Bridget Newton for Mayor. Really?

I have seen a few signs around Rockville supporting Bridget Newton for Mayor.  Have our good citizens forgotten what Ms. Newton has done for Rockville?  Have our good citizens forgotten that she promised not to bring in front of the Mayor and Council a vote to overturn the previous Council’s decision with regard to Pumphrey’s Funeral Home parking lot unless there was an error in procedure or law?  Have the good citizens of Rockville forgotten that Ms. Newton abstained from voting to bring Choice Hotels International headquarters to our fine city?  Have our good citizens not reviewed her most recent campaign finance report, of which others were the subject of great scrutiny in our City’s last elections?  I would suggest that if our good citizens of Rockville took a look at these items they would realize that Ms. Newton has not well represented the good citizens of Rockville and should not be elected as our Mayor.

You may recall that the previous Mayor and Council voted to approve an extension of a parking lot for Pumphrey’s Funeral Home.  Mayor Marcuccio and Ms. Newton, on that previous Council, voted against allowing the extension of the parking lot.  On December 5, 2011, Ms. Newton, along with another councilmember, agreed they would not bring this up for a re-vote unless there was an error in procedure or law with the previous Council’s decision.  (http://www.gazette.net/article/20120111/NEWS/701119548/1007/news&template=gazette)

Yet on January 10, 2012, despite her comments to the contrary, Ms. Newton voted in favor of re-opening the parking lot extension issue despite the City Attorney’s assertion that there was no error in procedure or law with the previous Council’s decision.  The extension of the parking lot for Pumphrey’s Funeral Home was later overturned with votes by Ms. Newton, Ms. Marcuccio and Mr. John Hall.  Mayor Marcuccio, who has aligned herself closely with Ms. Newton, later indicated that she would tell Pumphrey’s Funeral Home to move from the City that it has served since 1850, if they did not like the decision of the present Mayor and Council.  Is this the action of someone who should represent the good citizens of Rockville?

You may also recall that the City of Rockville had the opportunity to attract Choice Hotels, one of the largest and most successful lodging companies in the world, to Rockville.  Mayor Marcuccio was against it and voted that way.  While Ms. Newton may have been in favor of bringing Choice Hotels Headquarters to Rockville, she ultimately thought it better to abstain from the vote.  Her decision to abstain from the vote was, ultimately, a vote for Mayor Marcuccio as Ms. Newton certainly could not vote against her good friend and appear to agree with her present Mayoral opponent.  Is this the action of someone for whom you would vote for Mayor of Rockville? 

Have you reviewed the most recent Campaign Fund Reports of our two Mayoral candidates?  Certainly you remember the efforts from the last election of Mr. Andrew Powell and Mr. Joseph Jordan, amongst others, with regard to Ms. Marcuccio’s opponent.  Despite Mr. Powell’s and Mr. Jordan’s allegations of illegal activity with Ms. Macruccio’s opponent based on Campaign Finance Reports, her opponent was absolved of any illegal activity.  These previous allegations certainly open the present Campaign Finance Reports to more scrutiny.  And if you have reviewed Ms. Newton’s Campaign Report from October 3, 2013, you will note that she has raised $13,365.  Of this amount, an astounding 34% was raised from non-Rockville residents.  In comparison, her opponent has raised only 7% of his total from non-Rockville residents.  Do you think someone who has accepted 34% of her campaign funds from outside of Rockville will represent fairly the good citizens of Rockville?  Or will she lean towards votes that favor non-Rockville residents?  It is interesting, too, that Mr. Powell and Mr. Jordan each contributed to Ms. Newton’s campaign.  It makes one wonder who was really behind the false allegations from the last election.