Mullican in the running for a council seat this year

‘‘I think I have a good chance,” Mullican, who lost to Giammo by a 4,502 to 1,861 vote margin, said. ‘‘People did tell me last time I should run for council. I didn’t want to be on the council with Larry (Giammo).”

Mullican is not shy about her dislike for the outgoing mayor, who she calls rude and arrogant, or her support for first-term Councilwoman Phyllis R. Marcuccio, who she praises for asking tough questions.

‘‘It may irritate some people, but I think that’s what they are up there for,” Mullican said.

Mullican is a consummate volunteer. The longtime Twinbrook resident has a civic resume that ranges from Girl Scout leader to city planning commissioner.

She has been active in the Twinbrook Civic Association since the early 1980s. She is a tireless booster and founding member of the Rockville Sister City Corporation, which promotes good relations with Pinneberg, in her native Germany.

If elected, the 58-year-old wants to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the city’s finances with an eye on additional tax rate reductions. She supports tax credits for the elderly who are increasingly squeezed by property assessments.

‘‘I think we’ve got a runaway City Hall,” she said. ‘‘We need to look at a lot of things that can be cut.”

The council needs to be more proactive in the budgetary process, instead of rubber-stamping a budget presented to them by the city manager, Mullican said.

The former budget analyst also wants to improve communications on the council and between the city and other governmental jurisdictions. When it comes to zoning, the city needs to work toward more uniformity with the county.

Development on the county and city border should blend, she said, rather than having county-based buildings towering over Rockville.

‘‘We should try to work better with the county,” she said.

Mullican frequently stands before the council at Citizens’ Forum, voicing opinions on everything from what to call the new Rockville Library to proposed changes to the refuse collection system.

She is the treasurer of the Alliance of Rockville Citizens.

Working while attending night classes, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in management technology from the University of Maryland in 1993, a year before her daughter got her degree.

Brigitta M. Mullican

Age: 58

Experience: Rockville Planning Commissioner, 1997 to 2005; a founder and past president of the Rockville Sister City Corporation; treasurer for the Alliance of Rockville Citizens

Top Issues: tax cuts and improved intergovernmental relations

For more: email m4council@verizon.net or 301-230-0890