VIDEO: Newton Launches Re-election Bid

With the future home of a new grocery store in Rockville Town Square as the backdrop and over the blare of a Rolling Stones tribute band playing on the plaza, Councilwoman Bridget Donnell Newton officially announced her re-election bid for the Rockville City Council on Friday.

“I haven’t been able to finish my work and I’m asking for your vote and support for the next two years,” Newton said.

Newton said she chose the setting to highlight how one of her campaign promises from when she was first elected in 2009—bringing a grocery to Town Square—.

“An independent grocery [that] prides itself on offering organic and natural foods, purchased locally and presented in a market atmosphere—what better fit could we have found?” Newton said.

The city holds nonpartisan elections in odd-numbered years for the four seats on the City Council and for mayor. This year’s election will take place Nov. 8. Newton is one of nine candidates—and one of two incumbents—running for the council.

School board member Laura Berthiaume, state Sen. Jennie M. Forehand, Del. Luiz Simmons and former County Executive Douglas M. Duncan—a former Rockville mayor, were in attendance.

Newton also acknowledged the presence of several other council candidates: John Hall, Virginia Onley, Richard Gottfried and Joseph Jordan.

And she recognized Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio, who she thanked for “mentoring and encouraging me.”

Marcuccio said she and Newton “have shared a lot of the same issues and concerns.”

“She ran the Communications Task Force for us this year and really made changes happen,” Marcuccio said. “If we can get it all done, we’re going to have citizens in every corner of City Hall.”

Newton said she joined Marcuccio to meet with officials from Federal Realty Investment Trust, which owns and operates Town Square to discuss the grocery store and “had a heart-to-heart about what the holdups really were.” Out of that came a relationship that helped bring about the lease for Dawson’s Market that was announced Monday, she said.

Bringing a hardware store to Town Square remains a goal.

“I say [a] boutique-sized store such as a or Ace Hardware would fit quite nicely in our Town Center,” she said.

Newton highlighted other unfinished business, including pushing for citizens commissions.

She cited her push for the Youth Commission and for a finance commission, which ultimately “was relegated to a task force” that delivered a final report a year ago this month.

Commissions would be able to “drill down into the details” of issues in a way the council does not, she said.

Commissions, Newton said, could have kept watch on the city’s debt per capita and could have uncovered the more than $800,000 in uncollected tax revenue due the city. Commissions also could have examined budget issues, including , she said.

“Forming a commission would not abdicate our responsibility, but much more, it would enhance our vetting process of making sure that your tax dollars—my tax dollars—are spent wisely,” she said.

Newton said she wants to “make sure we have a responsive government” that “does more than just pay lip service to the citizens who courageously speak about the issues that concern them.”

Newton outlined other topics that she would focus on in a second term, including:

• Making sure that the city’s Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance remains strong. The ordinance seeks to ensure that transportation infrastructure, public schools, fire and emergency service and water and sewer service, can sufficiently handle the impact of new development.
• Continuing to serve on the Maryland Municipal League’s Legislative Committee to advocate in Annapolis for the restoration of highway user revenue, which is used for local road maintenance and police protection funding, which supplements the operating budgets of local police departments.
• Making sure transition zones, which provide a buffer to commercial development, “remain balanced and protect our neighborhoods.”
• Working with the county and state “to make sure ], which is coming, does not disturb the quality of life” in King Farm.
• Convincing the county school board to build more permanent classroom additions.
• Bringing together community association presidents “giving them a cohesive voice and access to the council.”