Frederick County state senate district 3 race, a close one

Ron Young

George Wenschhof

The Maryland June 26 primary election is tomorrow and the state senate race in district 3 has plenty of interesting dynamics at play.  In the Democratic primary, incumbent Ron Young has said this will be his last term, a phrase he has uttered in previous elections.  Ron has been involved in politics his entire life, serving as mayor of The City of Frederick for 4 terms and now as state senator for two terms.  He is well known and after a lifetime in politics has his supporters and detractors. Ron’s length of service and the ability to get things done along with a name recognition that is likely the highest of any politician in Frederick County, may help him eke out a victory.

He is opposed by Jennifer Brannan and Jennifer Dougherty in the Democratic primary.  Brannan is not well known and her campaign efforts have not helped voters to get to know her.  Dougherty on the other hand is known as someone who always appears on the ballot and one who has been divisive in local politics.  This election will mark the tenth time Jennifer has run for office in Frederick County.  Her sole win was in the 2001 City of Frederick mayoral election, aided when she won by 36 votes against more experienced Meta Nash in the primary held on 9/11, a day many voters stayed home. Republican two term mayor Jim Grimes had already beaten himself with a multitude of bad decisions, so the Democratic nominee was assured the win in the General Election.

There is no love lost between Jennifer and Ron. In her first race, Jennifer ran for mayor in 1993 and was opposed in the Democratic primary by African American Gary Hughes.  Hughes received support from Ron Young and beat Jennifer in that primary election.  Republican Jim Grimes would win that election for mayor.

During Dougherty’s only term in office, she alienated voters so badly, including Democrats, leading Ron Young to run against Jennifer and beat her in the 2005 city Democratic primary. Upset at being challenged and beaten as an incumbent, she would urge her supporters to back Republican mayoral candidate Jeff Holtzinger.  Holtzinger would upset Ron in that 2005 city election.

Frederick County Republican leaders are excited about the strong possibility of picking up this seat, realizing neither Jennifer’s or Ron’s supporters will likely vote for the other should they lose the primary.  This had been a Republican held seat for many years with Alex Mooney being the last Republican state senator.  To the delight of many Frederick County voters, Ron Young would beat Mooney in the 2010 election.

Capturing this seat for Republicans however will not be easy.  The Republican primary is also filled with intrigue with Frederick County Burger King franchise owner Craig Giagrande and his significant personal campaign financial contributions facing Billy Shreve, a member of the Frederick County council.

Giagrande has received the endorsement of popular Frederick County sheriff Chuck Jenkins(R) and the conservative Blog RedMaryland.com. 

Shreve was a member of the Frederick board of county commissioners when Blaine Young (R) was president.  When charter government was passed in Frederick County, Blaine Young would face Democrat Jan Gardner for county executive and lose. Shreve would run for county council and win, enduring what must have been a difficult four years for him under Gardner. Obviously, frustrated with his lack of influence in county government and knowing Ron Young(D) barely won against an unknown Republican candidate four years ago, Shreve decided to challenge Ron Young for state senate.

Now, Shreve is locked in a close contest against Giagrande in the Republican primary and may well lose.

Both of the Democratic and Republican primaries for Maryland state senate in district 3 will be close, as will the General Election.  How well the nominees for each political party unite their voters and are able to appeal across party lines will determine the ultimate winner in this race.

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Frederick County Deserves More Than a Carnival Barker

George Wenschhof

Blaine Young

The deadline has now passed for candidates to file to run in the 2014 election and there were few surprises for the voters in Frederick County Maryland.

In a poor imitation of Professor Harold Hill from “The Music Man”, Republican board of county commissioners President Blaine Young, holding back tears and using his sons as props, made official what everyone knew, by announcing his run for county executive.

The alleged suspense as to whether he would run was embellished by Blaine stating his 13 year old son would make the decision for him at 6:00 PM on February 25, a mere three hours before the filing deadline. 

Holding up a “Blaine Young for county executive” sign, Blaine proclaimed he had no prior idea what his son’s decision would be.

Reminiscent of George C. Scott in the movie “The Flim-Flam Man”, Blaine would like voters to believe it was a last minute choice, while many believe the appearance of his sons was intended to blunt sure to come scrutiny on Blaine’s personal life.

One thing numerous Frederick County voters can be thankful for is Blaine will not, due to legal constraints, be able to host his radio show while he is running for office.  A platform he exploited while serving in office the past three plus years.

It is likely a weakened Blaine will still easily prevail over fellow commissioner David Gray and former county budget officer Mark Sweadner in the Republican primary. 

However, in a much anticipated contest, he will face a colossal battle with Jan Gardner who is unopposed in the Democratic primary.   

Joining Blaine in the last minute trip to the board of elections was Republican board of county commissioner Billy Shreve who filed for county council at-large.  Shreve, commissioner Kirby Delauter(R), who is running for county council in district 5 and commissioner Paul Smith(R), who is running for Maryland state delegate in district 3-A have given Blaine “carte blance” over the last three plus years to proceed with his reckless and ill conceived privatization strategy, leading me to label them “Blaine and Company”.

Shreve will not have an easy route in the at-large council race where voters will choose two representatives.  The June 24 county council at-large primary will have 8 Republican candidates and 5 Democratic candidates with the top two from each party facing each other in the November 4 general election. 

Former Republican congressman Roscoe Bartlett chief of staff Bud Otis and Billy Shreve will be the early favorites to win in the Republican primary.  With 5 strong candidates, Democratic voters are ensured they will have two competitive contenders for the general election.

In years past, because of voter registration favoring Republicans, one could easily say it would be difficult for a Democratic candidate to win countywide.  But with Linda Norris, Susan Reeder Jesse, David Twigg, Whitney Duck and Steve Bruns in the running, look to see at least one elected in November.

The rearranging of the deck chairs, by proponents for “smart growth” versus proponents for growth continues with the candidates who have filed for the five members of the council elected by districts.

Look to see the Democratic primary produce the winner in November in District 3 with M.C. Keegan-Ayer, Dwain Earl Robbins and Jesse Goode having the most name recognition.

At first glance, all of the county council races appear to be competitive with the exception of District 4 where I place Democrat Jessica Fitzwater, who is unopposed in the primary, as the favorite to win in November.

Even, in northern district 5, long a Republican voter stronghold, early favorite Kirby Delauter will face a primary challenge from Walkersville Burgess Ralph Whitmore.  Whitmore is close to former county commissioner and Walkersville Burgess John “Lennie” Thompson who was a member of the 2006 board of commissioners led by Democrat Jan Gardner dubbed “The Dream Team”.

Frederick County residents have had enough theatrics from Blaine Young over the last three plus years. 

What Frederick County residents deserve is reasonable, fair and effective representation.

Instead of signs welcoming visitors stating “Frederick County, Open for Business”, what are needed are signs saying “Welcome to Frederick County, a Well Planned Community”.

Vote for change in 2014.

Stay tuned.

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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Young Given Carte Blanche

George Wenschhof

My immediate fear of the results from the county commissioner election last year in Frederick County, Maryland, has unfortunately been proven true. As I followed the election last year, I was disappointed that once again, Frederick county voters were subjected to a "growth" versus "no-growth" theme from the aspiring candidates.

I lamented on how this theme had dominated over the past twenty years and as a result, voters in Frederick County had suffered. My subsequent endorsements were aimed at an attempt to bring a balance board to office. One, I believed Frederick County voters deserved.

The dramatic pendulum swings from one direction to the other every four to eight years have brought about instability, affecting everything from government services and economic development, to nonprofits who provide services to those in need.

The 2010 election followed four years in office of the so-called "Dream Team", a bipartisan group of four commissioners who fell into the "no-growth" category.

Knowing Blaine Young, who was leading the latest version of the "pro-growth" team, would win big, due to the lack of strong candidates in the race, I choose to support Democrats Michael Kurtianyk and Linda Norris along with Republicans Paul Smith and Billy Shreve.

Although, Republicans would form a majority, I opined a balanced board would result.

While I was correct Young would win big, I underestimated his strength to carry three fellow "pro-growth" candidates into office with him.

Unfortunately, when the votes were counted, all Republicans were elected to the board, with David Gray being the lone wolf left from the previous anti-growth board. Gray has subsequently been regulated to taking up space at board meetings, his thoughts on issues totally dismissed.

Gray's attempts to raise the level of discussion on issues he is passionate about by holding separate meetings open to the public; have resulted in attendance by only a handful of far left wing activists. A sad picture to witness and one which supports my call for his defeat in last year's election.

Blaine Young, winning the most votes, has gone about making changes at lightning speed, since becoming president of the board.

The moves have been many; appointing a charter writing board, balancing the 3% budget deficit with draconian cuts to Head Start and non-profits, changes in county staff and department alignment, review of the controversial down zonings which took place during the previous board, privatization moves in county owned nursing homes, examining privatizing government services, reduction of fees charged to developers and adding prayer to the start of county meetings, are but some of the many changes made in less than six months.

Balancing the budget on the backs of needy children and seniors is not an action I will ever support. Cutting back funding to non profits during a time they are needed more than ever makes little sense.

The blitzkrieg assaults on Frederick County policies and procedures a result of Blaine Young being given carte blanche by the commissioners who rode his coattails into office; Billy Shreve, Paul Smith and Kirby Delauter.

Delauter, Shreve and Smith have taken the role of a devoted call in listener to Blaine Young's popular local radio talk show, never questioning what is being presented, or even offering a proposal of their own.

Delauter, who along with Young have made clear they are only serving one term in office, often expressing it in such a way; they should be honored by doing so. However, with only serving one term, there is no accountability to the voters and we are already seeing the destruction one can cause when there is no intent to run for another term. Promising to serve for only one term is hardly the pledge most voters want to hear from a candidate.

Adding further injury to voters is the state of Maryland has no recall provision for county commissioners.

Shreve and Smith, however, may wish to run for reelection and being a puppet to Young for four years will not endear or distinguish them to the voters when the 2014 election is held.

Blaine Young understands how to use the position he is in better than many who have served before him. However, his actions to date do not show the wisdom of reasonable and fair decisions, but rather, decisions based on reversing what the previous board had done.

Young is also showing he believes in the Republican Party mantra of government should be run like a business. Problem is, government is not a business and should never be run as such – It exists to provide services to all in a fair and equal manner at present and into the future, regardless of their status in life. Business exists to make a profit, and rightfully so.

The old saying "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" is one to keep in mind during the one term Blaine Young serves as president of the board. That is not to say Young will be corrupt, rather it is to point out too much power in the hands of one person is not what was intended in the county commissioner form of government.

Young understands in politics making moves early and quickly in one's term increases the odds of immediate success in those endeavors as well as the likelihood voters will forget by the time they go to the polls in three and one-half years.

As a result, at present, political opponents are on their heels, unable to mount a defense or present alternatives as the changes are happening so fast.

However, the actions taken by the board to date already ensures another destructive "growth" versus no-growth" election battle will take place in less than four years.

I believe we can do better. Frederick County voters deserve reasonable, fair, effective and balanced representation - They should demand it.

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Change Needed in Frederick County, Maryland Government

George Wenschhof

For twenty years, residents of Frederick County Maryland have been governed by either a "pro-growth" or "anti-growth" Board of County Commissioners.

Rather than continuing the swing from one ideology to another, it is time for voters to elect a more centrist and balanced board. This will result in a more reasoned approach in addressing issues such as the impending reduction of the budget, creating jobs closer to home, charter government, growth and the disposal of trash.

Electing recently appointed Commissioner Blaine Young, Michael Kurtianyk, Paul Smith, Billy Shreve and Linda Norris will ensure a more balanced approach to decision making takes place over the next four years.

Incumbent commissioners Kai Hagen and David Gray are painful examples of the outdated five headed commissioner form of government.

Mr. Hagen obviously never learned the truth in the old saying which explains why we are born with two ears and one mouth (so, we listen twice as much as we talk), as he speaks incessantly, while often saying nothing.

A long term community activist and first term commissioner, he also never learned the difference between being an activist and an elected official, leading to his ineffectiveness as a commissioner over the last four years.

Mr. Gray either displayed his lack of understanding of the importance of becoming president of the board or his unwillingness to accept the responsibility that comes with it, by relinquishing the gavel after winning it, in the election four years ago.

None of these characteristics are qualities one should look for in an elected official and neither Mr. Gray or Mr. Hagen deserve another term in office.

When the newly elected commissioners discuss the budget cuts sure to come, all programs and services will need to be examined. Special care should be given to those departments who provide services to those in need as the ranks of the unemployed and underemployed have grown as all county governments across the country struggle to rise out of the deepest recession since the great depression.

The firing of county employees should be the last resort in meeting needed budget reductions. Instead, a focus on not filling essential positions and/or a hiring freeze should be examined. If employees still need to be laid off, the focus should be on mid level management positions, who often are a result of previous funding increases.

Creating jobs closer to home should be a priority of the new board of commissioners as way too many Frederick County residents continue a daily time consuming commute. Commissioner Blaine Young has made this a priority in his campaign.

One suggestion for the new Board is to work with the state legislature as well as our Representative in Congress to promote tax incentives for businesses who provide telecommuting to employees a minimum of one day a week. Passage of this legislation would be a great start in helping Frederick County residents reduce their weekly commute time.

A win-win proposal which would save energy, help employers with job retention and recruitment, while allowing employees more time to spend with family.

Creating a charter writing committee by the new board is one of the first things the new Board of Commissioners should do. The charge of the committee should be to complete the document, providing time for public input, with the question put to the voters in the 2012 presidential election. Once passed by the voters, it would go into effect for the 2014 election.

During the charter writing period, the committee should hold regional meetings throughout the county. The purpose of the meetings would be to provide the public with updated information on the progress of the charter document and to ask for comment and suggestions.

Moving to a county executive and county council will make for a much more effective form of government for Frederick county residents and is long overdo.

When it comes to issues relating to growth, the main concern has rightfully been to ensure infrastructure (schools, roads, water, sewer, fire and rescue) keeps pace with new growth.

While an Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) has been passed and impact fees instituted over the last twenty years, they have not made a noticeable difference in this area.

When attending first and second grade at Parkway Elementary School, I shared a classroom with students in the second and third grade due to overcrowded schools. At that time (1959-1960), the population of the county was about one-third of what it is today.

Years, after enacting well intentioned impact fees and the APFO, portables have replaced split classrooms, older schools remain badly in need of repair and new planned schools stand in line for funding, hardly a measurable improvement.

Roads remain congested and water and sewer availability remain a consistent problem associated with growth.

The new board would serve the residents well by reaching out to a nonpartisan research and think tank to review the results of the enacted growth policies of the last twenty years and if necessary, propose a new means of raising the needed revenue. The University of Maryland Center for Public Policy and Private Enterprise may be one who would provide the research.

Whether a fee is involved or not, a professional review of existing ordinances and regulations should be undertaken immediately.

In addition, the nonpartisan organization should be charged with both reviewing the current county development approval process and proposing a better, more effective and efficient way, than the existing time consuming and costly process.

As location has always been pivotal to buyers of real estate, Frederick County has always been destined to grow.

The discussion of growth should not be an adversarial exercise in Frederick County. Rather, the discussion should be one that leads to effective land management principles which benefit the entire community.

When it comes to the disposal of trash, where and how will always be a controversial decision for elected officials. While the cost of building the approved incinerator is a whopping 300 million plus, opponents led by Commissioner Kai Hagen have failed to offer a reasonable option.

Moving from a current county recycling rate of slightly more than thirty per cent to a rate not needing a landfill or an incinerator is not a realistic alternative. Continuing to truck waste out of state is not a viable answer.

One reasonable and less expensive alternative that should have received more consideration is another landfill or expansion of the existing landfill to serve the need of trash disposal in Frederick County which I wrote about two years ago.

What I proposed was a cost-benefit analysis be done between a landfill and an incinerator. Also, a similar effort made to identify possible locations for a landfill should take place as was done for an incinerator.

Candidate Michael Kurtianyk during a recent sit down interview said he would like to see the county investigate acquiring the former East Alco site in southern Frederick County to be used either for a landfill or incinerator site.

An interesting suggestion, as the acreage could also incorporate a regional compost facility and a resource recovery park.

The dramatic swing between "pro-growth" and "no-growth" boards over the last twenty years has been detrimental to the residents of Frederick County and needs to come to an end in this election.

With the election of Blaine Young, Michael Kurtianyk, Paul Smith, Billy Shreve, and Linda Norris, a balance of reason and experience will prevail over the next four years.

Blaine Young has the political experience which will be a benefit in dealing with the many issues facing county residents today.

Paul Smith, like Blaine Young, has the experience of serving as a City of Frederick alderman. An attorney, he will bring a welcomed reasoned approach to the issues.

Billy Shreve has long been involved in the community serving on boards and commissions. His time spent as chair of the Frederick County Board of Zoning Appeals and as a member of the City of Frederick Planning Commission will be invaluable.

Michael Kurtianyk has shown throughout the campaign his willingness to put principles in front of party. A refreshing approach to the issues from a politician and one which will be appreciated by the residents of Frederick County.

Linda Norris, with experience in working both in the public and private sector will be a added plus as a member of the Board.

Her time spent as Public Information Officer and as Director of Recycling for Frederick County Government will serve her well as commissioner.

The election is only four week away. Make sure you visit candidate websites, read voter guides and most important vote on November 2.

Your vote is important and does make a difference.

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Battle for Control of Frederick County MD Commissioners Intense

George Wenschhof

Across the country, the battle is between Democrats and Republicans over who will control Congress. This outcome of this battle will be determined in six short weeks when the mid term elections are held on November 2. The role of government, the level of taxation, and the economy are the major issues the two major political parties must convince voters that their positions are best for them and the country.

However, In Frederick County, Maryland, a familiar battle is taking place in the race for county commissioner. Five commissioners will be elected by the voters and has been the case for the last two decades, the race is not highlighted by political party affiliation.

Rather, it is one again, rightly or wrongly, best categorized as a contest between candidates who are members of a "pro-growth" slate or "no-growth" slate. Candidates who fall within these two designated camps may argue the designation or use of the term, but it is the main way voters identify them.

However, there are additional important issues for voters to pay attention to the positions candidates have on them.

It is time Frederick County changes to a charter government and for voters to elect a county executive and a council elected by geographic regions across the county with one representing the City of Frederick. The new Board should immediately appoint a charter writing committee and charge them with having a referendum on the 2012 presidential election ballot for voters to decide.

Whether the county should move forward on building the agreed upon 300+million waste-to-energy incinerator is another issue voters should zero in on.

The 300+ million is a lot of money to commit to handle the county waste. However, the anti-incinerator candidates led by Commissioner Kai Hagen have yet to propose a reasonable alternative.

Zero to no effort has been made to date at identifying potential landfill sites downsized appropriately recognizing increased efforts toward zero-waste will be implemented. This would result in huge savings with a compost facility and resource recovery center located on the same site.

How future commissioners will handle the sure reduction in future budgets is also important for voters to ask candidates.

Also, what efforts will be made by future commissioners to improve the frayed relationship between the county commissioners with town and cities across the county.

The "pro-growth candidates are led by incumbent Commissioner Blaine Young who is joined by fellow Republicans Billy Shreeve and Kirby Delauter.

The "no-growth" candidates are led by Commissioner Kai Hagen who is joined by Republican Commissioner David Gray and Democratic candidates Linda Norris, Janet Wiles and Ellis Burrus.

Two candidates who do not fit entirely into either of these groups, but who are more aligned with the "pro-growth" slate are Paul Smith (R) and Michael Kurtianyk (D).

In addition to the voters determining which side will hold a majority on the board, they will also be deciding who will be the next President of the Board of Commissioners. It is safe to assume this contest will be waged between Kai Hagen (D) (8,110 votes) and Blaine Young (R) (13,393 votes), both of whom are ensured reelection and both led their tickets in primary voting.

Mr. Young appeared on my show "All Things Political with George Wenschhof" prior to the primary and I was impressed with how he handled the interview. You can watch that interview here.

More Republicans voted in the Frederick County, Maryland primary, a trend which followed voter turnout across the nation. Whether Democratic voters will become energized and turn out for the general election remains to be seen.

Interestingly, as a result of actions taken by the Board after the last election, the Board President will be who receives the highest vote total. Previously, the president had been the top vote getter among the majority political party elected to office.

So, besides determining who will lead the new Board, voters will decide whether "pro-growth" or "no-growth" candidates will form the majority.

Both of these battles promise to be intense over the next six weeks.

Paul Smith (R) is considered a moderate and placed a strong second (8,847 votes) in the Republican primary. The former one term City of Frederick alderman is also an attorney. Blaine Young is reaching out to Mr. Smith and including him in the Republican ticket. Although, Smith was voted out after serving only one term as alderman, look to see him win a seat on the Board of Commissioners.

Linda Norris, who has tried hard to run her own campaign and not be lumped in with the Kai Hagen "no-growth" slate finished a strong second in the Democratic primary with 7,884 votes. Another moderate, look to see her also win a seat on the Board.

Ms. Norris also appeared on "All Things Political with George Wenschhof" prior to the primary. You may watch her interview here.

The top two finishers from the Republican and Democratic primaries do not always win in the general election. But, this year, look to see them be the favorites.

Who will win the fifth seat promises to be interesting with the outcome likely very close between Republicans Kirby Delauter who finished third in the primary with 8,420 votes, Billy Shreve who finished fourth in the Republican primary with 7,352 votes and Democratic candidate Janice Wiles who finished third with 6,506 votes.

Michael Kurtianyk who finished last in the Democratic primary will pick up Republican support in the general election. However, he will not be a part of the Blaine Young led Republican slate. While he will pick up Republican support in the general, it is doubtful he will be able to attract enough votes to finish in the top five.

Democratic candidate Ellis Burrus finished fourth in the primary with 4,790 votes and it will also be tough for him to climb up to finish among the top five in the general election.

Don't look to see incumbent Republican Commissioner David Gray repeat his performance from four years ago when he also finished down on the ballot in the Republican primary. Gray benefited four years ago of having the support of fellow Republican commissioner John "Lenny" Thompson and Democrat Commissioner Jan Gardner, both of whom are not on the ticket this year.

After rallying to finish as the top vote getter among a majority Republican Board, Gray relinquished the gavel and with it the president of the Board, as he voted to change the procedures in electing the Board President to the candidate with the most votes. Thus, giving the power of the gavel to Democrat Jan Gardner.

Although both Paul Smith and Linda Norris are moderate, they would most likely, in crucial votes, align their vote with Blaine Young and Kai Hagen, respectively.

Which makes who wins the fifth seat in the general election all the more interesting.

Six weeks remain for the candidates to campaign and "it is never over until it's over"; which sounds like a famous Yogi Berra quote.

Stay Tuned...

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Editor's Note: Voting numbers used are from Election Summary Report of Unofficial Results dated 9-14-2010.

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