City of Frederick Election Buzz

George Wenschhof

On Tuesday November 5, voters will weigh in on The City of Frederick election and choose their mayor and five member board of alderman.

The off year city election has me predicting a turnout of less than 22%.  It is going to be a partly sunny day with temps in the 50’s, so go vote and prove me wrong!

Polling locations are different than state/county and presidential election years.  If you are wondering where you go to vote you can use the following link.

http://spires2.cityoffrederick.com/elections/polling_loc.php

WYPR radio News Director Joel McCord was up in Frederick last week to check out the election.  He interviewed the candidates, some downtown business owners and me!

Democratic mayoral candidate Karen Young came across the best of the three candidates and Republican Mayor McClement was described as "plain vanilla".

You can read the story and listen to his report here. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Democratic Maryland state senator Ron Young held an art show hosted at Antique Imports Sunday and it was well attended.  Karen Young was also present and of course, the talk was on the election.

 

Lt. Governor Anthony Brown (D) recorded a robo-call on Karen Young’s behalf, urging voters to vote for her for mayor.  The calls went out on Saturday.

 

One woman, who attended, told me she had been a big Clagett supporter and was now supporting Karen Young for mayor.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Republican alderman candidates Phil Dacey, Katie Nash and Dave Schmidt have been trying hard to run from their conservative background in a city where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans voters 17,300 to 10,750.

 

Sunday, upon returning home, standing on the corner was former Republican ultra right wing state senator Alex Mooney and the husband of Katie Nash.  Mooney told me Nash was going to win.

 

When I asked what he was up to these days, Mooney told me he had moved to West Virginia and was running for Congress.

 

 

Sad to see the exit from politics displayed by Democratic Maryland state delegate Galen Clagett.  After, losing by 10 points to Karen Young in the Democratic primary, Galen publicly endorsed Republican mayor Randy McClement.

Galen has long been involved in Frederick County Democratic politics.

Kind of makes you wonder why Clagett ran for mayor in the first place.

 

Looking at Mayor McClement’s donations from his most recent campaign finance report and you can see some connections to supporters of Clagett.

McClement received $2,500 from Blaine Young for Maryland and another $5,000 from LLC’s from outside the city.

Both Clagett and McClement advertised with signs atop Yellow Cabs in town, owned, in part by Republican board of county commissioners president Blaine Young. 

 

Frederick County state Democratic central committee did phone banking for their candidates over the weekend and did a lit drop on Saturday.

 

Election night, Democratic aldermen candidates will be at JoJo’s located downtown on E. Patrick Street.  So, stop by and say hello.

 

Donate today to Frederick Politics by clicking on a Donation Button in the right hand margin of page - Thank You!

Questions Raised on Dacey’s Fundraising

George Wenschhof

Phil Dacey

With less than three weeks to go until General Election Day in the City of Frederick, concerns are being raised on the fundraising efforts by Republican alderman candidate Phil Dacey. Dacey finished first in the Republican primary election held on September 10.

Upon reviewing his impressive 205 reported contributions totaling $18,000, 65% of them came from outside The City of Frederick, raising the worry of outside influence on local elections.

What is common to see among city candidates is 25% or less of total contributions coming from outside the city. The majority of these donations typically come from residents of Frederick County who know the candidate, with the rest coming from family members or close friends who live outside the county or state.

Democrat John Daniels, who reported the second highest level of contributions ($13,000) among alderman candidates, fell within the average of 25% of his donations coming from outside the city, with most of them coming from residents of the county.

This outside fundraising is also raising questions of Dacey’s relationship with ultra right wing conservative and former state senator Alex Mooney, whose political philosophy resembles tea party Republicans of today.

Interestingly, Republican sources told me Dacey is using the Mooney donor list to raise funds.

Mooney was well known for his fundraising skills, tapping into national sources to fund his campaign, including paying workers to go door to door for him.

Dacey’s second campaign finance report showed he was also paying workers to go door to door, which he confirmed when I inquired.

I sent Dacey a email asking him “did you receive donor lists from Alex Mooney or anyone associated with his former campaign and second to what do you attribute to such a large portion of the funds you have received to date coming from outside the city?”

He replied with "We've worked very hard to raise the money that we have -- we set a budget at the start of the campaign and have worked to raise that amount.

To answer your question, I have not gotten lists from any other campaigns including Alex Mooney. I'm really not sure how the funds I have raised breaks down geographically because I really haven't analyzed the report in that way. I am humbled and grateful to have the support of a lot of people who believe in me and my vision for Frederick."

Some who question where his fundraising is coming from say that further illustrating Dacey’s ties to far right conservatives are campaign account donations from Republican elected officials; state senator Nancy Jacobs, state delegate Michael Hough, former state delegate Joe Bartlett and a donation from City Cab owned, in part, by Frederick board of county commissioners President Blaine Young.

Those making the connection of Dacey to right wing conservatives point out Dacey worked as chief of staff to conservative state senator Nancy Jacobs and his family; including his brother Ted, who worked as his campaign manager, has long been a supporter of Mooney.

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

Stay tuned.

 

---

 

Donate today to Frederick Politics by clicking on a Donation Button in the right hand margin of page - Thank You!

Mooney Elected Chair Maryland Republican Party

George Wenschhof

Today, in a contested battle, Republican Alex Mooney was elected chair of the Maryland Republican Party. He beat Mary Kane who ran for Lt. Governor with Republican candidate for Governor Robert Ehrlich. Ehrlich was beaten soundly by Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley in the recent election.

Alex Mooney lost a close race in the November elections by 1,000 votes to Democrat Ron Young for the state senate seat in district 3, after serving three terms.

There were five candidates vying for the dubious distinction of serving as party chair in a state heavily dominated by Democrats. The Montgomery County Daily has more here. The five candidates were:
Mary Kane MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Alex Mooney FREDERICK COUNTY
Sam Hale MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Bill Campbell HOWARD COUNTY
Mike Esteve BALTIMORE CITY

Mooney's job will not be easy in a state where Democratic voter registration is 2-1 over Republicans.

In the recently held November elections, Republicans gained six seats in the House, but lost two seats in the Senate. In the state senate, only 12 Republicans make up the 47 member delegation. Over in the House, Democrats have 98 and Republicans 43 of the 141 delegates.

Mooney is known for his ultra conservative political philosophy, so it remains to be seen how effective his leadership will be in the state of Maryland.

---

To receive "Daily email Updates" from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below or use the sign up box located in the upper right hand margin.

Early Vote Provides Win for Young

George Wenschhof

The 2010 election was the first in the state of Maryland for early voting and Democrat Ron Young was one candidate who benefited from the early turnout of voters.

Ron Young is leading incumbent state senator Republican Alex Mooney (district 3) by 665 votes with absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted. Although, the winner has not been certified by the state, I called the race for Ron Young on election night.

The reason I called the race is Mr. Young had built a 878 vote lead in Frederick County (there is a very small sliver of Washington County in district 3) at the conclusion of the early voting period and after an additional 37,991 votes were cast on election day, Young still had a lead of 665 votes .

The total votes early votes were 4,076 with Young receiving 2,477 and Mooney receiving 1,599.

On election day, (including 576 votes cast in Washington County), there were a total of 37,991 votes cast with Mooney receiving 19,107 and Young receiving 18,884. So, on election day, Mooney won by 223 votes.

After 37,991 additional votes had been cast, Mooney was only able to reduce the early voting Young lead from 878 to 665.

On election night, I had estimated there would not be more than 3,000 total absentee and provisional ballots remaining to be counted, making it statistically difficult, in a closely contested race, for Mooney to gain the 665 votes needed to claim victory.

The actual number of Frederick County absentee ballots received to date is 1,616 and another 717 provisional ballots will also be counted next week for a total of 2,333. A few more absentee ballots postmarked on November 2 may yet be received in time for next week's count.

Today, expect a major portion of the 1,616 Frederick County absentee ballots to be counted.

While, statistics favor Young, it is not surprising Mooney has not conceded, as anything is possible until all the votes have been tallied.

Expect the current 665 vote lead by Young to narrow after the absentee count today, but for him to maintain the lead.

Also, there is a distinct possibility Mooney could demand a recount of the vote. Rumors are he is questioning returns from Whittier, where he believes there were some abnormalities in the vote. He had been trending with a similar vote as Republican candidate for Governor, Robert Ehrlich, in other polling locations.

Unless, the vote difference between the candidates is less than one tenth of one per cent (presently 43 votes), the Mooney campaign would be responsible for the cost of the recount.

Interestingly, when early voting was instituted in Maryland, counties were assigned early voting centers and the number of centers. Frederick County received one location in the City of Frederick, even though Elections Director Stuart Harvey requested three locations.

Although, Frederick County only represents about 3.5% of the registered voters in the state, it is the largest geographical region of any county in the state. A location in Thurmont and Urbana, as requested by Mr. Harvey makes sense.

It appears Mr. Young also benefited from a larger early voter turnout from district 3-a, a strong Democratic voter registered district. The City of Frederick, where the early voting center was located, is a large portion of legislative district 3-a, which is one of the two legislative districts which make up state senate district 3. The other legislative district is district 3-b which is the southern portion of Frederick County and the sliver in Washington County.

Stay Tuned...

5:10 PM ET Update - the first round of absentee ballots have been counted in Frederick County and Ron Young received 719 and Mooney 517. Young has now increased his overall lead by 202. No numbers were available from Washington County. However, the absentee ballots are expected to be much fewer than Frederick County and will not affect the outcome of this race. Frederick County elections has the absentee count here.

The Young lead has now grown to 867 votes without the Washington County absentee vote added. With approximately 1200 absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted, Young can clearly claim victory.

---

To receive "Daily Email Updates" from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below or use the sign up box located in the upper right hand margin.

Ron Young Zeros In On Maryland District 3 State Senate

George Wenschhof

Republican Alex Mooney has served for three terms as state senator representing district 3 in Maryland and Democrat Ron Young has his way, there will be no fourth term for Mooney.

Mooney first won election by upsetting incumbent Republican Jack Derr in the 1998 election. Derr was more of a moderate, who was able to work across the aisle during his time in Annapolis. Local Democrats had come to accept Derr would be elected and his moderate positions on issues dissuaded serious attempts by Democratic candidates to unseat him.

Mooney campaigned hard to upset Derr in the 1998 election and his ultra right conservative positions of anti gay, pro-life, and anti-gun control quickly played into and garnered national support, generating a campaign chest rivaled by other candidates.

Yet, throughout his twelve years in office, where it matters the most, Mooney has been ineffective in Annapolis, so much so, he was rated the least effective state senator by the Gazette papers of Maryland.

It was this ineffective representation for the residents of district 3 which caused former four term City of Frederick mayor Ron Young to decide to run for state senate.

When I sat down with Ron Young earlier today, he told me he was fine with deferring and offering his support to Frederick County Commissioner president Jan Gardner or state delegate Galen Clagett if they had decided to challenge Alex Mooney.

When neither one decided to run, Ron was in it to win it, first winning convincingly; the Democratic primary. His primary opponent, Don DeArmon, who Ron referred to as a nice gentleman and good Democrat, has offered his full support to Young.

In addition to earning the support of his former Democratic opponent, Young has received endorsements from Republican and Democratic mayors in towns/cities across district 3, including Brunswick, Burkittsville, City of Frederick, and Rosemont.

Young's sixteen years of experience as mayor and ten plus years serving as Deputy Secretary Maryland Planning Department combined with his ability to bring people together is a huge plus for the voters in district 3.

Ron told me he is continuing to work hard every day, going door to door meeting voters all across the district. He told me "he recognizes Mooney is a hard campaigner, but the sorry fact for the voters, is the only time Mooney shows up in district 3, is when he is campaigning".

Ron said "if Alex worked as hard as a state senator as he does campaigning, Alex might be more effective in Annapolis".

While the Mooney campaign and his, outside of state funds, exceed $500,000, the Young campaign intends to close hard with help from the Maryland Democratic senate campaign committee who is supplementing the $65,000 plus the Young campaign has received in donations.

The Young campaign has experience and enthusiasm leading the effort with co-chairs Karen Young and Kathy Rossen. Joel Young (not related) was added as a full time staffer through the help of the Democratic senate campaign committee.

Over 18,000 live calls have been placed to voters, with mailers, television and radio ads also out. The Young signs are visible throughout the district and Young informed me he had 1000 placed in yards.

On a windy and cool day, I met up with Ron Young in downtown Frederick. While standing on a bridge overlooking the Carroll Creek redevelopment and flood control project he envisioned as mayor over twenty years ago, I asked him a few questions.

Below, he talks about how as state senator, he will work hard to help obtain state funding for the Monocacy Blvd. interchange, which when completed, will bring jobs to Frederick County.



When I asked him about what he would do to help seniors, he said he would work to eliminate taxes they pay on retirement income after they reach the age of 70. He indicated many seniors move from the state due to this taxation. You can hear him talk about this below.



The election is only days away and Frederick County and the residents of district 3 deserve effective representation in Annapolis. Make sure you vote for a change on November 2.

---

To receive "Daily Email Updates" from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below or use the sign up box located in the upper right hand margin.

Ultra Conservatives Emerge as Winners in Frederick County, MD Primaries

George Wenschhof

Is Frederick County experiencing their "tea party" fueled activists influencing local elections is a question some may now have. Yesterday, long term Maryland district 4-a state delegate Republican Paul Stull was defeated after provisional and absentee ballots were tallied.

While moderate Republican Kelly Schulz is who came in second, only seven votes ahead of Stull, it was far right conservative Kathy Afzali who led the Republican primary. Voters elect two state delegates in district 4-a.

These results come after another far right conservative Michael Hough beat incumbent Charles Jenkins in the Republican primary in district 3-b.

Both Afzali and Hough will be favored to win their elections in the general election held on November 2.

If Republican district 3 state senator Alex Mooney holds off a sure strong challenge by Democratic challenger Ron Young and Schulz and Afzali win, they would make 3 of the 8 state representatives from Frederick County.

A startling possibility is if the above Republican candidates win and current Republican candidates Patrick Hogan and Scott Rolle sweep in district 3-a, all 8 state positions from Frederick county would be represented by Republicans. The other Republicans favored to win reelection are district 4-b delegate Donald Elliot and district 4 state senator David Brinkley.

Maryland is a strong Blue state with Democrats holding an overwhelming majority in the General Assembly which makes this far right showing in Frederick county all the more interesting.

Stay Tuned...

---

To receive "Daily Email Updates" from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below or use the sign up box located in the upper right hand margin.

Primary Nears for Frederick County State Delegate and Senate Races

George Wenschhof

Last Friday, I wrote about the debut of "Early Voting" in Maryland and opined on the outcome of the Frederick County vote in the county commissioner race. Voters will decide in the Primary Election the five Republicans and five Democrats who will move on to the General Election held on November 2. You can read that column here.

Today, I will look at the state senate and state delegate races in Frederick County, Maryland. The county is roughly split in half with the the northern and western regions falling into district 4 and the central and southern regions falling into district 3. In each district, voters elect one state senator and three state delegates.

District 4 has long been dominated by Republican representation due to a large voter registration advantage. There is no reason to expect a change in party affiliation in this year's election with Republican incumbents favored to win reelection. However, the race for the open delegate seat in district 4-a where voters elect two delegates, could be interesting between the many Republican candidates vying for it.

Incumbent Republican Joe Bartlett, who was elected in 1998 with the strength of his father's name (MD Sixth district Congressman Roscoe Bartlett), decided not to run after revelations of his using state funds to pay his girlfriend rent came to light. As a result, a slew of Republicans filed to run for this open seat.

One time Democrat, and now Republican Dino Flores is joined by Frederick County Republican Central Committee chair Kelly Schultz, long term county commissioner John "Lennie" Thompson and Kathy Afzali. Of these four, look to see John Thompson win and move on to the General Election.

Local attorney Flores is certainly qualified, but doubtful to win more votes than Thompson. Afzali has been battling her fellow Republicans by trying to claim she is more Rush Limbaugh "like" than they and using the phrase "don't let the good old boys win". It is highly unlikely her strategy will be successful. Frederick county Republican chair Kelly Schultz will be competitive, but the name recognition of Thompson will be hard to overcome.

Look to see the vote difference between the Republicans. If Stull wins, but the vote is close, it may indicate this is his last term in office.

Incumbent Republican Paul Stull, who was first elected in 1994, is the other Republican expected to win the primary. He succeeded Tom Hattery, the last Democrat to hold that seat. Hattery challenged and beat Democratic Beverley Byron in the Democratic primary for the western Maryland 6th district congressional seat. He was beat by Republican candidate Roscoe Bartlett, who is still in office and running for reelection.

Scott Geunthner is an "Unaffiliated" candidate on the ballot after securing enough signatures to be listed. Do not expect him to impact the race in any significant manner.

The local Democratic party, which has struggled for some time to field competitive candidates in this race, continued the trend, with only one candidate Ryan Trout filing for the two delegate seats. The Democratic party added Bonita Curry to the ballot after the filing deadline had expired. While Ryan Trout is a newcomer to politics, Ms. Curry has long been involved in volunteer efforts for Democratic candidates. They will not have a contested primary to show off their positions on issues which would benefit the voters in district 4-a should they be elected. While they will both move on, they are not expected to be competitive in the General Election.

In district 4-b, where voters will elect one delegate, the lone Democratic candidate is Timothy Schlauch. He has run a multitude of times and deserves credit for having done so. While he will move on to the General Election, do not expect him to beat incumbent Republican Donald Elliot who was first elected in 1986. However, at age 78, one has to be thinking how many more years will he run for office. Elliot is facing a contested primary against Kathryn Freed. But, it should not be close.

Popular district 4 state senator David Brinkley received a bye from the media in regard to his domestic problems with his wife resulting from his tryst with his administrative assistant. As a result, he is easily favored to win reelection.

In the primary, he will face little known Republican Kathryn Freed. The only Democrat to file, Sara Lou Trescott will move on to face Brinkley in the General Election. It will be interesting to see if Brinkley's alleged infidelity with an aide will be brought up after the primary.

In district 3, it is again the Republicans who have contested battles with Democrats having an interesting match up for state senate.

In district 3-a, where voters will elect two delegates, the Democrats have an uncontested primary with incumbent Galen Clagett and Candy Greenway.

Democratic delegate Sue Hecht's retirement has created an open seat and expect the Republicans to be very competitive and possibly pick up a seat in this district which favors Democrats in voter registration. Ms. Hecht's support by the voters exceeded her effectiveness in Annapolis, making this open seat vulnerable for Democrats.

Ms. Greenway's frequent appearances on the local cable political talk show "Pressing Issues" earned her the nickname "Clueless Candy" as her comments on issues showed her lack of knowledge. So, it is dubious as to how well she will do against Republican opponents in the general election.

Incumbent delegate Galen Clagett has done an excellent job representing the voters in district 3 and deserves another term in Annapolis. His membership on powerful state committees, including Appropriations, is a benefit to Frederick County.

Former delegate Pat Hogan will be favored to finish on top in the Republican primary and could easily win in the General Election, making this a pick up seat for Republicans. He lost to delegate Galen Clagett by only a couple of hundred votes four years ago.

Chris Huckenpoehler and Chuck Knapp are a toss-up in the battle for the other Republican seat. Huckenpoehler made it through the primary in last year's City of Frederick alderman race, but fared poorly in the General Election.

Another Republican; Scott Rolle will appear on the ballot, even though he has withdrawn from the race. A well known former Frederick County State's Attorney, his inclusion on the ballot may confuse some voters.

In district 3-b, where voters elect one delegate, the battle is between Republicans Charles Jenkins and Michael Hough, who are vying for the open seat vacated by Rick Weldon when he went to work for the City of Frederick.

Much Republican infighting has transpired in this race, beginning with the appointment of former Frederick County Commissioner Charles Jenkins to replace the departed Rick Weldon.

Michael Hough has a huge fund raising advantage on Jenkins and also enjoys the support of state senator Alex Mooney and Frederick County Commissioner Blaine Young.

Hough has also used the I'm more conservative than you and I signed a "no tax increase" pledge against Jenkins. While Jenkin's claim to fame has been proposed legislation combating illegal immigration. Look to see this race be much closer than the supporters of both candidates would prefer.

It would appear this is an excellent opportunity for Democrats to take advantage of the turmoil within the Republican party and pick up a seat.

Unfortunately, only perennial candidate Paul Gilligan is on the ballot and the Republicans will catch a break. A nice guy who has sound positions on environmental and land management issues, he has been unable to catch on with voters in this district.

This will mark the third time Gilligan has run for this position and the second time he will be the Democratic party nominee. Don't look to see the third time be the charm for the former Mayor of Burkittsville,

The state senate race in district 3 promises to be close and one to watch election night. It is also a good possibility for a pick up for Democrats.

The Democratic winner will face three term incumbent Republican Alex Mooney.

Don DeArmon will be facing Ron Young in the Democratic primary. Unlike, when Mr. Young defeated Mayor Jennifer Dougherty in the 2005 City of Frederick primary, there has been little to no friction or turmoil in this state senate Democratic primary.

Hopefully, this bodes well for the Democratic nominee and the winner will go on to defeat ineffective state senator Alex Mooney.

Both Democratic candidates are well known in district 3-a with Ron being a former four term mayor of the City of Frederick and Don DeArmon twice being the Democratic nominee for congress in the Maryland 6th congressional district.

Both have been supportive of Democratic candidates for all positions over the years. It is not unusual to see Mr. DeArmon's front and side yards, across from Culler Lake in Frederick, adorned with Democratic candidate signs.

Ron Young has once again shown his ability to place campaign signs everywhere, but remember, he did the same in the 2005 city election and lost to a political unknown; Republican Jeff Holtzinger.

Don DeArmon has much more cash on hand than does Ron Young which could be to his advantage when it come to closing the deal with voters through media, direct mail, and other get out the vote efforts.

However, Ron's secret weapon this time around is his wife Karen who is his campaign manager. Karen ran an excellent campaign for alderman in the City of Frederick election last year, finishing first and earning the mayor pro tem designation.

Mr. DeArmon's singular issue he has made a point of getting across to voters is he intends to "fix I-270". An ambitious task and one he hopes frustrated commuters can relate to.

A local business owner shared a story with me recently that sums up the primary race between these two Democrats. Upon his arrival home from work, his wife informed him she had met a nice man today who had stopped by the house. His name was Don DeArmon and he was running against Alex Mooney.

Her husband said to her I thought you were supporting Ron Young. She said oh, yes she was, but really liked Don DeArmon.

Stay Tuned....

---

To receive "Daily Email Updates", click on "Subscribe to this feed' below or use the sign up box located in the upper right hand margin.

Campaign Funds and Control Crucial for Democrats in Maryland District 3 State Senate Race

George Wenschhof

Last week, Democrat Don DeArmon finally made official his race for the Maryland district 3 state senate seat. I was the first to report on March 22 he had filed a campaign committee with the state which allowed him to raise funds and judge support for his campaign. I used the same approach when I explored running for this seat back in 2006.

Mr. DeArmon will now face former four term City of Frederick mayor Ron Young in the Democratic primary on September 14. Additional candidates may file up through July 6.

The amount of campaign funds raised by candidates is important as incumbent three term Republican Alex Mooney is a heavyweight when it comes to raising funds for his campaigns. His far right ideology which includes opposing the rights of women and gays, brings him donations from across the country.

While I raised $16,000 with my candidate committee, I made the judgement it was insufficient for me to unseat Alex Mooney back in 2006. After I informed the local Democratic leadership I would not be running, they asked that I file as they had no candidate. After filing, it was discovered that Democrat Candy Greenway had filed and I withdrew, offering my support.

Ms. Greenway was able to raise about the same level of funds as I had from her date of filing and prior to the general election. She supplemented her campaign funds with a $30,000 loan. While a newcomer to politics, she did manage to narrow the margin of loss.

My decision to withdraw was based on Mr. Mooney having raised and spent nearly one million against his Democratic opponent Sue Hecht in the 2002 election. Sue Hecht also raised an incredible amount close to $750,000 which was supplemented by Maryland Senate President Mike Miller's senate campaign committee by at least $100,000, only to lose to Alex Mooney by ten percentage points.

I realized that while my campaign had raised $16,000, it would be like using spitballs against an opponent with a Tank.

The discussion of campaign funds is important as is the use of door-to-door campaign tactics. In spite of admirable intentions by candidates, this approach has limited success when trying to reach what will be about 80,000 registered voters in district 3.

The mind boggling funds spent by Mooney and Hecht in 2002 will hopefully never be repeated. However, it is important to note the average funds spent in a Maryland state senate race is around $150,000.

While candidate campaign reports are not due until a few weeks prior to the primary election, both Don DeArmon and Ron Young volunteered where they currently stood in fund raising.

Don DeArmon is a previous candidate for Congress in the Maryland sixth district who has raised hundreds of thousands in a campaign. Also a veteran staffer on the Hill, he informed me he had $50,000 cash on hand.

Ron Young, who was the first to publicly announce in January and the first Democrat to file, informed me he had raised about $18,000. Young raised in excess of $100,000 in the 2005 City of Frederick election. After being out of office for sixteen years, he beat incumbent Democratic mayor Jennifer Dougherty in the primary. Only, to lose to political neophyte Republican Jeff Holtzinger in the general election.

Mr. Young also pointed out to me that his funds were received from about 200 people with an average of about $90.00. I did not ask Mr. DeArmon for any detail on his contributions.

Both Democratic candidates realize they will need to raise additional funds to be competitive. However, both intend to make use of the old shoe leather door-to-door approach to meeting voters. Mr. DeArmon has even arranged to take a leave of absence from his job as the campaign heats up.

Mr. DeArmon informed me Stephen Slater will be his campaign manager and that he intends to also make good use of his campaign website which can be read at www.dearmonforsenate.com In his announcement, he highlighted the need to "fix I-270" and he intends to add his positions on a variety of issues on his campaign website for voters to easily read.

Ron Young said he was still about ten days away from his campaign website going live. His wife Karen Young, who ran her own successful campaign for alderperson in last year's City of Frederick election will be his campaign manager.

While raising funds will be important for the Democratic nominee, controlling their own campaign after the primary will be even more important. Miller, in his desire to defeat Republican ultra conservative nemesis Alex Mooney, has been heavy handed in direct mail composition and target mailing areas for the Democratic nominee in the last two elections.

Unfortunately, this over reaching on the part of the senate campaign committee has backfired with losing results in the 2002 and 2006 elections.

The direct mail pieces used by the Maryland senate committee were over the top in their negativity, to the point close Hecht supporters complained to me after receiving them in the 2002 election.

Besides negative attacks being counter productive in district 3, the practice of using the same mail house to mail for all Democratic state senate candidates resulted in multiple mailings hitting a voters mail box the same day at the end of the Sue Hecht campaign.

Precincts which were heavily Democratic, were also inundated with negative direct mail and they were already voting for Ms. Hecht which was a waste of funds. In addition, Miller's then chief of staff Tim Perry was calling almost daily to the campaign manager of Sue Hecht, offering advise.

Unfortunately, the practice continued in the 2006 general election with outrageous negative direct mail by the state senate committee.

The reason for the use of negative attacks on political opponents is political operatives of major political parties have found it generally effective in narrowing margins between candidates.

Back in 2006, I met with the young man Mike Miller had put in charge of his committee and informed him that if I became the nominee, I would welcome their support, but I would have final approval on the what, when and where of how direct mail was used.

Fortunately, in talking with both declared Democratic candidates Ron Young and Don DeArmon, they have assured me they have already had similar talks with Mike Miller's office and were in agreement they should control their campaign message.

The time is right for a Democrat to win the Maryland third district state senate seat. Both Mr. DeArmon and Mr. Young are well qualified for the position. Either will be more effective in serving the voters and their interests in Annapolis than incumbent Alex Mooney.

I hope Maryland Senate President Mike Miller is listening.

---

To receive "Daily Email Updates" from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below or use the sign up box located in the upper right hand margin.

DeArmon Files for MD District 3 State Senate

George Wenschhof

Today, Democrat Don DeArmon made it official when he filed to run for Maryland State Senate in District 3. He had filed a candidate committee with the state elections board months ago which allowed him to raise funds and test the support he had among voters in the district.

When I asked him how he was doing with his fund raising, he indicated he had $50,000 cash on hand which is impressive at this point in the campaign. I wrote about his intent to run for this seat back on March 22. You can read it here.

In his press release he emailed yesterday and which he asked be embargoed by the press until after 12:00 PM today, he indicated his highest priority would be "fixing I-270". He indicated in the release, he would be greeting voters today at the Urbana "Park and Ride" between 4:00 to 5:00 PM.

The campaign website is up and running and can be read at dearmonforsenate.com You can read about his positions on the issues of transportation, education and the environment on his campaign website. Mr. DeArmon indicated to me he would also be adding his positions on issues such as the budget, taxes and economic development, good government and ethics, health and agriculture. So, check with his website often to see his positions on the issues important to you.

DeArmon will face a Democratic primary challenge against former City of Frederick four term mayor Ron Young who has already filed to run. The incumbent is Republican Alex Mooney, who was first elected in 1998 after defeating Republican Jack Derr in the primary.

In 2002, Mooney defeated Sue Hecht(D) handily after the two incredibly spent well over one million during the campaign. In 2006, after I withdrew from the race, Mooney beat inexperienced political newcomer Candy Greenway (D) by a smaller margin.

Democrats have made substantial gains in voter registration in this district and there is a good possibility in the November general election for a Democratic Party pick up in the Maryland state senate. Figures I have as of the end of November 2009 show a total of 79,597 registered voters in district 3. Democrats led in registration with 33,659 with Republicans at 29,898. Unaffiliated/Others totaled 16,040 with Unaffiliated at 14,850.

The "Unaffiliated" voter will have a major impact in this election so the Democratic Party candidate who is able to attract the highest votes from this group would be the best nominee.

Frederick County Commissioner President Jan Gardner, who was among the early rumored Democratic Party candidates for this position, told me recently she has yet to make up her mind as to her future. However, she went on to say after hearing of Democratic Delegate Sue Hecht's retirement, she is seriously considering a run for Delegate in District 3-A.

Ms. Gardner will be my guest next week on "All Things Political".

The deadline for candidates to file for office is July 6 and the primary election is September 14. The General Election is November 2.

Stay Tuned....

---

To receive "Daily Email Updates" from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below or use the sign up box located in the upper right hand margin.

DeArmon to run for MD State Senate

George Wenschhof

Democrat Don DeArmon has begun the process of running for state senate in district 3 by filing a candidate committee with the state of Maryland. In a brief conversation with him today, Mr. DeArmon indicated he would be filing the necessary papers for candidacy soon and would have an announcement at that time.

He indicated he was looking forward to his announcement and detailing his positions on the issues in the very near future. A campaign website is also under construction and should be available for viewing at that time.

The filing of a candidate committee allows a candidate to raise funds prior to officially filing for office. When I asked him how the fund raising was going, he said very well and was pleased with how the campaign was progressing.

Some Frederick county voters may remember DeArmon from when he was the Democratic nominee for Congress against Republican incumbent Roscoe Bartlett in Congressional District 6 in 2000 and 2002. He and his wife Ann and their children live in the City of Frederick.

He has extensive government experience including working for CRD Associates L.L.C. in Washington D.C. and overall has 28 years of experience in working on the Hill. He was formally the legislative director for Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA).

His background along with his previous campaign experience will make him a formidable candidate in this race.

The incumbent state senator in District 3 is Republican Alex Mooney who is known for his far right conservative beliefs and his ability to raise huge sums of campaign funds from all over the country. He first won election in 1998 when he beat incumbent Republican Jack Derr.

Former four term City of Frederick Mayor; Democrat Ron Young announced at an event back on January 28, 2010 that he was a candidate for state senate in district 3. However, he has been quiet since then.

Rumors that Frederick County Board of Commissioners President; Democrat Jan Gardner would run for state senate have also been circulating for some time. I wrote in a column published on 11-16-2009, that while the talk was she was not going to run for reelection as county commissioner, I would not be surprised if she did so.

She indicated to me she was definitely not running for reelection to the board in a phone conversation several days after that column appeared. She said she was considering a run for state senate, but had yet to make up her mind.

On 11-24-2009, I published a column where I spoke of a meeting which was held with potential Democratic candidates for state senate in district 3, where they discussed who might run and what advantages there may be to have an uncontested Democratic primary.

It does not appear an agreement was reached to hold an uncontested Democratic primary and that is a good thing. The added attention a contested primary will bring to the Democrats will be a positive and result in a much stronger candidate to emerge against Alex Mooney.

Lisa Baugher, who was the first Democrat to publicly say she intended to run for state senate in district 3 has since said she had changed her mind and would not be running for the seat.

The deadline to file for candidacy is July 6. The primary will be on September 14 and the General Election will be on November 2.

---

To receive "Daily Email Updates" from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below or use the sign up box located in the right hand margin.

Frederick County Commissioner Speculation Begins

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!

----

To receive "Daily Updates" from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed' below.