George Wenschhof
President Barack Obama's Afghanistan speech Tuesday night will need to appeal to many political factions - it has been long in coming, but it is not an easy decision to make as many supporters from the far left do not want to see any additional troops sent. Politico.com has more here.
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Dubai World debt threatens to damage recovering world economic markets - 59 Billion in debt is held and restructuring is underway as world markets have slumped yesterday and today - Bloomberg.com has more here.
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Candidates battle to win vacant Kennedy Senate seat - State Attorney general Marha Coakley is leading the four person group vying for the position when the special election is held in January. Also battling for the position is co-owner of the Boston Celtics; Stephen Pagliuca, representative Michael Capuano and Alan Khazei; a co-founder of a national service program. The NY Times has more here.
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Obama to seek 17% cut in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at Climate Summit - he will attend the summit in Copenhagen on December 9 where he will state the U.S. goals to be reached by 2020. Afterward, he will head to Oslo, where he will accept the Nobel peace prize. MSNBC.com has more here.
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In the recent defeat of our democratic candidate for mayor, it was not Randy McClement, but the GOP Central Committee that attacked Jason Judd. The silence from the Democrat Central Committee was deafening. This election year there should be five Democrats sitting on the Board of Alderman and a Democrat mayor. But the Democrat Central Committee of Frederick County did not pull out the stops to achieve this rare opportunity. They barely supported the candidates that were running. Where was the unity of support for the candidates in the general election? Why didn't the local Central Committee step up and pull the candidates together for mutual support and benefit? I cannot imagine any acceptable response for that inaction. We have some strong elected officials but they don't owe the party for their position. Is this why the party doesn't even ask them to campaign for our candidate for mayor? One alderman did get that kind of support but she is on the Central Committee. Is that what it takes?
The purpose of a political party is to get its candidates elected to office. I have lived in Frederick County since August, 1979 and have watched the local Democrat Party contentedly lose seat after seat over the last twenty years. Some candidates win in spite of the lack of marketing, financial support, or collegial endorsements; duties which the members of the Central Committee do not appear to believe are a part of their responsibility. Why would this group not actively employ multiple methods of support for the Democrat candidates in the general election regardless of their name, pedigree, longevity in the community, or education?
I'm not sure we actually have a Democrat Party here in Frederick County. Oh, I hear people identify themselves as Democrats. I see individuals running for office with the label D or Dem. after their name, but I'm not convinced. I was at a website the other day attempting to settle a gentleman's bet on the order of our last few mayors, and their party affiliation. As I surfed this site I found a link for FrederickGOP.com, but was there any link to the local Dems? Not a sniff, not a clue, nada. I think they are a myth.
If one is inclined to attempt to reach out and contact the Democratic Central Committee, could one get a phone number from their website? Absolutely one phone number. A diligent searcher will find one number to the headquarters for four officers and eight members and one e-mail address for the Chair at his place of business, not the party headquarters. How 19th century. Why wouldn't the Central Committee, the main governing and marketing body for our local political party, want to find multiple ways to contact and be contacted by us, the citizens that support them with money and votes? There should be at least phone numbers and e-mail contact information for each one. There are no district or precinct captains listed, limited information on issues and the platform statement still has the 2004 beliefs posted, and in a font and background that few can read.
We will not take back City Hall, we will not lead the delegation to Annapolis and we will not be the leaders of the County Commissioners as long as the current Democrat Central Committee maintains it's complacent, good-old-boy and girl, social club mentality. Is this the group that will take back a long held Congressional seat from a candidate swept into office on the wave of term limits, eighteen years ago?!
Thank you for your service committee members, but it's past time to take the responsibility of leading the party into the 21st century. The great Democrat hero Andrew Jackson believed in sweeping out the old and bringing in the new, "A new broom sweeps clean." That time is here. It is time for new blood, new ideas, and new leadership for the 21st century. A new regularly updated website is a good place to start.
Sincerely,
Michael Bunitsky
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From: http://thepage.time.com/
The Political Schedule *all times Eastern
Monday, November 23
Morning
Vice President Biden travels to Philadelphia to deliver remarks at an event for the Committee of Seventy
10:20 am
President Obama receives presidential daily briefing
10:50 am
President Obama meets with senior advisers
11:40 am
President Obama delivers remarks at event highlighting science, technology, engineering and math education
12:30 pm
Press Secretary Gibbs delivers daily briefing
12:35 pm
President Obama and Vice President Biden have lunch
1:45 pm
President Obama meets with his cabinet
4:50 pm
President Obama meets with Secretary of State Clinton in the Oval Office
5:50 pm
President Obama delivers remarks and presents the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award at the White House
George Wenschhof
Senate releases their health care bill - after what has seemed like forever, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), joined by other Democratic Senate Leaders unveiled the bill yesterday. It is called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and promises to provide aid to more Americans while reducing the budget deficit by 130 Billion over the next decade. The NY Times has more here. The first Senate battle will be if there are 60 votes to avoid a filibuster and that vote may come this week.
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Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai sworn in - he promised to end corruption and to bring about an end to the international terrorism in his country. Of note, was the presence of Pakistan leader Asif Ali Zardari whose cooperation is vital in ending the safe havens for the Taliban and al Qaeda in the mountainous border regions between their countries. Time.com has more here.
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The process of political appointments given to major donors has continued under the Obama administration - seems this process has resulted in 56% of the overseas appointments, while only 44% of the appointments went to career foreign service diplomats. Politico.com has more here.
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AOL will eliminate 1/3 of it's jobs as it divorces from merger with Time Warner Inc. - the previous merger, now nine years old did not work and AOL is forced with restructuring. It is estimated 2500 jobs will be cut. Reuters.com has more here.
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Another Obama nominee has tax issues - Lael Brainard who has been nominated for Undersecretary of the Treasury for International Affairs was late in paying real estate taxes on property in northern Virginia in 2005-2007. MSNBC.com has more here.
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Republican National Committee continues strong fundraising - 8.79 million was reported in October which was similar to the 8.74 million raised in September. They have 11.2 million cash on hand with zero debt. CNN.com has more here.
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George Wenschhof
Obama job approval rating hits 48% - a Quinnipiac University poll conducted from November 6-9 also shows a 42% disapproval rating for the President. In addition, the poll shows only 48% of Americans favor staying in Afghanistan. You can read more here.
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton makes surprise stop in Afghanistan - she arrived early this morning and will attend the inauguration of President Hamid Katzai tomorrow. She also plans to meet with military leaders while there. You can read more here.
Meanwhile, President Obama says he is about two weeks away from announcing his decision regrading the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan - you can read more here.
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New tax on stock trades suggested as way to fund new jobs bill - the AFL-CIO suggested this recently and indicated it could raise as much as 50-100 Billion a year. TheHill.com has more here.
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Democrats look to see how they can keep Independent support - new polls indicate Independents who swung heavily in Democrat's favor in 2008 and now leaning Republican. Politico.com has more here.
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Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) becomes longest serving member of Congress - he hit the record today with just under 57 years combined in the House and Senate. You can read more here.
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George Wenschhof
President Barack Obama and Chine President Hu Jintao issue joint statement on Iran - calling for more transparency in regard to Iran's nuclear program. You can read more here.
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Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke warns of weak recovery - He indicated the importance of watching the value of the U.S. dollar and predicted unemployment will stay at high levels throughout next year. CNN.com has more here.
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AFL-CIO wants TARP Funds to be used to help small business - the money left from the Troubled Assets Relief Program should be redirected to create programs that will help small businesses grow. TheHill.com has more here.
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Grover Norquist says they will be watching GOP presidential hopefuls in 2010 - the president of Americans for Tax Reform and well known ultra conservative says Republican presidential hopefuls should be working hard to help Republicans candidates win seats in the 2010 mid-term election. CQ Politics has more here.
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George Wenschhof
President Barack Obama arrives in Beijing China - he will be in China through tomorrow and will be meeting with chines President Hu Jintao. You can read more here. Yesterday, the President was in Shanghai where he spoke to students at a town hall meeting. He spoke of the importance of an open Internet. CNN.com has a video here.
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says U.S. has no interest in staying in Afghanistan long term - yesterday, on "Meet the Press" Clinton indicated the mission in Afghanistan is to disrupt al Qaeda and to help train Afghanistan to defend itself. There is no part of the mission that includes nation building. You can read more here.
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Palin does poorly in recent poll - in a poll conducted by ABC News/Washington Post from November 12-15 former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin received a 52% unfavorable rating and 53% said they would not vote for her if she ran for president in 2012. Let's see if her soon to be released book helps her approval rating with voters - it appears very doubtful. You can read more here.
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GM reports encouraging numbers - they reported 3.3 Billion in cash in third quarter and plans to begin repaying the government early. Bloomberg.com has more here.
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Keep an eye on Pakistan - the military and the President of Pakistan are battling over the direction the country should take in regard to security measures and in particular the recent actions to stabilize the Pakistan/Afghanistan border. President Asif Ali Zardari positon has been shaky from the beginning. MSNBC.com has more here.
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George Wenschhof
The next year will bring us many opinions from the pundits, including me, pertaining to who the candidates will be, their platforms and what issues will matter most to the local voters here in Frederick County, Maryland.
Sure to be the first and foremost issue will be the budget at the county and state levels. Keep an eye on how the candidates propose to balance the budget and what services will be provided. It was earlier this year when the county government, responding to cuts from the state, moved to reduce the amount of funds returned to municipalities through the tax equity program. Maybe we will see some candidates for state delegate or state senate speak to this issue and perhaps offer up "tax differential" as a solution. If this does become an issue, what will be the response from the county commissioner candidates?
Funding for education will always be a contentious issue and expect to see the mandate for funding the Thornton bill be debated by the state and county office candidates.
Close behind will be the issue of managed growth, as locally the struggle continues to be bringing the infrastructure in line with current build out, let alone future construction. Serious talk should take place over enacting a Frederick County transfer tax with a sunset provision. Those funds raised as a result being dedicated to infrastructure improvement within the county. Adding a tax during tough economic times is not generally a good idea for any political wannabee, yet efforts to obtain funds through new development has not resolved the gridlock facing local residents today.
County Commissioner slates are already being recruited by both "pro-growth" and "managed growth" interests. Delegate Galen Clagett (D) has made no secret of his efforts to recruit and put forward more business friendly candidates regardless of party affiliation. So far the early names being bandied about are two who work in the real estate field; Billy Shreve (R) who ran last year and Michael Kurtianyk (D). Whether or not delegate Clagett's efforts to meddle in county commissioner candidates backfires on his own reelection efforts remain to seen.
On the other end of the spectrum, Commissioner Kai Hagen (D) has announced he is running for reelection. He is also recruiting candidates who are supportive of managed growth. I wrote a column published on TheTenacle.com in August of 2006 where I talked about how this continued growth versus no-growth factions were not beneficial to the residents of Frederick County. You can read that column here for it remains true today.
Commissioner Hagen has maintained a high profile during his first term in office, taking a strong stance against the waste-to-energy incinerator, and opposing several recent annexations approved by the City of Frederick.
This may become another local issue for voters as two Republicans (Joan McIntyre and Farrell Keough), rumored to be considering a run for county commissioner, were in favor of the waste-to-energy plant. Commissioner Hagen, who was the lone commissioner to oppose the incinerator, holds out hope that a new board of county commissioners would reverse the decision to move forward and build the waste-to-energy facility.
How many of the other four incumbents on the county commissioners will seek reelection is yet to be determined. Republican John Thompson has won three elections in a row and even he wonders if he can make it four in a row. While Commissioner Thompson (R) has always been straight forward with his positions on issues, he has often being at odds with Developers. Rumors indicate he is considering a run against state senator David Brinkley (R) in district 4 or perhaps a run against delegate Paul Stull (R) in district 4-A. He would be competitive against either one but his best chance for election remains as commissioner.
In 2006, fellow commissioners Jan Gardner (D), David Gray (R) and Kai Hagen (D) ran together with Thompson (R) on a managed growth platform. This was unusual to see a bipartisan slate develop during a partisan election. I speculated on this as well back in 2006 while writing on TheTenacle.com. You can read that column here. Perhaps, due to this collaboration, Democrat Jan Gardner was awarded the President of the Board and with it, the gavel.
Ms. Gardner recently indicated she will not be seeking another term on the board. Yet one only needs to go back four years to remember her making the exact same statement. Only, to later announce in front of Winchester Hall to a group of supporters, she had been convinced by the voters to seek another term.
The speculation to her interest in another position also centers around state positions. One rumor has her taking on Republican state senator Alex Mooney (District 3) and the other would pit her against a long time nemesis; delegate Galen Clagett (District 3-A). She also would be competitive in both races. If I were to speculate, I would say she would go after the Clagett seat. While that race will surely not be easy, it will not take the same type of effort needed to unseat the well funded political machine of Alex Mooney. As potential candidates continue to talk with one another and take stock of the playing field, do not be surprised to see Jan Gardner run for county commissioner again.
The remaining incumbent commissioner Republican Charles Jenkins was the sole commissioner elected who was not a part of the "managed growth" slate. Early rumors had him running for state delegate in district 3-B which will be an open seat. Delegate Rick Weldon (Unaffiliated) has announced he will not be running for reelection. However, Republican Michael Hough has also announced he is running for delegate in 3-B and already has a huge fundraising advantage over Jenkins. Mr. Hough also has the support from Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R-6th District) and Alex Mooney. Look to see Jenkins run for reelection to the board of county commissioners.
Another issue that should be discussed with the voters by county commissioner candidates is charter government. This idea picked up steam after the 2006 election, only to fade away after Madam President Jan Gardner indicated there was the need to educate the public prior to taking it up with the board for a vote. This is a favorite ploy used by politicos to scuttle a issue from moving forward. She was successful in having the issue die and never be brought up again. However, an election season is the perfect time so let's see if any of the commissioner candidates bring up the need to move to charter government in Frederick County. I also wrote about this four years ago and you can read about how to move the process forward here.
While the allure to run for state office is strong after serving as a county commissioner, few have had success. Galen Clagett after two terms as county commissioner from 1978-1986; one as president, ran for delegate in 1986 and lost. It would be 16 years before Mr. Clagett would hold an elected office again when he finally won the state delegate position in district 3-A in 2002 and was reelected in 2006.
Ron Sundergill, after serving one term as Board President, lost in the 1994 Republican wave of victories during Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America" platform.
Only Republican Anita Stup in recent memory won a delegate position immediately after serving as county commissioner. She won a seat in district 3 in 1990 and was reelected in 1994 after serving two terms as county commissioner from 1982 to 1990; the second term serving as president of the board.
Additional candidates for county commissioner are sure to come forward soon as the Thanksgiving season typically marks the beginning of the next political election year. One name to watch for from the recent City of Frederick election would be Democrat John Daniels. He ran a solid campaign for alderman and showed his professionalism as he researched the issues before taking positions on them. Republican Amanda Haddaway who also ran for alderman is another one to watch to see if she enters the race.
Due to the interest and success during the City of Frederick campaign, I will be interviewing the Democratic candidates live online throughout the election.
Stay Tuned!
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George Wenschhof
President Barack Obama continues his Asian tour as he arrives in Singapore. Tomorrow, he is scheduled to meet with Russian President Dimitry Medvedev and attend a meeting with the ASEAN-10. Then, he is off to China. Time.com has more here.
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In his weekly address today, the President discusses the tragedy at Fort Hood and talks about the sacrifices our soldiers make as they protect our country. You can watch the weekly address here.
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Former Democratic congressman William Jefferson gets 13 years - yes, this is the same guy who was caught with $90,000 in his freezer. He lost in his reelection bid last year and now faces 13 years in prison for bribery and other charges. MSNBC.com has more here.
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former NY Mayor Rudy Giuliani headline the guests on the "Talking Heads" shows Sunday morning. Clinton is on "Meet The Press" and "This Week" and Giuliani is on "Fox News Sunday", "State of the Union" and "This Week". Giuliani is rumored to be running for Governor of New York next year. Which reminds me of the great line by Vice President Joe Biden during one of the presidential debates last year when he said of Giuliani "the only thing he knows how to do is string a noun a verb and 9-11 in a sentence. You can read Politico.com "Sunday Talk Show Tip Sheet" here.From: http://thepage.time.com/
Dear Former Governor Ehrlich,
Running for governor is an intensely personal decision for you and your family, and no one – Republicans or Democrats – should fault you for taking the time to consider your prospects in 2010. As you conduct – in your own words – your “objective analysis,” “hold focus groups” and “look at cross-tabs,” I wanted to make sure that you and your pollster ask the right questions on which to base your decision.
For instance, do voters know that:
1. You increased spending by almost 22% in your last two years in office - exceeding the Spending Affordability guidelines?
2. You raised more than $3 billion in hidden taxes, tolls and fees on Maryland families?
3. You raised taxes on income from manufacturing?
4. You raised state property taxes 57%?
5. You raised the corporate filing fees by $188 million during your first three years in office?
These are very important questions that you should ask in your poll – especially since spending levels in the State of Maryland are lower today than they were during your last year in office. No doubt voters will be very interested in your spending record given the state of the national economy.
Voters and opinion leaders are already aware that you were the only incumbent governor in the country to lose re-election in November. Sure it was a bad year for Republicans after six years of George Bush, but you were the only incumbent governor of either party to lose re-election. So, as you prepare your poll and focus groups, I recommend you ask whether you would, yet again:
· Cut funding for K-12 public education, since you failed to fully-fund Thornton while you were in office.
· Roll-back the progress we have made to make college more affordable by increasing college tuition by over 40% again, as you did during your term in office.
· Start raiding Program Open Space dollars instead of making difficult decisions to balance the budget.
· Block any increase in the minimum wage for hard working Marylanders.
Warm Regards,
Susan W. Turnbull
Chair, Maryland State Democratic Party
P.S. Please also be sure that you ask voters about your flip flop on slots, which you supported for all four years of your Administration as the centerpiece of your budget program, only to oppose in last year’s referendum, which passed with 59% of support from Maryland’s voters.
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George Wenschhof
The battle for the 2010 governorship of Maryland has been engaged early with the Maryland Democratic Party sending out the above open letter to former Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich.
This follows Ehrlich's appearance at a rally in Ellicott City on Tuesday night where over 200 enthusiastic supporters were speculating as to whether he will challenge Governor Martin O'Malley in next year's contest.
The open letter also comes after a recent poll released last week, showed less than flattering numbers for Governor O'Malley. The poll showed O'Malley with a 48% approval rating with only 39% of the voters indicating they wanted to re-elect him. The poll also showed 48% of the voters wanted someone new and in a head to head with Ehrlich, O'Malley led by only 47-40.
While the demographics and voter registration strongly favoring Democratic candidates in the state of Maryland, Ehrlich did win in 2002.
Stay Tuned!
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From: http://thepage.time.com/
George Wenschhof
The 2009 elections are now behind us and speculation begins as to what will be in store for Americans during the 2010 midterm election year. Republican leaders, such as they are, will try to make the governor wins in Virginia and New Jersey look as if they are the harbinger for 2010 with Republican gains sure to materialize. Democratic leaders will point to the New York District 23 congressional win which clearly showed the lack of leadership and direction in the Republican party.
In Virginia, Creigh Deeds was hardly a strong candidate from the beginning as he began by barely winning against carpetbagger Terry McAuliffe and all of his national money connections. Deeds went from shunning President Barack Obama from the beginning to asking for his help at the end. To his credit, Obama responded with appearances and televised ads even though at that point he realized it was too late. Governor Jon Corzine and his personal millions were never a big hit in New Jersey and while he embraced help from Obama early, voters were not enamored with Corzine.
The New York District 23 race had a little of everything as the Republican dropped out and endorsed the Democrat and the Conservative Party candidate lost after receiving the backing of the Republican Party and chair Michael Steele.
If these three races tell us anything, it is that political parties and their candidates should respect the voters. That is, candidates and the political parties should develop campaigns and platforms that are straightforward, honest and practical. Voters are more educated in the political arena than ever before with the Internet and 24/7 News providing on the spot information and analysis on every issue. The recruitment of strong candidates who are able to articulate values and positions on issues which ring true to voters and are not part of the hyperbole is what has to be foremost on the part of the political parties.
Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne in his column today entitled "On Election Day, a win for government" also points out a little reported fact of how voters in the state of Washington and Maine overwhelmingly defeated referendums to limit government spending. "Tabor", or the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, was defeated in Maine 60-40 and Washington state 57-43. This should send a strong signal to the dysfunctional Republicans that their simple message of less taxes and less government is not enough for the voters today.
On the national level, all 435 House seats are up for election next year. In addition, 37 Senate seats are up for election and 36 governorships are on ballots in states across the country next year.
In the House, Democrats currently occupy 258 and Republicans 177 of these seats. In the Senate, Democrats enjoy, with the help of two Independents, a filibuster proof majority of 60 seats to 40 seats for Republicans. After the loses in Virginia and New Jersey, Democrats hold a slim 26-24 majority of the Governors.
Republicans will have to achieve a gain of 41 seats in the House to reach a simple majority. Not impossible as Republicans with the help of Newt Gingrich and his "Contract With America" gained 54 seats in 1994. However, with talk show host Rush Limbaugh and Fox reporter Glen Beck providing narrow minded focus and direction for Republicans to follow, do not expect that large a number of wins for Republicans.
Wishful thinking from a practical standpoint, would be for Representatives to be elected every four years instead of the current two years with the seats also staggered as to their election. This would provide for more effective government as congressmen currently seem to always be in a election mode instead of concentrating on doing the business of the public.
In addition, staggering the elections would stop the nonsense of having the entire 435 member House up for election at the same time. The current procedure allows for a huge advantage for incumbents as they enjoy franking privileges allowing them to mail constituents periodically informing them of what they have accomplished during their term. Challengers need considerable money to gain equal name identification.
The early list of potential GOP 2012 presidential candidates is equally unimpressive with ex-Governor Sarah Palin ("I can see Russia from my house") among the contenders. She is joined by Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Arizona Governor Mike Huckabee, and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Hardly an impressive group to rally the troops to vote for Republican candidates in 2010.
The economy is sure to continue to be the number one issue for voters and unless there is noticeable improvement in jobless numbers across the country, you can expect voters to take out their frustration on the political party in the White House. In this case, Democrats will likely lose 25-30 seats in the House, but maintain a slim majority.
The Senate is likely to continue with a Democratic majority, but the shaky filibuster proof number of 60 currently enjoyed will be no more. The governor races are next to impossible to predict, but it is not unlikely they will tilt slightly to Republicans after elections next year.
All of this points out the importance of passing national health care reform now along with a meaningful climate control bill. Passing major bills during a mid term election year is difficult with so many seats in play. In addition, it is likely the votes needed to pass these important bills will be fewer after next year.
The 2010 midterm election promises to be interesting - stay tuned!
Next, I will take a look at the upcoming Frederick County and state of Maryland election.
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From: http://thepage.time.com/
From: http://thepage.time.com/
George Wenschhof
Beginning today at 10:00 AM, the count will begin of the approximately 400 absentee ballots cast in the City of Frederick, Maryland election. You can read the current unofficial totals for the candidates here.
As I indicated yesterday, it is unlikely when the the absentee ballots are counted they will result in any change from the winners on Tuesday night. The more likely change would be the order of finish between the aldermen fourth place finisher; Carol Krimm and the fifth place finisher; Kelly Russell who are currently separated by 14 votes.
However, there is the mathematical chance Paul Smith who finished sixth; 111 votes behind Ms. Russell could make up the difference or maybe even Donna Kuzemchak who finished seventh among the aldermen candidates; 161 votes behind Kelly Russell.
I will post the absentee count here when they have concluded the count which will probably be early afternoon.
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12:05 PM Update:
371 absentee vote total.
Mayor:
McClement - 217
Judd - 148
Write-Ins - 6
Alderman:
Aloi - 167
Haddaway - 148
Huckenpoehler - 107
Imhoff - 199
Smith - 196
Krimm - 165
Kuzemchak - 156
O'Connor - 180
Russell - 153
Young - 188
Write-Ins - 2
Official Final Results
Mayor:
McClement (R) - 3712
Judd - 3431 (D)
Write-Ins - 95
Alderman:
Young (D) - 3765
O'Connor (D) - 3573
Aloi (R) - 3481
Krimm (D) - 3419
Russell (D) - 3393
Smith (R) - 3325
Kuzemchak (D) - 3235
Imhoff (R) - 3229
Haddaway (R) - 2824
Huckenpoehler (R) - 2267
Write-Ins - 30
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There was no change in the order of finish with the addition of the absentee ballots. Mayor elect Randy McClement received 58.49% of the absentee votes compared to Democratic candidate Jason Judd who received 39.89%.
Incumbent Republican alderman Paul Smith did come closer to the fifth and last slot on the board by gaining 43 votes with the absentee count. However, he had been 111 votes behind and ended up 68 votes short.
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George Wenschhof
Click below to listen to a message from President Barack Obama on the one year anniversary from when he won the election.
From: http://thepage.time.com/
George Wenschhof
Yesterday, less than one out of four registered voters went to the polls in the City of Frederick, Maryland election with Republican Randy McClement becoming the mayor-elect. While the mayor has always been the prize in the city election, four of the five aldermen-elect are Democrats ensuring a strong check and balance between the executive and legislative body. you can read the unofficial results here and the unofficial results by precinct here.
The election was extremely quiet and the low voter turnout further illustrates the need to make changes to the existing election process in the City of Frederick. I have long been a proponent of moving the election date to coincide to the presidential election cycle and you can read many of the columns I have written on the subject by clicking on the links provided in the right hand margin of my home page.
Anne Leffler; President of the City Board of Supervisors of Elections also wants to explore the idea of a mail-in election which promises to increase voter turnout. Let's hope the new mayor and board appoints a committee immediately to study and given a charge to recommend changes to the existing city election process to increase voter turnout.
Ms. Leffler did an outstanding job at city hall last night as she relayed the results to the folks who had gathered at city hall. All indications are the election went smoothly as the election judges at the polls continue to exhibit their professionalism. Final unofficial election results were provided to attendees at city hall "in print" by 9:45 PM.
Some pundits will say the Democratic party loses in the governor races in Virginia and New Jersey and the Democratic lose by Mr. Judd in the City of Frederick mayoral race was due to a trend of dissatisfaction with President Barack Obama. One only needs to look at the individual candidates to see that is a hopeful stretch by Republican leaders who are trying to rally a fractured party for the 2010 mid term elections.
Jason Judd was unable to close the deal as he did not capture all the Democratic support nor does it appear he won many Republican cross over votes or "Others" in yesterday's election. This is similar to what happened four years ago when Democrat Ron Young lost to political newcomer Republican Jeff Holtzinger. The continued low voter turnout also further skewers election results.
The remaining three Incumbents; Donna Kuzemchak (D), Paul Smith (R) and Alan Imhoff (R) were all shown the exit by this small number of voters who clearly wanted new faces in city hall.
The incoming board of alderman promises to be an extremely strong board surely capable of questioning and standing up to any ill fated proposal presented by the mayor. It appears unlikely a fiasco such as the approval of the city employee early retirement "buy-out" approved under the Holtzinger administration will happen under the watch of the incoming board.
Karen Young (D) is talented and a hard worker and is set to become mayor pro-tem on the board. Michael O'Connor (D) also worked hard and earned his second place finish by showing his compassion for the voters and his dedication to the position. Carol Krimm (D) finally broke the curse of the local Democratic Central Committee by becoming the first member to be elected to public office in twelve years. Ms. Krimm is very knowledgeable of the inner workings of government and will be a big plus for the board. Kelly Russell (D) also worked hard across party lines to win election to the board. The only change likely to occur after the absentee ballots are counted on Thursday is the order of finish between Ms. Krimm and Kelly Russell as only 14 votes separate them between fourth and fifth place. Shelley Aloi (R) did extremely well as a new comer to politics, finishing a strong third. She also worked very hard and enjoyed support across party lines.
The write-in campaign championed by Neal Wirth fizzled as ex-mayor Jennifer Dougherty only received 81 votes and these votes would not have altered the outcome of the election.
An interesting aside to the city election was the lack of impact Frederick County Commissioner Kai Hagen (D) had on the final results. Mr. Hagen had actively campaigned for Jason Judd and was holding signs for him at the polls on Election Day. This is the third major local issue he has been on the losing side over the past year. The first two were his opposition to the Waste-to-Energy Incinerator and his support of the city petition to force a referendum of the recent annexations into the city. Whether his support of Judd is strike three for Mr. Hagen remains to be seen as the county election next year is rapidly approaching.
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