Rowse Musters Experience in Second Run for Council

Tom Rowse could be forgiven for making some amateur mistakes in his run for City Council four years ago.

"It was kind of 'fly by the seat of your pants,'" he said, remembering how he didn't even begin fundraising until a month before election day.

But this time, after studying his mistakes and seeing enough on the council that he would do differently, he's decided to make another run for office.

"I really spent August getting my ducks in a row," he said, laughing almost as thunderously as the freight trains that rumble within feet of his house in Olde Towne several times a day.

He has refined his strategy, distilling his platform to four main points.

One—lower taxes. Two years ago the council voted to raise the property tax rate for the first time in 40 years. Rowse said he wants to lower them back down, but not all the way to their previous level.

Two—a new Senior Center. "I want to build a senior center as fast as possible," he said. It has to be state of the art, and it needs to be centrally located.

Three—revitalize Olde Towne. This will help kick-start the local economy. But the key to kick-starting revitalization is fixing the city's Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance.

Three and half—repeal the city's APFO. More than half the city is in a residential development moratorium becuase the city's law governing school crowding is too strict, he said. Rowse wants to use the County's standard, which is more lenient.

Four—economic development. Although he was against the city setting aside a $2 million honey-pot fund two years ago to help lure in businesses, he now says he wants to work with the new Economic Development Director to make the best possible use of that money.

Rowse is seen by many in the city as a political outsider, despite the fact that he serves on several city committees, attends nearly all City Council meetings and work sessions, and is often the only public speaker at those meetings.

But one thing is abundantly clear: Rowse, a lifetime resident of Gaithersburg, believes he will win because people will recognize how much he loves this city.

For more information on Rowse's campaign, you can view his website here.