Photo of the Day: Longtime Coach Wins 'Good Sport' Award

Gaithersburg's Tim Aley was recognized by the mayor and city council for his contributions to the community in his 11 years as volleyball coach.

Longtime Gaithersburg volleyball coach Tim Aley was recognized Monday night by Mayor Sidney A. Katz and the city council as the 2012 Middle Atlantic Recreation and Parks Sports Alliance “Good Sport” Award Recipient for his contributions to the community in his 11 years as a volleyball coach. Aley began coaching volleyball in 2004 as an assistant for the city's middle school program and, in the eight years since, has coached 11 teams. Katz said the city appreciates Aley's willingness to spend time with its youths and teens, calling him a "true role model for the positives in youth and teen sports." Katz presented Aley with the award and a certificate at Monday night's mayor and city council meeting.  The City of Gaithersburg is an active …

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Gaithersburg News Briefs: National Search For City Manager and More

Gaithersburg news in brief.

The following news was released by the City of Gaithersburg this week: National Search to be Conducted for Gaithersburg City Manager The Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council have authorized a national search for the selection of a new city manager. The position is vacant due to the resignation of the previous city manager, Angel Jones, who had served since September of 2008. Deputy City Manager Tony Tomasello has been appointed to serve as the acting city manager in the interim. “Gaithersburg is an award-winning community with a reputation for excellence, and our residents enjoy an unparalleled quality of life,” Mayor Sidney Katz said in a statement. “Maintaining that reputation is important, and we look forward to selecting the best …

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PHOTOS: City Officials Join 'Not Your Average Joe's' For Grand Opening

Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz helped cut the ribbon Monday at the Kentlands restaurant's grand opening ceremony.

It wasn't your average Monday morning for a new Kentlands restaurant. Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz was joined by members of the city council and Glen Palman, chairman of the Kentlands Community Foundation (KCF), to welcome Not Your Average Joe's (NYAJ) to the Gaithersburg community and take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for NYAJ's Founder and President Steve Silverstein. “We’re especially pleased that Not Your Average Joe’s has so completely embraced the lifestyle unique to Kentlands,” Katz said in a statement. After receiving a proclamation from the city, NYAJ presented Palman with a $4,200 donation to the KCF, among the largest ever received by the foundation, Palman said. "It will go a long way to help support the various programs…

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PHOTOS: Gaithersburg MS Wins June GREAT Award

Gaithersburg Middle School collected and redistributed over 1,500 pounds of food that would have gone to waste.

A group of Gaithersburg Middle School students was presented with the city of Gaithersburg's GREAT Award for the month of June by Mayor Sidney Katz, the city council and the Educational Enrichment Committee at Monday's city council meeting. The award, which stands for “Gaithersburg Recognizing Educational Achievement Today," promotes and celebrates higher achievement and successes in Gaithersburg area schools. Gaithersburg Middle School was honored for its Food Recovery for the Hungry program that successfully collected, sorted and redistributed over 1,500 pounds of unwanted food to the needy that would otherwise have been discarded. The work is coordinated and carried out by the 37 student leaders who serve as Gaithersburg Middle School …

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Photo of the Day: Tomasello Sworn In As Acting City Manager

Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz swore in Acting City Manager Tony Tomasello after Angel Jones' resignation last week.

Tony Tomasello was sworn in as Gaithersburg's acting city manager by Mayor Sidney Katz at Monday night's city council meeting. He steps in for former City Manager Angel Jones, who abruptly announced her resignation on Thursday, June 14. Tomasello was hired in 1996 as the city's economic development director and has served as assistant city manager/deputy city manager since 2001. The mayor and council members thanked Jones for her service and offered congratulations and best wishes to Tomasello, who has twice previously served as acting city manager. Councilmember Jud Ashman gave Tomasello a vote of confidence and ensured the community that Gaithersburg would continue to run smoothly. "The city is entering a period of transition...As we …

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UPDATED: City Manager Angel Jones Resigns

Effective Friday, June 15, Gaithersburg's city manager of the past three-and-a-half years will step down.

Update (12:36 p.m., Friday, June 15): Gaithersburg mayor Sidney Katz and the city council met three times this year to evaluate Angel Jones' performance as city manager, most recently on Monday, June 11, according to a report by The Gazette. Before a December meeting for Jones annual review, Katz "sent memos to the eight city department directors, all management level employees and 20 randomly selected full-time city employees to request a review on Jones’ performance," The Gazette reported. The reviews were kept confidential and were seen only by Katz. Read The Gazette's full report on Gaithersburg City Manager Angel Jones' resignation. Update (11:35 a.m.): Gaithersburg mayor Sidney Katz said he believes the city will continue to operate …

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Tom Rowse

4:22 pm on Monday, June 18, 2012

Controversy, cover-up, intimidation and the loss of vast amounts of institutional knowledge from city staff will be the legacy left behind by Ms. Jones. The elected "leadership", and I use that term very loosely, is responsible for this debacle because they did nothing to prevent it thus creating the current power vacuum that exists right now.   more ›

City Officials Address Brighton East Community Issues

Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz, council members, and other officials met with members of the Brighton East community Tuesday night at Bohrer Park.

Members of Gaithersburg's Brighton East neighborhood were joined by Mayor Sidney Katz, the city council, and other city officials Tuesday night at Bohrer Park to discuss community issues in a "Council in the Community" forum meeting. Many of the community issues—including crime, housing code standards, traffic, and illegal boarding—boiled down to Katz encouraging those in attendance to communicate their problems to the city more frequently. "Obviously we all need to communicate a little better and that's what we're going to work on," Katz said, frequently asking whether or not community members had been in touch with city Neighborhood Services liaison Kevin Roman. Some had, others had not, Roman said. According to Roman, a neighborhood …

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PHOTO: Mayor Katz Checks Out Elvis

Mayor Sidney Katz poses with Elvis at the Active Aging Expo on May 7 at Gaithersburg's Activity Center at Bohrer Park.

State of Gaithersburg Address Scheduled for Thursday

The mayor will deliver the annual State of Gaithersburg speech

Mayor Sidney Katz will touch on the highlights and the challenges presented in Gaithersburg over the past year at the annual State of Gaithersburg address Thursday night. The speech is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Rosborough Center on the grounds of Asbury Methodist Village. According to a city news release, "Invited guests include civic partners who serve on City boards, commissions and committees, community leaders, county and state representatives, and others whose involvement is invaluable to our community." If space is available, residents may attend on a first-come, first-served basis. For ticket information, call the city’s public information office at 301-258-6310, ext. 2120, or email mfullerton@gaithersburgmd.gov.

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