Thank you to everyone who made our victory possible:

• The Moore for Rockville team, which ran like a well-oiled machine under the direction of Campaign Manager Sharon Goott Nissim;
• My family, which put up with lots of summer nights and weekends without me (or, worse, with me) as I campaigned, with special thanks going to my lovely wife, Amy Gambrill, whose support never wavered;
• My extended team of supporters who were so generous with their contributions of time and funds, with special thanks going to retiring Councilmember John Britton, whose strong and vocal support was invaluable;
• And, of course, the voters of the City of Rockville, who heard the message we tried to hard to convey.

Many congratulations to my new colleagues on the Council: Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio and Councilmembers John Hall, Bridget Newton, and Mark Pierzchala.  Just as many congratulations to my fellow candidates whose strong efforts served to inform the City so well during this campaign: Les Francis, Rich Gottfried, Virginia Onley, and Dion Trahan. 

I am deeply honored to have been given this opportunity to serve.  I look forward to addressing the challenges ahead of us with reasonableness, diligence, and good cheer. 

Tom

Tom filed his Second Pre-Election Campaign Fund Report today with the Rockville City Clerk’s office (copy available here).

He is proud to have raised a total of $3,018 during this period from 25 neighbors, family members, and friends, for a campaign total of $7,409.58. This amount includes $548.50 in in-kind contributions from Tom himself in October for yard signs and Xeroxing.

Tom was particularly pleased and honored to receive contributions during October from two longtime friends: former Rockville mayors Susan Hoffmann and Rose Krasnow.

The reporting period covered all transactions through October 30, 2011.  The campaign ended the period having spent a total of $7,007.68.  As of October 30, the campaign had a whopping $401.90 cash on hand to spend until Election Day, November 8.  Not to worry: The campaign is largely finished spending its money, having directed its funds almost entirely toward two beautifully designed and stirringly persuasive citywide mailings.  The second postcard is appearing in Rockville voters’ mailboxes this week.

The campaign also filed an amended version of its initial Campaign Fund Report.  One check amount was corrected, and a spreadsheet formula that had resulted in an incorrect contribution total was corrected (copy available here).  The next reporting period includes all transactions after October 30 and reports must be filed by December 8.

Just wrapped up teaching two classes at Richard Montgomery High School on Rockville and its elections. Very attentive kids and great questions! Thanks to RM Government teacher Jonathan Taylor for having me in, and to my daughter Katie for not dying of embarrassment right then and there.

At its meeting last night, the Rockville Board of Supervisors of Elections discussed the issues raised by my October 3 letter, and voted to recommend the change to Rockville’s Code I had suggested. I thank the Board for its prompt attention to my letter and I am satisfied that the appropriate steps are being taken to fix Rockville’s elections law.

My concern in raising this issue was the certainty of our laws and the transparency of our elections.

Transparency is still at issue here. Once this fix is made, unlimited contributions will be allowed from candidates’ spouses during the 2011 election without any corresponding disclosure of their financial conflicts. Changes are in the pipeline to require more extensive disclosure, but not in time for this election.

I am therefore calling for all candidates running for Rockville’s Mayor and City Council this year to disclose their spouse’s financial conflicts through filling out the standard Rockville “Statement of Financial Interests” form required of all candidates.

I care deeply about keeping our elections honest and accountable. I strongly believe that if we allow unlimited contributions from spouses, we should also require full disclosure of their financial conflicts.

Tom presents himself to Rockville voters on Channel 11:

Tom filed his Initial Pre-Election Campaign Fund Report today with the Rockville City Clerk’s office (copy available here). He is proud to have raised a total of $3,900 from 43 neighbors, family members, and friends.

Tom was particularly pleased to receive contributions from three prominent Rockville leaders: retiring Councilmember John Britton, former Councilmember and current City Council candidate John F. Hall Jr., and former Mayor Jim Coyle.

The reporting period covered all transactions through September 30, 2011.  Tom ended the cycle having spent $1,558.90 and with another $2,341.18 cash on hand to spend in October.

The next reporting period ends October 31 and reports must be filed by November 3.

Rockville City Council candidate Tom Moore sent a letter on Oct. 3 (found here) to the Rockville Board of Supervisors of Elections alerting it that there appears to be a serious flaw in Rockville’s campaign-finance laws.

It is widely believed that candidates’ spouses are exempt from Rockville’s $1,000-per-campaign limit.  A close reading of the Code, however, reveals that this is not the case.  Under Rockville law, any contribution exceeding $1,000 from a candidate’s spouse to his or her campaign is illegal. 

In his letter, Tom urges the Board of Supervisors of Elections to address the problem.

He also urges the Board to examine the problem that such a fix creates: Spouses would be able to give unlimited amounts to campaigns, but would face no financial disclosure requirements whatsoever. This would create a gaping loophole in the Fair Election Practices laws of the City and gut their effectiveness.

Tom strongly urges the Board to require spouses of candidates to fully disclose their financial interests related to the City if they are allowed to give unlimited funds to Rockville campaigns.

Tom will make the case for this vital transparency measure as the election campaign proceeds.

News coverage: Patch

Tom’s going to be appearing all over town at upcoming candidate forums.  Mark your calendars:

• Fallsmead forum, in City Hall’s Mayor and Council Chambers (111 Maryland Ave.), Thursday, October 13, 7 p.m. Televised!
• King Farm forum, in the King Farm Community Center (300 Saddle Ridge Circle), Tuesday, October 18, 7:30 p.m.
• Woodley Gardens, College Gardens, and Plymouth Woods forum, in the Rockville Senior Center (1150 Carnation Dr.), Saturday, October 22, 1 p.m.
• League of Women Voters of Montgomery County forum, in City Hall’s Mayor and Council Chambers (111 Maryland Ave.), Tuesday, October 25, 7 p.m. Televised!
• West End Citizens’ Association forum, in City Hall’s Mayor and Council Chambers (111 Maryland Ave.), Thursday, October 27, 7 p.m. Televised!
• Senior Center forum, in the Rockville Senior Center (1150 Carnation Dr.), Tuesday, November 1, 1 p.m.
• Rockville Chamber of Commerce forum, Best Western Plus Rockville Hotel & Suites (1251 West Montgomery Ave.), Tuesday, November 1, 6 p.m.

• Fallsmead holds its forum at City Hall on Thurs. Oct. 13 at 7 pm.
• Woodley Gardens, College Gardens, and Plymouth Woods jointly hold their forum on Sat. Oct. 22 at 1 pm at the Senior Center.

Tom’s supporters will be walking door to door and leafletting throughout Rockville on October 9, October 23, and November 6th.  This is a great way to help out Tom without a huge time commitment.  We really hope you can join us!  Please RSVP at m4r@moores.org.