Hoffmann wants second term to finish what she started
Mayor is proud of her first term, but wants to accomplish more
Mayor Susan R. Hoffmann can rattle off a long list of accomplishments when asked what she did in her first term as mayor. But she is running for re-election because there is still plenty for her left to do, she said.
"We set some pretty lofty goals," she said. "Don't get me wrong, we accomplished a great deal. But we're not done."
Among her proudest successes are the progress of city facilities from being 15 percent wind powered to 60 percent wind powered, once-weekly refuse and recycling pickup, implementing the Round Rockville shuttle at no cost to the city, and balancing the budget with no deficit, she said.
Looking forward, Hoffmann, 63, said she wants to bring city facilities up to 100 percent wind-powered; bring back the walking town meeting, where city officials and staff head into neighborhoods to meet with residents on their turf; continue to fund the Rockville City Police Department at the "highest level possible," and work with the Rockville Chamber of Commerce to create a Rockville Business Roundtable.
She sets these goals after learning that in most cases, making decisions as mayor is a lot easier than she expected, she said.
"I thought making decisions would be much more difficult," she said. "In almost every case, the right decision is pretty clear."
One example of a difficult issue is what to do about extending the hours Rockville Town Square patrons have to pay to park in the three city-owned parking garages in that new section of Town Center.
The council is divided between appeasing the business owners or the taxpayers.
But overall, Hoffmann said, she is proud of the work the she and the council accomplished over the past two years.
"I'm pretty proud of it," she said. "The thing people have to remember is that they mayor is not an executive who acts separately and can just decide to do things. With that under consideration, I think we've been very successful, and I'm proud of that."
Hoffmann is excited about the large field of candidates running for council, even though she has just one opponent to focus on in her campaign.
"This is as good a field of candidates as I've seen in quite a while," she said. "With two vacancies on the council, I think we're going to see some positive changes. I am convinced civility will return to the mayor and council."
-Residence: West End
-Age: 63
-Top Issues: Maintaining a balanced budget, environmental issues and promoting local businesses
-Web site: www.susanhoffmann.com