REPORT FROM THE FIELD: A Sign of Questionable Tactics from Anti-Marriage Equality Petition Gatherers

Rockville City Councilmember Tom Moore posted the following disturbing report on his Facebook page today. He mentions that a petition-gatherer at his polling location was gathering signatures to repeal marriage equality, but may have used questionable tactics to get LGBT-rights supporters to sign the haters' petition for repeal. The extreme right is spending massive resources trying to subject Maryland's newly passed marriage equality law to a repeal effort on November's ballot. See the irritating note below:

The report from Mr. Moore comes on the heels of yesterday's report that the anti-gay "National Organization for Marriage" (aka NOM) was robo-polling voters to try and identify marriage equality opponents to steer toward Anthony Muse's U.S. Senate campaign. NOM was also recently condemned by a Maryland NAACP leader for getting caught red-handed trying to stoke racial divisions by exploiting African American and Latino figures.

MoCo's Battle Over Building Height Limits // Maryland Juice Makes Cameo Appearance at Rockville City Council Hearing

UPDATE: A reader provides more context to the development battles in Rockville, by way of a recent Gazette article. The City Council is currently weighing changes to their "Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance" -- which creates standards linking infrastructure with development.

A couple days ago, the Rockville City Council held a public hearing to discuss proposed mixed-use development at the Twinbrook Metro. As is becoming the norm, building heights were the topic of much of the discussion. Coincidentally, the February 27th hearing came only days after Maryland Juice published an article lamenting that activists too often fight density near Metro -- and that this could unintentionally thwart environmental and social justice goals.

The fact that Montgomery County is now more expensive to live in than New York City and San Francisco triggered this discussion on Maryland Juice, and we hope that the dialogue continues among policymakers throughout Maryland. But in the meantime, we are humbled to note that a reader reports that our article was invoked by a citizen activist at the hearing. A Rockville juicer testified in favor of the development project in question and for greater height limits near Metro stations.

We provide a short clip of the hearing below (Note: it begins with bits of testimony from an opponent of greater density at Twinbrook Metro):





Keep drinkin' the Juice!

Rockville Patch: Mayor Maruccio Wins Re-Election // Council Winners: Hall, Pierzchala, Newton, Moore

The Rockville Patch has breaking election results for today's Mayor and Council races:

The Patch reports that Mayor Phyllis Maruccio has won re-election along with Councilmembers John Hall, Bridget Newton, and Mark Pierzchala. Maryland Juice reader Tom Moore won the fourth seat! Congrats!

Tuesday is Election Day for Many Cities in Maryland // Don't Forget to Vote!

Maryland Juice has written about a few municipal election issues this year, but election day is now here for many cities. Don't forget to vote tomorrow, Tuesday, November 8th - 7 am to 8 pm. You can see if your city is holding an election at the Maryland State Archives website or the Maryland Municipal League website, but note that those two sites do not make it very clear which cities are holding elections this year.

Among the major jurisdictions voting tomorrow are Baltimore City, Rockville, Gaithersburg, College Park, Bowie, Takoma Park, Greenbelt, Bel Air, Aberdeen, and more. I encourage voters to seek out their own information and find local candidates they like, but since these elections are nonpartisan, many residents may find their choices confusing. I'll drop a couple of hints for those who are curious about the political backstory to some of these local races:

GAITHERSBURG: In Gaithersburg, three incumbents are up for re-election: Jud Ashman, Cathy Drzyzgula and Ryan Spiegel. Their two opponents have been endorsed by Gaithersburg Councilmember Henry Marraffa, who is not up for re-election this year. Mr. Marraffa was Montgomery County Councilmember Phil Andrews' Republican opponent in 2006 and is an active Republican who sometimes helps "awesome" politicians like former GOP Governor Bob Ehrlich and former GOP gubernatorial nominee Ellen Sauerbrey. The three incumbents, on the other hand, consistently support Democratic incumbents, including Montgomery Councilmember Hans Riemer, when I worked on his campaign last year.

ROCKVILLE: In Rockville, one City Council candidate is worth mentioning: anti-government activist Les Francis. He is a self-proclaimed member of the NRA, Defend Life, Help Save Maryland, and Americans for Prosperity - Montgomery County. If you are unfamiliar with these groups, Google them. Your search results will not turn up roses.

Rockville Mayor & City Council Debate 10/13/11 - Watch Online

Rockville Maryland holds elections every two years, at which time the mayor and four council seats are up for election. The next election is on Tuesday, November 8 and polls will be open 7 am - 8 pm. For more information, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/election11. The candidates for Mayor and Council participated in a videotaped forum last nigh, sponsored by the Fallsmead Homes Corporation. You can watch the video online below:

Rockville & Baltimore 2011 Election Controversies // Time to Rethink MD's Municipal Election Calendars?

Maryland Juice recently unearthed mutual acquaintances with Baltimore blogger Adam Meister at Charm City Current. We were therefore excited to discover from a recent blog post, that Mr. Meister shares our passion for pushing higher voter turnout through calendar changes. Specifically, Mr. Meister wants to see Baltimore elect city leaders at the same time as higher turnout races. Baltimore Council candidate Shannon Sneed's write-in campaign (announced today), seems to be putting a spotlight on reforming Baltimore elections. We explain the (much ignored) issue below and note how this relates to recent controversies in Rockville, Maryland elections (ie: Bob Barker and deer hunting or City Council candidate Tom Moore and campaign finance law).

On Tuesday, November 8, 2011, voters in Baltimore, Greenbelt, Takoma Park, Rockville, Gaithersburg, and other Maryland cities will be electing new Mayors and City Councilmembers. Do you live in one of these cities? If so, were you even aware there is an election in a few weeks? Do you care? You can check your local election schedule here.

TODAY: Bob Barker on Kojo Nnamdi // Plus, Rockville Deer Story Blowing Up!

On Tuesday, we broke news about former Price is Right host Bob Barker's entry into Rockville, Maryland politics. Now that story is blowing up! Brief recap: Mr. Barker, an ardent animal rights activist, sent the Rockville Mayor and Council a letter protesting a proposed deer hunting ordinance.

Today (FRI 9/2), Bob Barker will appear on Kojo Nnamdi's Politics Hour. The show broadcasts at noon on WAMU 88.5 FM, and I have no doubt that the topic will be Rockville's deer hunting controversy. Kojo's announcement of Barker as a guest came via Facebook through the following teaser:

[ Listen to WAMU Online at Noon ]

Bob Barker to Rockville, MD: Proposed Hunt "Cruel, Pointless"

Former Price is Right host Bob Barker waded into Rockville politics this month with an appeal to the city's Mayor and Council. The letter, which was emailed to city officials on August 20th, reads (in part):

Dear Citizens of Rockville, Maryland:

COME ON DOWN and tell your mayor and city council that you can learn to share your great city with the deer! I know that you can do it! But you must do it in writing by September 9. And you must be at the meeting for the decision on Oct. 24. I am begging you to make time to go....

I have unfortunately recently discovered that my deer friends in your city may be killed....

You can read the full letter below.

Kumar Dominoes: Rockville Official Retires, Seeks TBA Future Office?

UPDATE: Rockville City Council candidate Tom Moore provides some updated information:

"I read with interest your posting about John Britton's possible political plans, and wanted to point you to some slightly better information: This newer Patch posting notes that there are now four candidates qualified for the ballot (rats!), the addition being Virginia Onley. Also, current councilmember Mark Pierzchala is running for real and is almost certainly going to get on the ballot."

The Gazette today reported that Rockville City Councilmember John Britton announced his retirement from office:

"John Britton, 56, will end a decade-long history of involvement in city activism and a four-year stint on the council."

The article also noted that Britton was contemplating a future run for public office:

“Just nothing in the short-term,” he said.