Rockville citizens expressed outraged over Mayor Giammo’s trash proposal during a January 8th Mayor and Council session, according to the Rockville Gazette. In addition to protests regarding a reduction of services, citizens were concerned about a lack of transparency and accountability, when it comes to the city’s set of one-sided facts, misrepresentations, mismanagement and possible malfeasance..
It's time to take out the trash!
Residents lash out at city over trash proposal
Two City Council members also criticize
Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2007
by Warren Parish
Staff Writer
It wasn’t on the City Council agenda, but a proposed cut in Rockville’s twice-weekly refuse collection drew fire from residents and two council members Monday and put Mayor Larry Giammo on the defensive.
During Citizen’s Forum, resident after resident spoke against a proposed cost-cutting measure that would reduce trash pick-up to once a week. At one point, what is normally a calm comment period turned into shouts directed at Giammo.
‘‘We pay premium taxes to live in the city of Rockville and you want to reduce our services,” said Lora Meisner, president of Burgundy Estates Civic Association, the first to speak on the issue.
When Meisner ran beyond her allotted three minutes, Giammo asked her to wrap things up. She continued. After a second prodding, her voice grew louder.
‘‘Since you’re not particularly interested in listening to the citizens of Rockville, I’m going to continue quickly here,” she said.
Giammo, who expected about 20 residents to speak that evening, continued efforts to shut the speech down.
‘‘We pay premium taxes and you want to reduce services,” she shouted, her voice shrill at the words ‘‘premium taxes.”
In all, seven spoke against the proposed service cut with one for it.
The ensuing council discussion largely echoed a December meeting when the council decided, over the objections of Giammo and Councilwoman Susan R. Hoffmann, to hold a public hearing on a comprehensive list of recommended refuse and recycling changes.
In previous meetings, Giammo and Hoffmann have pointed to the results of a nine-month, 780-household pilot program that tested once-a-week curbside garbage collection and other changes to the recycling program in the Monument and Hungerford neighborhoods.
Both Giammo and Hoffmann live in the Monument neighborhood. Meisner does not live in the pilot communities.
Out of more than 350 surveys returned from the pilot area, 82 percent support citywide implementation of once-weekly service, with just 6 percent opposed.
Councilwoman Phyllis R. Marcuccio, who does not live in the pilot area but asked to be included in the study, has voiced skepticism about survey results and said she has yet to see a detailed breakdown of the cost estimates.
While Monday’s opposition to the proposed collection cutback paralleled earlier discussions, council tensions were clearly elevated.
‘‘I think, from the beginning, this was something that the staff wanted desperately,” Councilwoman Anne M. Robbins said. ‘‘I’ve never seen such a sales job.”
Robbins then said a city official, whom she identified as Giammo after the meeting, sent a communication to the council members essentially instructing them not to question the staff about the issue.
‘‘We are elected officials,” she said. ‘‘We’re not potted plants.”
After the meeting, Giammo denied having written an e-mail designed to chill the council inquiries.
‘‘It was not as characterized by council member Robbins,” he said.
‘‘It’s not constructive for any City Council member to lash out and publicly attack other members of the governing body,” Giammo added Tuesday in an e-mail message to The Gazette. ‘‘It’s important that we be collegial, stay focused on the important policy decisions that we’re expected to make, and avoid unnecessary drama and hostility.”
The e-mail, which Robbins said was sent by Giammo days before Christmas, was not available at press time.
A public hearing on the collection issue is scheduled for Feb. 20.
Copyright © 2006 The Gazette
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