Twitter Q & A

Keith from @gburgnewsletter on Twitter posted some questions for Gaithersburg City Council Candidates to answer. Here are my responses:

Why are you qualified to be on the Gaithersburg city council?

A significant part of being a councilmember is being able to manage competing interests for the benefit of the city, while managing and allocating taxpayer funds appropriately.  One of the unique things about how the Gaithersburg City Government is set up is that the City Council is made up of five part-time, non partisan councilmembers who are still expected to have full-time jobs out in the community.  I’m not a politician, but I’ve had a number of experiences that I believe allow me to bring a unique insight if elected. Having served on multiple boards, including the Saybrooke HOA, the St. Martin’s School Advisory Board & Finance Committee, and the Board of Governors of the Washington, DC NATAS Chapter (the people who award the local Emmys), I have experience weighing multiple points of view and working to create a consensus on how best to proceed, all the while being mindful of the fiduciary responsibility that comes with managing other people’s money.  And as someone who has worked in marketing for over 20 years, I also have experience communicating complex messages, which can help our city improve it’s outreach efforts.

Why do you want to be on the city council?

I’m excited for the opportunity to make a positive impact in the lives of our residents. Ten years ago, I was taken hostage at Discovery Channel in Silver Spring, and my worldview was forever changed.  Since then, I’ve tried to use my second chance to make a real difference in the community.  As a problem solver, I truly believe that I can bring people together to create opportunities for the people of Gaithersburg.  As a resident of the east side of Gaitherburg, I can bring a unique insight to the issues affecting Lakeforest Mall and Olde Towne.  We’ve all seen the ugliness that politics can bring out in people. It’s my hope that if more people get involved for the right reasons, and go about things the right way, we can change the dynamic for the better.  So I’m modeling that behavior, raising my hand and saying I’m willing to put myself out there to work to make my community better.

If the city council could only work on one issue, what would you choose?

Recovering from this pandemic has to be our first priority.  It starts with making sure all our residents get vaccinated to protect each other from this deadly disease.  None of us wants to go back to 2020.  The next step is helping our small businesses recover.  Nationally, we saw between 10-17% of restaurants close forever.  Both Main Street Kentlands and Olde Town have vacancy rates over 5%.  We should expand our Economic Development toolkit grants to help more of our businesses impacted by the pandemic.

What’s your vision for the Lakeforest Mall property?

The redevelopment of Lakeforest will have a profound impact on the future of our city for decades to come.  As the Chair of the Olde Towne Advisory Committee, we hosted one of the city focus groups on the future of the property, and I was pleased to see many of the ideas discussed by our group reflected in the proposed new Master Plan for the property.  I remain convinced that Lakeforest needs a unique draw, something that sets it apart from our other business centers, such as the Kentlands, Rio, Crown, Olde Towne, Spectrum or even the 355 corridor.  The new proposed Master Plan currently calls for 35% public space, and it will be important that the property owners consolidate that space into something that can truly be an asset to the community, not simply green space scattered throughout the property.  The new Master Plan, when approved, will only be a guide.  We need a voice on the council that actually lives near the mall and understands the impact that the Mall property currently has on the surrounding communities, and what dominoes would fall based on any redevelopment plans that are submitted, and ask the right questions.  Like what would any new housing developments do to the already overcrowded school situation? What improvements will the city and state need to do to the surrounding roads and transit options to accommodate the influx of people? We need to take a holistic approach to Lakeforest so we can maximize the opportunity that Lakeforest presents.

What’s your vision for downtown Gaithersburg (the real downtown Summit and E. Diamond)?

I joined the Olde Towne Advisory Committee because as someone who lives in a nearby neighborhood, I’m invested in the success of Olde Towne.  I miss Growlers (when it was good), and I’m frustrated its new owners haven’t opened it back up to the public.  La Casita is a huge success, and Don Jorge’s is a regular dinner spot for my family, among other great spots.  We have seen some other success stories in Olde Towne (the city highlights them here), but there remains work to be done.  Olde Towne’s proximity to the MARC train makes it an attractive commuter option; but service needs to be expanded to enable it to work for the business community there, not just the residents working downcounty or in the District.  We must be careful, though, that any new development proposals are within the proper scale in relation to surrounding neighborhoods.  As both a Federal Opportunity Zone and State Enterprise Zone, incentives exist to support efforts to reimagine what Olde Towne can be, but we must work to ensure that we preserve Gaithersburg’s rich history.  Once repairs are done to the Park Plaza fountain, and the development on the Fishman site (between Park Plaza and Granary Row) is completed, my hope is that we have a destination where people want to come and spend time, exploring the various shops and restaurants and enjoying Gaithersburg’s true downtown.   

Meet Jim!

Lakeforest is on the Ballot this November

The next 4 years will go a long way towards shaping the future of the Lakeforest Mall site. Even now, the public record is open for comments about the proposed new Master Plan for the Mall properties.

We need a voice on the City Council that understands the impact that the Mall does have on the surrounding communities, and how any future development proposals will affect those who already live nearby. A voice from someone who actually lives near the Mall, and can ask the right questions once development plans are submitted to the city.

We all agree Lakeforest needs redevelopment. The challenge has always been that there are five separate owners of the properties that make up the Lakeforest site, and there are reciprocal easements on each of the properties that require all five to agree to a redevelopment plan.

The proposed Master Plan calls for mixed use development with 35% allotted to public space and up to 1,600 residential units. I chair the Olde Towne Advisory Committee, which hosted one of the public focus groups conducted by city staff. I was pleased to see many of the recommendations from our group reflected in the proposed Master Plan. But a Master Plan is only a guide. The real work comes once a development proposal comes in.

We need to make sure the city takes a holistic approach to redevelopment, and understands the dominoes that will fall as a reimagined Lakeforest takes shape.

What does redeveloping Lakeforest do to the surrounding infrastructure, particularly roads, transit and schools? Anyone who has driven 355 during rush hour pre-pandemic knows how badly it backs up at Montgomery Village Ave, as well as Summitt Ave. through Olde Towne. What improvements will be made when an additional 1,600 units bring several thousand more people to the area, combined with the potential of an additional 2,000 units as part of Montgomery Village’s redevelopment? And how does that affect our already overcrowded elementary schools in the city? And how does the proposal affect the legacy business districts like Olde Towne, the Kentlands and even Crown?

These are the kinds of questions that will need to be asked. These decisions cannot be made in a vacuum. And this is the kind of insight a voice that lives near Lakeforest can bring to the process. Someone who is a problem solver, who brings people together and can build consensus. Governing is all about managing competing interests. We need a voice that can ensure that all voices are heard during the process.

Jim McNulty is a candidate for Gaithersburg City Council. He serves as the Chair of the Olde Towne Advisory Committee, and is the former president of the Saybrooke Homeowners Association, a community of 478 homes on the east side of Gaithersburg.

Jim McNulty Enters 2021 Race for Gaithersburg City Council

NEWS RELEASE
CONTACT: JASON LUCAS
CAMPAIGN LIAISON
electjimmcnulty@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 15, 2021

JIM MCNULTY ENTERS RACE FOR GAITHERSBURG CITY COUNCIL

Discovery Channel Hostage Survivor Running to Give Back to His Community

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—Jim McNulty officially launched his campaign for Gaithersburg City Council today with a video on his social media platforms and website. McNulty is running for one of the two city council seats that are expiring this November.

McNulty, 47, is the Chair of the Olde Town Advisory Committee, a subcommittee of the city’s Economic Development Committee, and is the former president of the Saybrooke Homeowners Association, a community of 478 single-family homes on the city’s east side.

“I’m running to bring a new voice and a new skill set to Gaithersburg,” McNulty said.

McNulty’s campaign video focuses on the economic challenges facing Gaithersburg’s small business community in light of the pandemic, and the need to attract new jobs to the city.

“We need to make Gaithersburg an even more attractive place to create more jobs. Not just biotech, but all kinds of jobs: office jobs, union jobs, skilled labor and entrepreneurs.”

McNulty has also been a vocal advocate on education and transportation issues, as well as mental health. He testified multiple times before the Montgomery County Board of Education and Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council in support of building a new elementary school at Kelley Park.

In 2012, McNulty founded a peer-to-peer support group for trauma survivors at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Rockville, Md. McNulty was one of three people taken hostage by an eco-terrorist at the former headquarters of Discovery Communications in Silver Spring, Md., two years earlier.

This year the City of Gaithersburg will use a hybrid process that allows for mail-in or in-person voting. All registered voters in the city will receive an application for a mail-in ballot, and can also request one online. Early Voting will take place at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park on October 23 and 24. Election Day polls are open Tuesday, November 2, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information about Jim McNulty’s campaign, visit jimmcnulty.org. For more information about the Gaithersburg Municipal Elections, visit gaithersburgmd.gov/government/elections.

MCPS Announced Boundary Study Process for Gaithersburg ES #8 (Kelley Park)

The first information session about how the Boundary Study process will work for the proposed new elementary school at Kelly Park will be March 2, 2020, at Gaithersburg Middle School. To date, the City of Gaithersburg and MCPS have NOT yet come to an agreement on providing land to build that school.

I remain committed to building a new elementary school to help alleviate overcrowding on our city schools, but I also have remained consistent in my calls for MCPS to commit to including the neighborhoods that utilize Kelley Park in the boundaries for the new school.

It’s only fair—and logical—to tell the people who would be sacrificing a portion of their neighborhood park that they would enjoy the spoils of that sacrifice.

The study will also look at the area middle schools after BOE Member Rebecca Smondroski—at my request—introduced an amendment to the resolution recommending the Kelley Park location. It is my hope that this process will undo the grievous error made 20 years ago when Saybrooke was excluded from the Forest Oak Middle boundaries, despite being located in the Saybrooke neighborhood. It boggles the mind to think that if you lived at the school you couldn’t attend the school.

Opponents to the location of the new elementary school do bring up valid concerns about traffic and other issues that need to be addressed, but I feel these concerns can and should be addressed during the boundary study and development process, and are not necessarily disqualifying.

I remain convinced that a new elementary school at Kelley Park could be transformative for the surrounding neighborhoods—if they get to attend it. I also remain convinced that the decision makers are more likely to listen if the conversation remains constructive.

It’s hard to have a say if you don’t get a seat at the table.

What about the CCT?

Our city and county absolutely need improvements to our transportation system, but we need to make sure that they are indeed improvements.  If elected, I will be a strong advocate for sensible solutions.

Although the funding for the CCT was pulled until 2019 at the earliest, I do believe there are some significant concerns surrounding the plan in its current form should the state decide to move forward.  That being said, the idea of the CCT could have potential if executed in a more sensible fashion and done in conjunction with all-day, two-way traffic on the MARC Brunswick Line.  And since the MARC and Metro both stop at Rockville, leveraging our existing resources could provide the desired connectivity and could also reduce the need to construct dedicated lanes.

The decision to split the CCT Project in two phases and delaying phase 2 defeats one of the original goals of the CCT: providing better transit options to Upcounty Residents, particularly in Clarksburg and Germantown.   Where Phase 1 of the CCT would make sense is for the residents of Crown and through King Farm.  These were built as high-density developments with the idea that they would rely on public transit.

Currently, the last eastbound MARC train of the day leaves Metropolitan Grove at 8:24 a.m.  Being that the drive to Shady Grove is shorter by car than currently planned on the CCT from the Metropolitan Grove station, I don’t foresee commuters getting off I-270 to get on the CCT. NIST traffic would also benefit from adding AM westbound train service from Union Station and down-county stops that got off at Metropolitan Grove, versus only being served by half-hour ride from the Shady Grove Metro northbound on the CCT.

The original plan for the Kentlands station was to use the former Famous Dave’s location as a parking lot; however, the owner of that property currently has a development proposal going through the review process with the city to build apartments on that site.  No one has addressed where and how commuters would be able to park at this station should that parcel be developed as planned.  And the distance between where residents live within the Kentlands, Lakelands and Quince Orchard Park would likely preclude most people from walking to the station.  And without parking, none of the surrounding neighborhoods would be able to benefit from the CCT, unless they take a RideOn Bus and transfer, and at that point, wouldn’t the existing RideOn network suffice?

We need to take a fresh look at the CCT and figure out a way to make it work better for those who might actually use it.

Click here for the currently-proposed CCT Map

Why Hire a TV Producer?

When people ask why I want to be on the Gaithersburg city council, I tell them I want to bring a new voice and a new skill set to city government. This article does a great job explaining how the skills of being a producer translate outside the TV industry.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249777