Susan Reeder Jessee, a Refreshing Choice

Susan Reeder Jessee

George Wenschhof

In an era of attack dog style politics that has resulted in polarizing friends and communities, it was refreshing to spend ninety minutes interviewing Susan Reeder Jessee.  She is a Democratic candidate for one of the two at-large seats on the seven member Frederick County council.  Not once did she criticize another candidate or their position on an issue. 

The daughter of former county commissioner Bruce Reeder (D) and Democratic state central committee member Odette "Dottie" Reeder, Susan told me “I am running because I feel this is what I was meant to do. This is an opportunity to give back and I want to continue Mom and Dad’s work”.

Growing up in Frederick County and receiving her MBA from Hood College, she has seen firsthand the challenges brought about by growth.  Perhaps being a daughter, wife and mother in addition to being “around” politics throughout her life helped her in how she approaches issues.  Susan added “I have lived in four of the five districts so I know the county well.

When I asked about the issues most important to her, Susan said “I am not a single issue candidate”.  However, she told me economic development was important for the residents of Frederick County.  She believes we need to go outside of the county to target businesses for recruitment to bring jobs here.

Her background includes years spent as a Business Development Specialist for The City of Frederick and a member of the founding board of the first business incubator, The Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc. (FITCI).  Susan also served on the FITCI Client Selection committee.  She presently works as a project manager with IDT-Biologika.

Nearly 50% of the county budget goes toward education and Susan is proud to have received the endorsement of the Frederick County Teacher’s Association.  She remembers her tenth grade Biology teacher who inspired her to enter this field as a professional and wants Frederick County schools to be the best in the state.

Being aware of the needs of seniors is another area Susan is passionate about.  She spoke about the county Meals on Wheels program and tax initiatives to help seniors.

Affordable Housing is also important to Susan who feels the county has fallen way behind in providing affordable housing for the youth and seniors who live in the county.

When it comes to overall growth, Ms. Reeder Jessee wants to work and brainstorm with all community stakeholders to develop policies to get Frederick County in front of needed infrastructure and services.

Keeping neighborhoods safe and making sure first responders had what they needed was also important to Susan.

In regard to waste disposal, she wants to look at providing incentives to encourage recycling and composting, saying “you can’t force people to do this”.

Overall, Susan Reeder Jessee says “Let’s work together to move Frederick County forward”.

You can read more about Susan Reeder Jessee on her campaign website:  www.susanreederjessee.com.

Editor’s Note: The primary will be held on June 26, 2018. In the Frederick County council race, voters will determine the two at-large candidates and the candidate for each of the five districts from the Democratic and Republican parties who will go on to appear on the November 6, 2018 general election ballot. 

Wilson Readies Run for Delegate

George Wenschhof

Roger Wilson

Roger Wilson, a Democrat, had already had a long day when he met with me early Saturday evening.  A member of the Frederick Community College board of trustees, he had come from a full day meeting on the budget.

A senior consultant with IBM, Roger, his wife and three daughters have lived in Frederick for the last fifteen years.  All of the girls are in public schools and his wife is a counselor at the Jefferson School.

With three daughters in the public school system, Wilson told me he is committed to see Frederick County receives its fair share of school construction dollars from the state.

Since, relocating to Frederick from Virginia, the 41 year old has been busy volunteering in the community.  Roger spoke highly of the class “Leadership Frederick” that he completed years ago and said it exposed him to the challenges facing Frederick County.

Wilson informed me he also served on The City of Frederick Planning Commission and served two terms on the Fair Housing Commission.

He feels his business experience and public service has prepared him well for Maryland state delegate and has put together an impressive team to help him.  Former City of Frederick attorney Debra Borden is his Treasurer and his co-chairs are Jim Racheff, a local businessman and chair of The City of Frederick zoning board of appeals and Theresa Harrison.

Wilson informed me he had filed a statement of organization with the state which allows him to raise funds and will determine within the next few weeks if his candidacy is viable.

He lives in district 3-a where incumbent state delegates Galen Clagett(D) and Patrick Hogan(R) have both announced they will not be running for reelection.

When I asked him if he had a platform, he immediately mentioned the economy and jobs, higher education and affordable housing for seniors.  He added the themes in his campaign would be leadership, integrity and service.

In regard to job creation, he would support establishing a tax free zone for ten years to encourage businesses to relocate in Frederick County.  Focusing on where growth is taking place such as in cyber security and production of electric automobiles is also what Wilson would like to see.

The closing of BP Solar in Frederick was a disappointment to Roger and he said he would be a delegate championing these types of businesses.

I brought up the recent local discussion on how to pay for needed infrastructure with the proposal by Frederick County board of county commissioners Blaine Young (R) to increase the transfer tax on the sale of homes and delegate Galen Clagett’s (D) proposal to increase the personal income tax. 

Wilson said he opposed both proposals and was okay with the impact fee that was currently in use.

I also asked him about the current effort underway to raise the state minimum wage and how he felt about Prince Georges County and Montgomery County already raising the minimum wage.  He said he believed in local control and would not oppose what counties did and would support the state of Maryland tying the increase of the minimum wage to the cost of living.

The deadline for candidates to file in the 2014 state of Maryland elections is February 25.  The primary election will be held on June 24 and the general election will take place on November 4.

The candidates who have filed so far for delegate in district 3-a are Republican Paul Smith, a member of the Frederick board of county commissioners, Republican Chris Huckenpoehler and Democrat and former City of Frederick alderman Carol Krimm.

Former City of Frederick alderman and mayoral candidate Karen Young (D) informed me she is also exploring a run for delegate and filed a statement of organization on January 9.

Stay tuned.

City of Frederick NAC to Hold Candidate Forum

George Wenschhof

You should mark August 27 on your calendar and plan to attend the candidate forum sponsored by The City of Frederick Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC).

The event will be held at Lincoln Elemetary School Gym located at 200 Madison Street in Frederick, Maryland between 6:00 and 8:00 PM.

The city primary election on September 10 is rapidly approaching and this will give you an opportunity to hear the candidate's positions on issues important to you.

The NAC Primary Candidate Forum is a unique opportunity to meet one-on-one with mayoral and aldermanic candidates. They have been asked to address in specific terms their positions on five issues:

1. City of Frederick economic development

2. City of Frederick code enforcement

3. Policing in the City of Frederick

4. Growth and development in Frederick City

5. The role of citizens in government in the City of Frederick

 The candidate forum promises to be informative. Plan to attend!

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Clagett Stresses Vision and Management Experience to Lead City

George Wenschhof

Delegate Galen Clagett

Democratic Maryland state delegate Galen Clagett (district 3-a) wants to add mayor of The City of Frederick to a long list of accomplishments in his life.

He stressed to me during our ninety minute interview, he has the experience and vision to grow the city in a responsible manner and ensure a quality of life. 

Galen pointed to his 26 years as a business owner combined with his 20 years of being an elected official and 13 year as an educator. He feels this puts him in a unique position compared to any of the other candidates running for mayor.

Galen added “when it comes to preparing operating budgets, he has more experience than all of the other candidates combined.”

One of Clagett’s favorite quotes comes from President Harry Truman who once said “the worst decision is no decision”.  Galen said he has lived his life in business and in politics following this philosophy; by making decisions and moving forward.

When I asked him why he was running for mayor, Galen said during his 11+ years as a state legislator, he has supported a lot of programs in the city.  He intends to see these through fruition, adding he lives, works and is invested in the city.

He rattled off his efforts to support a downtown hotel/conference center, his efforts to secure state funding for the construction of Frederick High School, the Rt. 15/Monocacy Interchange, his support of development of the city airport, the Carroll Creek project and his desire to put the Hargett farm to a reasonable use for the city. 

Galen told me, “His work model is not to wait and see, but to weigh in and get the job done”.

Throughout my interview with the delegate, at a downtown restaurant, people would routinely stop and say hello. Frederick native Tena Meadows O'Rear shared with me "Frederick is in a position to benefit from the long term commitment Galen has shown for our city."

Clagett said his first action as mayor would be to assemble his management team to develop short and long term plans for the city capital and operating budgets.  This would include a 90 day, 6 month, one year and five year plan.

When it comes to public safety, Galen told me he had met with city police Chief Thomas Ledwell and looked forward to working with him.  Galen informed me current city funding authorized 141 police officers, but only 119 were filled.  To help rectify this, he would provide “bulge funding” to ensure police officers were at capacity.

In addition, Clagett would support a full time police academy to serve all western Maryland municipalities.  He believes the ability to train officers for others in western Maryland would be a showcase for the city.

Galen also wants to see a new police headquarters built.  He would first task the police department with providing a plan for the build out and acreage needed for the facility.  Again, Galen stressed he would follow with an action model by appointing a work group to “find site, find funds and get it done.”

Moving on to the subject of job creation, Clagett shared with me the city was short on options to encourage economic development and that he would move “to add tools in their toolbox.”  He elaborated further by saying a few he would like to provide options for include; Tax Incentive Financing (TIF), public/private partnerships, and a tax free zone or tax credit during the period of construction of a project.

In response to my inquiry about developing a strong and cooperative city/county/state relationship, Galen said “my hope is with a county executive and a proactive mayor, they can work hand in hand to grow in a responsible manner and in the process promote a jobs program that is attainable.” 

In concluding the interview, I mentioned the city underfunded employee pension and other post employment benefit plans (OPEB). Galen said he was concerned more has not been done.  As mayor, he would create a retirement board that would include members who are in the plans.  Clagett was particularly concerned about the yield on investment and felt an oversight board was needed.

The City of Frederick primary election will be held on September 10.  The Democrats running for mayor are Maryland state delegate Galen Clagett, city alderman Karen Young and Carol Hirsch.

The Republicans running for mayor are incumbent mayor Randy McClement, former mayor Jeff Holtzinger and city alderman Shelley Aloi.

Former mayor Jennifer Dougherty is running as an unaffiliated candidate and will not participate in the primary election, facing the winners of the Democratic and Republican primaries in the general election held November 5.

Stay tuned.

 

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O'Connor Announces Alderman Candidacy

Michael O'Connor

I appreciate the opportunity to talk a little bit about my background and why I am running for Alderman for the City of Frederick.

I was Born and raised in Frederick, and bring nearly 20 years experience in business, journalism, and community involvement to this campaign. This work has prepared me to be a steward of public resources, and the eyes and the voice of the public in government. To be successful we will need all our citizens to come together in service to support Frederick

Since October 2006, I have been the Business Manager for Saint Katharine Drexel Roman Catholic Church, where we often use the word stewardship. Government has much in common with non-profit organizations, and I believe elected officials must be good stewards of the public's resources. That has never been more important as Frederick, along with our citizens, navigates this challenging economy. The responsible use of taxpayer money must be priority one. Which brings me to issue one.

Financial Accountability
Challenges and opportunities await us. It's no secret the now infamous City Hall buyout was a mistake, the recent 120 million dollar bond issue seems ill-timed, and the full costs and benefits of condemning of the Hargett Farm to construct a park have not been adequately explained. So what have we learned?

On the buyout, perhaps we need an Alderman who will ask more and better questions. If the Aldermen do not have all the information they need to vote, then maybe they shouldn't. Sometimes the answer should be NO! As for the bonds, no doubt necessary and worthwhile projects will follow. But the Aldermen were still getting information minutes before they were expected to make the final decision. And none of that information appeared readily available to the public the evening of the last vote. That's unacceptable. And certainly a park is preferable to hundreds of new homes for the residents who live in the West End and already navigate daily traffic nightmares, school, and residential overcrowding. But it's pretty clear county residents are going to benefit as well, and the city should explore such partnerships before we commit tens of millions of dollars through condemnation and park development. We need recreation facilities, multi purpose fields, perhaps an Aquatics center. But let's bring the stakeholders together and plan it BEFORE the city foots the bill.

Police and Public Safety
We have a first class police department, with leadership that has made responding to the needs of this community a priority and we must do all we can to sustain it. The presence of officers at every NAC meeting is evidence the department wants to work with and be responsive to residents. When we make the time to really listen to our citizens, we will be a better Frederick. And I believe our first class department deserves first class facilities.

Economic Development and Quality of Life
We have a beautiful and vibrant downtown, with interesting shops, great restaurants, and wonderful events which are the result of vision and energy. We have a talented and hardworking Economic Development staff, Special Events, and the Downtown Frederick Partnership working every day to make Frederick better. We need these efforts to continue and expand to all parts of the downtown, and from East Frederick to the Golden Mile, and throughout our City. No neighborhood, no resident, should ever believe the City doesn't care about them or their community. I will be an Alderman for all of Frederick.

Planning
We must make sure our Land Management Code continues to function as a practical guide for development today, while reinforcing our goals for the community we want tomorrow. The current document is not perfect, but I don't believe it ever can be perfect. We should never stop asking what we want to be, and we should course correct as often as necessary, to try an get there. The moment we believe we're done, we are done.

Transparency and Public Information
This may be as important as anything, because a good process will almost always yield good results. As Alderman, I will use the skills developed over a career of watching local government from a unique front row seat. I will ask questions and challenge assumptions. As a radio and television reporter, and more recently as the moderator of Pressing Issues, I always considered the job of journalist to be one of service on behalf of citizens. Ask the questions the public would ask. Seek the answers the public would want. The things that drew me to journalism, a desire to learn about the world around me and share that knowledge with others, will guide me as Alderman. The goal is to make the community better.

Public Service
Finally, we know that most resources, like money, are limited. But one resource we have in abundance is our people. Now is the time for our citizens to renew their commitment to the City of Frederick, and to their community. Elected officials and our non-profit organizations can't do it alone. We cannot expect that in an era of diminished financial capacity, treasure alone is enough. Our time and talent are just as valuable.

I am asking for your service, not just in support of this campaign, but in support of this city. I want to hear from you. I make no promises except that when you talk to me, I will listen. And when you elect me Alderman for the City of Frederick, I will work with you and for you to make Frederick better.

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Editor's Note - We have offered to publish an announcement column from all the Democratic candidates who are running for office in the City of Frederick election this year. Publishing of these columns by the candidates does not indicate an endorsement on our part.

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