Imhoff Eyes Return to City Hall

George Wenschhof

Alan Imhoff

Alan Imhoff likens himself as the unofficial ambassador of The City of Frederick.  He told me in an interview, that over the last 13 years, he has represented the city officially and unofficially across the state.

Alan, said the city is the envy of many with its unique blend of historic and new.  He added it is a great story to tell because the city is a great place to work and live.

I've known Alan for over sixteen years and he has always been involved in local politics and community issues. It seems when city elections comes around, he is often found running for office. 

 

A Republican who served one term as alderman, during the Jeff Holtzinger administration, he wants to return to city hall to contribute to future strategic planning that he believes is necessary for the city. 

He came in third in the Republican primary and acknowledged the Democrats have an overall stronger ticket.  However, he believes a Republican or two will be elected as alderman and hopes to be one of them because there is more he wishes to accomplish.

Alan cited the rank and review process initiated under the Holtzinger administration for annexations as one process he was proud to have helped institute. However, he pointed out the annexations that have taken place during the current Republican Randy McClement administration did not include any commercial development.  Alan believes residential/mixed used zoning should be balanced with commercial.

One important area Imhoff would like to see the city do is for the mayor and board develop a strategic plan that will help them prioritize capitol works projects to handle planned development. Similar to the rank and review process he helped initiate for annexations, he believes there is need to develop a process to determine city funding for improvements.

This would help the city in improving the overall quality of life for its residents by balancing new development with redevelopment needs, such as the “golden mile”.

He also wants city officials to “get out of Frederick” and see what other municipalities are doing around the country.  Alan spoke enthusiastically about the downtown mall in Charlottesville, Virginia where a pedestrian mall has many shops and restaurants located in the historic buildings on and around old Main Street Charlottesville.

When I asked him how he felt about the city supporting the building of a downtown hotel/conference center, Alan said he felt it was premature.  He added he did not want the city building a parking deck just for them.

Alan also expressed concern with how Phase II of the Carroll Creek project would be developed, pointing out that it needed to generate foot traffic.  He had noticed the condominiums that were built on Phase I had not contributed to foot traffic along the creek. 

The city debt to the Other Post Employment Benefits Program (OPEB) and the pension is another area Alan wants the city to focus on.  He would like the new mayor and board to review all existing contracts with employees.  A total set amount of benefit dollars per employee is one way Alan has seen work effectively in the private sector and he would like the city to create a task force to review this as an option available to the city.

In regard to the low city voter turnout, Alan said he had long been a proponent to move the city election to coincide with the presidential election.  The change would save the city up to $120,000 and also put the polling locations back in the schools where voters are familiar with going to on Election Day.  He added nonpartisan elections did not improve voter turnout.

Alan also defended his support of the city purchasing the Hargett farm for use as a park, pointing out Baker Park was not built overnight and this was a long term project for the benefit of residents.

City registered voters will choose their mayor and five member board of alderman on November 5.

Stay tuned.

 

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Two More File for Alderman as City of Frederick Candidate Deadline Nears

George Wenschhof

Alan Imhoff

With The City of Frederick candidate July 2 filing deadline only days away, two more filed for the board of alderman.

Former, one term alderman, Republican Alan Imhoff and Democrat Kevin Greene made their entry into the race official on Friday.

Imhoff’s entry makes it six Republican candidates, ensuring a contested primary for Republican voters, who will choose five to move on to the General election.

Greene is the eighth Democratic candidate to file for alderman.  At the time of publication, Geene had not responded to my inquiry as to why he was running for office.

I asked Alan Imhoff, in an email exchange for publication, why he was running and “Do you feel your votes on the acquisition of the Hargett farm or the city buy-out will impact voters in this election?”

Imhoff responded with “Yes decided to run again to hopefully be a catalyst in moving a number of projects along that were started a long time ago, i.e. completion of the multi-use path system as outlined 8 years ago. Also to provide my knowledge and continuing work on long-range planning from a regional perspective both from Washington Area Council of Governments and the Western Maryland Local Government Exchange. Add to that my involvement for over 9 years on the county’s Workforce Develop Board which will tie into my main focus for the next years – jobs.

As to the Hargett Farm and buy-out impact on voters, it is too early for me to gauge what the average voter is currently thinking. Until I get out and talk with our residents I do not think it is high on their list of concerns as other issues, but with some folks it will always be.

Personally, as a long-range planner I do not view the purchase of the Hargett Farm as being a bad one for the City. For me it was purchased to provide sufficient green space for the future, an opportunity to develop better recreational facilities and to minimize increased housing in an area where the road system is not designed to handle that increased housing. I believe that given a 10 to 20 year time frame the City can realize those most of those expectations. Baker Park as we know it today did not appear over night.”

Incumbent Republican alderman Shelley Aloi, has been rumored as running for mayor, reelection as an alderman and also for state delegate next year.

Responding to my inquiry as to what she intended to do, Aloi informed me in an email “I will be making an announcement at City Hall, Tuesday 3 pm.”

The City of Frederick primary election will be held on September 10 and the general election follows on November 5.  Voters will elect the mayor and a five member board of aldermen.

Stay Tuned.

 

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Democrats Win Super Majority on Board of Alderman

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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Will Democrats Regain Control of City Hall?

George Wenschhof

The City of Frederick, Maryland general election is now only days away. Voters will be electing their mayor and five member board of alderman on Tuesday, November 3. Along with answering who the new elected officials will be, voters will determine if a Democrat replaces the Republican mayor and if the board maintains the current 3-2 Democratic advantage.

The campaign, on the most part, has been devoid of any strong positions taken by candidates on the issues that would result in awakening a sleeping electorate. Which begs the question "what if they held an election and no one showed up?". In a recent column I predicted the voter turnout to be no higher than 33% or 10,000 of the approximately 32,000 registered voters in the city. Other local pundits have told me they thought I was being generous in my prediction. I hope the voters prove me wrong and they turn out in record numbers on Tuesday.

If not, it is time for the incoming mayor and board to move the city election date to coincide with the presidential election cycle. Democratic candidate for mayor; Jason Judd has consistently supported my suggestion to move the election date from the day I first meet him in November 2008. I asked him then if he would support my proposal, which would also result in a shortened three year term for the incoming mayor and board. He has maintained his position on the issue when he offered his support in my online interview with him on 6-29-2009 and again in the last mayoral forum last Tuesday.

Representative Democracy works best when people vote and Jason's support to more than double voter turnout and reducing the cost of separate elections while shortening the length of one's own elected term in office, is just one of the reasons to vote for him on November 3.

Under the City of Frederick Charter, the mayor is what is known as a "strong mayor" who is the day to day administrator who also controls the gavel and agenda in the mayor and board meetings. As a result, the mayor is considered the prize in the election each political party strives to win.

A young man of thirty-seven, Jason exhibited poise throughout the campaign and has not been drawn into debate on issues not of his choosing. Jason had indicated throughout his campaign, he will lead by developing consensus on the issues. Often consensus is best formed from the bottom up, similar to the experience he gained in "grass roots" development as a community organizer.

This will be important as the new mayor will be overseeing a transformational city grappling with many issues while facing what will surely be a shortage of funds. In addition, the incoming mayor will be working with what promises to be one of the strongest, if not the strongest, board of aldermen to ever hold office in the City of Frederick.

The board of aldermen are the legislative branch under the City of Frederick charter and as such act as a check and balance to the mayor. The aldermen candidates in this election are very strong and it would appear the five chosen by the voters will not be a "rubber stamp" for the mayor.

While the overall election has been quiet, the alderman candidates have been busy with their individual campaigns. As I have stated in previous columns, the incumbent aldermen typically have an advantage in reelection with low voter turnout. The one exception to that notion might be Republican Alan Imhoff, who appears to be in danger of losing his seat. Look to see Republican Paul Smith and Donna Kuzemchak win reelection, with Donna falling back somewhat from the close second she finished in the Democratic primary. This due to her being in office for twelve years. For as much as Donna's experience will be needed in the next board, over twelve years every politician does make some enemies and Donna is no exception.

Democratic aldermen candidates Kelly Russell and Michael O'Connor have worked hard at reaching out to the voters. Both are knowledgeable of the issues facing the city and also know how to navigate city hall; a must for an incoming alderman. Their experience and compassion for the voters will make them competitive on Election Day.

Democrats Carol Krimm and Karen Young have also worked hard during this election and are also sure to compete strongly on Tuesday. While Ms. Krimm's experience as working as a aid to delegates Galen Clagett and Sue Hecht would be of benefit to the city, working for two politicians also brings their negative baggage with you when you face the voters on Election Day.

Unfortunately, Ms. Krimm also has the curse of having served over the last several years on the local Democratic state central committee. Mostly ineffective and dysfunctional over the last eight years, the local Democratic state central committee has not had a member elected to office since 1997 when then chair of the committee; Blaine Young was elected alderman. He later would switch parties and become a Republican. Nonetheless, Ms. Krimm's experience and knowledge of the inner workings of government would be a plus on the board of aldermen.

Karen Young who received the top votes in the Democratic primary, will also have to deal with voters who connect her with her husband; former mayor Ron Young. While Ron fared very well against Mayor Jennifer Dougherty in the Democratic primary four years ago, he lost to a political novice; Republican Jeff Holtzinger in the General Election. However, Karen has campaigned across party lines, has personal experience in working in the community, and will be competitive.

Republican aldermen Shelley Aloi was somewhat of a surprise in the primary and has done very well with fundraising since - she could replace incumbent Republican Alan Imhoff on the board. However a recent email blast to supporters of a column written by Roy Meachum and published on www.TheTentacle.com on Tuesday has bought her the ire of some Democrats.

Amanda Haddaway has also run a competitive campaign so look to see her be in the mix as well when the votes are being tallied. Her fundraising efforts lagged behind the other candidates and this will make it tougher for her to win election. While William Huckenpoehler surprised many to advance from the Republican primary, do not look to see another surprise on Tuesday.

Republican candidate for mayor; Randy McClement, a soft spoken man during the campaign, received an influx of cash recently to help his campaign get out the vote. Large donations were received from a variety of sources including; George Delaplaine Jr. - $500, Joe Welty - $1,000, Mark Gaver - $1,000, Earl Mackintosh - $500, Elsie Schildt - $500 and Friends of David Brinkley - $2,500. With this help radio ads have been purchased and are already running. In addition, McClement campaign caps now adorn the roofs of many city cabs.

Registered voters favor Democrats (15,000) in the city over Republicans (10,000) with another 6,000 unaffiliated voters having the ability to weigh in on November 3. While you would think this would favor the Democratic candidates, one would only need to look back one election to see Republican Jeff Holtzinger beat Ron Young; the Democratic candidate for mayor.

In that 2005 election, charges surfaced that former mayor Jennifer Dougherty encouraged her supporters to vote for Jeff Holtzinger. This time around after losing the primary, Ms. Dougherty made a point to issue a press release stating her support for Jason Judd and the Democratic candidates for aldermen.

The Judd campaign has consistently been sending out email blasts to his supporters whenever an endorsement is issued, but not one from Ms. Dougherty. I asked Jennifer about this at the FCC Mayoral Forum on Tuesday. She indicated she and Jason had exchanged emails following the primary trying to set up times to meet and had been unable to find a time that worked in their busy schedules.

I find this interesting as a few of her closest supporters have indicated to me they were going to vote for Randy McClement. I asked if Jennifer had suggested this and they said absolutely not. Instead, they said they had not been convinced by Mr. Judd to vote for him. In what could be another close mayoral race, the die-hard Dougherty supporters could make a difference. It's not too late for Jason and Jennifer to meet and for the Judd campaign to send out a email blast and issue a press release that includes Dougherty's endorsement. Why not reach out and help build consensus?

The voters would be well advised to vote for the Democrats on the ballot this year in The City of Frederick election. From Mayor through every one of the aldermen candidates, the Democrats on the ballot have the best interests of all the voters in the City of Frederick in mind and would serve them well.

Make sure you vote on November 3!

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City of Frederick, Md "Change of Election Date" Update

George Wenschhof Bio

As the many readers of our site realize, I have been advocating a change from the current off-year election date for the City of Frederick, Maryland.

The Mayor has scheduled another public workshop for voters to weigh in on this proposed change. On Wednesday April 15, the workshop will be in the evening and begin at 7:00 PM. Also on the agenda is discussion on the proposed FY 2010 city budget. The city website has the schedule here.

The city election will take place as scheduled this year and will result in less than 35% of the registered voters weighing in on who will be their Mayor and Board of Aldermen.

I proposed back on November 28, 2008 the city move the election date to coincide with the Presidential election year which would result in more than double the current anemic voter turnout. You can read that column here.

On January 15, the Mayor and Board held a workshop to discuss this change. After listening to public testimony, the Mayor and 4 of the five Aldermen expressed support of the change to coincide with the presidential election year. Only Republican alderman Paul Smith expressed opposition to the change. You can read more here.

Mayor Jeff Holtzinger began publicizing February 10, 2009 on the city website requests for comments from city voters on this proposed change. You can read more here.

The passage of this change of election date by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen at a future meeting to be scheduled, would result in those winning election in November serving a three year term. Beginning in 2012, the Mayor and Aldermen would serve the traditional four year terms.

Support for this change has been bipartisan. Republican Alderman Alan Imhoff is one who has long advocated for this change in election date and is joined by Republican Mayor Jeff Holtzinger. Guy Djoken, the President of the Frederick chapter of the NAACP has also announced support for this change. Democratic candidate for Mayor Jason Judd has expressed support and Jennifer Dougherty indicated she would not oppose the change. In addition, the Frederick Young Democrats have voted to support this change in election date to coincide with the presidential election.

Opponents to the change have indicated they feel the voters would not be as informed on the issues pertaining to the city election in a presidential election year. While this argument sounds reasonable, there is no way to determine if the current 32% who do participate in the city election are "informed" voters. Also, during the presidential election year, the only other candidate on the ballot is the 6th District Congressional race. Experience has also shown that volunteers appear in the highest numbers during a presidential election year so this will benefit the candidates for local office.

The other option some have tossed out is moving the election date to coincide with the state and county elections. The thought here is the issues may have more in common. The voter turnout average in these elections is in the low 60% and would be a significant increase from the current 32% city voter turnout. However, this would further muddle a already very crowded ballot. In addition, to coincide with the state/county election cycle, the elected Mayor and Board in November would need to serve a five year term. It is unlikely voters would agree to a longer term for the Mayor and Aldermen.

Plan to attend the April 15 city workshop at 7:00 PM at City Hall to express your support for the change in the election date to coincide with the presidential election. It is past time to increase the voter participation in the City of Frederick elections.

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City of Frederick Asks for Input on Election Date Change

George Wenschhof Bio

As many of our readers know, I proposed a change in the date of the City of Frederick election date to coincide with the Presidential election. You can read more on my position here. This election date change will result in more than doubling the current weak 32% voter turnout and also save the taxpayer some of the costs associated with holding a separate election.

Bipartisan support for the change resulted in the Mayor and Board of Aldermen holding a workshop to discuss this issue. During the workshop held on January 14, 2009, the Mayor and 4 of the 5 Aldermen supported the change. Only Republican Alderman Paul Smith was opposed to the change. You can read more about that meeting here.

Mayor Jeff Holtzinger issued a media advisory yesterday asking for input from citizens on the proposed change. Following positive response, the next hopeful step would be for the Mayor to advertise and schedule a Mayor and Board meeting to formally vote on the proposal.

The President of Frederick Young Democrats, Burke Miller informed me they are planning to go door to door to share with voters their support of this change.

Below is the contact information for the Mayor and Board of Aldermen. Take the time to either call or email them with your support for this change of the election date to coincide with the presidential election.

Mayor@cityoffrederick.com - Jeff Holtzinger (R)
(301) 600-1380
Mhall@cityoffrederick.com - Marcia Hall (D)

(301) 600-1382
dkoontz@cityoffrederick.com - David Koontz (D)

(301) 600-1386
aimhoff@cityoffrederick.com - Alan Imhoff (R)

(301) 600-1632
psmith@cityoffrederick.com - C. Paul Smith (R)

(301) 600-1863
dkuzemchak@cityoffrederick.com - Donna Kuzemchak (D)

(301) 600-2966

It is way past time to increase the number of voters who determine who your city elected officials will be. When you contact your officials with your support for the election date change to coincide with the presidential election, let them know democracy works best, when higher number of voters participate in the process.

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City Of Frederick, MD Election Date Change Update

George Wenschhof Bio

I published a column on November 28, 2008 entitled "Time to Move Election Date for City of Frederick, MD". To recap, in this column I proposed moving the election date to coincide with the Presidential election, stating the dismal 32% voter turnout in the city general election is unacceptable. It seemed reasonable to move the City of Frederick election date to coincide with the Presidential election as the voter turnout was more than twice the amount of the city turnout.

The Presidential election is also less cluttered with candidates than the state/county election year. In addition, the change would most likely result in a cost savings. If the current Mayor and Board of Aldermen approved this charter amendment change of the election date, the incoming Mayor and Board would serve three years and as of 2012, the next Presidential election, their terms would be the traditional four year terms.

This is not a partisan issue as City of Frederick Alderman Alan Imhoff (R) has also long held held this view.

It was a comment: "Great idea George! Have you talked to Jeff or the BoA about this." left by "Mike" at the end of that column that spurred me to take the following steps. I thought it would be interesting to write about this process as I attempt to move this issue forward for discussion by the City of Frederick Mayor and Board of Aldermen.

You are also welcome to leave comments/suggestions by clicking on "Comments" at the end of the column.

The discussion of moving the City of Frederick election date has not received, to my recollection, discussion in a mayor and board workshop or has it been placed on the agenda at a mayor and board meeting.

I believe the discussion should take place and prior to contacting the Mayor and Board I figured I would begin to discuss the issue with a few people and see what was their reaction. In writing a column entitled "New Wave of Democrats Eye Mayor for The City of Frederick, MD in 2009", I asked both Democrats Jason Judd and Jack Lynch their opinion on the change of election date. I point out in the column they both supported the idea and would have no problem with if elected Mayor, serving a shortened first term of three years.

Jason Judd liked an option of having the City primary date of September stay the same. The primary for President and Congress usually is early February or March and is determined by the state legislature. Then both the City and the Presidential race would have a combined general election date in November.

In 2008, the Maryland primary was February 12 and this year the City of Frederick primary is scheduled for September 15. During this seven month period the city candidates as they campaigned would benefit from the heightened interest of voters generated by the Presidential election.

In a meeting with with a local senior Republican official on another matter, I brought up the idea of moving the city election date and they agreed, stating "it just made common sense" and went on to say they were not aware of the issue receiving any discussion by the local Republican central committee.

Later, at a unrelated scheduled meeting with Burke Miller, the President of the newly formed Frederick County Young Democrats, I brought up the idea. He was supportive and indicated he would discuss with his group. After meeting with his group, Mr. Miller sent me an email stating their support of the idea.

I then called Bob Kresslein, the chair of the local Democratic central committee and although he was personally supportive, he obviously could not speak for the committee until the issue was discussed. As this was prior to the holidays, they would not have an opportunity to discuss until after the new year. Mr. Kresslein also indicated it was likely if the Democratic candidates in the city election were not in agreement for the change, it was doubtful the committee would take a position.

After discussing with others, all of who were in favor of the change of election date, I figured it was time to take the advice of "Mike" and contact the Mayor and Board of Aldermen.

I started with a phone call to the Mayor. With it being the holiday season, I was surprised to receive a return phone call from Mayor Holtzinger on December 23. He listened politely to my suggestion and indicated his support for the idea. He spoke of Alderman Imhoff's long time support for the election date change and indicated he believed Mr. Imhoff would bring up the issue for discussion in a mayor and board workshop.

As I had not yet received a negative comment on the proposal, I emailed the proposal to the Aldermen and provided a link to the column I had written earlier on the subject. This began an email exchange between some of the Aldermen, the Mayor and myself.

Even though this was the middle of the holiday season, I immediately received a reply from Alderman Alan Imhoff (R) who indicated his long time support. He also indicated his support of non-partisan elections. The reason he felt the election date change had not moved forward was due to opposition by the local political parties and some former local officials feeling the city election would get lost in the hype of the presidential election. The other most prevalent reason he had heard was the length of time between the primary and general election.

Alderman Donna Kuzemchak (D) responded saying she was one who believed local issues would get lost if the election was held at the same time as the Presidential election. She argued the media would not cover both elections with the scrutiny necessary for people to make informed decisions at the local level.

Alderman Paul Smith (R) responded with a similar concern as Donna had expressed and felt the elections should be kept separate.

I responded to the concerns expressed by Aldermen Kuzemchak and Smith with the following points. One, the demographics in Frederick County have not to date supported the hiring by local media of reporters to cover the national election so their reporters would certainly be able to give the city election the same coverage as they provide in the current election year. Secondly, I failed to see the logic that the voters participating in a 32% voter turnout election were more informed than the voters who participate in an election with a 70% turnout. Third, as to the length of time between the primary and the general election, I pointed out an option (as Jason Judd had mentioned earlier) would be to have separate primaries and a combined general election. I followed with the voters are most engaged in a Presidential election and this would benefit the city candidates as they campaigned for office.

Mayor Jeff Holtzinger (R) weighed in saying after talking to others he did not feel the voters would do any less due diligence if the city election was held at the same time as the Presidential election. He also said "I think it is at least worth discussion and consideration by the Board. This could also potentially save the City money and would allow for the use of the schools as polling places, as schools are closed for the Presidential Election."

Alderman Smith then responded with "Saving money is an important consideration. I look forward to the discussion."

Alderman Kuzemchak then said "George,
I don't believe either Alderman Smith or I argued that the turnout wasn't lower. The argument was simply the turnout was more informed on what they were voting. I've started speaking to some people about this and find I am only getting the argument about turnout, not about how informed those voters are. Are you suggesting it would be best if we had 100% voter turnout in any election – even if those voters are simply brought to the polls and told how to vote by someone else? My argument is simply that voter knowledge is more important than voter turnout. I certainly don't want to hit the point where you have to raise a ton of money to run for Alderman just so the public might possibly see your name somewhere and remember it. With my name or Paul's name, that helps – for opposite reasons – but not so much for others.

Again, I look forward to the discussion.
Donna"

To which I responded with the following:
Hi Donna,

Thanks for your recent response. However, I believe it is impossible to argue that the voters in a lower turnout election are more informed voters than the voters in a higher voter turnout election. More importantly, I believe in encouraging high voter turnout in all elections, which is among the important tenets of our representative democracy.

Thank you again for responding and I look forward to the discussion of this issue.

Happy New Year!
George

As Aldermen Marcia Hall (D) and David Koontz (D) had not responded to the email exchange I called both, reaching Ms. Hall and leaving a message for Mr. Koontz. Ms. Hall was basically non-committal, at one point understanding some of what Donna was saying, then saying it may make more sense to move the city election to the state/county election cycle as the issues were similar. I pointed out the state/county election cycle was already cluttered, had a lower average voter turnout than the presidential election, and to line up the current city election would require the incoming mayor and board to serve a five year term. She indicated again she had an open mind on the issue.

So that is a quick update on this important issue for The City of Frederick. I am hopeful the Mayor and Board move this issue for discussion in workshop and it receives merit for being placed on the agenda for a mayor and board meeting for further discussion and a vote. I will periodically publish updates as the discussion continues.

If you live in the City of Frederick, I would encourage you to let your elected officials know how you feel on the issue of moving the city election date to coincide with the Presidential election which would more than double the current abysmal city voter turnout. It is your opinion that is most important. Take a moment and weigh in with your thoughts.

Here is their contact information:

Mayor@cityoffrederick.com - Jeff Holtzinger (R)

(301) 600-1380
Mhall@cityoffrederick.com - Marcia Hall (D)

(301) 600-1382
dkoontz@cityoffrederick.com - David Koontz (D)

(301) 600-1386
aimhoff@cityoffrederick.com - Alan Imhoff (R)

(301) 600-1632
psmith@cityoffrederick.com - C. Paul Smith (R)

(301) 600-1863
dkuzemchak@cityoffrederick.com - Donna Kuzemchak (D) (301) 600-2966

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