No relief from heat in mayoral campaign

With election a week away, race for open seat at a fever pitch

Seemingly in the background is Mark Priezchala, who agrees with Powell that Rockville needs a change. But Pierzchala has not been nearly as critical of the councilwoman as Powell has. Proffering himself as the candidate who can best run a fair process, he even defended Hoffmann against what he has called Powell’s negative style.

All three candidates have bet heavily on voter dissatisfaction, but with markedly different focal points.

Hoffmann says the election could turn on the contentious trash issue, which engulfed the council in disagreement for months. She has moved to distance herself from her council colleagues who voted to keep twice-weekly service, pointing to her failed compromise proposal that would have given residents a choice between weekly and bi-weekly trash collection.

Powell, her most vocal opponent, has focused his platform on growth. Powell predicts Rockville voters will repeat the slower-growth sentiment reflected in the county election a year ago. Toward that end, he has worked to become the ‘‘controlled growth” candidate.

Priezchala has tried to appeal to voters’ dissatisfied with the council that frequently fought over trash and budget issues. Emphasizing the need for a top-down budget review, he says he jumped into the race late, partly because of the council’s troubled interactions.

Pierzchala distinguishes himself from Powell by presenting himself as a more positive alternative to the office-holders. Powell’s style is too contentious, Pierzchala says, and would do Rockville no good.

Susan R. Hoffmann

City Councilwoman Susan R. Hoffmann has paid her dues and has the political assets to prove it, she says.

The mayoral candidate has six years in office, five years on the Planning Commission before that, by far the most high-profile endorsements from fellow politicians and more campaign contributions to use in the contentious race.

A self-confessed political junkie, she jumped into the race just minutes after outgoing Mayor Larry Giammo announced he would not seek re-election.

‘‘I want to continue what I started as a council member,” she said in a recent interview. ‘‘I see it as an opportunity to bring a spotlight on an issue which is very, very important to me, which is the environment, greenhouse gases and global warming.”

Hoffmann has made making a greener Rockville one of her key campaign issues. But controversial trash issue that bitterly split the council for months is likely to impact the race more, Hoffmann says.

‘‘The number-one issue I’m getting is trash,” she said. ‘‘Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

A supporter of weekly refuse collection, Hoffmann and Giammo were outnumbered on the council by the biweekly supports on the council. She reloaded and proposed letting the customers decide between weekly and twice-weekly service, but that, too, was defeated.

Calling the refuse and recycling system adopted ‘‘the most expensive, most environmentally negative choice that could have been made,” Hoffmann promises to revisit the issue on the next council if the votes are there.

Hoffmann initially ignored attacks made by Drew Powell that painted her as a pro-development candidate. Trying to emphasize her experience, she points to a record that includes voting for the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance, establishing a moratorium on development if strict road and school capacity measurements are not met.

More recently, she has gone on the offensive, publicly charging that Powell is inaccurate in assertions about her campaign receipts.

‘‘I’m running a positive campaign,” she said. ‘‘I will not engage in mudslinging. But at the same time, I would urge people not to believe everything they hear.

‘‘I take no money from anyone who develops in Rockville,” she added.

Hoffmann points to her accomplishments, which include the redevelopment of Town Square, the city’s upgrade to a Triple-A bond rating and the new Rockville Shuttle system she helped establish.

‘‘Think this race is about experience, experience and experience,” she said.

Mark Pierzchala

Mark Pierzchala says he got mad and then he got into Rockville’s mayoral race.

‘‘I was angry about how the budget was discussed and how trash was handled,” Pierzchala said. ‘‘The civility is really a big issue because I think it’s gotten in the way of rational analysis by council and mayor both in budget and trash.”

Rational and fair are words Pierzchala is emphasizing, presenting himself as an alternative to the council’s protracted, public fighting over trash.

‘‘I think it was personalities getting in the way,” he said.

Pierzchala supports weekly refuse pickup, saying it is the least expensive option that has drawn overwhelming support from those who tried it out in the pilot program area.

Susan Hoffmann’s proposal to implement optional collection frequency is not workable, he said, because no one has any idea of how much people are willing to pay for twice-weekly service. Determining such a rate ‘‘would explode the trash debate,” Pierzchala said.

Hoffmann is hiding behind the optional method, Pierzchala says, because it does not anger anyone, while Drew Powell has not chimed in on the issue, claiming the need for more information.

‘‘I am not afraid to take a stand on the trash issue,” Pierzchala said. ‘‘I’m not afraid to make a decision.”

While trash is what finally drew Pierzchala into the race, the budget is his main issue. Hoffmann may emphasize politically safe environmental issues, he said, but the City Council business is mostly budget related.

Pierzchala calls for a task force to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the city budget process and more council time spent in workshops.

The citywide zoning revision and upcoming master plan update will give Rockville an opportunity ‘‘to get it right” on development and redevelopment issues, Pierzchala said.

He calls for ‘‘well-balanced and well-paced” redevelopment. On the campaign trail, he portrays himself as the only neutral party, capable of running a fair zoning revision process.

‘‘I don’t have a history with this,” Pierzchala said. ‘‘Susan Hoffmann does. She helped write the draft ordinance. Drew Powell has condemned the whole RORZOR process and I don’t think he can give it a fair shake. What I know how to do is run a fair process.”

A senior fellow for social policy surveys at Mathematica Policy Research Inc., Pierzchala is a social policy researcher with a master’s degree in mathematical statistics. That experience, coupled with knowledge of city government learned as president of College Gardens Civic Association, would serve him well in as mayor, he says.

Drew Powell

Drew Powell says Rockville’s mayoral election is all about growth and hopes voters recognize him as the candidate that can help control it.

‘‘The solution for Rockville is being able to say no more often to the development industry and being clear about what it is we want in the city,” Powell said.

Local government must put citizens first, he said, when faced with development interests that seek to maximize profits at the expense of things like road and school capacity.

As head of the countywide watchdog group Neighbors for a Better Montgomery, Powell comes to the race with experience researching campaign receipts from developers and development-related sources.

He has been criticized by some for what has been described as a negative campaign style. Powell has been on the attack, pointing to 2005 campaign receipts Councilwoman Susan R. Hoffmann has received from development related interests.

Hoffmann has taken issue with Powell’s numbers, saying they are inaccurate and unfairly characterize her as being in the pocket of the development industry. Powell has claimed that the councilwoman collected 47 percent of her 2005 campaign contributions from development-related interests. That percent has been debunked by a Gazette investigation, which shows Hoffmann brought in far less from such sources.

Powell contends his numbers are accurate.

‘‘People talk about personal attacks,” he said. ‘‘I don’t have anything against Susan. I think it is perfectly acceptable to talk about her sources of funding.”

Powell has arguably been the most critical of the City Council’s performance when it comes to development. He wants to give the city time to catch up on its infrastructure before moving ahead with aggressive development.

He does not support ‘‘mixed use mania” or the desire to include residential components at every development. He questions whether efforts to implement Smart Growth at Twinbrook Station and other locations will actually spur residents to favor the Metrorail system over their cars.

On budget issues, Powell calls for a more conservative approach. He wants legislation that would automatically lower property tax rates to offset increased assessments. In good times, like fiscal year 2008, that would mean greater rate cuts than the one cent reduction passed by the City Council this year.

Powell also wants Rockville’s attorneys brought in-house, an arrangement, he says, that would save the city hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

He has no position on refuse collection, saying he needs more information before deciding between weekly and twice-weekly garbage collection.

Susan R. Hoffmann

Age: 63

Experience: Three-terms on the City Council; five years on the Planning Commission; employed by Montgomery County as manager of marketing and communications for downtown Silver Spring; former legislative analyst for Montgomery County in Annapolis.

Top issues: Clean and green Rockville; controlling growth; preserving neighborhood character.

For more: www.susanhoffmann.com

Mark Pierzchala

Age: 55

Experience: President, College Gardens Civic Association; senior fellow for social policy surveys at Mathematica Policy Research Inc.; former Peace Corps volunteer in Swaziland.

Top Issues: Budget tightening and review; citywide zoning review and city master plan; trash and civility.

For more: www.votepierzchala.org

Drew Powell

Age: 52

Experience: Owns a small telecommunications company; executive director, Neighbors for a Better Montgomery; active in Woodley Gardens Civic Association.

Top issues: Managed growth; public safety; spending and tax reduction.

For more: www.votepowell.org