at 8 p.m. This will be done in the same order seen on the Rockville city website starting with the mayoral candidates.

Mayoral Candidates:

Monique Ashton

She has served one term on the City council and is now running to replace Mayor Newton. Council member Ashton has lived in Rockville for two decades and was president of the Maryland Municipal League Montgomery Chapter prior to being elected. In a quote from the Rockville city website, Councilmember Ashton had this to say about her time on the council “I’ve advanced public safety initiatives, accelerated efforts to address climate change, expanded access to affordable housing, served as champion for our schools, and solved complex challenges like tax duplication, returning millions of dollars to Rockville for transportation infrastructure and public safety.” On her campaign website, she lists Smart Growth, Strong Schools, and Town Center as priorities for her run for mayor. Councilmember Ashton could not be reached for comment.

Mark Pierzchala

Mr. Pierzchala spent 12 years as a Rockville city council member and when asked what he was most proud of, he responded saying “ I am most proud of my work on housing, including both governmental affordable housing and commercially affordable housing. These have been hard battles, at times with great opposition. But, I have enabled thousands more homes than anyone else since 2009.” He was also asked, with hindsight, what would he have done differently and this was his answer, “ I run on basic principles and I don’t get into too many political fads. This protects me from having to regret it very much. I wish I had been much more protective of City Staff from abuse from some elected officials and prominent residents, though I have been quite protective.” The recent Rent Stabilization bill passed by the county council had the City of Rockville opt out of the bill’s provisions, since Mr. Pierzchala talks about housing often, he was asked his thoughts on rent increases and what he wants the city to do in order to address housing costs. He had this to say, “The ultimate solution to rent increases is to provide a much larger housing supply.” He went on to talk about how he had been saying that for years. He also repeatedly referred to it as “Rent Control” which is factually inaccurate as Rent Stabilization and Rent Control are two different sets of policy ideas. However, he said he was against the bill saying  “It’s a useless policy with so many exceptions, it impacts few people directly. It is a reaction to a perfect storm of events stemming from the pandemic and the housing shortage, but it puts fear into developers and the most likely impact is that there is a curtailment of housing development.” He is overall taking the more moderate Mayor Ashman-type route in the race and is one of two strong contenders for the position. 

City Council Candidates

Danniel Belay

On the Rockville city website, Mr. Belay said this about his run for City Council “I am running to represent our great city as a leader, problem-solver, and voice on the City Council.” A relative newcomer to Rockville politics and served on the Board of Supervisors of Elections in 2020 and 2022. He grew up in Gaithersburg and went to Montgomery County public schools. He also stated that he is running on “the pillars of effective community policing, supporting Rockville businesses, supporting our youth in the community, and promoting a diversity of ideas.” Mr Belay could not be reached for comment.

Kate Fulton

Kate Fulton has lived in Rockville since 2010 and is the vice president of her neighborhood association. She has been COO of three federal agencies according to her website and is running to put that experience to use she claims. She goes on to say that “public safety and infrastructure protect our schools, parks, services, and environment while investing in green transit-oriented growth that brings economic development, affordable housing, and walkability to our city. I’ll do so with a focus on inclusive communication and engagement.”  Kate Fulton could not be reached for comment.

Richard Gottfried

Richard Gottfried is a candidate running again as he has run for office previously. When asked what he believes the city of Rockville does well he responded by saying “Rockville is the 8th best place to live in Maryland per Niche.com. Rockville offers residents the sense of an urban-suburban community, where most residents own their homes. In Rockville, there are a lot of restaurants, retail shops, a mixture of large and small businesses, the Town Center, and recreational facilities including the King Farm Farmstead, Redgate Park, Glenview Mansion for events, a theater, great parks and indoor and outdoor recreational facilities.” When asked what Rockville can do better, MR. Gottfried had this to say, “The Rockville 2040 Comprehensive Master plan envisions Rockville as a vibrant, multicultural, and socio-economically inclusive city with distinct neighborhoods that are supported by a strong local economy, a healthy natural environment, and a desirable quality of life founded on a responsive government.” This is someone who has run before and has a relatively decent amount of name ID and running multiple times does have advantages before reaching the perennial candidate level. He also said one public safety policy he would promote is adding the neighborhood watch program to combat crime in Rockville. An overall middle-of-the-road type that fills a moderate lane in the City Council race.

Harold Hodges

Next on the list is a former Peace Corps volunteer and a 30-year budget director at the state department. He has lived in Rockville with his family since 2009. He got a B.A. from Dartmouth and an M.A from Johns Hopkins University in the field of economics. The information that could be found about him and his priorities for office are listed as job creation, Smart Community Policing, Supportive Educational Complex, and enhanced livability: Beyond Town Centers. It seems from what can be found, that he is trying to occupy the outsider role that has a government and economic background that he is trying to bring to the council. Mr. Hodges could not be reached for comment.

Barry Jackson

Moving on we have the former Chairman of the Board of the King Farm Citizens Assembly who was then elected president in 2020 and reelected in 2022. A city resident with his wife and two daughters for roughly 16 years, Mr. Jackson is running as an experienced individual in dealing with the city government and overall, occupies a mainstream Democratic-type role that appears to be doing him more than a few favors as he reported being one of the highest fundraisers in the field at over 20k. Mr. Jackson also has a number of endorsements including current Mayor Newton, State Senator Kagan, Gaithersburg City Councilmember Rob Wu, Delegate Joe Vogel, and a number of others. When asked what he thinks the city does particularly well, he praised government staff saying “From the sanitation services to the Rockville City Police Department to the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department and facilities like the SwimCenter or Community Centers or the Senior Center the staff of the city of Rockville are day in and day out doing their jobs in an exemplary manner and trying hard to please residents.” When asked what he believed Rockville needed to get better at, this was his answer, “ There needs to be more transparency where possible, there definitely needs to be communication and engagement with different neighborhoods, HOAs, and civic associations. The city is not doing a bad job but can improve when it comes to engaging residents where they live instead of expecting them to come to the City. I am very optimistic about the future of Rockville and I want to see all neighborhoods engaged in decisions about Rockville.” The final question was about public safety and Mr. Jackson emphasized his belief that RCPD (Rockville City Police Department) does a great job and we should do things to improve community relations between the police and the people. He also emphasized his disagreement with pulling SROs from schools and would like to see that decision reversed in Rockville. According to the National Education Association, SROs do not make schools safer and can often lead to more harm than good. Overall, Mr. Jackson seems to be occupying the “happy warrior” lane as a mainstream to somewhat moderate Democrat, especially in the realm of public safety.

Ricky F. Mui

The next candidate is recently relocated from Georgia to Rockville, Mr Mui is running on a platform of connecting with the community, taking in how our neighbors love Rockville, and especially when insights are provided on how the elected officials can advocate for improving the Quality of Life in Rockville. He also serves as the United States Naval Academy’s Admissions representative for Richard Montgomery and Rockville High Schools. He claims on his website “We desperately need to support our local businesses, escalate the Rockville economy, and bring healthy economic interest to Rockville.” pushing a platform of economic development and framing it as catching up to Gaithersburg and North Bethesda. Mr Mui could not be reached for comment.

David Myles

Next on our list is the only incumbent running in the current field. He has had a rocky reelection campaign after being arrested for an event that took place September 9, 2023, and was charged with a domestic violence incident involving his wife. It should be noted these are charges and nothing has been proven and nobody has been convicted. He also had an awkward moment where he was given a domestic violence proclamation to read that then got switched and he commented on it being switched and read it anyway (video here). What effect these actions and charges will have on his reelection prospects is up to the voters.  His wife is also charged with second-degree assault. Now that that is out of the way. He was first asked what he believes the city does particularly well and his response was “I have had the pleasure of speaking with thousands of Rockville residents and I can unequivocally state that our city services (parks, water, maintenance) are high quality. People often state that they can see where their tax dollars are being spent.” A common thread in this election with this question has been to praise city services as a common thread among all the candidates so far. He had a very thorough response when asked what he believed the next council needed to improve on mentioning Public safety, environment, and budget specifically. City Council member Myles has had a rough road in his reelection campaign and it has yet to be seen what effect if any that might have on Rockville voters reelecting him to the city council but that will be up to voters.

Anita Neal Powell

Continuing down the list is long-time community activist and community leader Anita Powell. In her bio she talks about her experience in local politics and government services and puts an emphasis on listening and ensuring the government is accountable to Rockville Voters.  A Graduate of the University of the District of Columbia and Montgomery College Nonprofit Leadership Institute. She also had a career at the  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that spanned 50 years. She was Founding President and CEO of the Lincoln Park Historical Foundation and the Leroy E. Neal African American Research Center and has spent years as a historian to preserve black history in the area. A veteran of multiple commissions and local government appointments, Ms. Powell has been a long-time activist and a lifelong Montgomery County resident and wants to bring that experience to the city council according to her statements. Anita Powell could not be reached for this piece.

Paul Scott

Getting toward the end of the list of candidates, we have a commissioner on the City of Rockville’s Transportation and Mobility Commission as well as being vice-chair on the King Farm Citizens Assembly Board of Trustees. He lists his priorities as enhancing our community, managing city growth, supporting the business community, focusing on schools, and improving public safety. He also gives an emphasis on arts on his website which is relatively unique among the candidates. Mr. Scott could not be reached for comment.

Izola Shaw

Next on our candidate list is local advocate and HHS employee Izola Shaw. Ms. Shaw has lived in Rockville for more than a decade and is the only renter in the field. When asked the question, what does Rockville do well, Ms. Show pointed to the parks, trails, and green spaces within the city. Community engagement is where she believes the city can do a better job and said, “Some ideas are to increase the frequency of walking town halls, pilot a canvassing program that can go door to door to collect feedback on a specific issue from a sample of the population and explore a neighborhood ambassador program that was effectively used in the County to share public health information during the pandemic. She also had a big hand in crafting the county Rent Stabilization bill and had a lot to say about what the city should do going forward since the current mayor and council decided to opt out of that county bill. The emphasis in her remarks was that housing is a fundamental need and not simply a commodity and that she had multiple proposals she would put forward if elected including, “Expanding both the City’s tax credit program which is based on income, and advocate to expand the County’s tax credit for seniors.

Increase the City’s amount of affordable housing units by updating the Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit requirements for construction for both rent and homeownership. As of today, there are only three one-bedroom affordable housing units available for

Rent. Start the process to enact rent stabilization for Rockville with community conversations and use the County’s legislation as the blueprint, which includes an exemption for new housing construction. Ms. Shaw is running a spirited campaign endorsed by Casa in Action, Progressive Maryland, Councilmember Will Jawando, and many others.

Marissa Valeri

Moving on we have a National Geographic Society worker and graduate of Albert Einstein High School and the University of Maryland Global Campus. served on the Executive Committee of the Twinbrook Community Association for the past 5 years – as the President, Vice President, and Member at Large for South of Veirs Mill Road. She helped co-found the Rockville Pedestrian Advocacy Committee and served on the City’s most recent Charter Review Commission. She is running on a platform that primarily puts emphasis on pedestrian and public safety and affordable housing. Marissa Valeri could not be reached for comment.

Adam Van Grack

Last but certainly not least, we have the son of former Mayor Steven Van Grack and founder of his own law firm Adam Van Grack. Mr. Van Grack has a list of endorsements from the district and Greater Greater Washington with a long list of volunteer and professional government experience that he is running on as a lifelong resident of Rockville. When asked what Rockville does well, he emphasized the events that have become prominent in Montgomery County as well as Rockville being one of the most diverse areas in the country. Asked about what it can do better, he had three specific things he pointed to, better community engagement, public safety and security, and government transparency. He added that the council needs to focus much more on town center development. When asked about public safety, Mr. Van Grack responded with this, “I am strongly committed to implementing comprehensive measures that will ensure a safer environment for all Rockville residents. First and foremost, the city needs to fully fund the Rockville Police Department to ensure that the RPD has the necessary resources to address crime and also ensure that we can hire new police officers and keep current officers. (The RPD did not receive its requested funding from the Mayor and Council for this current fiscal year.) He also emphasized that “the city needs to focus on strengthening its community policing efforts.” He also praised the establishment of the Rockville Community Policing Advisory Board calling it a “Good Start.” He added comments on hate crimes in the area by saying “Additionally, the city should establish a Hate Crime Taskforce, potentially together with the city’s Human Rights Commission. Hate crimes are an attack, not just on an individual or small group, but on the city as a whole. We cannot tolerate such actions in our city.” Mr. Van Grack has garnered a lot of local support and looks to be a strong competitor in any analysis of the race.

Conclusion

The city of Rockville has many choices to make about what kind of Council and Mayor they wish to have going forward and what this expanded council will look like going forward. They have a long list of choices to make with a spectrum of ideas and backgrounds to choose from. With only one candidate running for reelection and a list of newcomers to elected politics, it will be interesting to see how it plays out and this writer hopes this piece is helpful in deciding your vote going forward.

Check out Messick’s previous write up of Gaithersburg City Council Candidates

Beyond the Poster: Gaithersburg’s Council Race Revealed

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