“The hypocrisy of her appearance yesterday was stunning,” Gajewski said in an email to Rockville Patch on Wednesday.

It is certainly reasonable to believe an incentive package is too big but still be happy the company chose Rockville. It is great to compare and contrast candidates position on the issues but the name calling should be left out.

Will,

A point well taken.

However, at no time did Mayor Marcuccio indicate that any incentive package would have been acceptable to her. She simply voted against the deal that was negotiated in good faith.

The amount of the deal is also important to note: other than the use of parking spaces which are presently standing empty and thus represent no revenue to the City, the City’s portion of the incentive is $660,000 over ten years. If the Mayor felt that $66,000 per year for ten years is too much, what would have been acceptable to her? She never said.

I'm no expert and have no real knowledge of how the civil servant world works, but I can comment on how I feel about this. I do not like the notion of closed-door sessions, especially with something so important to the citizen's. These kind of decisions should be made right in front of the citizen's they are supposed to represent. I'm disappointed on how the Mayor and Newton handled their votes. We need the Mayor's full support on this even if she does not totally agree with every aspect of the deal. Sometimes you have to "take one for the team"!

What would you call it?

And this is not the first time the mayor has voted against something she later champions. For example, she voted against contracts to use out of state utility help in storms and other emergencies, and later bragged about what a great plan we have in place for this at a homeowner association meeting that I attended.

Careful scrutiny of her record will reveal other examples, and instances when she reverses her votes or votes without explanation, or out of "confusion."

Here's another one. She was at the ground-breaking for the new Rockville police headquarters --which would never have occurred had she prevailed. The mayor voted against the sale of bonds for this project.

The bond sale vote was on 11/15/10, item 12. You can view the meeting here: http://rockvillemd.granicus.com/MinutesViewer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=1387

I don't like this behavior, not matter what one chooses to call it, and it is evidence of one of the many reasons I am supporting Councilmember Gajewski for mayor.

Hey, I thought Phyllis Marcuccio was still the Mayor of Rockville! I know Councilmember Piotr would like that not to be so, but it is so and she has every right to be the City of Rockville representative at the groundbreaking. Methinks Piotr and several others who comment frequently have already choosen the new mayor and it appears the Patch is their main Outlet for venting frustrations.

As I travel to Rockville from Bethesda I am constantly running into residents who are unaware of the upcoming mayoral race but interestingly once I mention Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio’s love of Redgate I have a new voter who will protect my interest in the Rockville, but hey folks travelling to Rockville have no influence or financial impact on the City so fret not!!!!

I think it would have been an appropriate and humble jesture if the Mayor had indicated in her remarks that, despite her objections to the incentives package, she was pleased that the deal succeeded. She has a tendency to vote against important items and then takes credit for their success, thus the hypochricy charges. I believe folks understand that politicians don't always make the right choices but a bit of humility about those mistakes can go a long way.

Mr. Coyle, I noticed that you, Theresa Defino, and Piotr Gajewski collectively contributed two-thirds of today's opinions on Rockville Patch (what, is Peter Mork out of town this weekend?). At least today there were a few other subjects in addition to your daily attacks on our Mayor. It is no secret that you and Theresa Defino are integral parts of Mr. Gajewski's campaign staff. In fact, I've heard it said that you are actually Mr. Gajewski's campaign manager, either officially or de facto, but I've never seen any disclosure. Is it part of Mr. Gajewski's campaign strategy to attempt to hijack the Patch? It sure looks like it, and I can't be the only reader who's sick and tired of it.

Wow! So much misinformation in one post!

Former Mayor Coyle has endorsed me for Mayor for which I am grateful. However, he is certainly not my campaign manager. (I have a campaign manager who is a University of Maryland student.) Indeed Mr. Coyle has never even been to my campaign office nor has he attended any meeting of my campaign (he did attend my candidacy announcement), nor has he met with me since I announced.

Ms. Defino is a friend who has also done no work for the campaign (including volunteer work). I am grateful for her support and her comments here on the Patch.

For my part, I am a fan of the RockvillePatch (and other forums) and am vigilant (as in this case) to clarify when I see inaccurate information about me or my candidacy appear.

Hijacking implies some taking by force. Frankly, I would welcome Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio posting an explanation why she did not support the deal with Choice Hotels and why she never proposed any alternative (other than no deal at all). Remaining silent on this issue is her decision alone: not the result of any hijacking.

Mr. Gajewski, did you fail to read the Patch article above where she did just that, or are you, as it appears, deliberately being deceitful and once again gratuitously attacking the mayor?

There you go again, Mr. Bowman, misstating facts and calling names.

Nowhere in the article above and nowhere anywhere else has Mayor Marcuccio proposed any alternative to the deal that, in partnership with Montgomery County, brought Choice Hotels to Rockville. She simply voted against the deal that was negotiated in good faith.

Mr. Busch,

I look to Mayor Marcuccio for economic development proposals. To date she has offered none of her own; she did vote against the Choice Hotels deal.

You have written about visiting Rockville from Bethesda and how much money you spend in Rockville when you visit. Nearly five hundred Choice employees will spend money daily as a result of Choice headquarters in Rockville. I think this is a good thing for Rockville and is one of the reasons I voted for the deal.

RockvillePatch presents a great opportunity to discuss issues on their merits. You just seem to want to attack.

Piotr,

I am NOT attacking, I am offering insight into why a leader may disagree with a decision but once a decision is made, the leader needs to stand strong and be out in front and represent the city. I comment here because of the following statement attributed to you:

“The hypocrisy of her appearance yesterday was stunning,” Gajewski said

That statement alone makes me wonder if you are a team player, who can get behind a leader who disagrees with you. If you are in charge, what will you do with subordinates who disagree with you? I understand your frustration, I have argued repetitively that the RedGate issue should include in the economic decision the impact of 40 REDGATE Employees and 1,200 non-residents, coming to Rockville, and their economic impact on the local economy. I have scoured the debates and the NGF report, and there are significant lapses in this information.

I am not attacking you Piotr, I am merely pointing out that the Mayor is the Mayor and the Councilman is the Councilman. You have disagreed with each other on the decisions, but why can't she be at the groundbreaking?

Congratulations, Ms Defino, for allowing the readers a 3 day rest without having to read one of your criticisms of Mayor Marcuccio or your promotion of your crony, Mr. Gajewski...a true Labor Day vacation!

Joe,

Thanks for your insight. But there you go misstating the facts. I have never questioned the Mayor’s or your or anybody else's absolute right to "be" at any groundbreaking anywhere. At the same time, if I had strongly opposed a project, humility and respect for its supporters would lead me to respectfully decline a speaking role at the groundbreaking.

Piotr,

There is no mistating of facts! Your quote in the article -- “The hypocrisy of her appearance yesterday was stunning" -- is definitely questioning her right to be at the groundbreaking. Point, set, match! You, or she, always have the right to decline to speak, but you do not have the right to decide for her, nor she for you. As Colin Powell famously said, "never get so tied to your argument, that when your argument falls, you fall with it."

Misstating facts?? Please don't go there. Come on Piotr, you are a mayoral candidate don't give out quotes you don't want to have come back to bite you?

"Point, set, match!" Joe, I am happy for you winning whatever game you were playing. I stand by my statement that while anyone has a right to "be" at any ceremony, it is hypocritical to pretend to support a project after voting to scuttle it.

The game is called politics Piotr. You are a member of the Rockville City Council, you and the mayor as a TEAM, made a decision to make a deal with Choice Hotels. You may have been a key player, but you did not make the decision alone. Only in your eyes is her presence hypocritical, and all because she argued against the package? We live in a democracy, where healthy debate is encouraged, and once the decision is made, the players abide and go with the decision.

So she, as the mayor, and one voting person, was opposed to the decision. But alas, the fates have her as the Mayor, and as the mayor, she needs to do her job! She needs to put the debate behind her and accept the decision of the Council! Any other response from her would be a shirking of responsibility.
When a council and mayor start to agree on everything, and there is no healthy debate because a leader discourages dissent, I think that you no longer have a democracy.

If I were a member of the Council, I would have argued vociferously to bring in Choice Hotels and any business that brings employment into the City. But in the negotiating, I would definitely make sure they use every local business I could make them us.

How about making them start a golf league! Now there is a noble idea. Let's find ways to make slumping businesses boom!

Mr. Gajewski wrote: "I look to Mayor Marcuccio for economic development proposals. To date she has offered none of her own". Really?
What economic development proposals did other councilmembers go looking for and bring back for discussion? Besides, there is an entity in the City Manager's Department known as Rockville Economic Development Inc, and they have a budget in excess of $500,000 a year that I help fund as a taxpayer. Isn't part of its charter to bring new businesses into the City? If it isn't, it should be. What new business entity of any consequence has REDI delivered since being formed over 10 years ago?

And why do we have to pay non-City staff to do something the City can probably do in-house for less budget. Isn't that what the County and State do? Mr. Gajewski, why not champion this idea? It would be similar to bringing the City Attorney's office in-house, something you frequently talked about.

We have heard repeatedly that the mayor is just another vote on the council, and the only thing that differentiates the position from other council members is he or she presides over council meetings and can function as a City figurehead. This is true, and why we have a City Manager. Some members of the council made it clear the Mayor does not speak for them nor represent them without a majority vote (except for ceremonial duties). So, how did we go from that view to saying mayors are expected to bring proposals to the City for economic development?

Mr. Joe,

You bring up very good points. Indeed, REDI Executive Director, Sally Sternbach was explicitly and publicly thanked (and not by Mayor Marcucio, but I digress) at the ground breaking ceremony for the key role that REDI played in helping to close this deal.

But I agree with you: what good is the work of REDI if the Council, or in this case Mayor Marcuccio vote to scuttle the deal that REDI helps to negotiate? Perhaps I expect too much of Mayor Marcuccio, but to me, if she is going to work against deals that bring nearly five hundred jobs to Rockville, I hope that she would at least offer some forward looking alternatives.

Mr. Gajewski, thanks for your comment. I don't know what it is that you are agreeing with me on. I never asked what good the work of REDI is. I did ask what great businesses they brought into Rockville in ten years, and why not bring it in house? I am not being snide, I would like to have answers to both questions, and I thank Ms. Sternbach for any contributions she made to the Choice Hotels deal!
As for those proposals brought to the Council by you and other councilmembers.....?

Mr. Joe,

I voted for the Choice Hotel deal and Rockville will benefit. The point is that if Mayor Marcuccio works and votes against a deal, I would expect her to bring one of her own, or at least make a counter proposal.

Just so we don't confused, I am not Mr. Joe, though I am starting to think my name must be too common!

But I am getting a little confused here, Piotr, you claim you VOTED for the Choice Hotels and the Mayor voted against the incentive package. It doesn't say you brought Choice Hotels to Rockville, but your messages seem to imply you were the sole source for this great deal. Would it be fair to say that if you were not on the council this deal would have never happened? I am assuming a lot here, but the incentive package had to have a large number of variables and I am sure that there was great deal of back-n-forth haggling that ensued from the initial offer.

The end result is that the MAYOR & COUNCIL debated and a deal was struck to bring Choice Hotels with an incentive package to Rockville. It is totally disingenuous for one person to take all the credit. UNLESS, you were the SOLE SOURCE for bringing in Choice Hotels , the sole debater, the sole negotiator, etc. (Did you consider Marriott, Holiday Inn, Radisson? You did look at competing offers?) Given the complexity of such a transaction, I would highly recommend you not run for mayor but that you serve on the REDI, it appears to truly be your forte.

So, as I understand you, the Mayor voted against the current incentive package (Maybe you could have struck a better deal?) and now she has to be made to wear a scarlet letter?

I am beginning to think there is more here than meets the eye.

Mr. Fahey,

Good contribution, but personally I hope no one is ever made to “look bad.” Everyone can look good standing behind whatever action he or she supports.

Mr. Busch,

I am not sure why you would want to suggest the Mayor “be made to wear a scarlet letter” (your words). I assume that she is proud of her stance in this matter. It is different from mine. And Vive la Difference!

As someone with over 20 years experience in the branding business, the vote to approve the City branding campaign shows how little thought went into the planning, process, analysis, strategy, and position. Remember, it's not about the logo.

Did I read only some of the minutes were released and others were not? That sounds deciteful. Come on. These are not good values that represent Rockville. Remember, organizational values should have been expresses in the brand plan. Values predict behavior!

Mr. Joe and Mr. Fahey,

Thanks for your comments but they are quite far off topic of the article, which is about Choice Hotels headquarters moving to Rockville through a collaborative deal with Montgomery County, which I supported and Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio voted against.

Mr. Fahey, perhaps in some other forum we can exchange views about why some closed sessions minutes were recently published and others were not (for those unfamiliar with this, a Council majority recently voted to publish some closed session minutes over Mayor Marcuccio’s objection).

Mr. Joe, perhaps in some other forum we can exchange views about the RedGate golf course. You are correct that I voted to close it. This was to save at least a part of the $630,000 subsidy budgeted to keep it operating this year (for those unfamiliar with this, I did not prevail and the golf course continues operating to the delight of the golfers who play there and the irritation of numerous taxpayers who seek me out on this issue).

Mr. Busch,

Partnering with the County on bringing Choice Hotels to Rockville is the best example of great team play, which, I agree with you, is so important. I supported it. Mayor Marcuccio did not want to play.

I am not sure why you want to talk about golf under this article, but collaborating and cooperating with the County on offering excellent recreation is also a great example of team play. Of course I encourage Rockville residents to play the Needwood and Falls Road golf courses; they are fabulous recreation facilities. Rockville needs to be smart about providing efficient services, not duplicating, at great expense, what the County already offers.

Comment above from Peter is a perfect example of juggling figures:

"Joe, I think the article is clear that the county + state are providing incentives above and beyond what the city is providing. However, the Rockville Mayor and Council are not responsible for costs incurred at the county or state level."

You are correct Peter, however, it was my understanding that Rockville residents were part of the County and the State and if those resources are going to subsidize this project there will fewer funds to go to other projects in the County and State. Just because the City is not paying for everything out of their budget, the State and County are and that affects Rockville residents; you are basically robbing Piotr to pay Paul....(OK, that is sarcasm, intended to state that it looks like Piotr is good at juggling the books....)

Not that anyone probably cares, but my honest assessment of this whole issue around Choice Hotels incentives can be summed up with one ol' cliche: "Much ado about NOTHING."

Doug in Rockville
1:17pm on Thursday, September 8, 2011
YOUR COMMENT:
"Good grief, so now citizens who are engaged and paying attention, and who express an opinion need to shut up? Silly me....I thought this was a free country where civic engagement, dialogue, and thought were encouraged."

Doug,
I don't see where anybody is being told to shut-up. What you are seeing and reading is indeed dialogue and thought being exhanged. It's still a free country! Just expressing my opinion :)

The best part of this debate is realizing the need for a Mayor who does not go with the flow and is willing to bring on debate on topics such as the Choice Hotels. Some Councilmembers would love to rubber stamp these requests, and give incentive packages quickly without debate, then tell everyone they did their due diligence.

I see one comment here, that Choice got an incentive package that costs City of Rockville residents $66,000 a year! SUPER deal, but wait a minute, the State and County are kicking in another $3,000,000; BUT HEY, the Mayor and the Council are not responsible for what the State and County contribute! There is a huge divide between $66,000 and $3,000,000. And my other favorite is this parking subsidy to Choice....didn't cost the city anything, but Choice gets a huge benefit....win-win??? Magic money from nowhere?

Folks, Rockville is part of Montgomery County and the State of Maryland. The no-votes on the Council were overruled but they must have spurred great debate. I see a GREAT need from some to silence, shun, "call hypocritical" those who voted NO! If there were no debate I would assume the first incentive package would have been more costly to the CITY!!

Why not detail the variances in the incentive packages from inception to conclusion and all the details for why changes were made. I actually would love to see the process in open debate....not just the simple YES\NO vote. The YES or NO vote provides no insight....

Folks, Rockville is part of Montgomery County and the State of Maryland. The no-votes on the Council were overruled but they must have spurred great debate. I see a GREAT need from some to silence, shun, "call hypocritical" those who voted NO! If there were no debate I would assume the first incentive package would have been more costly to the CITY!!"

Joe, please read the earlier comments. You must have overlooked some. The mayor offered no alternatives, no explanation for her no vote, and there was no debate. So yes, that is the reason for a NEW mayor. What is being debated HERE is what she did.

She has not entered this debate; more importantly, at the time of the vote she was mum as well.

My understanding is she voted no, ergo, she entered the debate. She does not enter this forum, she might not even read the Patch. A NO vote on such a huge set of variables presented by the Choice Hotel Incentive package can mean myriad options did not qualify for a YES vote. Maybe a No vote just means no, or it means it is costing us too much, or maybe there is more meat on the bone (Actually, in the article the mayor states "the package that was laid in front of us, there were portions of it I did not agree with.)

Piotr may love to simplify things for the masses, I want to see the meat, feel the heat and get the juice out of this argument. If the debate and arguments over this decision didn't swing across all parts of the room, I would be surprised. The vote of YES or NO means nothing, tell me that Piotr convinced Choice to forgo a $30 million tax incentive, that he got Choice to offer 50% discounts when Rockville residents use Choice hotels in other cities, that he got them to hold a golf tourney at Redgate. Tell me something JUICY!!! Tell me PIOTR got the best gosh darn deal in the whole world all by himself. (Sarcasm alert!) Tell me Piotr would be better off as the only member of the council cause his ideas are so good.

BUT NO!!! Piotr only voted yes. That is all it says....that and the MAYOR voted against him, she voted NO. Now, back to the REAL story, detail the incentive package from inception to completion? I double dog dare you!!

Doug, my final comment on this thread: I pointed out two other examples--funding of the police station and the contract for storm support services. There are many others. They are important. Stay dry, everyone!

Based on the number of comments regarding issues important to Rockville I think the Mayor would do well to not only read Patch but take part in the active discussions.

I certainly would like to hear her comments regarding the article and the follow up discussion. I'm sure other citizens would also be interested.

Madam Mayor?

Don't feel badly, Mr. Gajewski has never gotten my name right either, although he keeps writing and writing and writing.....Not sure what is wrong with the Patch, but no reason i can see for the Mayor to comment here. When the Washington Post and tv and print media across the country carried some issues I was concerned with in Rockville, the Patch would never respond to me. But then after all, they have supported Mark Pierzchala since forever. Bias shows, and when someone cannot stop arguing with mostly everyone, who would vote for that person for mayor? Very sad situation we have in Rockville government. Thank goodness we have the smart, sensible and active Mayor Marcuccio to lead us. Have you noticed she is civil to all?

I agree with what you said about Mayor Marcuccio. Being civil to all is a sign of confidence and shows genuine leadership. There is never a reason to pull rank and demean someone when you can just have a simple conversation to discuss the issues. Mr. G may be a good orchestra conductor and demands perfection (my way or the highway), but managing the affairs of a city and listening to people require a different skill set and personality type.

Tim, you are the current mayor's campaign manager, right?

Also, Ms. McCormick, I have seen you misspell Councilmember Gajewski's name, I think it was on Rockville Central's Facebook page. You have also consistently misrepresented his position on the "deer hunt" as well as where this issue really stands. We should all try to spell correctly, but the former to me is a much bigger issue.

Also, there are many reasons that it is appropriate for mayor to respond here, especially when questions are directed to her. Saying Patch didn't respond to you is not the same thing. You are a private citizen, and If someone commented about you here I am sure you'd feel the urge to respond.

It's a sign to me that we need new leadership that understands the importance of connecting with voters in all ways that she doesn't post. It appears that she is out of touch with all but a small core group of citizens who seem to have rallied around Redgate more than anything else, and as I stated earlier, misrepresented this issue as well. Co-oping the addresses of folks who signed a petition on Redgate, if that's what happened, is another big problem.

Should we expect the same for those few Rockville residents who signed your deer petition which completely political and not factual correct?

Viva la election season!

I'm not the campaign manager. But thank you for asking. Pointing out someone making a typo with Mr. G's name seems petty, and caring whether or not someone misrepresented Mr. G's position on a deer issue seems trivial. To me, connecting with voters has nothing to do with answering trivial or petty comments.