Bowens Readies Run for Alderman

Antonio Bowens

George Wenschhof

During a recent interview, Democrat Antonio Bowens told me he intends to file the paperwork by the end of February or early March to run for alderman in The City of Frederick.

He feels there is not a lot of representative government happening now and local elected officials are not listening.  Bowens added the current administration concentrates more on downtown than the rest of the city.

Mr. Bowens said he felt there was not enough diversity in local government and he wants to give people hope.  He would like to see The City of Frederick become more of a leader in the state.

Fiscal responsibility is important to Bowens and he wants to see better money management by the city.  He would like to look at selling the city owned golf course if it is not making money.

In regard to the development of the park on the Hargett Farm, Bowens asked “How is the city going to pay for this?”

When it comes to the proposed downtown hotel/conference center, Bowens said “I do not think this is necessary”.  He feels what is being proposed will be an eyesore and does not believe in subsidies, adding “Why put taxpayers on the hook to subsidize Marriott?”

Homelessness is another major concern for Bowens who said he does not feel the city is doing enough to help this population.  He said “everyone deserves dignity and respect.”

Blighted Properties are another of his concerns and not just downtown but throughout the city.  Bowens wants to see them be brought up to code.

Bowens would also like the city to bring back the Bulk Trash pick up service.

I asked him “what led him to being interested in politics”?  Bowens said he opposed the rezoning of the Frederick Town Mall for a Walmart four years ago.

When asked if he was supporting any other candidates in the city election, Bowens said “I am supporting Kris Fair.”  (Fair is a Democratic candidate for alderman)

Bowens added he liked the beautification committee proposed by Fair, but wonders where the money will come from to pay for this.

Antonio Bowens told me he comes from an old Frederick community family and has many relatives.  He grew up in Monrovia, graduated from Urbana High School and attended Frederick Community College.

He works as an interior designer at J.C. Penny located at Dulles Town Center.

(Editor’s note:  The City of Frederick primary election is September 12, 2017 and the general election is November 7, 2017.  The deadline to file for a candidate is July 3, 2017.)

Schmidt Will Not Run in 2017 City Election

Dave Schmidt

George Wenschhof

It was nearly four years ago when I interviewed Dave Schmidt who was running for alderman as a Republican in The City of Frederick 2013 election.  He would lose that election but stay involved in politics.

We kept in touch and I last saw him at the Frederick Pulse vigil.  I wanted to know if he intended to run again and hear why he had changed his political affiliation to Democrat.

At that encounter, Dave indicated he remained interested in running for alderman and promised to let me know when he made his decision.

Last week we would sit down and catch up.  I asked “why the party change”? Dave would tell me it was a culmination of an evolution of changes of ideas.  In particular he supported Democratic positions on social policy where he was a proponent for equality.  In addition, he believed an important goal for local government is to provide a safety net.

Dave also favored the increase in the water and sewer rates by Republican mayor Randy McClement who claimed the increases were necessary when the city began to implement state mandated changes. 

Interestingly, Dave would tell me he was having a discussion on this issue with a Republican friend who told him that his position made him a Democrat.  Dave told me he believes “clean water is important and of course, let’s raise the rates”.  He said after thinking about what his friend had told him, he changed his registration to Democrat.

Schmidt added he also likes and is comfortable with the Democratic members of the Frederick County Council.

He would then tell me he will not run in next year’s city election, but is not ruling out a run in the future.  A family owned business and family issues have his focus at the moment.

He also is enjoying being co-host with Pattee Brown on the local WFMD AM radio program Frederick Forum that airs from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Saturdays. By taking his candidacy in the upcoming race off the table, he hopes to have a greater impact on the show.

I asked him “what issues he felt would impact the city election”? Dave said “I continue to support open primaries and district representation for aldermen”.  When I pressed him on the open primary election, he indicated he supported a hybrid election where everyone could run by party affiliation.  For example, he said the top two mayoral candidates would then advance to the General Election, regardless of their political affiliation.

Dave would name several other issues he felt might dominate the city election.  One issue is the planned downtown hotel/conference center that has been met with opposition.

Another is the disposition of the Hargett Farm, a costly acquisition by the city for a planned park that also has a costly development cost.

The announcement of Wal-Mart pulling out highlights the continued development fiasco of the former Fredericktown Mall property.  Dave told me that he feels people on that side of the city fell neglected.

Lastly, Dave told me he believes economic development is important for the city.

At the conclusion of the interview, I asked Dave if he had a favorite candidate for mayor.  It was intriguing to hear the recently turned Democrat tell me “I will support Republican mayor Randy McClement, if he runs again, adding he is a good friend”.

Stay tuned.

Dougherty: “City Budget Managed Poorly”

George Wenschhof

Jennifer Dougherty

I sat down with Jennifer Dougherty recently to get an update on her campaign for mayor.  This is the fifth time she has run for mayor of The City of Frederick and the first time as an unaffiliated candidate.

Jennifer won, as a Democratic candidate in 2001 and served one term before losing in the 2005 Democratic primary to former four term mayor Ron Young.

I asked Jennifer, who is known to go door-to-door, what she is hearing from the voters.  She told me she was receiving a positive response with voters often telling her they were supporting her because “she got things done.” 

Jennifer said they would add, “hope you get a different type of board”, referring to the contentious board of aldermen, she was often at odds with, during her term in office.  Interestingly, Jennifer added they would often ask her “who is the mayor now?”

When I asked Jennifer what was the main issue she was focused on in her campaign, she spent the remainder of the interview describing the poor fiscal management displayed by the current administration.

First, she pointed to the city rainy day fund, which she said the board voted unanimously to increase from the mandated 12% to 17% level.  Jennifer says this action resulted in an excess of $15.8 million in funds.  She said “the city was sitting on cash and not spending on services that are needed.”

She would have rather seen the city using that money to pay down the pension, other post employment benefits (OPEB) debt and for much needed road improvements.

The inability of the city to reach and maintain the current budgeted level of 141 police officers is another example of poor management.  Jennifer said she would run two police academies at the same time with split shifts, until the city reached the planned level of officers. She added the city did more outreach during her administration and in addition to that, she would examine lateral transfers as well.

Overall, Jennifer complained to me the city fund balance was under spent in each budget category with a combined fund balance of $43 million which she felt clearly displayed the current administration was not effectively managing the budget.

The change to tax differential as the way city residents pay their taxes was another example of bad management Jennifer pointed to during my interview. 

The move to tax differential was made by the current administration in an effort to avoid the duplication of taxes by city residents and the previous manner Frederick County government would rebate revenue received back to The City of Frederick.

Jennifer told me the city accepted the formula from the county without analysis pointing to the city of Annapolis who received $25 million in savings compared to The City of Frederick who received $5 million.

Showing me her own tax bill, on a house appraised at $300,000, the average for the city, she claims she was overpaying up to $1,000 for services she was not receiving from the county.

Addressing the tax differential formula is one thing she will focus on as mayor and she will fight for city residents to receive that $1,000 in savings on their tax bill.

The city’s purchase of the Hargett farm for use of a regional park is another example of how the city is managing the budget poorly, according to Jennifer.

She says the city needs to look at all options on the Hargett farm property and complained about the debt service it is costing the city.  Jennifer said the mayor and board had not been able to make the difficult decisions, pointing out to me developers would have paid for road improvements, a school site, as well as water and sewer fees.

Jennifer said another illustration of poor budget management was when the board voted a year ago to give the board of education a portion of the Hargett farm for a school site.  Then, she said the city turned around and recently bought a site from the county for a water tower.  Her question to me was “why did this happen?”  She would have hoped, at the least, a land swap, would have been in order.

The costly availability charge to the city resulting from the Potomac River water services agreement with Frederick County government was another area Jennifer was not pleased about.  It was these terms that kept her from agreeing to the contract with the county.  She pointed out to me, Mayor Randy McClement was not happy with this expense agreed to under the Jeff Holtzinger administration.

Jennifer added she would like to reduce the Homestead tax from 5% to 3%.  She informed me she had reduced it from 10% to 5% during her administration and felt the anticipated increase in property assessments for next year, would keep revenues in line.

As we were nearing the end of a lengthy interview, Jennifer said as mayor she would also move to lower the personal property tax businesses pay in the city, by 50% and eliminate it in three years.  She told me the loss of $1.5 million in revenue would be made up by the increase of business locating in the city.

Jennifer also pointed out to me alderman Karen Young, who is the Democratic candidate for mayor, voted for every budget and the mayor and board have not been focused on the results.

In regard to the Pension and OPEB programs, Jennifer was again critical of the administration, asking why they haven’t changed the programs.  She wants the city to shoot for an 80% funding level in 10-12 years and not the 20 years the mayor and board have agreed on.

In addition, she would create a pension oversight board to review management of the pension and OPEB programs.

Jennifer told me, I have had the luxury of being mayor and knows what she would do differently if elected mayor.

Concluding the interview, Jennifer said “a sea change is needed in management”, not with employees in the city.”

 

Registered voters in The City of Frederick will elect their mayor and a five member board of alderman on November 5.

Stay tuned.

 

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Imhoff Eyes Return to City Hall

George Wenschhof

Alan Imhoff

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

 

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Holtzinger Wants to Return as Mayor

George Wenschhof

Jeff Holtzinger

The former one term Republican mayor of The City of Frederick wants his job back after watching Mayor Randy McClement (R) from the sidelines over the last three and one-half years.

I asked Jeff why he decided not to run for reelection and he told me “it was because he had reached the “white board” goals he had set upon becoming mayor.”  He ticked off; reaching an agreement to provide a water supply for the city, cutting back unnecessary levels of government, he reduced the tax rate twice, and had obtained the final permit for central section of Monocacy Boulevard. 

Holtzinger said he had hoped that Randy, as a small business owner, would have helped inject common sense and reduce the red tape in government, but he has seen “indecisiveness from the mayor.”

Jeff added he felt “McClement, by not making decisions, had allowed the board of aldermen to be the de facto mayor.”

While Holtzinger believes in the need to collaborate with the aldermen, he feels they are the legislative body and not administrators.

Since, deciding not to run for reelection, Holtzinger has put his law degree and engineering degree to work and is presently a consultant with The Town of Brunswick, where he is proud of the in-house work staff has done on town projects.

As mayor, Jeff said he would like the city staff to be utilized more on projects and to cut back on the costly expense of hiring consultants.  Specifically, the former mayor said the city was spending too much money on Phase II of the Carroll Creek development.

Holtzinger would like to see a more straightforward set of plans for Carroll Creek and reduce the scope of the plans.  He believes the consultant plans will lead to many change orders, driving up the construction cost of the project.

Jeff said the “city is spending $3 million an acre to develop Carroll Creek and this is too high.”

One of the goals Jeff would like to accomplish is to finish the “beltway” around Frederick by completing the missing links.  He believes this will help the circulation of traffic for residents of the city.

Again, Holtzinger came back to doing as much engineering/survey work in-house as possible, adding the city also had the capability to do minor construction.

Holtzinger also told me he was unhappy with changes in the land management code and that some regulations being added were unnecessary.  If, elected mayor, he would begin an in-house review of the land management code with perhaps some outside help, and would present changes to it in a public meeting.

He defended his controversial push for the city to purchase the costly Hargett Farm for a park, saying the city needed more active recreation parks where residents can easily walk to it.  Due to the size of acreage for the park, public announcement systems and lighting will not be an issue as it is in manner areas, because it will not be right next to residential neighborhoods.

When I brought up the concerns of the costly purchase price and off-site improvements, Jeff defended the purchase saying even with the off-site improvements, the development costs will be less than the $3 million per acre the city is spending to develop Carroll Creek.

Jeff also said his water agreement with the county was also necessary. The annual cost to the city that exceeds $1 million, even though the city is not using water was something that had to be done, according to Holtzinger.

The city did not have adequate water supply to serve development and Jeff said it costs the county money to have the water ready to go, even if the city does not draw on it.  He added the downturn in the economy has added to this problem due to anticipated growth not taking place.

In concluding the interview, I asked him about the city residency requirement for mayor and he said it may sound funny coming from him, but he supports it because he believes the mayor should be familiar with the community.

Holtzinger, who lived just outside the city limits, won the 2005 election when legal maneuvering on the residency issue allowed a temporary window when no residency requirements were in place.

He informed me he has taken the steps to do what was needed to meet the residency requirement in this election.

Stay Tuned.

 

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Dougherty: “Government is not the enemy”

George Wenschhof

During my ninety minute interview with Jennifer Dougherty, the unaffiliated candidate for mayor of The City of Frederick constantly focused on the issues and her leadership ability.

The former mayor informed me she was running her campaign as if she had a primary and has already knocked on 6,000 doors. By September 10, the day of the primary election, she plans to have knocked on another 4,000 doors.

One thing she heard from residents is they are not happy with the decision by the current administration to eliminate bulk trash pick up and that she would bring it back if elected mayor.

She told me “government is not the enemy and can help people in every neighborhood and business as well.”

In regard to mayor Randy McClement (R), alderman Karen Young (D) and alderman Shelley Aloi (R), who are all running for mayor, Dougherty said “they have had four years to address the big issues and she doesn’t see any evidence they would be able to make any meaningful change if they were elected mayor for the next term.”

Jennifer believes one of the biggest issues in this election is leadership experience and feels during her term as mayor she demonstrated the willingness to get things done, citing the start up of phase I of the Carroll Creek development as one example.

In this case, she appointed a task force to create development on what had long been a dormant site, named local businessman Dick Kessler as chair and facilitated the groundbreaking for La Paz restaurant and the office building on site “A”.

When I mentioned the underfunded city pension and other post employment benefit plans (OPEB), Dougherty informed me she would cut in half the amount of time Mayor McClement has established at reaching an increase from the city current 50% funding level to 80% funding level.  She wants to achieve an 80% funding level in ten years versus the twenty years proposed by the mayor.

Jennifer also wants to review the recent change by the city from tax equity to tax differential, arguing there is as much as $10 million in residential taxes being paid by city taxpayers for duplication of services under the current formula and an even higher loss of revenue when commercial is added.

In addition, the former mayor pointed out to me the city fund balance is nearly two times higher than what is needed. She told me by resolution, 12% is called for and in fact, it is currently 23%.  She would use the $16 million, resulting from the change, to plow back into needed services and to reduce the tax burden for city taxpayers.

In regard to the city purchase of the Hargett farm during the Holtzinger administration, she felt this was a mistake and huge liability to the city.  She would consider selling some of this property to reduce the debt load of the city and to cover needed infrastructure improvements.

Dougherty added another potential revenue source for the city would be to privatize the city owned parking decks.

She also said she would propose a reduction in business personal property tax by 50% over a three year period.  Businesses in the county do not currently pay these taxes and although Dougherty said it would result in a $1.2 million reduction in revenue to the city, it would spur economic development and create jobs.

In closing my interview, Jennifer shared with me she was proud of the way the neighborhood advisory councils (NACs) that she initiated when she was mayor, were working today.

She believes they can even work better and would like to begin brown bag lunch monthly meetings with NAC leaders, businesses leaders, elected officials, and high achievers from high school.

The meetings would be open with the press invited and she would discuss what was coming up on the city agenda, etc.

Stay tuned.

 

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

George Wenschhof

Alan Imhoff

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay Tuned.

 

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City Hall Buzz

George Wenschhof

Last Friday was my first official press meeting with The City of Frederick, Maryland executive assistant Josh Russin and public information coordinator Susan Harding. The once a month meetings a outcome of a previous conversation I had with Russin. Russin and Harding will also be meeting once a month with Patti Borda of The Frederick News Post and Katherine Heerbrandt of The Frederick Gazette.

This comes as Russin has also instituted regularly scheduled meetings between the mayor and members of the board of aldermen.

It turned out to be a free flowing conversation with Russin discussing some areas he wished to mention and with me asking questions as we discussed the politics of city hall.

While, I commend them for having the regularly scheduled conversations with local press and aldermen, I was disappointed in their answer to my question as to when Mayor Randy McClement would begin meeting regularly with the press - their answer was "We are working on it".

McClement certainly does not need to mimic the once a week press conferences held by former mayor Jennifer Dougherty; who believed in open government, but once a month would be a good start.

Interestingly, the Harry Grove Stadium lease was never brought up by Russin and after repeatedly bashing the city for their inept Request For Proposal (RFP) process in numerous columns, I also let it pass in this conversation.

However, I will add the latest news in regard to the stadium lease is both Katherine Heerbrandt (first) and then Patti Borda filed public information requests with the city to obtain email/correspondence between the aldermen and John Lavoie (Managing Member of Frederick Atlantic LLC) and ( General Manager Dave Ziedelis of The Frederick Keys).

Heerbrandt requested correspondence from aldermen between the dates August 1, 2010 and February 28, 2011.

Borda requested any correspondence between city officials and staff between the dates of February 16, 2011 and September 2, 2011.

The RFP which was issued on February 16, 2011 spelled out the respondents and city elected officials and staff were not to be in contact during the review and award process.

It will be interesting to see what a review of the correspondence shows and if a predisposed position becomes apparent by any of the aldermen as to their position in regard to the lease of the stadium.

What would also be interesting is if a request will be made for the correspondence that took place between Mayor McClement, former city administrator Rick Weldon, Ziedelis and Lavoie. The extension of the current lease with The Keys broke down when Weldon was city administrator.

Meanwhile, the vote to ratify the lease is scheduled for Thursday at the mayor and board meeting.

I will now return to my discussion with Russin and Harding - Below are some of the topics discussed:

Fraternal Order of police (FOP) Contract - Russin stated Mayor McClement and city attorney Sandra Nichols were handling this and he was not involved in the negotiations so he was unable to answer specific questions I asked in regard to what had been holding up the agreement. However, Russin added he believed they were close to resolution. I took that to mean an announcement will take place this week.

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City reached agreement with State Police on a lease for use of a Hanger at Airport. Previous lease had been free - new lease in the $21,000 range. FAA requiring city to own and have leased hanger space before future airport expansion money to be released. City also met in closed session to agree to buy back from Frederick County Government a hanger which the city already has tenants in line at market rate.

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15 member Golden Mile Alliance Board set to be announced this week. Modeled after the successful Downtown Frederick Partnership. I suggested using resources from Maryland Municipal League to see how other similar sized communities around the country were handling the redevelopment of areas which had experienced a decline.

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Requests for letters of interest to serve on a ad hoc Task Force appointed by the mayor on the issue of "Blighted and Neglected Properties" will be announced. The committee will be tasked with coming up with suggestions over a three phased period of 100 days each. Examining land value tax will be part of the discussion.

Land Value Tax was promoted by Ken Berlin in his unsuccessful bid for city aldermen two elections ago and local activist Alan Feinberg has also long promoted the use of a Land Value Tax.

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Payment plan for water and sewer impact fees in the works to hopefully spur business expansion by reducing the up front costs. The devil will be in the details as the city looks at how they can secure a guarantee for payment.

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Hargett farm for use as city park was brought up briefly. Appears mayor and aldermen have reached an agreement on portions of the land for a future school, aquatic center and open space. Remaining land could still be sold - the city can control zoning and a most likely scenario would be commercial. Interestingly, former owner; Developer Donald Pleasants, retains a first option if the city would decide to sell the twenty acre parcel.

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City Lease/Sale Policy - has been circulated for comments several times among city staff and aldermen - is now close to being presented at mayor and board meeting for a vote.

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In closing our conversation, I asked if a system was in place to track issues which had been brought up for consideration at city mayor and board workshops.

My concern is voters should know if the mayor has decided against moving an issue forward and why.

I pointed out obviously the mayor controls the agenda and it would be interesting to see what issues had been brought forward in workshops since McClement took office and the disposition of each at the present time.

I referenced the charter rewrite committee the mayor had chaired under the former Jeff Holtzinger administration and wondered why their recommendations had never been presented at a mayor and board meeting for a vote.

In addition, I asked about the status of the suggested move of the city election date to coincide with the presidential election, which I have promoted for several years.

Both Josh and Susan felt it was a good suggestion to have a tracking system in place and indicated they would pursue implementing it.

Time did not permit me to ask about progress toward a sustainable City of Frederick, shared use pathways, funding availability for capitol improvements and more.

All in all, a good first meeting. As is often the case in politics, questions and conversations lead to more questions.

What remains missing in the Mayor McClement administration is a over arching vision or the existence of goals he wishes to achieve for the City of Frederick.

This week will be a busy week for Russin and Harding. Russin will be getting married and Harding is off to Italy for a well deserved vacation.

No wonder there are so many items scheduled on the mayor and board meeting agenda for Thursday.

Stay tuned...

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Frederick Co. MD Democratic Buzz

George Wenschhof Bio

Last week on Tuesday, I published a column pertaining to who may be the Democratic candidates in this City of Frederick election year. If you missed that column, you can read it here. I indicated more Democratic candidates may emerge as the deadline for filing is not until July 7, 2009.

One additional Democratic candidate who may file for Alderman is James Racheff. I enjoyed a long conversation with him this past Saturday. He is currently the chair of the City of Frederick Zoning Appeals Board and also sat in on several meetings of the city charter review committee. Mr. Racheff also flew to Boulder, Colorado with county and city elected officials and staff to review their waste disposal methods. He has a sincere interest in the future of the city and would be a competitive candidate for Alderman.

This week, I want to examine what may be some of the issues that come up in the campaign. I do not intend to delve into the intricacies of each issue in this column, but rather will attempt to list what the issues may be. The candidates, of course, will be providing their positions on these issues and others as the campaign unfolds. Again, the primary election will be held on September 15 and the general election will be held on November 3, 2009.

Let's take a look at some of the issues listed below in no particular order of significance:

The Hargett farm condemnation for a city park - current Republican Mayor Jeff Holtzinger campaigned on the need for a municipal Park in this neighborhood and upon winning the election immediately began the process of identifying a location. After the location had been identified, a condemnation process was instituted after the property owner and the city could not reach agreement on the price.

The majority of the Aldermen including Democrat Marcia Hall (who I indicated will run for Mayor) supported this action proposed by Mayor Holtzinger. A local court decision recently ruled the process was allowable and ordered appraisals to be provided by March.

The property is zoned for residential development with some site plan approval granted. Questions that may arise will pertain to loss of tax revenue along with loss of impact fees. Also, expect questions as to why chose an already approved and zoned residential area which will possibly be valued higher than property absent of such zoning.

While other comments will be from residents in the neighborhood who feel this is a much better use than the planned residential use. They feel another residential development was sure to add strain to an already less than satisfactory road transportation grid for the area.

City Employee Pension and Early Retirement Plan - Plenty has been said about this with a final analysis of the effectiveness of the plan change still elusive. Again, this plan was approved with a majority vote of the aldermen. It appears the level of cost savings originally anticipated for the city was higher than what will transpire.

What caught the attention of some local political activists was when certain city staff who took advantage of the early buy-out ended up being hired back. While they were hired back at an entry level salary, the city was still paying twice for 1-2 years of employment.

It appears this action, which was instituted and approved for positive reasons, will require additional scrutiny to determine if modification to the approved plan will need to be made by the Mayor and Board.

Residency - most city voters are tired of hearing about this issue after the brou-hah-hah that occurred under the former Democratic Mayor Jennifer Dougherty administration. Some activists continue to question the residency of Mayor Holtzinger. While he stands by his statement he meets the requirements in the city charter.

As everyone knows, Dougherty challenged Ron Young's eligibility to run against her in the Democratic primary and went on to veto a charter amendment changing the residency requirement which had been approved by the aldermen. The end result of her action resulted in the current Mayor being able to file and eventually winning election to the office of Mayor.

While this issue may receive a loud drumbeat by some candidates, do not expect this to be a major concern of the voter.

Budget - Financial Condition of the City - in this serious economic downturn the entire country is experiencing, a critical review of the Budget and the financial condition of the city is an issue all candidates should address.

The tax rate for homeowners increased during the Dougherty administration and so far has been reduced during the Holtzinger administration. The Budget to be introduced by Mayor Holtzinger for the next fiscal year is sure to receive a thorough examination by the candidates. Keep an eye on the tax rate and if it is kept the same or reduced. Also the size of the budget and the level of services being provided. There is always plenty of areas in a Budget for disagreement among candidates in an election year.

Planning and Zoning - an area that always comes up in an election year. Is growth happening in a manner voters approve? This becomes a moving target in a city like Frederick due to the rapid growth that has taken place. Often, new residents question the process even more than the long time residents.

However, traffic congestion continues to exist at all the major routes into and out of the city and remains a major issue among voters. Needed state and federal funds are just not being brought home by current state and federal elected officials. Hopefully, with the passage of the proposed Stimulus Plan by President Barack Obama, much needed infrastructure funds are received for the City of Frederick.

Regardless, a "pay as you grow" approach should be in effect for future growth. However, the major problem is not how to plan effectively for future growth, but rather, how to catch up in the city infrastructure due to mistakes made over the last few decades. Also expect current approved or proposed annexations to receive attention during the campaign along with candidates describing their vision for the future of the City of Frederick.


Failed effort at Historic District Designation - one alderman candidate Kelly Russell, who resides in the neighborhood, proposed the change. Unfortunately, 46 of the 62 owners of the properties which would have been affected by the change disagreed with the idea. While the three Democratic aldermen voted in favor of the designation, the Mayor vetoed their approval.

It is doubtful this will become a major issue in the campaign, especially when 79% of the families who would have been affected by the change, disagreed with having the historic district designation being attached to their homes.

Speaking of the Historic District, I have a proposal the city should consider which would aid homeowners within the historic district, the historic commission, and the home contractors who perform the renovations in the district.

I suggest city staff provide a training class for home contractors on the allowable materials, etc. that would be approved by the Commission and after successful completion of the course, the contractor would be certified in "historic district" renovations. The contractors would receive valuable information and when a homeowner began the process of renovating their home, they could be provided with a list of approved contractors by city staff.

Police Department - Police Chief Kim Dine has done an outstanding job since his hire during the former city hall administration. He is well liked and respected among the many different segments that make up the community.

As this is a major component of what is provided by city government expect discussion during the campaign on the size of the budget in this area.

One such issue sure to receive attention will be when amendments in a previous budget year introduced by aldermen to increase police officers and police cruisers, they were vetoed by Mayor Holtzinger twice before reaching a compromise.

The big question is what is being done to locate and build a new police station. The current headquarters located in part of the Frederick County Courthouse complex is woefully undersized.

Department of Public Works/ Infrastructure - under the Mayor Holtzinger administration, a water agreement with the County government was reached, a realignment of Monocacy Blvd. was done, an Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) was approved, the homes under HOPE have begun construction and the (MPDU) Moderately Priced Dwellings Units provision has moved forward.

Trash collection and snow removal are important issues to voters in a local election and memories are long when a bad event transpires. In one of the early years in his administration, some voters questioned the actions taken by Mayor Holtzinger in a snow event that resulted in snow turning to ice banks along the curbs which screwed up parking for some time in the city.

Speaking of Parking, downtown parking woes continue - this has been an ongoing problem regardless of who has filled the Mayor seat. I wrote a column on this issue which was published on TheTentacle.com on May 11, 2007. You can read it here. Basically, I believe the mindset of the city should be to make the visit to downtown Frederick enjoyable and to make every effort to minimize parking hassles by residents and visitors. This, as opposed to looking at how to increase a revenue stream for the city. The bad will generated by the latter approach outweighs any monetary short term gain.

Let's not forget Clustered Spires, Keys Stadium, and the Weinberg Center - should the city continue to own and in the case of the golf course, operate these entertainment centers? Expect some discussion in this area, especially due to the economic downturn.

Speaking of the Keys Stadium, here's a beef I have held for some time. The cost for admission is great for families, but once inside the vendor prices are similar to those that exist at Camden Yards, the home of the Baltimore Orioles. As the City owns the park, how about placing some regulations on the price of a hot dog and soda. I am sure there are plenty of local business owners who could provide the food concessions at Keys Stadium at a much more affordable price. Presently, it's almost like a bait and switch - you get in at an affordable rate but are nailed when you go to buy something to eat or drink.

How about the Weinberg Center? The reason I say that is it's not currently a huge controversy. This is pleasant after the fighting pertaining to funding and privatization that occurred under the Dougherty administration between Mayor Dougherty and a past President of the Weinberg Board of Directors.

The ballpark, golf course and the theater are great attractions and offer benefits for the city. But, expect all to be brought up during the campaign.

Well, that's a start at looking at some of the issues that may come up during the campaign this year. We will be following the election and adding our thoughts on what the candidates say throughout the campaign about the issues facing the voters in the City of Frederick.

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