The City of Rockville soon will unveil its new logo – Rise Together – in its continuing effort to recover from the pandemic.
“The future is bright, and I know as a community we are going to rise together,” said Mayor Monique Ashton during her State of the City presentation at Glenview Mansion Tuesday before a standing room only crowd. The event was sponsored by the Greater Rockville Chamber of Commerce and moderated by attorney Brian Barkley.
“My gosh, the community has gone through so much,” she said.
During COVID, the commercial real estate market dropped, more people become food insecure, jobs were lost and some people died, Ashton said.
Since being elected in 2023, Ashton, along with city councilmembers, have strived to bring business and affordable housing to the city and provide recreational opportunities for young people, she said.
Rockville actively is fighting climate change by purchasing electric vehicles, creating a composting program and improving its stormwater management, she said.
The city also is “going out and pursing” new businesses rather than waiting for companies to move in. “We are incubating businesses and showing what it’s like to open a business here,” she said, adding, “We want to be a place where dreams can come true.”
Four businesses recently moved into Rockville Town Center, she said, noting that she has been to a lot of ribbon cuttings lately.
Ashton highlighted the city’s efforts to speed up the permitting process and answer Freedom of Information Act requests more quickly. Other efforts include building more pedestrian and bike friendly areas and striving to convince people to shop local.
Some crime is rising, she said, including auto thefts, organized retail crimes and juvenile-involved crimes. The city is pushing for more spaces in its recreation programs to engage young people, she said.
Ashton spoke about efforts to engage the 15,000 Montgomery College students who regularly come to Rockville. They, as well as students at the Universities of Shady Grove, are needed to fill jobs at the nearby life science businesses.
“We cannot survive if we do not have a work force,” she said.
During September’s National Recovery Month, Rockville is going purple in an effort to reduce the stigma of opioid abuse, she said, adding that the police department is training people how to use Narcan to reduce opioid deaths.
“This can happen to anyone of us,” she said, adding, “I think it’s an opportunity for us all to get trained.”
She praised the city’s efforts to get guns of the streets, noting that since 2022, more than 800 guns have been collected and melted down. That includes ghost guns as well as assault weapons, she said.
“Too many children have died, and we have to stop that.”
