7/21 Rockville Council Statement by Barry Jackson

Statement from Rockville Councilmember Barry Jackson:

"This Council is pursuing multiple policies to help renters and home owners and to build additional housing. We are serious about housing and stabilizing rents while building more affordable housing. The difference is in how we get there. A majority has said we don’t want rent control due in part to its impact on the building of new housing. A minority disagrees but we had the debate over a year ago. I don’t see a need to revisit it and allocate more staff resources to a policy we are not interested in pursuing.

I understand organizations advocating and speaking out. What I don’t understand is pretending this Mayor and Council are not doing anything – essentially claiming we do not care about Rockville’s residents. This is coming from elected officials and organizations who frankly should know better - but instead say rent control is their one and only issue.

The lack of civility and reasoned discourse is becoming troubling. I am not talking about disagreements – for instance a tenant association invited me to meet and then asked me to leave when they did not like my answers - I don’t mind – that is what it means to me to be an elected official sometimes.

What I do mind is not showing respect to others in this Chamber, making outlandish accusations, trying to bully others or putting red X’s through the faces of members of the City Council on social media because of disagreements on policy.

I don’t believe either of my colleagues on the other side want to see that either, but they need to take ownership when they see the conversation becoming uncivil - that is not the Rockville residents want to see.

I also am concerned about erroneous information residents have received about rent control. We received an email from the Reed apartments – about receiving a 5% rental increase. Even the County allowed that rate of increase. In addition, under the County’s own policy – the building would be too new to even qualify for rent control.

It also seems there are two discussions on rent control - one in the Chamber and one at the doors of Rockville residents. Here advocates are talking about multi-family units being under rent control but at doors across the city - residents seem to be hearing that all properties will be subject to rent control and that will be no rental increases. No one is even advocating for that but somehow that impression is out there.

Here are the facts on Rockville rent - we have had a 2023 effective rent increase of 3.8%, in 2024 it was 2.2%, and so far in 2025, it has been around 1.2%.

Now a new report in Montgomery County says permits for new multi-family developments have dried up since rent control passed – “vaporized” according to one observer. Amazingly, some County elected officials and their allies want stricter rent control measures – leading to an even more troubled business climate.

Even advocates can’t agree on rent control. One of my colleagues has been telling folks the buildings within Town Center would be exempt from rent control. Other organizers are adamant in their Community Forum testimony that rent control needs to apply to all buildings including Town Center.

Rent control does not seem like a stable coherent policy choice.

However, there are those who seek to use rent control for their political gain. Not only County and other elected officials but organizations who receive taxpayer money who turn around and fund campaigns aimed at localities like Rockville.

I get it. If Rockville and others don’t bend the knee there will be a real comparison between those with rent control and those like Rockville who made a different choice.

Honestly taking County funds to spend on lobbying and trying to force the County’s will onto Rockville - makes me wonder if the voters of Montgomery County know about their taxpayer dollars going to influence Rockville policy?

Relatedly, I do want to explore ways to know who is funding lobbying campaigns in Rockville – whether through direct lobbying or indirect grassroots lobbying. Residents of Rockville deserve transparency in knowing who is trying to influence City policies and how much they are spending and on what. I introduced a framework to begin a lobbying disclosure discussion in future and several colleagues enthusiastically seconded the motion to put it on a future agenda.  

We can do great things for Rockville and I am willing to work with anyone for a better tomorrow for all of Rockville - as long as we recognize we won’t agree on everything and that we should compromise when we can and find other common ground when we can’t.

A 5-2 majority of this body voted over a year ago to take rent control off the table. The City Attorney’s opinion on this matter is the motion was too vague and could be brought up again. So we had a clarifying motion to make sure we move on from rent control that again passed 5-2. It is time to discuss other things."