Election Day Buzz

George Wenschhof

Will a Clagett beat a Young?

One of the questions we will have answered Tuesday evening when the results are tabulated is whether Maryland state delegate Galen Clagett or city alderman Karen Young won the Democratic primary for mayor of The City of Frederick.

It was back in 1994, when the primary results came in Blaine Young, who was a Democrat at that time, had become the top vote getter for a slot on the Frederick County Democratic state central committee, edging out Marcie Clagett to become chair of the committee.  In 1997, Blaine was elected to the board of aldermen, again as a Democrat.

Marcie is the daughter of Galen Clagett and Blaine is the son of Ron Young, who also edged out Galen in a previous run for alderman.

A few years later, political insiders who love to share the story say, a young, brash and arrogant Blaine Young declared “a Clagett will never beat a Young”.

To those in the know, the phrase has stuck, adding intrigue to the results of the Democratic mayoral primary contest.

Karen Young is married to Ron Young who is Blaine’s father.  Both Democrats distance themselves from Blaine’s present day tea party Republican political philosophy.

Campaign Sign Woes

Seems every election, allegations are made of one candidate campaign being responsible for missing signs of another candidate and this primary election has not been different.

The other common annoyance is candidate campaign signs appearing on public property right of ways and median strips.  This often occurs right before Election Day due to campaigns realizing it may take the city public works department a day or two to remove.

While fines are possible, they are rarely issued.  After all, a campaign would likely say they have no idea who put the signs there.

A source close to city hall tells me a new twist on this has been the placement of signs by the Shelley Aloi campaign on the city owned Hargett Farm.  Apparently, Aloi says she has permission from the tenant farmer allowing her to place a sign, leading to a consultation with city legal staff.  What have followed have been the removal of signs by city staff and the re-appearance of signs.

Aloi also managed to receive the spotlight when her campaign signs appeared on downtown properties owned by Duk Hee Ro, aka “The Dragon Lady”.  Some of these properties may well fall under the city’s “blighted and neglected property” definition and be subject to the recently passed “act of receivership” ordinance.

Free coffee?

An interesting new twist on campaigning was shared with me by a voter who lives on W. Fifth Street.  She said her husband yelled up to her they had free coffee from the Clagett campaign.  Presumably, it had been dropped off at their home.

Stay tuned.