Solis pushes full-service police department

Council candidate wants more after-school activities, diversity

Solis, 48, a 20-year Gaithersburg resident and office manager for his wife’s dentistry business in Olde Towne, 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.

As a four-year member of the Gaithersburg Police Chief’s Advisory Council, Solis said he understands the police department’s needs. He envisions the city with its own full-service police agency to offer improved community policing.

Currently Gaithersburg shares jurisdiction with Montgomery County police.

Gaithersburg’s rise in crime can be resolved through a larger police force, possibly increasing from the current maximum of 52 to 100 officers, along with pay, benefits and equipment at least equal to Montgomery County police, Solis said.

Another step to improving public safety is offering more after-school options for youth, Solis said.

Solis said he would promote a city program to encourage teachers to stay after classes end to assist students and parents. Gaithersburg currently offers after-school programs at its youth centers, but Solis said the city can do more. The programs could improve communication among the city’s ethnic communities, Solis said.

While Gaithersburg’s diverse neighborhoods are not currently divided, enacting legislation to restrict public services to legal residents could cause irreparable damage to the city’s harmony, Solis said. Because overseeing immigration is the responsibility of the federal government, Gaithersburg officials should not continue discussing it, he said.

Solis said he’s pleased with how the city and county handled the day-laborer center at Crabbs Branch Way, but said he is unfamiliar with the anti-solicitation ordinance currently undergoing legal review by state Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler. Solis would not comment on the ordinance before reviewing it, he said Monday.

Solis pledged to never raise taxes and instead seek funding in additional permits from future development.

Regarding growth, Solis said he would limit future projects as much as possible to retain the city’s open space. However, he said he is not familiar with the upcoming Aventiene, formerly Crown Farm, and Watkins Mill Town Center developments.

‘‘I don’t want a big crowded city,” he said. ‘‘... It’s not like New York City here.”

Solis, an Ecuadorian native, said he moved with his family to Gaithersburg after serving with the Marines of Ecuador until about 1988. The father of two lives with his wife Lourdes in the Audubon Square neighborhood.

Carlos solis

Gaitherburg City Council

Age: 48

nExperience: Gaithersburg Police Chief’s Advisory Council since 2003, Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce since 2004

nTop Issues: Crime, education, unifying communities

nFor more: carlosfdg@verizon.net