Wenschhof Interviews City of Frederick, MD Mayoral Candidate Jason Judd

George Wenschhof

I am pleased to welcome Democrat Jason Judd as my guest and over the next approximately two hours we will be talking about his campaign for Mayor of the City of Frederick, Maryland. We will begin at 7:00 PM ET.

Last week, my guest was Jennifer Dougherty who is the other announced Democrat in the race for mayor. The primary will be held on September 15, 2009.

This is a live online interview so every ten minutes or so, click on your computer refresh button to see the latest questions and answers. Mr. Judd has not seen the questions beforehand and we are both actually communicating by computer from different locations within the city.

The link to this interview along with the link to the interview with Jennifer Dougherty will be placed conveniently in the right hand margin of the Home Page. Your friends who may not have been able to view the live interview will be able to read at a time convenient to them.

GW - Welcome Jason, I look forward to talking with you about your candidacy for Mayor of The City of Frederick, Maryland. While you recently moved to the city, you do meet the current one year residency requirement for mayor. Republican mayor Jeff Holtzinger, who is not seeking reelection, is often criticized for not meeting the spirit of this law.

I understand you graduated from Governor Thomas Johnson High School here in Frederick - I did as well - back in 1971. The number one question I receive when I talk to voters is; "Who is Jason Judd"? Let's start off with you telling the voters a little about yourself, your background and experience which you feel prepares you to be mayor.

JJ - Thanks, George, for setting this up this forum.

I grew up here--my folks live in Yellow Springs and my grandmother lives out at Homewood. My wife Pouv and I are raising our family here. I've worked around the country and around the world but Frederick's always been home.

Our campaign website--www.juddformayor.com--has more about my background and experience, but here's what I think is most important for this campaign: I am running for Mayor because I've built a career of service on the issues the city and all our families are facing--we need better jobs, we need to make sure our older neighborhoods aren't left behind, and we need to make smarter investments as a city.

Those are the issues I've been at work on over the last 15 years as an economist, a community organizer, and an executive leading economic issue campaigns in Washington and Annapolis.

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GW - One of your better known supporters is former four term mayor Ron Young. After losing the election for a fifth term to Republican Paul Gordon in 1989, he reappeared on the political scene to defeat incumbent Democrat Jennifer Dougherty in the 2005 Democratic primary.

After spending a reported record amount of $135,000, he would lose to a Republican political neophyte, Jeff Holtzinger. A local columnist wrote recently Mr. Young should run again for mayor and I reported Ron had been telling folks he would run if he felt you would lose to Jennifer Dougherty; the other announced Democratic candidate for mayor. Mr. Young followed with a letter to the editor published in a local newspaper saying he is not running for mayor and is supporting you.

Do you feel Mr. Young has become a distraction for your campaign and your efforts at informing voters who you are?

JJ - Ron Young knows what the job takes and I'm grateful for his support. Many of the things we all love about Frederick--and especially the Creek--got their start because Ron was looking ahead in tough times and making smart choices.

I'm grateful too for the support of others like Jan Gardner and Kai Hagen who think my policy experience and my ability to bring people together would serve the city well.

But I'm doubly grateful for the hundreds of people who are are responding to our campaign, getting involved--many of them for the first time--and looking for ways to help move Frederick forward. It's been a real pleasure to be part of this.

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GW - When I first met you months before you announced your candidacy I interviewed you over a period of several hours. One of the questions I asked you is if you supported my proposal to move the City of Frederick election to coincide with the Presidential election cycle which would result in more than doubling the current anemic 30% voter turnout and most likely save the taxpayers money.

I first proposed the idea back in 1997 and earlier this year requested and received an opportunity to discuss the proposal with the current mayor and alderman at a workshop. The initial reaction from the mayor was supportive and four of the five aldermen indicated support for the change.

Since then, Mayor Holtzinger has delayed moving forward on this proposal, even considering a referendum on the issue.

You indicated you would support this change in that first interview. Do you still support this and if elected Mayor, what would you do specifically to implement this change.

JJ - Yes, I do support that change.

We have an opportunity to double the number of people participating in our election and save ourselves money. We should do it.

As a former community organizer and a Democrat, I'm always looking for ways to get more people involved in the public life of the city. Politics at its best is a constant conversation about what sort of city we're becoming. The more folks we get into the conversation, the stronger we are as a community.

If we win this campaign--and even if we don't--I'll work with the Board of Alderman to amend the charter, and work with the County and State to make the switch.

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GW - I live downtown in the historic district and the first Flyer I received from a candidate was from your campaign. (I have since received flyers from other campaigns) One of your campaign themes highlighted in that first Flyer was to "create better jobs and an innovative economy here, so we can work where we live". Tell the voters more about what you would do to create more local jobs as many city residents would prefer to end a costly and time consuming commute.

JJ - You put your finger on it, George.

Forty thousand of us run down the road to Montgomery and DC every day for work. I'm one of them, and my father before me--he worked at the Shady Grove Bechtel office for three decades.
Many more folks give up the higher pay in DC to be closer to home.

And lots of folks who work here live in Washington County, or in West Virginia and Pennsylvania because Frederick is becoming an expensive place to live.

We need to do several things.

One, create better jobs by investing in job incubators that help new businesses in growing sectors like health care informational technology and clean energy get started here. Those are jobs we can count on keeping.

Two, making it easier for our small businesses to grow is also at the top of my list. Our Land Management Code is a labyrinth and word is getting around that Frederick is a hard place to do business. I will fix that, and we'll make Frederick a great place to build a business again.

Three, we need to invest in our young people. I will bring together the County, our schools, our business community to create a Frederick Education Partnership. The Partnership will help working families send their high school grads to a local college where they can get the skills they need to win better jobs right here in Frederick. That's a smart investment.

Four, we've got to get those of us who work down the road, down there faster. If we win this campaign, I'll make sure the City of Frederick is working week-in and week-out with the County, State, and the federal government to win a transit line down 270.

Sorry for the long answer, but these are issues I've worked on for years and they matter a lot to me.

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GW - Now that I have mentioned the words "historic district", let's discuss the recent flap pertaining to a ruling by the city Historic Preservation Committee (HPC). Republican Mayor Jeff Holtzinger reportedly instructed staff to ignore fines imposed by the HPC to a local property owner. Tell us how you would have handled this situation if you had been mayor.

JJ - I just came from a meeting about the historic district. Fifty people were packed into Volt Restaurant on N. Market St. to talk about how we get the right relationship between preserving the city's historic core and being a dynamic city.

I love to see people coming together to figure these issues out.

We live in the historic district and love our old place, but I've heard enough stories from homeowners and business owners to know we've got to make the process more predictable.
And if I'm hearing those stories, I know others are hearing them. That means the city is losing investments and jobs.

Had I been in Mayor Holtzinger's shoes in the last month, I would have started by consulting the city attorney and calling in the parties to push for a solution, then I'd have gone to work on the larger problem--crafting historic guidelines that work.

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GW - In these challenging economic times facing the entire nation, it will be critical to maintain a lean city budget. As mayor, you will be responsible for preparing four consecutive balanced annual budgets.

Jennifer Dougherty, your opponent in the Democratic primary has published on her campaign website her seven step plan to reduce taxes. Have you reviewed the recently adopted city budget and if so, are their changes you would propose in future budgets if elected and would you also plan to reduce taxes?

JJ - Frederick families are paying 25% more in taxes now--I've adjusted here for inflation--than we were in 2001. That's a huge hit for most families.

And in spite of all the new money the City's hauled in over the last 7 years, we still lurched from budget crisis to crisis.

Instead of just banging and slicing last year's budget to fit this year's revenues--every Mayor in America starts by cutting back overtime, new positions, travel, and pet projects. I'll start at the other end and pay first for the investments we need to make for the city's long-term economic health.

For example, I'll push us to fund first smarter economic development projects like jobs incubators, a downtown hotel, and we'll revamp failed projects like the empty Carmack Jay's building downtown to help the City create better jobs and bring in more revenue.

Finally, I'll use my experience and relationships around the state and on Capitol Hill to bring more grants--public and private--to Frederick. We're an important part of the state and should be bolder about getting what we need.

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GW - The three farms located north of the City of Frederick known as the Sanner, Crum and Thatcher farms are all currently being considered by the mayor and board of aldermen for annexation.

One of your more vocal supporters, Frederick County Commissioner Kai Hagen (D) has expressed some concern in regard to these annexations. As you know, if the county does not vote to approve the annexations and the city proceeds anyway, the development of the properties is held up for a period of five years.

What is your position on these annexations currently under consideration by the city?

JJ - When we build new neighborhoods, I think we should be building communities that allow us to walk to the places we work, live, shop, play, and so on in 5 minutes.

That's what the East Frederick Rising folks are proposing, and it makes sense to me. The old Brick Works and the Fredericktowne Mall--those parts of town already have water, sewer, roads--are ready for something new.

I'd like us to take care of older neighborhoods before we spread out further, adding thousand of extra car trips to the roads each day. The Crum and Thatcher developments near Biggs Ford and US 15 could add 15,000 cars a dat. That's a lot of new traffic on a dangerous stretch of highway.

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GW - Just last week, the Frederick County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 to proceed with the building of a 300+ million Waste-To-Energy (WTE) facility (Incinerator) to handle future waste disposal for the county.

You publicly opposed this proposal. Are you aware if the City of Frederick currently has an ongoing agreement with the county ensuring the participation of city residents in using this proposed WTE method for waste disposal?

If not, as mayor would you with consent of the board of aldermen attempt to negotiate another means to handle waste disposal for the residents of the City of Frederick?

JJ - I think that moving ahead with the proposed incinerator takes us in the wrong direction for several reasons:

1. Cost. The $600+ million price-tag is shocking I think the savings we're promised could evaporate very quickly.

2. New rules. The Obama EPA will surely raise air-quality standards and that will run up the cost again.

3. Recycling and re-use. We're just getting started with a serious new recycling program in the County, and I'm committed to starting a commercial recycling program in the city. Burning takes us in the other direction.

4. Site. Parking it on the City of Frederick’s south side–in the neighborhood of thousands of families and businesses, close by our Monocacy River, and on the edge of the historic battlefield–is a mistake.

I stood up in front of the County Commissioners this spring and spoke against the plan. We just posted my recent letter to them on our campaign website--www.juddformayor.com.I think the numbers won't work in the end and the City and County together can agree instead on a combination of recycling, reusing, hauling, and landfilling--plus one of the emerging solid waste technologies.

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GW - In a follow up question, I noticed on your campaign website; http://juddformayor.com/, you talk about a proposed program called "Sustainable Frederick". Tell the voters more about this program.

JJ - We've got to start making decisions with the next 50 years in mind, not just the next five. Here are four things that we'll get started on right away.

First, I mentioned above that we need to start a commercial recycling program here. We're a decade behind where we should be. And we’ll finally have recycling in public places—our parks, our downtown, our stadium. Our two children are six and three now, and recycling is like second nature to kids their age.

Second, in our land management code and tax rules, we’ll reward investments in energy- and water-efficient projects. And we’ll track our energy savings on the City’s website.

Third, we’ll make networking our parks a real priority and we’ll double our tree canopy. That means we’ll pay less to cool our homes.

Finally, we’ll make this place bike-friendly. We need more bike racks, lanes, routes, and signs. Making Frederick friendlier for cycling is smart economic policy, too. Folks will visit from miles around to ride our roads.

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GW - Last week, when Jennifer Dougherty was my guest on Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, I asked her if she had given any thought to the "at will" positions at city hall. As mayor, with the consent of the aldermen you can make changes by adding positions and replacing others.

For your last question tonight, have you given any thought to city government organization structure and in particular would you be adding a city manager, a public information officer, or an intergovernmental relations director?

JJ - The next Mayor needs to be a good organizer. To win the investments the city needs, our next Mayor has to be able to build and sustain relationships with the Board of Alderman, the County and State, business leaders--small business and big--congregations and other institutions.

The next Mayor also needs to know how to ask the right questions and hold City staff accountable for results without micro-managing or getting stuck in the weeds.

Those are the skills I've developed, and I don't plan wholesale staff changes if I become Mayor. I do plan to appoint a top-drawer manager with responsibility for economic issues.

More than just a PIO or press events, the City needs a communications strategy that includes mainstream media, a modern website and lots of on-line communication, and a Mayor who's a great listener.

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GW - I have enjoyed this opportunity to discuss your campaign for mayor. There are many questions I want to ask so I hope you will be able to return again in the future prior to the primary on September 15.

We have now spent well over 2 1/2 hours in our conversation, so at this point, I would like to give you an opportunity for some brief closing remarks.

JJ - Thanks, George, for your time and I'd be happy to do it again.

It's late and the kids are heading to bed here, so I'll be brief.

Too many of our past mayoral elections have been about who we wouldn't vote for rather than who we should. We've built a campaign that I think folks can really be for.

My experience as an executive in complex organizations, and my judgment in bringing people together and standing up for the needs of ordinary families would serve the city well.

We're working hard to win this campaign and would love to have your help. You can sign up at www.juddformayor.com.

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