Over the past four years, I have watched the Gaithersburg city council be ineffective. I believe its lack of leadership is to blame. This lack is demonstrated by the absence of a vision, framework and goal structure to lead the city out of its current situation. Money is being thrown at problems.

For example, $2 million has been set aside for “economic development” but no plan for spending it has been created. The council is thirsty for someone to lead. In the past year, the council hired an outside consultant for assistance, yet the consultant reported the same issues as different business groups and city committees have been warning about for years. The consultant’s findings, from April 2011, is the only report filed under “Economic and Business Development” on the city’s website page for “Forms and Documents,” confirming there is no plan.

There have been a few groundbreaking ceremonies in the past few months. However, the projects that these ceremonies launched were planned by previous councils, not by the current council. The one exception is Hidden Creek, whose viability was brought about because of the expansion of the Enterprise Zone, which I, other committee members and business leaders pushed the council into approving.

In fact, the current council is caught up in conflicting agendas. For example, the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance passed by the current council has triggered a residential building moratorium in nearly two-thirds of the city. The growth of our city will be stagnated if we continue to lose development projects to Rockville and other parts of Montgomery County due to short-sightedness and conflicting agendas of the council.

Finally, after 16 months, a new director of economic development has been hired. His priority should be to repair the ever-growing rift that has developed between the city and businesses, which will continue to negatively affect job retention and job creation should he and the council fail.

I welcome the opportunity to provide the strong leadership that this city needs and deserves so we can return to our citizens a quality of life for which Gaithersburg was once known and admired.

Tom Rowse, Gaithersburg

The writer is a candidate for Gaithersburg city council.