Community Vision for Takoma (CVT) is endorsing the following 2026 candidates for Takoma Park City Mayor and Council. (You can read their responses to the CVT questionnaire HERE). Thank you to all who participated in the questionnaire process, and to all the candidates for their willingness to serve.
- Mayor, Tom Gagliardo. Tom is a highly qualified candidate with extensive experience in City affairs, including serving as the City Attorney, and a longtime tenant advocate. He intends to protect our strong rent stabilization, address the rapid rise in property tax, support two-year Council terms, and create more transparency, accountability, and responsiveness in City government.
- Ward 1, Doug Glynn. Doug teaches Spanish at the university level, is married to a Latina immigrant, and has an advanced degree in intercultural communication. As such, he brings important skills to serve our diverse community. And, he supports two-year terms, and is aligned with CVT positions on protecting strong rent stabilization, and addressing rising property taxes.
- Ward 2, Suzy Stimler. Suzy brings extensive experience working with the City’s substantial immigrant population, and on environmental issues. At a time when ICE detentions are surging locally, she suggests specific ways the City could expand efforts to serve and protect immigrant residents. She is a strong advocate for two-year terms, and she is aligned with CVT positions on protecting strong rent stabilization, and addressing rising property taxes.
- Ward 3, Tom Wallack. Tom is unopposed in this race. He is new to City engagement, but his questionnaire responses defend our strong rent stabilization, address rising property taxes, and support two-year terms.
- Ward 6, Ambroise Agosse. Ambroise is a small business owner in Ward 6, and had nominations in English, French, and Spanish. The French-speaking nominator said Ambroise would be the voice for those without a voice. We don’t believe the City has ever had an African immigrant (a substantial City population) on the Council. And also, Ambroise supports two-year terms and is aligned with CVT positions on protecting strong rent stabilization, and addressing rising property taxes.
Don’t forget to vote in BOTH elections!
On Nov 3rd, there are two separate elections, with two separate ballots, in two separate polling places. The City election is separate from the County/State election.
City ballots should be arriving this week in the mail.
There are THREE ways to return your CITY ballot:
- You can mail your ballot if it is postmarked by Nov 3rd (make sure it is postmarked, not just dropped in a mailbox that day). BUT given postal service issues, the City recommends mailing it by October 30th.
- OR, put your ballot in the yellow CITY drop-box in front of the library (7500 Maple Ave) or at the NH Rec Center, by 8pm on Nov 3rd.
- OR, vote in person on Nov 3rd at 7500 Maple Ave, from 7am to 8pm. Did not get a ballot in the mail? Bring photo ID and proof of residency.
Who can vote in the City election?
- You can register to vote in the City election if you are 16 years old or older, even if you are not a U.S. citizen, as long as you are a resident.
- You may register to vote in the City of Takoma Park on any day, up to and including the day of the election (with photo ID and proof of residency).
- Questions? Contact City Clerk Jessie Carpenter, 301-891-7267 or clerk@takomaparkmd.gov.
And…A Word About CVT
- Who Are We? CVT is an independent, informal network of residents with no formal organizational structure, no membership roll, and no budget. We advocate for Takoma Park’s progressive political values, and to ensure City transparency and accountability. We are the lone progressive community group attending most City Council meetings and reporting out to the community on a regular basis. Our base – those on our email list– is almost 1,000 residents strong.
- What Does CVT Stand For? We seek to advance these critical public interests: Racial equity, social justice, and ecological sustainability; transparency and accountability in our local government; financially sustainable City budgets that prioritize our community’s values; and a public empowered with the information they need to more actively participate in City policymaking.
- Our Record. In the wake of the collapse of local independent media, CVT has been your source, widely distributing information about City politics. And we’ve mobilized residents to work together to protect public land for the public good, preserve our City’s rare stock of deeply affordable housing, prevent the displacement of residents, protect rent stabilization, make our streets safer for everyone including pedestrians and bikers, improve stormwater management, protect our tree canopy, treat our climate emergency with the urgency it demands, save our community grocery (the Co-op) and the jobs it provides to a diverse, unionized workforce, support other locally-owned businesses, and strive for a balanced City budget.
- CVT is Pro-Housing. We testified, for example, in favor of new housing on the old hospital site. We are, however, anti-displacement, whether the residents at risk of being priced out of our community are home renters or owners. We support development that supports tenant rights, ecological sustainability, and racial and economic equity. We advocate for preserving, renovating, and expanding affordable housing – and protecting our rent stabilization – because the unusually affordable housing in Takoma Park has made possible our rich racial and economic diversity, which is the heart and soul of our community.
- We Work by Consensus. At our core is a varying group of about 20 residents – including journalists, legal experts, renters and homeowners, and people with decades of experience organizing for social and environmental justice. We meet regularly, organize Town Halls, speak at City Council meetings, build coalitions with other local organizations, and encourage robust resident participation in the City’s democratic process.