Wenschhof Interviews City of Frederick, MD Mayoral Candidate Jennifer Dougherty

George Wenschhof

I am pleased to have as my guest tonight, the former mayor of the City of Frederick, Democrat Jennifer Dougherty. The interview will begin at 7:00 PM ET and last approximately 1 1/2 hours. I will first publish my question and then wait for her response. Upon receipt of her response, I will publish it along with my next question. We are communicating via computer with each other from different locations within the city. I have not shared with her any of the questions I may ask beforehand.

I would suggest you hit your refresh button on your computer about seven to ten minutes after you see a published response from Ms. Dougherty and my next question. This will ensure you see her more recent published answer and my next question.

On Monday June 29, I will be interviewing the other announced Democratic candidate for Mayor, Jason Judd. The links to the interviews will be placed conveniently in the right hand margin of our Home Page so readers can easily access and view at a later date.

As far as I know, this is the first time a candidate for Mayor of The City of Frederick has agreed to be interviewed live online. I hope city voters find this to be of benefit to them as they decide who they will support in the September 15 primary.

GW - Welcome Jennifer, let me start off with a question pertaining to your one term as mayor of the City of Frederick. While I am sure there are many accomplishments you are proud of, one memory that has stuck with the voters is the many acrimony filled mayor and board of aldermen meetings. Whether or not it was you or Republican aldermen Bill Hall and David Lenhart who caused the acrimony is not the question. You have been quoted recently by a local columnist as having changed and you once mentioned to me in an interview you had learned from the past. Tell the voters what you have learned and how you feel you have changed since the 2002 - 2005 term you served as mayor.

JD - Thanks for the chance to answer some questions George. Your site is a good opportunity for people to get the "inside scoop" on local politics.

You are right, I am proud of our accomplishments, but I am equally proud that I have taken the time to listen and learn. Since I love Frederick and think I have something to offer the local political scene, I did examine what I can do better in the future. I realized that part of my frustration with some members of the Board of Aldermen was due to not understanding how quickly they understood the issues or the possible solutions. People come at problems from different perspectives. Perhaps some things were more clear to me and I just needed to slow down and consider their observations more. I know everyone wants to contribute something to the solution, so I just have to wait for them to voice their suggestions.

And, I will take my share of responsibility for the lively debates, but it takes "two to tango".

Politics is a funny business, when you tell people the truth or stand up for your City's interests, you can be considered fair and tough or...something less favorable. Since it's a City worth fighting for, I really work on listening through the conversations...it helps me make better decisions too.

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GW - One of the areas a mayor has considerable sway in is the hiring with the consent of the aldermen, "at will" positions. As you know, these are upper level management positions, some of which have been added by amendment to the Charter. A new mayor, with consent of the aldermen, can add to and/or delete these positions. Have you given any thought to how you would like to structure upper level management? Specifically, do you feel there is a need for a city manager, a public information officer, and a director of intergovernmental relations?

JD - I have not given a lot of thought to changing the structure of government, I am focused on winning the Primary and then the General Election. When I took office in 2002, I made a few changes and there were some vacancies available for me to fill. I hear on a daily basis that one of my best recruits was Chief of Police Kim Dine - I agree. I also avoided making unnecessary changes and kept most existing civil servants on board.

A city of our size needs a public information officer to get the public and press meaningful information in a professional a timely fashion. It should not be someone's side job since the demands of the position are full time and possibly more than that if an emergency occurs.

Given my experience, I oppose a City Manager at this time. It is the Mayor's job to be in touch with the big issues and to have qualified Directors who handle the details. I have not given any thought to a new position of Intergovernmental Relations, so right now, I would not add that position.

The next Budget is going to be tough and cannot see adding too many spots. I want to focus on the essential positions first - Police, Finance, Public Works, Planning & Engineering. There are many talented people currently working for the City and I hope to be able to work with them again.

Finally, I tried to make the hiring of top managers based on a contract during my first term. I would like to have a conversation with the Aldermen about creating a system and allows the employment contract to come to them for approval. It might outline key performance issues more clearly.

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GW - During your administration, you established the Neighborhood Advisory Council (NACs) through executive action, as a way to receive more input to city hall from citizens from different areas of the city. Some voters have complained the current Republican Jeff Holtzinger administration has not worked well with the NACs and at one point some voters expressed concern he was trying to eliminate them. How do feel the evolution of the NACs has gone in the 3 1/2 years since you were in office and is there anything different you would do in this area if elected mayor?

JD - The Neighborhood Advisory Councils (NACs) were part of my platform and I passed legislation creating them. The NACs were further strengthened in the Land Management Code and Planning process. It required that residents get a presentation in the NACs for new projects. The system still needs to be fine-tuned, but it is working. (We might need more presentations on Historic District guidelines and processes.)

I won't speak to what Jeff has or has not done with the NACs - the fact is, they are still in place. I hope we can return the NACs to their original purpose and that is to serve as a "soapbox for residents". I am glad the police beat officers and often the Chief attend the NACs to listen and learn about neighborhood problems.

I will use the NACs for the Comp Plan, Budget and new initiatives presentations because people always like first-hand information. It is where I will start the Capital Projects and Budget reviews once the Aldermen get a chance to review the priorities.

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GW - One of the most important responsibilities a mayor has is to prepare yearly, a balanced budget for approval at a mayor and board meeting prior to the end of June. This year's budget of approximately 80 million was just approved at the last mayor and board meeting. As one who prepared four balanced budgets, are there specific areas you would have budgeted differently and if so, what were they and why?

JD - The Budget is no easy task in a tough fiscal environment. This year's Budget has some opportunities for further cuts in spending -- non-police overtime, part time positions, travel, professional service agreements. The Contingency Fund was way too high - $ 750,000. It came down to $500,000 which is plenty. It also put a lot of General Fund money into Capital Projects, specifically Monocacy Blvd. that perhaps should be spread over more years.

The other side of the equation is revenue. While everyone realizes property owners are taking a beating, all other revenue sources need to be closely examined. Grants were down, revenue trends for some of the funds have really slipped over 4 years. It does not appear to be related to the economy.

I would make a proposal to the Aldermen to reduce the burden on homeowners and cut the Homestead Property Tax Credit from 5% to 3% over the next 3-4 years. It would mean capping the rate their property taxes would increase at 3% vs. the current 5%.

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GW - The Frederick County government procedure known as "Tax Equity" popped up in discussions again this year during budget preparations, primarily due to the nationwide economic downturn, which caused the county to reduce the level of reimbursement to municipalities as they struggled to adopt their budget. A somewhat convoluted process, it is a means used by the county to reimburse municipalities for overpayment by taxpayers for duplication of services. Back in 1997, I called for this process to be examined and changes made. If elected, what would you do in this area?

JD - The current tax equity system is not really equitable because the formula is really up to the Board of County Commissioners. They had a tough year too, but the burden should not have been placed disproportionately on all municipal residents.

If elected, I will work the Board of Aldermen and other municipal leaders to present the best case to the Board of County Commissioners that repayment should be guaranteed. The money is collected for specific purposes, it's not optional.

If a new formula cannot be developed, we will keep talking and come up with another good plan to avoid placing a heavier burden on municipal residents.

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GW - The Frederick Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) regularly makes news headlines as they make decisions on actions by owners who restore property within the designated historic district. A recent flap pertained to Mayor Holtzinger allegedly instructing staff to disregard fines imposed on the property owner of the building many of us refer to as the "Professional Building" in downtown Frederick due to what he must have felt was a frivolous decision on the part of the HPC. Do you feel this was a proper move by the mayor and if not, what would you have done in this case?

JD - Federal, state and local laws guide how we implement and enforce the guidelines for the Historic District. The existence of the Historic District actually helps preserve buildings and history, but also their value. Since Planning Commission and Historic Preservation Commission actions have an appeal process, the Mayor should not have ignored the process - it makes it confusing for everyone.

While I may agree with the spirit is Jeff's intervention - everyone has a story in the Historic District--the process could have been handled better. He cannot tell staff to ignore the law and I don't know if that is what happened. He could have brought in the appropriate staff to evaluate the problem and hold the fines in limbo until the correct legal process was followed.

Jeff is right, we want a welcoming business environment, but part of that is making sure everyone plays by the same rules and the process is open and transparent.

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GW - Future growth of the City of Frederick is a concern of many voters. The current city administration is currently considering annexing three properties north of Frederick known as the Crum Farm, Sanner Farm and Thatcher Farm. Do you favor all of these annexations and if not, why?

JD - It does not matter what any candidate says about the proposed annexations, the Board of Aldermen will vote soon and the next Mayor and Board probably won't have anything to do with the land.

My record on responsible growth is clear: I placed a moratorium on building and annexations when we exhausted our water and I would do the same thing if the circumstances required it.

The land owners are making their case through a legal process and the City and County should follow our respective processes.

I will support the provisions of Smart Growth, encourage infill development and protect resouces with needed legislation like the Water Allocation Ordinance.

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GW - Existing and new development impacts all areas of infrastructure and services provided by government such as roads, water, sewer, police, hospitals and schools. We do not have the time to talk about all the impacted areas in this interview. However, could you briefly touch on your position on the 3-2 vote taken today by the Frederick County Commissioners to move forward and build a waste-to-energy plant (Incinerator) to handle future waste disposal.

JD - The WTE Incinerator issue keeps on ticking! Please go to my website www.jenniferformayor.com for more information, but the short version is - I oppose the incinerator and have been on the record for more than a year. I oppose it for the site, the environment, the technology and the cost.

I know the choice for the County Commissioners was a tough one. While the current Mayor and Board support the WTE, I hope we can have a complete conversation about the City's participation in the current plan. The share for City residents is about $100 million - almost $1600 per person.

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GW - There are many questions I want to ask, but we only have so much time. Hopefully, you will agree to be interviewed again prior to the election. I want to now specifically ask you about a few proposals you discuss on your website: http://www.jenniferformayor.com/ . One proposal pertains to the restoration of the Golden Mile Task force. That area has changed significantly since I was young and it was a farmland and after the mall was built when I was a teenager. What do you intend to be the charge of this task force?

JD - Thanks George, I will come back anytime.

The Golden Mile Task Force can be the driving force for the needed re-development of the area. Much like the Carroll Creek Task Force worked to bring a good plan to the table for the elected officials to support, we can take a new look at Route 40.

When in office, we adopted the Golden Mile Tax Credit District that helped many property owners make improvements to their commercial sites without hurting the City revenues. Those credits expire soon and it can be the starting point for the first meetings.

I also think re-development has to go beyond the traditional retail development options and we could include my proposed Veteran's Rehab facility for the Golden Mile - the people are there, the space is there, the transportation and infrastructure are there -- it could be the perfect anchor.

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GW - Another proposal on your website speaks of developing a Civilian Conservation Corps 2.0 to manage the 7000 acre watershed. This is interesting to me as it was the original CCC that funded the many picnic tables and grills that are still present today. In fact, when I was a young lad, my family would go to the Fishing Creek Reservoir City Park on a regular basis to picnic. Tell the voters what you envision here.

JD - The Civilian Conservation Corps 2.0 is a way to recruit recent college grads back to the area for meaningful work, to preserve and protect the City Watershed and to experiment with an employment idea that could be used in other areas of the City.

The City Forest Rangers would work for 2 years under contract with the City for a salary and college loan repayment plan. They would get a place to live and a vehicle. Their mission would be to work with interested groups and individuals to rebuild trails and mark areas for recreational uses and protect against over-use. After 2 years, they move on and we get 2 more recent grads -- same base salary, fresh energy!

It's been a long time since anyone has been able to spend meaningful time in the Watershed, but this plan can work because the money can come from existing federal grants to protect watersheds and recreational areas. Please read the whole plan -- www.jenniferformayor.com

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GW - I want to thank you again for being my guest on Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof . The time has flown by and we have spent over two hours in this conversation. So, at this time I would like to give you an opportunity for a few closing remarks.

JD - Thanks again George, I look forward to the next installment!

This is an election that transcend political parties. It does not matter what political party picks up your trash or plows the snow from the streets, but it does matter what understanding and experience your candidate brings to the job.

My 22+ years in business and my term as Mayor make me uniquely qualified to handle the job of Mayor again. I would not be running if I did not think I could fix what is broken. The next Mayor will have to deal with tough issues. We need someone who has been a manager, an executive and decision maker. We need someone who can make the tough call when necessary. Leadership requires choices.

Compare all of the candidates' records and choices. I hope it will help clarify your decision as a voter.

In 2002, I started a change in City government that needs to be completed. We need a government that is open, transparent, fair and progressive. It's really a simple promise -- Good Government, No Secrets!