City of Frederick, MD Democratic Buzz

George Wenschhof Bio

I began the first of what will be ongoing posts pertaining to the City of Frederick election back on January 20.

Jennifer Dougherty made official, what I had predicted in that first column, when she announced her candidacy for Mayor yesterday. By announcing yesterday, Dougherty who is Irish will be in the news today on St. Patrick's Day.

Also yesterday, Jack Lynch announced his withdrawal from the race and his support for Jennifer Dougherty. Mr. Lynch was a former columnist with Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof.

Mr. Lynch has always come across as sincere in regard to his positive vision for the future of the City of Frederick. He will stay involved by working on the Dougherty campaign and managing the website. Look to see him stay involved in local politics. It is entirely possible he will surface in a future campaign for elected office.

We published posts yesterday on the Dougherty and Lynch announcements.

Meanwhile, the Judd for Mayor campaign continues moving forward with plans to begin canvassing City of Frederick residents this coming weekend. In a recent email sent to supporters, Jason Judd indicated he wants every voter to have a copy of his Brochure.

The alderman race grew by one Democrat yesterday when Andrew Kotkin filed his paperwork with City Hall. I spoke with him yesterday and he sent me a press release on his announcement.

Mr. Kotkin has lived in Frederick for nine years and owns a residential project management company. He and his wife have three children under the age of six. He emailed me the following as to why he is running for alderman:

"Quality of life issues, in my mind, are some of the biggest concerns for the citizens here in the City, and at the rate we are continuing to grow, we will need a government that has the willingness to listen to those concerns and voice whether it is acting in the best interest of those citizens it claims to represent."

I informed him we will publish a column from him detailing the reasons he is running for alderman and he indicated he will send to us. We have offered the same to all the Democratic candidates when they make their announcement. You can contact him at Kotkin4alderman@live.com

It still looks as though incumbent Democratic aldermen Donna Kuzemchak and David "Kip" Koontz will run for reelection. Their entry would increase the number to four Democrats running for alderman. The fourth is Kelly Russel who was the first to file.

Michael O'Connor also informed me he is moving closer to announcing he is running for alderman. Political junkies know him as the host of "Pressing Issues" a political discussion show that was broadcast by Comcast. I remember when he was a reporter with Adelphia cable and we actually had a local television news station. He is obviously knowledgeable of city issues and will make a competitive candidate. Look to see him announce within the next several weeks.

Popular former alderman Bill Hall will make it six Democrats running for alderman when he makes his announcement. He was the top vote getter in the 2001 election and will be looked upon as a favorite to win a seat on the five member Board of Alderman.

I also mentioned Carol Krimm, who is a member of the Frederick County Democratic State Central Committee, as a possible candidate in my January 20 post on the site. She would make it seven Democratic candidates and if successful and elected, she would be the first from the local Democratic central committee to win election to public office since 1997. Blaine Young, who was the chair of the committee at that time won and served one term as alderman. He is now a registered Republican.

Burke Miller, the President of the Frederick County Young Democrats indicated to me yesterday he was still considering a run for alderman. He plans to call Democratic activists to receive some advise prior to making a decision.

He would make it 8 candidates vying for five seats in the Democratic primary. The above eight Democratic candidates are all solid so look for an exciting Democratic primary. In all likelihood, the number of alderman candidates will grow by another two to three candidates.

We plan to offer online forums for the Democratic candidates after the filing deadline July 7, so stay tuned.

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City of Frederick, MD Democratic Chatter

George Wenschhof Bio

The race for Mayor of the City of Frederick is shaping up as a do-over of the 2005 election. All indications are former Democratic Mayor Jennifer Dougherty will announce her candidacy any day now. While another former Mayor Ron Young, her Democratic opponent in the 2005 city election, is supporting newcomer Jason Judd. The other Democratic candidate for Mayor is Jack Lynch.

For Ms. Dougherty, this will make her sixth attempt for public office while it is the first for Mr. Judd and Mr. Lynch. It was just last year Ms. Dougherty won the Democratic party nomination for Congress in the sixth district of Maryland. While she did not do any better in the general election than the Democratic nominee Andrew Duck did in the 2006 election, she did win the City of Frederick with 56% of the vote.

She did work hard at mending fences after the 2008 Congressional primary so look to see her continue to work at finding common ground among city voters. So far, in addition to her closest advisers, she has been reaching out to members in the community to discuss her interest in running for Mayor. Upon hearing of former city alderman Bill Hall's intention to run again Ms. Dougherty placed a call and had a conversation with him. She has also met with alderman Marcia Hall who recently announced she would not be running for any office this year. Marcia Hall had briefly entertained running for Mayor.

If Dougherty wins, she will be 2-6 in her attempts for elective office and at .333, that would make her a superstar in major league baseball today. If she would lose, at 1-6 and .166, she would be out of baseball and most likely any future quest for elected office would be over as well. The often visible and reported disagreements between Mayor Dougherty and Republican aldermen became a distraction during her term in office. However, if she has learned to lay off the high fastball and learned to hit the curve ball, expect a very competitive race and a good shot at returning to city hall.

Look for Ms. Dougherty to focus on the important issues facing the City of Frederick today and the need to have experienced leaders in office. The city budget and finances will surely be one of the major areas which will receive her attention.

Meanwhile, Jason Judd will need to shake the image of being the surrogate for Ron Young. His Union work experience also continues to be a issue with some city voters. Interestingly, when he submitted and we published his announcement column (we announced in July 2008 we will do the same for all Democratic candidates), Mr. Judd never once mentioned his work for Unions in describing his work experience.

Perhaps this was an oversight, but Mr. Judd should not avoid discussing his work with the Services Employees International Union (SEIU). An opponent could easily perceive this as a weakness and try to exploit his past work experience. The positives of what unions have accomplished for working men and women should be acknowledged and not ignored.

Not helping Judd break the surrogate label, was a letter to the editor from Ron Young that appeared in the Frederick Gazette today. Here he says he is not just against Jennifer Dougherty but is supporting Jason Judd because.... Interestingly, Mr. Young brings up and questions the residency of current Republican Mayor Jeff Holtzinger. Funny, due to the fact Ron Young did not meet the residency requirements that were in place when he wanted to challenge Jennifer Dougherty in the 2005 primary. This led to the squabble among elected city officials, ultimately resulting in a one year residency requirement which Ron Young did meet. Along the way, as the residency squabble was playing out, Republican Jeff Holtzinger whose residency was just outside the City of Frederick's boundary, became eligible to file and did so.

Do not look to see the residency issue be an important factor with the voters in this election. In fact, many are tired of hearing about residency and instead want the candidates to focus on the issues.

As to the city aldermen race, Kelly Russell remains the only Democrat to file for office. A link to her website is located in the right hand margin of our site so go and check it out. James Racheff sent me an email recently saying he will not be running for aldermen. He has a new job and young children he loves spending time with and does not want to miss those precious moments. Mr. Racheff will stay involved with politics by helping out on the Judd for Mayor campaign. Look for Mr. Racheff to run for office in the future.

Although alderman David "Kip'" Koontz has considered running for Mayor, do not look for him to do so if Jennifer Dougherty announces soon. He will be competitive for reelection for alderman. Incumbent Donna Kuzemchak will most likely run for her fourth term and will also be a favorite for reelection. As mentioned in a previous column on our site, former two term alderman Bill Hall is expected to announce his run for alderman after switching his voter registration back to Democrat. He will be a formidable candidate.

As I indicated last week, Burke Miller, the President of the Frederick County Young Democrats is weighing entering the race. He will know more after he makes his decision on Law school over the next several weeks. Another possible candidate that has surfaced in conversations I have had with Democrats is Michael O'Connor who was recently the host of the local cable "Pressing Issues" political discussion show. He ran previous for state delegate and lost. Mr. O'Connor is knowledgeable of city issues and would be a competitive candidate. Another name that was mentioned to me by several individuals is Josh Bokee. I have not met him but was told he serves on the Whittier Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) and may be interested in running for alderman.

Stay tuned....

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City of Frederick, MD Democratic Chatter

George Wenschhof Bio

I wrote back on January 20 the 2009 race for the Democratic party nomination for Mayor of the City of Frederick, Maryland could wind up being a battle of the surrogates of the Democratic candidates in 2005. In that election, former four term Mayor Ron Young took on incumbent one term mayor Jennifer Dougherty. Ron Young beat Jennifer Dougherty but then lost to current Republican Mayor Jeff Holtzinger.

The surrogates were shaping up to be Alderman Marcia Hall who appeared to have the support of Jennifer Dougherty and newcomer Jason Judd who has the support of Ron Young. Marcia Hall had said she was running for Mayor on Katherine's Heerbrandt's "Frederick's Forum" WFMD AM radio talk show on January 11.

I indicated in my column on January 20, this would be the case unless Jennifer Dougherty could not resist the temptation to enter the race herself. Whether Jennifer entered the race or not, it looked as if the Dougherty supporters would be facing the Young supporters again in the 2009 Democratic primary.

I also indicated I believed neither Alderman Donna Kuzemchak or David "Kip" Koontz would run for Mayor. Instead, they would run for reelection as Aldermen and be favored.

When Marcia Hall announced at the February 19 Mayor and Board meeting she would not be running for any elected position this year, the odds for Ms. Dougherty to enter the race increased as I indicated in my column dated February 24.

I also pointed out in that column that Jack Lynch who at that point was the only Democrat to file for Mayor was a long shot and he remains so today. Mr. Lynch has genuine concerns for future growth for the city but in order for him to mount a competitive campaign he will need to raise money and develop his organization.

The fund raiser planned by Jason Judd was also mentioned in that column and on February 26, Mr. Judd had well over 100 attend the event at Cafe Nola in downtown Frederick. In fact, he informed me they had 150 attend per their head count. Ron Young spoke and it is obvious Jason Judd has some organization supporting his race. He also surely added to his campaign coffers that evening. A good start for his campaign. However, before anyone gets too excited, I was one of several hundred who attended Ron Young's campaign kick-off for the 2005 campaign. After raising a reported $130,000, he lost to current Mayor Jeff Holtzinger.

Judd is following up on that event with an official announcement kick-off of his campaign on March 11 at the Delaplaine Center. You can read more details on that event here. We will be publishing his announcement column on why he is running for Mayor within the next several days. He informed me I would receive from him no later than today. We will do the same for all Democratic candidates as they announce their candidacy.

I met with Jennifer Dougherty yesterday morning and she indicated she was indeed considering running for Mayor and would make an announcement within the next one to two weeks. She has been keeping busy talking with her closest campaign advisers and voters in the community.

We spoke of a wide range of topics. The economic aspects of Mayor Holtzinger's pension plan and buy out along with his purchase of land for a City park were two areas of concern for Ms. Dougherty.

She also spoke of lessons learned from the 2005 city primary and felt she handled the 2008 6th district congressional primary in a much better manner, avoiding the fractured nature of the Democratic voters in the 2005 city election. In that primary, she beat favored Andrew Duck who was the Democratic nominee in 2006. She went on to lose to incumbent Republican Roscoe Bartlett by the same margin as Duck had lost by two years previously.

Let's see what she decides to do. If I were a betting man, I would say she will run for Mayor. After all, she realizes she won 56% of the vote in the city last year in the Congressional election. If she did enter the race, she would be the Democratic front runner.

Meanwhile, Aldermen Donna Kuzemchak and David "Kip" Koontz have to be mulling running for Mayor now that Marcia Hall has dropped out. However, do not look to see either do so if Dougherty announces for Mayor.

As to Jack Lynch, he indicated to me he had met with Frederick County Commissioner Kai Hagen several weeks ago. Hagen is supporting Jason Judd and suggested to Lynch that he withdraw and run for Alderman. Lynch indicated to me he did not see himself running for Alderman.

In regard to Democratic candidates for Aldermen, Kelly Russell continues to be the only one to file to date. She continues to be extremely quiet.

One new face to possibly look for is Burke Miller, the President of the Frederick County Young Democrats. He is a very impressive young man and would make an excellent Aldermen. He has applied for Law School and work along with his involvement with the Young Democrats may keep him from filing. He indicated to me he is interested and would have a better idea come May.

Stay Tuned...

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Frederick County MD Young Democrats Begin Weekly Column

J. Burke Miller

Through this past Presidential election, we all witnessed as the youth of America shed the stigma of uninformed non-voters and emerge as one of the major catalysts of President-elect Barack Obama's historic campaign. As proud as I was to witness the extent to which my peers were engaged, the prospects of America's youth returning to electoral anonymity have continued to way heavy on my mind – very heavy, actually.

When the county's chapter of Young Democrats was revamped over the summer, it was with the intention of assuring that Frederick's youth would never again be anonymous; instead, our chapter would thrive at the task of cultivating Frederick's leaders of tomorrow. On the common ground of an interest in politics, the members of the Frederick County, Maryland Young Democrats (FYD) have committed to developing a deeper understanding of the political realm beyond the headlines on CNN. We are determined to understand the motives of those who seek office and the justifications and tendencies of those who put them there, and as we explore the ins and outs of politics we, too, are developing a core set of issues that mold our political persona.

With our "Frederick's Up and Coming" column, the Frederick Young Democrats intend to provide readers with an in-depth look at the process by which we have come to define ourselves as "young Democrats." Still, however, because each of our members undoubtedly processes current events in a different manner, our opinions will not always align with one another's. With that said, the "Frederick's Up and Coming" column is less of a forum for our organization to establish our agenda and more an opportunity to simply showcase the multiple talents and view points of our members to assure Frederick County that this time, we are not going to fade away.

The Frederick Young Democrats thank Mr. George Wenschhof for this wonderful opportunity and we remind you to visit "Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof" on Wednesdays for the newest version of "Frederick's Up and Coming," as the members of our organization and your community take turns dissecting, detailing and explaining how they have come to see the world.

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J. Burke Miller is President, Frederick County MD Chapter of Young Democrats.
jburkemiller@gmail.com
301.514.5022

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Frederick County President NAACP and Frederick County Young Democrats Support Change in City of Frederick Election Date

George Wenschhof Bio

On Monday, I published a column entitled "City of Frederick, MD Election Date Change Update". The column was an update on discussion to change the city election date to coincide with the presidential election year. This would double the current anemic 32% voter turnout in the city and most likely save the taxpayers money by reducing an election year.

We received the following comment from Guy Djoken, President of the Frederick County, Maryland Chapter NAACP "As the president of the Frederick County NAACP, I am supporting this initiative for the simple fact that it will more than double voter participation while lowering the cost for running the future elections."

I reported in the column the support by the Frederick County, Maryland Young Democrats and last night they issued a press release which said the following:

This past Sunday, Frederick County Young Democrats (FYD) voted unanimously to support moving the City's next election after this year from 2013 to 2012. The vote came from discussion of strategies to improve voter turnout for the upcoming City election in November. In the Presidential Election of 2004, there was a voter turnout of 83% Countywide and more than 15000 people voted at the City's precincts alone. This when compared to the voter turnout of the last City election in 2005, 31.75% and just over 9100 votes, begins to raise the question as to whether it would be more advantageous to the City for elected City officials elected in November to serve a 3 year term, and to continue aligning City elections with Presidential elections in the future.

When asked why FYD voted in support of this idea, FYD President Burke Miller responded, "We feel that it would best serve the residents of Frederick City to hold the next election cycle a year earlier, in 2012 to line up with the next Presidential Election, because it will create and attract more attention to issues that effect City residents. Along with creating more attention for these issues, it will allow voters to learn more about the candidates running for office in the City. It is also a way for the City to save money by not having to run its own election, something that is much needed in a time of budget crunches across the State."

Also, yesterday on the WFMD AM radio "Blaine Young" show, the co-hosts Tim May and Anita Stup who were subbing for Mr. Young both indicated their support for moving the election date to coincide with the presidential election year. Both are Republicans and Anita Stup was a former Frederick County Commissioner and Maryland state delegate.

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