Drzyzgula calls for open government

Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007

Drzyzgula calls for open government

Olde Towne activist paired with Jud Ashman for City Council

by Chris Robinson | Staff Writer

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Gaithersburg City Council candidate and longtime Olde Towne civic activist Cathy Drzyzgula said she never seriously considered running for office until this summer.

The turning point came in June when city government nearly ground to a halt when Mayor Sidney A. Katz threatened to veto the budget over a line-item for a homeownership assistance program, she said. Though a compromise was struck, Drzyzgula said it revealed a conflict behind the scenes.

Gaithersburg and its leadership should be more open to residents, she said.

Drzyzgula, 51, a stay-at-home mother, is one of seven newcomers vying for three spots on City Council to be vacated in November by incumbents Stanley J. Alster, Geri Edens and John B. Schlichting.

Drzyzgula is running on a ticket with Jud Ashman, ‘‘because we agree on enough things that it doesn’t make sense to run opposed,” she said.

She pledged clarity in municipal actions, such as highlighting if proposed planning and code waivers contradict existing city master plans.

The police force also must grow to address the rise in crime, particularly in Olde Towne, she said. Drzyzgula did not list specific department increases — the exact number of necessary officers ‘‘is a moving target,” she said — but said officer retention and recruitment must be examined to reduce the rising crime.

She applauded Gaithersburg’s environmental initiatives, and said she would push the focus toward more water quality issues.

Drzyzgula was on the city’s Day Laborer Task Force last year, which examined existing day-laborer centers and how to establish one in Gaithersburg.

She favors the current site at Crabbs Branch Way and encourages enacting the city’s anti-solicitation ordinance once Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler rules on the controversial legislation’s legal standing. If Gansler rejects it, Drzyzgula said Gaithersburg should register the contractors to regulate the practice of hiring day laborers.

Gaithersburg has not raised taxes in 44 years, and Drzyzgula said she would sooner delay existing projects or cut programs if the budget is tight.

Still, the city could do a better job of connecting the budget with the annual strategic plan, she said.

Drzyzgula was born in Appleton, Wis., and moved to Montgomery County in 1982. She has a bachelor’s in economics from Yale University in Connecticut. She lives with her husband Bob and their teenage daughter in Olde Towne.

Cathy Drzyzgula

Gaithersburg City Council

Age: 51

Experience: Gaithersburg Historic Preservation Committee since 1997, Gaithersburg Greater Historic District Committee since 2000, Olde Towne Neighborhood Watch coordinator since 2006

Top Issues: Open government, crime, environment

For more: www.judandcathy.com