Politics & Government

Kensington Elections Q&A: Stowe Teti

Kensington resident Stowe Teti will make his second attempt at joining the Kensington Town Council, this time as mayor.

 

The 2012 Kensington Town Council elections take place from 6-9 p.m. on Monday, June 4, at the .

For a complete guide of candidates and their Q&A responses,

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Name: Stowe Locke Teti
Age: 40
Address: 3500 Dupont Avenue
Marital status: Married to Diana Teti with a daughter, Saige, a fifth-grader at Kensington Parkwood ES.
Hometown/Years in Kensington: I grew up in Carmel, CA, and moved to attend St. Mary’s College of Maryland. I then moved to Connecticut for graduate school, after which I returned to Maryland. I met Diana in Rockville, and we moved to Kensington to start our family in 2000. Saige was born in 2001.
Education: BA Philosophy, minor mathematics, MA candidate, University of Connecticut
Profession: My wife and I are consultants to the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. Prior to that I ran a business that designed and built custom furniture.

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Patch: Have you run for Council/Mayor before?
Stowe Teti: Yes,

P: Did you serve?
ST: No.

P: Why would you like to be Kensington's mayor/councilperson?
ST: I believe I have the skills Kensington needs at this point in time. In addition to technical skills, I have a lot of experience building consensus around contentious and divisive issues. Kensington needs to turn the page on the last several years of acrimony and come together around common goals. The town needs new blood to do that.

P: What experience do you have that would help you serve in this position?
ST: I am a resident who moved to Kensington for the same reason many residents did; so my family could enjoy the small town atmosphere but have ready access to all Washington has to offer. Those facts are not skills per se, but they serve to inform your readers of my intentions and motivations.

Regarding specific skills, my consulting firm has worked on over $2 billion of development in the last 12 years, and I was involved in the building of 100 million square feet of space in the greater D.C. area.  I am a certified traffic control planner, and I have developed Public Space safety plans around construction sites for over 200 projects.  I am an expert in project permitting and all regulatory processes, including historic, environmental, safety, fire protection, and many other review bodies.

I designed the Village Center concept, which is now part of the Sector Plan. I also introduced the idea of an open charrette for residents to participate in, which is now a requirement if Konterra wishes to move forward. Before becoming a consultant, I ran a small business that produced custom furniture, so I understand the needs of the business community, both services and sales businesses.

I am a member of the Children’s National Medical Center Clinical Ethics Committee, which along with my experience giving lectures on Ethics at St. Mary’s College, demonstrates my knowledge and ability to work constructively with the controversial issues Kensington faces.

P: How did you feel about the Kensington Sector Plan?
ST: I believe it was a poorly conceived plan, overly influenced by the current economic climate.

P: Were you for or against the previous Kensington council's decision? Why?
ST: I was against the Council’s rush to approve the plan. Resolution after resolution concluded with something like “we continue to support immediate passage of Sector Plan in its current form without delay.”

I know the development and construction industry, and people who I have spoken with at companies like Clark Construction, Whiting-Turner, and others continue to say that they are just squeaking by. There is money out there, but not much lending, and not on good terms. Development poses significant risks, and until the economy stabilizes we are not going to see banks being willing to take those risks.

This is a well-known fact, so what was the rush to pass it?  Luckily, civic activism made some great improvements to it that all of Kensington will benefit from.

It should be noted that apartments pose less risk due to housing demands and can be sold with less tax liability, so builders are using those to survive. Also, there are many projects that have been standing unfinished, and a large part of the construction people see are projects that had to be put on hold due to lack of funding.

My greatest disappointment was the vote on Konterra. The Council is supposed to be representative of their constituents. No one wanted Konterra to go to 75 feet. Seeing the Council vote in favor of something that they must have known their constituents did not want was very unsettling. 

P: What are your biggest platforms?
ST: The town is moving into implementation of the Sector Plan, but we need design guidelines and a Memorandum of Understanding with DPS so that the Town gets a preview of all projects before they are approved. We need a comprehensive economic plan. 

I have run two successful businesses, and I know how to plan strategically.   Perhaps most importantly, I have the training, expertise, and experience to heal the rift that has been created. The foundation of my education is the ability to understand and value points of view other than my own, and to explain to disagreeing parties what the real differences are and develop a path to resolve them.

For the past 12 years, I have been responsible for being the liaison between developers, builders, local government, regulatory bodies, and civic groups.  I have negotiated or mediated hundreds of agreements between parties.  It is time for a change, and I stand ready to bring it about.

P: What issues are most important to you and why?
ST: The most important issue to me is returning the conviviality the town had six years ago. Buildings, planning, and design guidelines do not have much point if the community is split and its spirit low. Development, design guidelines, and the like are supposed to enhance our community, but we have to have a community first. 

Kensington’s most important asset is its identity, and collectively we, as residents, are the life of that identity. It's time to turn the page on the dissention and rancor of the past several years and make a fresh start with new leadership, new goals, and better understanding of one-another.

P: How will you help solve these issues?
ST: During the highly divisive Sector Plan process, I worked successfully with both sides. Not only do I know the development industry, specifically the regulatory and permitting aspects, but I am experienced with dealing with contentious issues. In addition to my academic training in understanding differing viewpoints and leading critically reasoned dialogues, I am a member of the Children’s National Medical Center Clinical Ethics Committee. I work there as a member of a multidisciplinary team that is charged with resolving contentious issues in the highly complex cases that come Children’s Medical Center.

P: What do you love about Kensington?
ST: I love that it is unique. As I said, my wife and I moved here for the tree-lined streets, the large numbers of families with children who run and play safely in the neighborhoods, and until recently, the unified idea that we all have something special here that is worth protecting.

We should hand it down to the next generation better than we found it, and I have plans to do that, but we must resist the tremendous pressure to homogenize Montgomery County. As I have said, Kensington’s most valuable asset is its identity.

P: Why should residents vote for you?
ST: From implementing the Sector Plan to bringing back a spirit of cooperation and understanding, I have the skills, expertise, and experience the town needs right now. I have proven that I can work successfully with both sides of the current divide, and that should matter to voters.

I think it is time for a change. I do not think that the person who created the divisive atmosphere in Kensington in the first place can heal the divide. Many residents have been discouraged from participating in civic involvement over the past six years because of how they were treatment by the current Mayor. Then there are the many news stories about ethics violations, lawsuits, conflicts of interest, and bad public administration practices.

Kensington needs to heal from these wounds. I have the experience to lead the town towards a better way of doing things and a better way of interacting with one another when differences of opinion arise.

P: Do you have anything else you would like to share?
ST: No.


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