A Peak at 2014 National Elections

George Wenschhof

The local, state and national political scene will be busy in 2014 as elections take place across the country. All 435 seats in the House and 35 seats in the Senate will be up for election. In addition, 36 races for Governor will take place.

At, the national level, Democrats will be trying to pick up 17 seats in the House to gain a majority and Republicans will be trying to gain control of the Senate by picking up 6 seats.

Early polling is inconclusive with a swing of as much as 13 points between voters favoring a Democratic Congress versus a Republican Congress.  Democrats received an advantage following the Republican Congress led government shutdown and Republicans received a favorable nod following the poor rollout of The Affordable Care Act.

The raising of the employee minimum wage is positioned to become a major battle in 2014 with the Democratic and Republican parties having long standing differences on this issue.

However, look to see Democrats win this one as the huge economic inequality among Americans continues to foment dissatisfaction.

Unless, a dramatic event with national implications takes place, look to see Democrats pick up some seats in the House, but fall short of winning the majority.  The bitter acrimony and harsh political dogma that presently exists between Republicans and Democrats will likely continue following the 2014 election, aided by the partisan redistricting that has taken place in states across the nation.

In the Senate, expect Democrats to maintain a majority with Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Begich (D-AK) and Al Franken (D-MN) the most vulnerable to losing their seat.  Senators Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) should prevail against a strong challenge.  The appointment of Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) as Ambassador to China creates an opening for Republicans, but don’t expect them to win this seat.

Interestingly, the most vulnerable Republican senator is Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY.) who is facing a stiff challenge from Alison Lundergan Grimes, who might just pull off an upset.

Expect Republicans to gain seats in the senate, but fall short of a majority.

All of which sets up a very interesting 2016 presidential election cycle.  If, Hillary Clinton is the Democratic candidate for president and Republicans continue their obstructionist actions throughout the remainder of Barack Obama’s term, look to see voters become increasingly frustrated with the inability of a balanced congress to govern effectively.  This may lead to voters electing Clinton and giving her a Democratic House and Senate to work with in her first term.

Stay tuned.

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Blaine Young Keeps Voters Guessing

George Wenschhof

Will Frederick County board of county commissioner president Blaine Young run for the newly created county executive?  This is the question voters in the county have as Republican Blaine Young stays mute on the issue.

You can’t tell what he is going to do by listening to Blaine, who doubles as a local conservative radio talk show host, when not driving a yellow cab.  He often takes advantage of his on-air program to bash Democratic candidate for county executive Jan Gardner and to challenge her to a debate, while also saying he would like to step down from elected office and spend more time with his kids.

In a recent exchange we had on Facebook, he again challenged Gardner to a debate.  This latest challenge resulting from my publishing the column titled; Gardner Questions “State of the County”.  The column coming after Blaine released a glowing report of how well the board of county commissioners (BoCC) has performed during their three years in office.

In the Facebook exchange with Blaine, I said I saw no reason why Gardner, who has filed for county executive, would debate someone who has not filed for the position.  Having followed politics for a lifetime, I have never seen this happen.

It seems Blaine and the local Republican Party is having problems coming up with a candidate to run against Gardner, with at least three elected officials saying “no”.  First, it was county sheriff Chuck Jenkins, who Blaine admitted polled higher than himself in a recent survey he conducted of Frederick County voters.  Next, it was Maryland state delegate Kelly Schulz who said no and the latest to turn down an overture was Maryland state senator David Brinkley.

Why is Blaine spending so much time trying to recruit another Republican to run? This is another question that is probably answered by the devil in the details surrounding qualifications of a county executive.

The county charter writing board spelled out the well paid and full time county executive could not have other employment.  This would mean that Blaine would likely have to extricate himself from his financial entanglements with the local Yellow Cab business and would be unable to host his radio talk show program.  Blaine already is prohibited from hosting the radio program once he has filed for office and throughout the campaign.

While Brinkley said no to a run himself, he did send a letter, presumably, on behalf of Blaine to the office of the Maryland attorney general asking for guidance in regard to the Frederick County charter language pertaining to a second job by the county executive.  The response by the attorney general’s office was "Consistent with longstanding policy, I must respectfully decline to provide legal advice regarding the proper interpretation of the Frederick County Charter." Thus, the question remains unanswered and is a major hump for Blaine to hurdle before he could legally run for the office.

This leaves the Republican Party with BoCC members David Gray, who has announced his intention to run and Billy Shreve as potential candidates for the county executive position.  Gray, a long time ally of Gardner, who was present and supportive at her announcement, is not a favorite of Blaine and Shreve appears to be Blaine’s last candidate of choice.

In a recent fundraising mailer sent by the Shreve campaign, Shreve is saying he will run for county executive if Blaine does not and county council if Blaine runs for county executive.  In the mailer, Blaine adds his appeal for them to send money to Shreve.

When I asked Jan Gardner her response to Blaine wanting to debate her, she sent me an email that said in part “I made my decision to run for County Executive because I want to do the job and serve the community.   I made this decision without knowing who might decide to enter the race.   I will run a positive campaign and expect to debate all the other candidates who file for County Executive during the election process.  

Comm. Young remains indecisive and even made a public statement the week before Christmas that he couldn't wait to get out of office (though his actual statement was a bit more colorful).  What he decides to do doesn't change what I am already committed to do.”

It is clear that if Blaine wants to debate Gardner, he will have to file for county executive – a debate I would be happy to moderate.

The deadline for candidates to file in the 2014 state of Maryland election is February 25.  The primary election will be held on June 24 and the general election will take place on November 4.

Stay tuned.

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Brinkley to Run for Reelection in 2014

George Wenschhof

A few days before Christmas, I sat down with Republican Maryland state senator David Brinkley (district 4) and conducted a far ranging interview covering his many years in politics.

Brinkley started his political involvement by interning for former state senator Edward P. Thomas (R) and shared with me he remembered working for him the year (1981) President Ronald Reagan was shot.

Now, entering his twentieth year of elected office and serving his second stint as senate minority leader, Brinkley focuses on Republican Party issues and representing his district in Annapolis.

Brinkley told me the state redistricting that will go into effect with next year’s election has the 4th district looking somewhat like a horseshoe around The City of Frederick, with his district now including Brunswick, half of Urbana, Green Valley and Kemptown.  In addition, about 20,000 voters in Carroll County were cut from the new district 4.

I shared with him my position calling on the state to create a nonpartisan committee to handle redistricting, if called for every ten years.  Presently, the political party that holds the majority influences redistricting in states across the country and allows, as it has been said, for politicians to choose their voters, instead of the voters choosing their politician.  I added my belief this has added to the current day gridlock in congress.

Brinkley said he agreed with me and would support the creation of a nonpartisan committee to handle state redistricting.

I asked him if there was any truth to the rumor he was going to run for Frederick County executive and that board of county commissioner president Blaine Young would run for his seat. Brinkley said he had been approached with the idea, but was going to be running for reelection.

After serving 8 years as a state delegate and entering his 12th year as a state senator, he feels he is positioned well with committee assignments and as Minority Leader to be most effective for the voters in his district and Frederick County by continuing to serve as state senator.

His time served on the Budget and Taxation committee along with his relationship with Democratic Governor Martin O’Malley and Senate president Thomas (Mike) Miller enables him to be helpful when it comes to Frederick County issues.

When, I asked him if there were issues he would like to see more effort directed at by the state, Brinkley said drug use and mental health were two areas he would like to see more work done. He mentioned to me the tragic death of Robert Saylor, a man with Down syndrome, highlighted the need for more education and training.

He added drug and alcohol addiction is also something most families can relate to as many have experienced a family member suffering with this illness.

Brinkley also told me he was disappointed to see the poor rollout of the Maryland Health Exchanges and would like to see a committee appointed with subpoena power to investigate to find out why this happened.

I shared with him I had received several questions on my Facebook page pertaining to growth and how to pay for it.  I asked him specifically about the controversial planned Monrovia Town Center and he said he saw that as a local issue.

In regard to how to raise funds to pay for needed infrastructure, I mentioned the proposal by Blaine Young to increase the transfer tax and by Maryland state delegate Galen Clagett (D) to increase the personal income tax.  Brinkley said he opposed any increase to personal income tax and spoke about how the impact fee was originally intended to cover the costs associated with growth.

During the upcoming 2014 election, Brinkley said as senate minority leader, he will work to focus attention in the governor race to issues the Republican Party feel are important and he will work hard to keep the Republican Caucus intact, adding he hopes they will pick up some seats.

The deadline for candidates to file in the 2014 state of Maryland election is February 25.  The primary will be held on June 24 and the general election will take place on November 4.

Stay tuned.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Wishing All Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! 

During, this time of year we all reflect on our blessings and express thanks to those who have provided help throughout the year.  My thanks are endless and those who have helped me over the years realize my appreciation.

Be reminded, we are a generous nation of resilient people from coast to coast.  Let us redouble our efforts all year long to ensure no one goes to bed hungry at night, is without heat when it is cold, lacks of shelter or wants for clothing.

Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Snowden Says: Mission Accomplished - During more than 14 hours of interviews, the first he has conducted in person since arriving here in June, Snowden did not part the curtains or step outside. Russia granted him temporary asylum on Aug. 1, but Snowden remains a target of surpassing interest to the intelligence services whose secrets he spilled on an epic scale.

Late this spring, Snowden supplied three journalists, including this one, with caches of top-secret documents from the National Security Agency, where he worked as a contractor. Dozens of revelations followed, and then hundreds, as news organizations around the world picked up the story. Congress pressed for explanations, new evidence revived old lawsuits and the Obama administration was obliged to declassify thousands of pages it had fought for years to conceal.

Taken together, the revelations have brought to light a global surveillance system that cast off many of its historical restraints after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Secret legal authorities empowered the NSA to sweep in the telephone, Internet and location records of whole populations. One of the leaked presentation slides described the agency’s “collection philosophy” as “Order one of everything off the menu.”  The Washington Post has more here.

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U.N. Doubles Troops in South Sudan - The new nation of South Sudan, created in an enormous international effort to end decades of conflict, moved closer to civil war on Monday, as the government vowed to storm cities under rebel control and the United Nations secretary general urged a major increase in peacekeepers to help protect tens of thousands of civilians.

With an estimated 45,000 people huddled at United Nations compounds in the country, desperate to escape clashes that have killed hundreds or many more in the last week and even overran a peacekeeping base, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on the Security Council to send a rapid wave of reinforcements, including attack helicopters and a near doubling of international forces. The NY Times has more here.

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Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Will Georgia Turn Blue? - The two major parties here don’t agree on many things. One of them is that it is only a matter of time before Georgia goes from being a Republican stronghold to a state that is up for grabs.

In next year’s elections, Democrats will be looking to speed that process along with a couple of candidates who bring fresh faces and familiar names.

They are Senate contender Michelle Nunn, an executive who is also the daughter of former senator Sam Nunn, and gubernatorial hopeful Jason Carter, a third-term state senator who is a grandson of former president Jimmy Carter. The Washington Post has more here.

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Baucus Exit Impacts 2014 Senate Battle - President Obama’s nomination of Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) as U.S. ambassador to China is the latest shake-up in the tumultuous battle for the Senate majority.
 
Democrats believe the nomination will increase their chances of winning seats in Montana and potentially in Louisiana, where vulnerable Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) is in line to pick up the Energy Committee gavel thanks to Baucus’s exit. 
Republicans need a net gain of six seats to win the Senate majority in 2014, and are counting on victories against Democratic incumbents in states like Arkansas, North Carolina and Louisiana to get them there.  TheHill.com has more here.

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U.S. Aid Helps Colombia Kill Rebels - The 50-year-old Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), once considered the best-funded insurgency in the world, is at its smallest and most vulnerable state in decades, due in part to a CIA covert action program that has helped Colombian forces kill at least two dozen rebel leaders, according to interviews with more than 30 former and current U.S. and Colombian officials.

The secret assistance, which also includes substantial eavesdropping help from the National Security Agency, is funded through a multibillion-dollar black budget. It is not a part of the public $9 billion package of mostly U.S. military aid called Plan Colombia, which began in 2000.

The previously undisclosed CIA program was authorized by President George W. Bush in the early 2000s and has continued under President Obama, according to U.S. military, intelligence and diplomatic officials. Most of those interviewed spoke on the condition of anonymity because the program is classified and ongoing.  You can read more here.

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Seagram chairman, WJC head Edgar Bronfman dead at 84 - Billionaire businessman and philanthropist Edgar Bronfman, the chairman of the Seagram Company and long-serving president of the World Jewish Congress, died at his New York home on Saturday aged 84.

Montreal-born Bronfman took control of the Seagram empire from his father, Samuel Bronfman who had founded the liquor company in 1924. He then expanded its operations, acquiring Tropicana and moving Seagram into the chemicals business by making it DuPont's largest minority shareholder.

The son of Eastern European Jewish immigrants, he was also president of the World Jewish Congress from 1981 until 2007.  Reuters.com has more here.

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Currey Steps Down From Democratic Central Committee

George Wenschhof

Russ Currey

Russ Currey, who was serving his third term as a member of the Frederick County Democratic state central committee informed me he submitted his resignation several days ago.

Currey told me he was proud of the increased Democratic presence in Frederick County and was pleased to have two Democratic congressmen representing the county.

He is excited about the growth of the Western Maryland Democratic Caucus and plans to continue serving on their board of directors.

He had told me during a previous interview he was not intending to run for another term. He felt now was the time to step down and let another take his place.  Currey felt that by resigning now it would give his replacement six months to see if this is what they expect and time to develop into a leader for the next term.

The committee just selected Derek Shackelford and Mark Jafari to fill two male slots resulting from Dr. Milad Pooran moving from the area and Stephen Slater planning to run for Maryland state delegate in district 3-b.  The twelve member committee is bound by by-laws to have equal gender representation.

Currey said the committee will advertise the open position and interview applicants.

Democratic voters will elect a new committee consisting of 6 men and 6 women in the primary election held June 24, 2014.

Stay tuned.

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Obama Weekly Address

George Wenschhof




President Obama commended members of Congress for recent shows of bipartisanship and set out priorities for when they return to work in 2014. 

“For the first time in years, both parties came together in the spirit of compromise to pass a budget – one that helps chart our economic course for the next two years,” Obama said. 

The president also praised Senate lawmakers for confirming a slew of nominees, including a number of federal judges, military leaders and the new head of the Internal Revenue Service.

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Republican Weekly Address

George Wenschhof

Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) continues the Republican Party criticism of the Affordable Care Act.

Under the president’s signature healthcare program, insurance companies “are forced by law to shift the cost of older and sicker patients onto young people. And the president needs a lot of young people – about 2.7 million – to enroll so he can shift the costs onto them and keep premiums from skyrocketing,” Schock said in the weekly Republican address.

You can read the transcript and watch the video here.

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Gardner Questions “State of the County”

George Wenschhof

Jan Gardner

Yesterday, Republican president of the Frederick County, Maryland board of county commissioners Blaine Young presented the annual state of the county report.

In a press release, Young stated “Board President Blaine Young said, “This year’s state of the county presentation provides a snapshot in time of where we stand today. In spite of continuing challenges to the economy, Frederick County is addressing the structural deficit and long-term fiscal challenges, yearly county income has increased, total employment has increased, unemployment continues to remain under six percent, new housing demands have increased, and school construction projects have been moved up in the funding process.

“We are making good progress and heading in the right direction as far as budget, jobs, public-private partnerships, public safety, agricultural preservation, land use, housing, transportation and many other areas. We have made many tough decisions over the years, because we were determined to live within our means and that is now the norm for Frederick County Government.”

“Frederick County is on stable, healthy ground. Compared with other jurisdictions, we’re in a position of stability with regard to our bond rating, our retirement fund and other post employment benefits. Our accomplishments over the last year have much to do with our cooperative relationship with our municipalities and the business community. We have made our point that we are ‘open for business’ in Frederick County.”

“We would like to thank County Manager Lori Depies, our outstanding division directors and all the employees for their hard work in serving the citizens of Frederick County.”The complete report on the state of the county is available on the Board of County Commissioners’ webpage at www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/bocc.”

When I contacted former Democratic board president Jan Gardner, who is running for county executive, she told me she had watched their discussion on their fourth and final budget of their term.

She sent me an email saying “On the budget, the county is experience increasing revenues in all areas - property taxes, income taxes, and recordation taxes are all increasing.   Yet, they are projecting a $13.3 million deficit for the upcoming fiscal year budget.  Why?”

Gardner added “So, while they tout bringing the fiscal house in order, they have really not done so.   They also tout cutting the number of employees but then this doesn't translate into a smaller budget.   They don't mention the impact of privatization or the number of contract employees.   They lead people to believe that cutting employees has saved the county money and that spending has gone down when in reality spending has gone up every year.   The last board to adopt a smaller budget than the year before was during the last two years of the Gardner Board.”

“There has been little new agriculture preservation and school construction is at the slowest pace in 20 years.   They are not building new schools.   

The county unemployment rate has always been consistently lower than the state and federal unemployment rate.”

“They have eliminated a number of development fees and permits (which now the taxpayers pay for) and they tout that housing starts are finally going up but if you look at the numbers almost 2/3rds is in the City of Frederick (where the fees still exist).   I find it interesting that the county has not picked up the pace of new housing starts and the City has when the County eliminated all the fees.”

“Another interesting item to me was the lack of information on WTE.   The slides were the same as last year except one was missing.   Last year they said they were looking for a new partner to replace Carroll County, expected permits in the Spring of 2013, and would re-run the financial with new energy/electricity costs.   They acknowledged that they were still waiting for permits but nothing was mentioned on finding a new partner or Carroll County getting out of the deal or running new financials.   It was basically just a description of the project.    I was really surprised that no one asked anything more about this since it is a topic of interest to the community.” 

Gardner concluded by saying “ Employee morale is at an all time low.  Education has suffered. Services to people in need have been wiped out. Young is selling county assets including buildings at a loss.   He just cut a deal to sell the former BOE building and adjoining IT building to the "lowest" bidder instead of to the highest bidder!   Even though some services have been cut and employee positions eliminated, spending has gone up for several reasons including privatization costing more and subsidizing development in the operating budget.    This is his 4th budget and he needs to take some responsibility for having a budget deficit when revenues are going up!”

Stay tuned.

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Shackelford, Jafari Named To Frederick County Democratic State Central Committee

George Wenschhof

Derek Shackelford

Two vacancies on the twelve member Democratic committee were filled yesterday with the announcement of the selection of Derek Shackleford and Mark Jafari.

Chair of the committee, Myrna Whitworth told me they were pleased to have added two members with such broad experience and community involvement.  She added both also indicated they will run for the office next year when the election is held.

Myrna said they advertised the two open positions and after interviewing six applicants, the committee selected Shackelford and Jafari.

Derek Shackelford had just concluded a run for alderman in The City of Frederick, where he fell short of being elected and Mark Jafari was recently named president of the United Democrats of Frederick County.

Shackelford sent me an email saying "It is an honor to be appointed to the Frederick County Democratic State Central Committee. I look forward to serving with the esteemed members as we collectively advance the causes of opportunity, economic vitality, citizen and voter participation."

Myrna Whitworth told me Jafari had recently moved to Frederick County from Georgia, where he had served on their Democratic central committee.

The two positions were filled following the resignations of Dr. Milad Pooran and Stephen Slater.  Pooran and his family had moved from Frederick County and Stephen Slater intends to run for Maryland state delegate in district 3-b.

Democratic by-laws require equal gender representation on the 12 member committee, which required two men to replace the two who had stepped down.

The Democratic state central committee members will be elected in the 2014 primary held on June 24, 2014.

Stay tuned.

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Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Debt Limit Increase Battle Next - Congress declared a holiday truce in the budget wars Wednesday, sending President Obama a blueprint for funding the government through 2015. But the next skirmish was already on the horizon: an election-year fight over the national debt.

The budget deal that passed the Senate on Wednesday amounts to a handshake agreement to avoid a government shutdown when a temporary funding measure expires Jan. 15. However, the accord does not address the need once again to raise the debt limit, setting up a potentially complicated confrontation in late February or early March.  The Washington Post has more here.

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Clinton to Decide on 2016 Run for President Next Year - Hillary Clinton said she would look carefully at running for president in 2016 and decide sometime next year. 

In an interview with ABC’s Barbara Walters, the former secretary of State said she has still not made up her mind about a second run for the White House. 

"Obviously, I will look carefully at what I think I can do and make that decision sometime next year,” she said. TheHill.com has more here.

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Baucus To be Nominated Ambassador to China - The White House is expected to nominate Montana Democratic Sen. Max Baucus as the next U.S. ambassador to China, two sources familiar with the matter confirm to NBC News.

Baucus, the chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, announced in April that he would not seek re-election in 2014. He has served in the Senate since 1978.

One Democratic official familiar with the matter said Baucus is expected to step down from the Senate before his term expires. That will allow Montana's Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock to appoint an interim senator to serve out the remainder of the year, giving Democrats an advantage in the coming Montana Senate race.  NBC News has more here. 

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Panel Advises Obama To Curb Data Mining By NSA - A panel of outside advisers urged President Obama on Wednesday to impose major oversight and some restrictions on the National Security Agency, arguing that in the past dozen years its powers had been enhanced at the expense of personal privacy.

The panel recommended changes in the way the agency collects the telephone data of Americans, spies on foreign leaders and prepares for cyberattacks abroad.  The NY Times has more here.

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Karen Young Readies for Next Step

George Wenschhof

Karen Young

Running for Maryland state delegate in district 3-a in 2014 is seriously being considered by former city alderman Karen Young.  Both seats in district 3-a will be open seats with incumbents Democrat Galen Clagett and Republican Patrick Hogan announcing they will not be running for reelection.

Karen Young told me she has spoken to former long term Democratic state delegate Sue Hecht who suggested she run and offered her support.   

Karen added as a state delegate she would also be able to continue her efforts toward fiscal sustainability, economic development, education, transportation planning and environmental sustainability that she focused on as a city alderman.

Days after the new mayor and board of aldermen of The City of Frederick were sworn in I sat down with former alderman and mayoral candidate Karen Young. I wanted to know what her plans were for the future and I wanted her to share what she felt were her accomplishments during her term in office.

She was very relaxed and spoke easily following her loss for mayor.  A race that saw her first beat Maryland state delegate Galen Clagett convincingly in a heavily contested and expensive Democratic primary.  Then, lose to incumbent Republican mayor Randy McClement in the first ever three way contest for mayor in The City of Frederick general election.

Former Democrat and one term mayor Jennifer Dougherty would once again prove to be the spoiler to a Democratic mayor being elected.  The third election in a row she has split the Democratic vote.  This time, running as an unaffiliated candidate she received 19 per cent of the vote.  Combined with the vote received by Karen Young and Young would have been elected with a majority vote.  Something, the city does not require for a mayor and McClement, who was elected with a plurality, fell short of receiving when elected.

Karen told me following the election on November 5 she has had more time to spend with her grandson and family.  She has stayed involved in the community through her work with The Rotary Club of Frederick and serving on the board of The Frederick Community Action Agency. She was especially excited about her role as chair of her rotary club’s “Smiles Program” that will provide dental care to those who need it and cannot afford it.

When we spoke about her accomplishments during her term as city alderman, she first spoke of her efforts to move the city to become more financially sustainable.  Changes made to pension and benefits to new employees as well as the way the pension was managed were both areas she was proud of.  The selection of Pierce Park Group to advise the city on the management of the pension fund and the creation of an oversight committee and policy guidelines were both advocated by Karen Young and she feels the city will be better off financially as a result.

Karen added she was pleased with her efforts to make Frederick become more of a regional player through her involvement with the Maryland Municipal League and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

She also pointed out her lobbying efforts in the area of transportation resulting in the return of highway user funds and securing funding for the Monocacy Boulevard/Route 15 interchange and the last section of Monocacy Boulevard.

Her work emphasizing the importance of environmental sustainability for the city was another area Karen was pleased with as we finished our conversation on her accomplishments as alderman.

Karen Young concluded the interview by saying as Maryland state delegate she would be able to continue her efforts in these areas and continue to serve the interests of the residents of The City of Frederick.

When I asked her when she would make her final decision on running for state delegate, she said she plans to make an announcement early next month.

Stay tuned.

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Krimm Sets Her Eye on Annapolis

George Wenschhof

Carol Krimm

The decision to run for Maryland state delegate in district 3-a, is a logical next step for former City of Frederick Democratic alderman Carol Krimm.

Not one to be wrapped up in political rhetoric, she instead focused methodically on my questions and answered in a practical common sense manner.  A refreshing change from the many interviews I have had with candidates and elected officials. Reasonable is a good word to describe her.

Perhaps, this approach comes from her master’s degree in business administration and from working as a Para Legal for lawyers.

The mother of two has been married for 42 years and was born in Cumberland before moving to Frederick in 1980.  Carol told me her husband Alan, who is retired from the state highway administration, was helpful to her when road construction contracts came before the city.

Her background and experience has prepared her well for the position of state delegate.

She worked as a para legal for city attorneys Bill Poffenberger, Jack Bloomquist and Jan Ambose.  Later, Ambrose would be appointed Judge and Poffenberger would run for state’s attorney.

While working for Ambrose, Carol would meet Maryland state delegate Sue Hecht and in 1999 became her legislative assistant.  When Sue ran for state senate and lost in 2002, Carol went to work for newly elected state delegate Galen Clagett.

Realizing, state law prohibits her from working for a state delegate while running for delegate, Carol resigned a year ago and made it known she would not be running for reelection for city alderman.

Both seats in district 3-a will be “open seats” as a result of both delegates Galen Clagett (D) and Patrick Hogan (R) announcing they will not run for reelection in 2014.

When I sat down with Carol Krimm to interview her Monday morning, she had just been made the first woman president of Frederick Area Committee for Transportation (FACT).

I asked her about the proposal made by president of the Frederick Board of County Commissioners Blaine Young(R) to raise the transfer tax and the Proposal made by Maryland state delegate Galen Clagett(D) to increase personal income tax to help pay for needed infrastructure.

Krimm felt there was no support for either proposal but believes adequate public facilities ordinances are local land use issues.

In addition to her focus on transportation, a major concern of Frederick residents, Krimm is paying close attention to public education and senior issues.

As delegate, she will support a continued commitment to strong public education and promises she will track funding to make sure Frederick receives their fair share of construction dollars from the state. 

Krimm added there is presently no Frederick County legislator on a budget committee and she would request appointment to the appropriations committee.

I asked her what she thought about the state raising the minimum wage and her thoughts on several counties; Montgomery for one, already having done so.

She said she would like to create good jobs with good benefits and have a nonpartisan Legislative Services review of the impact of raising the minimum wage.  She added she could not comment on the Montgomery County bill until she had reviewed it.

Senior issues and in particular, senior housing or “aging in place” is also important to Carol Krimm.  She would like to see the state create a program to rehab and renovate the homes of seniors so they can age in place and avoid the more costly alternative of a nursing home.

Krimm told me she will make her formal announcement she is running for Maryland state delegate in district 3-a next month.

Stay tuned.

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Russ Currey: Educator, Artist, Political Activist

George Wenschhof

Russ Currey

The time flew by as I sat down recently to interview long time local Democratic activist Russ Currey.

A youthful looking 74, the father of five, has been an educator, artist and actively involved in the Democratic Party for years. He showed no signs of slowing down and had plenty of interesting stories to share with me.

He was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia and began teaching art in elementary school in Ohio where his interest in politics began in earnest.  It seemed budget battles years ago resulted in schools being closed for 6 months at a time in his school district in Ohio.

During Spring Break when he was in Ohio, he decided to begin a job search and visited Virginia, Delaware and Harford County Maryland, before settling on Frederick County, Maryland.

Russ said he immediately knew Frederick County was where he wanted to be when on his way to interview for a teaching position, he drove on Route 70 west and upon reaching the Mt. Airy area, he saw the beautiful mountain views.

He began teaching at newly opened Linganore High School in 1963 and moved to Creagerstown. After, several moves that included Walkersville, he would end up in Middletown, where he resides today, with a property that would also house his pottery studio.

His art background and love for pottery led to his starting a pottery studio and subsequently participating in craft shows for forty years.  His involvement in politics led to him being commissioned to produce a pottery piece for all of the newly elected governors one year.  The piece depicted Jacksons Mill, West Virginia; famous for being where Civil War confederate General Stonewall Jackson was raised.

Of the many stories he shared with me, it was fascinating to hear how he has shaken hands with three Presidents of the United States in his lifetime.

He recalled shaking hands with Jimmy Carter three days before he was elected in 1976.  He had taken his family to a planned rally at the square in Alexandria, Virginia.  They had gotten up early to stand in line with hopes to see Carter.  Shortly, after they arrived, a local political activist approached them and asked if they would help blow up balloons for the rally.  The incentive was they would receive a standing spot in the front behind the rope line.  They readily agreed and as luck would have it, after they earned their front row spots, Carter walked by and shook their hands.

Shaking hands with President Lyndon Johnson took a little more planning on his part.  At the time Johnson was president, Currey lived in Creagerstown in northern Frederick County and it wasn’t hard to know when the president was at nearby Camp David; the presidential retreat located in the Catoctin Mountains.

One Sunday morning, in the winter of 1964, just months following the assasination of President John F. Kennedy, knowing Johnson was at Camp David, Russ drove to Thurmont and went to the churches in town to see if he could catch the president attending a service.  He found the presidential motorcade, slipped behind the rope line and approached the president, only to be stopped by a secret service agent.  After, assuring the agent he only wanted to shake his hand, the agent allowed him to approach President Johnson and shake his hand.  Russ told me his memory was his hand was huge!

President Bill Clinton was the third president Currey shook hands with and this time it was in Frederick, Maryland where he was attending the groundbreaking of a housing development and speaking about his economic plan. Currey said he thought something was up when while eating breakfast at a Frederick restaurant with his daughter, he noticed a swat team and recognized Dee Dee Myers, an adviser to President Clinton. Russ found the staging area, went through a metal detector and once again landed a front row standing position.  He shared with me Clinton was left handed and his fingers were incredibly long. He added, with those fingers, Clinton would have made a great piano player. 

In 1969 as an officer of the Frederick County Teachers Association, Russ remembers teachers going on strike over the budget and having a meeting at the old Armony located in downtown Frederick on Bentz Street. 

This took place, he recalled, even though Maryland law prohibits teachers to strike.  Interestingly, $3 million was found by the end of the day and teachers went back to work the next day.

In 1968, Russ worked on the Goodloe Byron campaign for congress in the Maryland 6th district.  A race Byron would lose to Republican John Glenn Beall before winning the seat in 1970.

Russ Currey spoke fondly of the creation of the United Democrats of Frederick County (UDFC), who just celebrated their 30th anniversary. He remembers Dick Franklin being on the board of directors at that time and today Russ Currey, who is stepping down as president of UDFC, spoke enthusiastically about incoming president Mark Jafari.  He said it was time for younger Democrats to assume leadership positions in the county.

Currey is also not running for reelection to the Frederick County Democratic State Central Committee after having served for three terms.  Frederick County Democratic voters will elect 6 men and 6 women to the central committee in the 2014 primary on June 24, 2014.

However, Russ will stay involved by serving on the board of directors of the newly created Western Maryland Democratic political action committee.

Currey was excited about the creation of the western Maryland Democratic Pac and said it was an outgrowth of the Western Maryland Democratic Caucus.  As a Pac, they are able to raise funds and plan to support western Maryland Democratic candidates in the 2014 election. 

The caucus was formed to bring more state attention and state dollars to the western counties of Carroll, Frederick, Washington, Allegheny and Garrett.

Next year, the caucus will be holding their tenth Western Maryland Summit, a successful event that is held during the month of April, that attracts the Governor, Comptroller, Attorney General, and other Democratic elected officials from around the state and western Maryland.

While, he may be stepping down as chair of the UDFC and as a member of the Frederick County Democratic State Central Committee, you can be sure he will stay involved in local Democratic Party politics.

Stay tuned.

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Obama Weekly Address

George Wenschhof

President Obama for a nationwide grassroots push for gun control in his weekly radio address on the anniversary of the Newtown, Connecticut tragedy.

This comes a day after a gunman shot at least one student and then committed suicide at a suburban high school in Colorado, a few miles from Columbine High School, the site of a mass shooting in 1999.

“We haven’t yet done enough to make our communities and our country safer.  We have to do more to keep dangerous people from getting their hands on a gun so easily. We have to do more to heal troubled minds,”

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Republican Weekly Address

George Wenschhof




Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) continues Republican opposition to the Affordable Care Act.

“The problem with ObamaCare isn’t just a glitch. It’s fundamental and it’s taking away our freedom,” Toomey said. “At the heart of the program is the idea that the government should decide your health coverage – what you require and how much you should pay. Never mind what you want, what you need, and what you can afford. “But working together, we can put an end to the dropped coverage and higher costs that the ObamaCare law is forcing on so many.”

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Mayor and Board Sworn in Today

George Wenschhof

Randy McClement

The inauguration ceremony for the 61st administration of The City of Frederick takes place today.

The Weinberg Center will host the public event.  At 11:00 AM, Mayor Randy McClement (R) will be sworn in to serve his second term.  The board of aldermen will be consist of two Democrats who will enter their second terms; Kelly Russell and Michael O'Connor.

Joining them on the board will be newcomers; Phil Dacey (R), Josh Bokee (D) and former three term Democratic alderman Donna Kuzemchak.

It is expected Kelly Russell, who received the most votes in the election, will be made Mayor Pro Tem today.

Democrats, will once again hold a super majority on the board of alderman, while a Republican serves as mayor of a city that has a strong Democratic voter registration advantage.

Republican alderman elect Phil Dacey will be facing voter anger to the robo-calls made on behalf of his campaign that criticized Democratic alderman elect Donna Kuzemchak for failing to pay her property taxes on time.  Dacey has yet to comment on the issue.

Kuzemchak, once research has been done, may be setting a record for serving the most number of terms as alderman, when she serves her fourth term on the board.

She told me, when the seating arrangement was being set for the board of alderman, she requested a seat next to Dacey.

Stay tuned.

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