Rockville Council Member Search Narrowed To Three Finalists

ROCKVILLE, MD — Rockville's mayor and council have narrowed the list of applicants to three for the council seat made vacant by Julie Palakovich Carr, who was now serves in the Maryland House of Delegates.

The candidates are Monique Ashton, James J. Hedrick, and Robert J. Wright. City officials said they will interview the finalists on Wednesday, March 20, at 7 p.m. Their interviews will be televised on channel 11 and live streamed at www.rockvillemd.gov/rockville11.

The winning candidate will serve the remainder of Palakovich Carr's term, which ends in November.

The City of Rockville has published all the applications online. Patch has taken excerpts from the finalists' applications and posted them below:

Monique Ashton

"...I have honed the following areas of expertise that I seek to utilize to support the City of Rockville, including:

• Strategic planning and implementation
• Management of multimillion dollar budgets and teams
• Community outreach and civic engagement
• Partnership development
• Stakeholder mapping and planning to understand and deliver the needs of diverse constituents
• Strategic communications and visibility to drive engagement, growth, and visibility for Rockville
• Program and initiative development to support health, human services, education, and business innovation
• Diversity and inclusion to reduce disparities
• Representing and finding consensus among diverse views
• Conflict and issues management"

More of Ashton's priorities, plans, background, and qualifications can be viewed here.

James J. Hedrick

My career has taught me that a city's progress requires teamwork, outreach, and a long-term mindset. With that, my priorities include:

Connecting Rockville: Connecting Rockville means ensuring that all corners of city, from King Farm to Twin brook, from Lincoln Park to the West End, feel like they are part of the whole. While connection means more than physical infrastructure, one aspect should include more options for access across the tracks and the Pike. This includes well-maintained, high-quality biking and walking paths throughout the city and ensuring disability assess.

Outreach and Inclusion: As a member of Rockville's Boards and Commissions Task Force, I have seen the need for more outreach, including to underrepresented populations like young folks, minority communities, and immigrants. Our boards and commissions have too many vacancies, and we, as a city, aren't hearing from all our residents. With so much talent and knowledge throughout our community, we do Rockville a disservice when we don't prioritize reaching out and asking all our neighbors to join us in guiding the city.

More of Hedrick's priorities, plans, background, and qualifications can be viewed here.

Robert J. Wright

I promise to focus on municipal issues that affect our lives today. In the nine months I would
serve I have the following primary priorities:

1. Adopt a fiscally sustainable budget.
2. Implement vote by mail as flawlessly as possible.
3. Work with REDI to develop a strategy to help owners of commercial properties find tenants with pubic appeal and staying power, e.g., Town Center, Research Row and King Farm.
4. Work with neighborhoods and City staff to repurpose underutilized and defunct spaces, e.g., King Farm Farmstead and Rockshire Village Center.

More of Wright's priorities, plans, background, and qualifications can be viewed here.