Who will be the next mayor?

George Wenschhof

City Hall

The City of Frederick primary election is only six weeks away and with the off year election promising a dismal voter turnout of less than twenty-five percent, the likelihood of an unaffiliated mayor being elected is higher than one would initially expect.

It is possible, disgruntled voters who were supporters of a losing candidate in the primary election, will turn to the unaffiliated candidate, instead of their party nominee in the general election.

With such low voter turnout and city voters having a choice between three candidates for mayor in November, anything can happen.

Republican mayor Randy McClement has drawn, what is believed to be, the most crowded field of candidates for mayor ever in a city election.

Another first is three women running for mayor with the possibility they could face each other in the general election held on November 5.

The prevalent explanations one hears for such a large field of contenders for mayor is; McClement has shown little leadership, provided no vision for the future of the city and in general acted more like a “caretaker” while serving his first term in office.

A total of seven candidates are vying to be mayor; three Democrats, three Republicans and one Unaffiliated.  The Republican and Democratic candidates will face a primary on September 10. 

While many believe the winner who emerges will be the candidate who is stongest on the issues, often in local political contests, it is personal history that influences voters. 

Former Democratic one term mayor Jennifer Dougherty, is running for the fifth time for mayor and this time it is as a unaffiliated candidate.  She will not have a primary and will face winners of the Republican and Democratic primaries in the general election.

The number one question I receive from city voters, which I hear numerous times a day, is; “who do I believe is going to win?”

My reply is typically the same; “there are too many moving parts and different scenarios that could play out to pick a winner” – the bottom line is it is hard to call at this point.

The Republican primary will include another former one term mayor; Jeff Holtzinger and alderman Shelley Aloi running against McClement.

Holtzinger is sure to be battered with the questionable decisions made during his administration to approve the costly and dubious “employee buy-out” and purchase of the Hargett Farm for a municipal park. 

In addition, the manner in which he claims to meet the city mayoral candidate residency requirement, has received scrutiny from many Republican voters, who do not support him.

Holtzinger has been critical of the slow pace McClement has taken in moving forward on pivotal infrastructure projects, such as the completion of Monocacy Boulevard.

His entry into the Republican primary may help McClement survive a three way primary that includes Aloi.  Alderman Aloi has made no secret of her distain for the manner McClement has conducted himself during his first term, telling me “the city cannot take four more years of him”.

Throughout her first term as alderman, Aloi was critical of McClement, most recently, over his reaching agreement with city police on pension funding she believes the city cannot afford.

On the Democratic side, their primary is shaping up to be a battle between two strong local political families with alderman Karen Young facing off against Maryland state delegate Galen Clagett. 

Interestingly, in what promises to be a close race, votes pulled by newcomer Carol Hirsch, may determine the winner in the Democratic primary.

Many have opined it was Democratic infighting that led to wins by Republican mayoral candidates in the last two elections, even though there is a Democratic voter registration advantage in the city.

In 2005, it was Ron Young who challenged and beat incumbent Jennifer Dougherty.  He would go on to lose a close race to Jeff Holtzinger, with many saying it was angry Dougherty supporters who enabled Holtzinger to win.

Four years later, Jennifer would lose again in the primary, this time to newcomer Jason Judd who received the support of Ron Young. In the general election, Judd would lose another close contest to Randy McClement, who many believed received the support of unhappy Dougherty voters and from Galen Clagett, who did not support growth policies espoused by Judd.

Tom Slater, former long term chair of the Frederick County state Democratic Central Committee shared with me his thoughts on what was shaping up to be a close contest between Karen Young and Galen Clagett.

Slater told me "based on his record in Annapolis, Galen has been a progressive and a strong supporter of the Democratic party. I would also add that he has strong management skills."

Slater, who is supporting Clagett for mayor, said there is certainly a split among some Democrats and in a broad sense is centered on growth issues. He also felt there remains bad feelings among some Democratic voters from the last city election who perceived Galen did not support the Democratic candidate for mayor; Jason Judd, who lost in a close race to Republican mayor Randy McClement.

He added it was well known there have been long standing issues between Galen and former county commissioner Jan Gardner (D) and former state delegate Sue Hecht (D), both of whom are expected to support Karen Young for mayor.

Clagett detractors often bring up to me it is also no secret that Clagett Enterprises, owned by Galen, contributed to Republican Blaine Young’s Frederick County commissioner campaign in the 2010 election.

When I asked Clagett about the donation, in a recent interview, he said “… it was a business decision made by the corporate board and the discussion was centered on improving the business climate of Frederick County.”

Many believe Karen Young has been running for mayor ever since winning the most votes for alderman in the 2009 election.

Karen's supporters say she works harder than anyone they know, will thoroughly research an issue before taking a position, has a strong financial background and would be a good manager.

Her constant disagreements with Mayor McClement often led her to align her votes with Republican alderman Shelley Aloi, leaving her at times in disagreement with her fellow three Democrats on the board.

In addition, some voters believe Karen developed a reputation of being somewhat caustic when discussing her opinion on the issues.

The lone unaffiliated candidate; Jennifer Dougherty, another candidate who has received the “caustic” label from some voters, is receiving a free pass to the general election, which is both a positive and a negative.

The positive is she faces no opposition until after the primary election and can save her campaign funds for when it is needed prior to the general election.

The negative for Jennifer is this is the fifth straight election she has run for mayor and outside of the uniqueness of her running as an unaffiliated candidate; she has received little media attention due to her not participating in the primary election. (Editor correction: this marks her fourth straight city election.  Dougherty ran in 1993, 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2013, but not in 1997.)

She will have her loyal supporters, but in order to win, even in a three way race, she will need to pull from Democratic and Republican voters.

So far, I have interviewed mayoral candidates; Republican Mayor Randy McClement, Maryland state delegate Galen Clagett (D) and alderman Karen Young (D).  Next up is Jennifer Dougherty as I hope to interview all the city candidates prior to the election.

As one can readily see, there are many moving parts to this mayoral election, with past history and interpersonal relations likely to have as much impact on the outcome as a candidate’s position on current issues most important to voters.

Voters would be well served to read candidate interviews, visit their websites and attend forums prior to casting their vote.

Stay tuned.

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Democrats Win Super Majority on Board of Alderman

George Wenschhof

Yesterday, less than one out of four registered voters went to the polls in the City of Frederick, Maryland election with Republican Randy McClement becoming the mayor-elect. While the mayor has always been the prize in the city election, four of the five aldermen-elect are Democrats ensuring a strong check and balance between the executive and legislative body. you can read the unofficial results here and the unofficial results by precinct here.

The election was extremely quiet and the low voter turnout further illustrates the need to make changes to the existing election process in the City of Frederick. I have long been a proponent of moving the election date to coincide to the presidential election cycle and you can read many of the columns I have written on the subject by clicking on the links provided in the right hand margin of my home page.

Anne Leffler; President of the City Board of Supervisors of Elections also wants to explore the idea of a mail-in election which promises to increase voter turnout. Let's hope the new mayor and board appoints a committee immediately to study and given a charge to recommend changes to the existing city election process to increase voter turnout.

Ms. Leffler did an outstanding job at city hall last night as she relayed the results to the folks who had gathered at city hall. All indications are the election went smoothly as the election judges at the polls continue to exhibit their professionalism. Final unofficial election results were provided to attendees at city hall "in print" by 9:45 PM.

Some pundits will say the Democratic party loses in the governor races in Virginia and New Jersey and the Democratic lose by Mr. Judd in the City of Frederick mayoral race was due to a trend of dissatisfaction with President Barack Obama. One only needs to look at the individual candidates to see that is a hopeful stretch by Republican leaders who are trying to rally a fractured party for the 2010 mid term elections.

Jason Judd was unable to close the deal as he did not capture all the Democratic support nor does it appear he won many Republican cross over votes or "Others" in yesterday's election. This is similar to what happened four years ago when Democrat Ron Young lost to political newcomer Republican Jeff Holtzinger. The continued low voter turnout also further skewers election results.

The remaining three Incumbents; Donna Kuzemchak (D), Paul Smith (R) and Alan Imhoff (R) were all shown the exit by this small number of voters who clearly wanted new faces in city hall.

The incoming board of alderman promises to be an extremely strong board surely capable of questioning and standing up to any ill fated proposal presented by the mayor. It appears unlikely a fiasco such as the approval of the city employee early retirement "buy-out" approved under the Holtzinger administration will happen under the watch of the incoming board.

Karen Young (D) is talented and a hard worker and is set to become mayor pro-tem on the board. Michael O'Connor (D) also worked hard and earned his second place finish by showing his compassion for the voters and his dedication to the position. Carol Krimm (D) finally broke the curse of the local Democratic Central Committee by becoming the first member to be elected to public office in twelve years. Ms. Krimm is very knowledgeable of the inner workings of government and will be a big plus for the board. Kelly Russell (D) also worked hard across party lines to win election to the board. The only change likely to occur after the absentee ballots are counted on Thursday is the order of finish between Ms. Krimm and Kelly Russell as only 14 votes separate them between fourth and fifth place. Shelley Aloi (R) did extremely well as a new comer to politics, finishing a strong third. She also worked very hard and enjoyed support across party lines.

The write-in campaign championed by Neal Wirth fizzled as ex-mayor Jennifer Dougherty only received 81 votes and these votes would not have altered the outcome of the election.

An interesting aside to the city election was the lack of impact Frederick County Commissioner Kai Hagen (D) had on the final results. Mr. Hagen had actively campaigned for Jason Judd and was holding signs for him at the polls on Election Day. This is the third major local issue he has been on the losing side over the past year. The first two were his opposition to the Waste-to-Energy Incinerator and his support of the city petition to force a referendum of the recent annexations into the city. Whether his support of Judd is strike three for Mr. Hagen remains to be seen as the county election next year is rapidly approaching.

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Robo Calls Urge Voters to Write-In Dougherty

George Wenschhof

This morning, I received a call from a friend who informed me they had received a robo-call over the weekend urging they write in Jennifer Dougherty for mayor in the City of Frederick, Maryland election on Tuesday. I suspected that the call was from Neal Wirth who earlier in the week had his letter to the editor published in the Frederick News Post and Gazette.

In this letter, Neal, a long time Dougherty supporter, was trying to make a point concerning allowing unaffiliated registered voters the ability to cast their votes in the primary election. Mr. Wirth argued that by writing in Jennifer Dougherty for mayor in the general election, a voter could lodge their protest for allowing open primaries.

I called Mr. Wirth to ask him if he had made the robo-calls and in a brief conversation he said he had done so and had clearly indicated who he was on the calls. He further stated the calls had gone to ten thousand voters and that he had individually paid for the calls. He also stated Ms. Dougherty was unaware of his action.

I also placed a call to Ms. Dougherty and we were unable to actually connect for a conversation. In a message left on my phone, Jennifer indicated she was not aware of the robo-calls made by Neal Wirth and could not comment further until she was able to actually read the text of the message.

Open primaries are typically not supported by members of political parties due to they allow voters from outside of their political party to weigh in on who their candidate in the general election will be. It also opens up the possibility of nefarious actions by certain individuals who would support a weak candidate in an opposition party in the primary, only to turn around and support their party nominee in the general election.

This action by Mr. Wirth comes right before the general election of what promises to be a close election between Democrat Jason Judd and Republican Randy McClement for mayor.

Four years ago, charges surfaced Ms. Dougherty had urged supporters to vote for Republican Jeff Holtzinger. This following her defeat by Ron Young in the Democratic primary. In spite of an overwhelming voter registration advantage by Democrats in the City of Frederick, Republican Jeff Holtzinger won the election.

Will these robo-calls placed by Mr. Wirth further muddy Ms. Dougherty's reputation among Democrats or impact the results of this election? Time will tell on that matter, but it appears obvious this was an action taken by an individual and not on her behalf. Perhaps Mr. Wirth would have been better served to use his own name as the write-in candidate for voters to use to lodge a protest for open primaries.

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Will Democrats Regain Control of City Hall?

George Wenschhof

The City of Frederick, Maryland general election is now only days away. Voters will be electing their mayor and five member board of alderman on Tuesday, November 3. Along with answering who the new elected officials will be, voters will determine if a Democrat replaces the Republican mayor and if the board maintains the current 3-2 Democratic advantage.

The campaign, on the most part, has been devoid of any strong positions taken by candidates on the issues that would result in awakening a sleeping electorate. Which begs the question "what if they held an election and no one showed up?". In a recent column I predicted the voter turnout to be no higher than 33% or 10,000 of the approximately 32,000 registered voters in the city. Other local pundits have told me they thought I was being generous in my prediction. I hope the voters prove me wrong and they turn out in record numbers on Tuesday.

If not, it is time for the incoming mayor and board to move the city election date to coincide with the presidential election cycle. Democratic candidate for mayor; Jason Judd has consistently supported my suggestion to move the election date from the day I first meet him in November 2008. I asked him then if he would support my proposal, which would also result in a shortened three year term for the incoming mayor and board. He has maintained his position on the issue when he offered his support in my online interview with him on 6-29-2009 and again in the last mayoral forum last Tuesday.

Representative Democracy works best when people vote and Jason's support to more than double voter turnout and reducing the cost of separate elections while shortening the length of one's own elected term in office, is just one of the reasons to vote for him on November 3.

Under the City of Frederick Charter, the mayor is what is known as a "strong mayor" who is the day to day administrator who also controls the gavel and agenda in the mayor and board meetings. As a result, the mayor is considered the prize in the election each political party strives to win.

A young man of thirty-seven, Jason exhibited poise throughout the campaign and has not been drawn into debate on issues not of his choosing. Jason had indicated throughout his campaign, he will lead by developing consensus on the issues. Often consensus is best formed from the bottom up, similar to the experience he gained in "grass roots" development as a community organizer.

This will be important as the new mayor will be overseeing a transformational city grappling with many issues while facing what will surely be a shortage of funds. In addition, the incoming mayor will be working with what promises to be one of the strongest, if not the strongest, board of aldermen to ever hold office in the City of Frederick.

The board of aldermen are the legislative branch under the City of Frederick charter and as such act as a check and balance to the mayor. The aldermen candidates in this election are very strong and it would appear the five chosen by the voters will not be a "rubber stamp" for the mayor.

While the overall election has been quiet, the alderman candidates have been busy with their individual campaigns. As I have stated in previous columns, the incumbent aldermen typically have an advantage in reelection with low voter turnout. The one exception to that notion might be Republican Alan Imhoff, who appears to be in danger of losing his seat. Look to see Republican Paul Smith and Donna Kuzemchak win reelection, with Donna falling back somewhat from the close second she finished in the Democratic primary. This due to her being in office for twelve years. For as much as Donna's experience will be needed in the next board, over twelve years every politician does make some enemies and Donna is no exception.

Democratic aldermen candidates Kelly Russell and Michael O'Connor have worked hard at reaching out to the voters. Both are knowledgeable of the issues facing the city and also know how to navigate city hall; a must for an incoming alderman. Their experience and compassion for the voters will make them competitive on Election Day.

Democrats Carol Krimm and Karen Young have also worked hard during this election and are also sure to compete strongly on Tuesday. While Ms. Krimm's experience as working as a aid to delegates Galen Clagett and Sue Hecht would be of benefit to the city, working for two politicians also brings their negative baggage with you when you face the voters on Election Day.

Unfortunately, Ms. Krimm also has the curse of having served over the last several years on the local Democratic state central committee. Mostly ineffective and dysfunctional over the last eight years, the local Democratic state central committee has not had a member elected to office since 1997 when then chair of the committee; Blaine Young was elected alderman. He later would switch parties and become a Republican. Nonetheless, Ms. Krimm's experience and knowledge of the inner workings of government would be a plus on the board of aldermen.

Karen Young who received the top votes in the Democratic primary, will also have to deal with voters who connect her with her husband; former mayor Ron Young. While Ron fared very well against Mayor Jennifer Dougherty in the Democratic primary four years ago, he lost to a political novice; Republican Jeff Holtzinger in the General Election. However, Karen has campaigned across party lines, has personal experience in working in the community, and will be competitive.

Republican aldermen Shelley Aloi was somewhat of a surprise in the primary and has done very well with fundraising since - she could replace incumbent Republican Alan Imhoff on the board. However a recent email blast to supporters of a column written by Roy Meachum and published on www.TheTentacle.com on Tuesday has bought her the ire of some Democrats.

Amanda Haddaway has also run a competitive campaign so look to see her be in the mix as well when the votes are being tallied. Her fundraising efforts lagged behind the other candidates and this will make it tougher for her to win election. While William Huckenpoehler surprised many to advance from the Republican primary, do not look to see another surprise on Tuesday.

Republican candidate for mayor; Randy McClement, a soft spoken man during the campaign, received an influx of cash recently to help his campaign get out the vote. Large donations were received from a variety of sources including; George Delaplaine Jr. - $500, Joe Welty - $1,000, Mark Gaver - $1,000, Earl Mackintosh - $500, Elsie Schildt - $500 and Friends of David Brinkley - $2,500. With this help radio ads have been purchased and are already running. In addition, McClement campaign caps now adorn the roofs of many city cabs.

Registered voters favor Democrats (15,000) in the city over Republicans (10,000) with another 6,000 unaffiliated voters having the ability to weigh in on November 3. While you would think this would favor the Democratic candidates, one would only need to look back one election to see Republican Jeff Holtzinger beat Ron Young; the Democratic candidate for mayor.

In that 2005 election, charges surfaced that former mayor Jennifer Dougherty encouraged her supporters to vote for Jeff Holtzinger. This time around after losing the primary, Ms. Dougherty made a point to issue a press release stating her support for Jason Judd and the Democratic candidates for aldermen.

The Judd campaign has consistently been sending out email blasts to his supporters whenever an endorsement is issued, but not one from Ms. Dougherty. I asked Jennifer about this at the FCC Mayoral Forum on Tuesday. She indicated she and Jason had exchanged emails following the primary trying to set up times to meet and had been unable to find a time that worked in their busy schedules.

I find this interesting as a few of her closest supporters have indicated to me they were going to vote for Randy McClement. I asked if Jennifer had suggested this and they said absolutely not. Instead, they said they had not been convinced by Mr. Judd to vote for him. In what could be another close mayoral race, the die-hard Dougherty supporters could make a difference. It's not too late for Jason and Jennifer to meet and for the Judd campaign to send out a email blast and issue a press release that includes Dougherty's endorsement. Why not reach out and help build consensus?

The voters would be well advised to vote for the Democrats on the ballot this year in The City of Frederick election. From Mayor through every one of the aldermen candidates, the Democrats on the ballot have the best interests of all the voters in the City of Frederick in mind and would serve them well.

Make sure you vote on November 3!

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Last City of Frederick Mayoral Forum to be Held Tomorrow

George Wenschhof

Tomorrow night, Frederick Community College at the Jack B. Kussmaul Theather will co-host the last mayoral forum prior to the election on November 3. The other co-sponsors include the Frederick News Post, WFMD 930 Radio and the Frederick County League of Women Voters. It will begin at 7:00 PM and consist of two one hour segments.

During the first hour, Democrat Jason Judd and Republican Randy McClemment will answer questions asked from a three member panel. The panel will include Cliff Cumber; Assistant City editor of the Frederick News Post, Dr. Mike Powell of Frederick Community College, and Kevin McManus from WFMD 930 Radio.

The second hour will be moderated by Cliff Cumber and include a portion where the candidates can ask each other questions. Cliff asked me the other day if this was a first for the city election and I have to say I do not ever remember a local candidate forum allowing questions to be asked by the candidates.

This could be interesting as so far the election has failed to capture the attention of the voters will only 17% of the registered Democrats and Republicans casting their ballots in the primary held on September 15. Will Jason Judd continue to play it safe by playing it close to the vest and not clearly taking positions on controversial issues? Or will Randy McClement take a swipe at Jason by pointing out his lack of local work experience and his history with the Services Employees International Union?

If voters cast their ballots along political party lines, Democratic candidate Jason Judd would be heavily favored as registered Democrats in the city are around 15,000 and Republicans are around 10,000. In addition, approximately 6,000 unaffiliated voters will have the opportunity at the polls so a heavy turnout among this group could influence a close election.

Unfortunately, it is predictable that less than 33% of the registered city voters will turn out on November 3. With the election so far being void of any controversy or clear distinction between the two mayoral candidates, this forum will be the last live public opportunity for Jason Judd and Randy McClement to show the voters why they should cast their ballot for them.

Make sure you attend and more importantly vote on November 3!

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Voter Apathy Continues in City of Frederick, Md. Election

George Wenschhof

The readers of my website know I have been a proponent of moving the City of Frederick election to coincide with the Presidential election. This move would save money, remove questions surrounding where polling stations are located and more importantly, more than double voter turnout. My numerous columns on the subject are linked in the right hand margin of my home page.

This election continues the trend of very few voters participating on primary and general election days. The 17% turnout in the primary on September 15 included about a 20% Democratic vote which was 20% down from the 25% Democratic turnout in 2005. In 2005, it was former mayor Ron Young who successfully challenged incumbent Jennifer Dougherty only to lose in the general election to political unknown Republican Jeff Holtzinger.

While Jason Judd beat Jennifer Dougherty in the primary 59-35%, he only received 1,672 of the 15,118 registered Democratic voters which is only about 11%. Receiving 11% of the registered Democratic votes is hardly a mandate. It was no better on the Republican side as Randy McClement easily beat Ron Tobin; who had withdrawn prior to the primary, 72-21%. McClement's 1,099 votes were from a total of 9,825 registered Republicans which is also only 11%.

The mayoral race typically leads the interest of the voters as the mayor is who runs the city government on a day to day basis and the alderman are the elective legislative body. Adding to what is already a predictable low voter turnout are two mayoral candidates that could hardly be described as charismatic. Unfortunately, neither Democrat Jason Judd or Republican Randy McClement have exhibited spirited personalities, taken a strong position on a issue or proposed ideas that will inspire new voters to go to the polls.

As a result, you can assume no more than 33% or 10,000 of the approximately 31.200 registered voters (pre-primary) will go to the polls on November 3.

This is no longer acceptable and it is finally time for a change. We must demand from the incoming mayor and board that they take immediate action to change the city election date to coincide with the presidential election cycle. When I interviewed Jason Judd prior to the primary, he said he would support changing the city election date to coincide with the presidential election cycle - you can read that interview here. If elected, we need to hold him to this promise.

In addition, it is time to have an in depth discussion on the creation of aldermanic election districts which is a logical extension from the existing Neighborhood Advisory Councils (NACs). I also proposed aldermanic election districts in 1997, only to be shot down by the "establishment and staus quo" politicos who warned of Chicago style politics coming to Frederick if aldermen were elected by Districts.

My argument then is the same as it is today, which is the city boundaries are growing so fast, many voters have trouble identifying with living within a city or even knowing their city elected representatives. Jennifer Dougherty, when she campaigned for mayor in 2001 often pointed out at "House Meet and Greets" she agreed with my idea of aldermanic districts and if elected would propose and implement Neighborhood Advisory Councils. She was elected and she did implement the NACs. The 2009 incoming mayor and board would also be well advised to take the time to discuss the creation of aldermanic districts.

Representative Democracy is a wonderful way to govern. However, it works best when citizens vote. It is past time for elected city officials to take the necessary actions to improve democracy in the City of Frederick.

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Governor O'Malley Endorses Judd

George Wenschhof

I just received a press release with Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley expressing his support for Jason Judd for mayor of The City of Frederick. This should hardly come as a surprise as the Governor is a strong supporter of Democrats.

Back in the 2001 city election, I requested O'Malley to headline a campaign rally days prior to the general election in support of Democrat Jennifer Dougherty for Mayor and the Democratic slate of aldermen.

He gladly accepted and attended the event held at Whitaker at Hood College along with his Father-in-Law; Attorney General Joe Curren. I had also managed to have O'Malley's March" or perhaps it was called "The March" by then to play at the rally. Martin was mayor of The City of Baltimore at that time, but it was obvious by his appeal to everyone in attendance, he had future political opportunities ahead of him. He joined his former band and played guitar and sang for what seemed like an hour, highlighting a successful campaign rally.

Dougherty would go on to win that 2001 election and three Democrats were elected as Aldermen.

This weekend, Frederick County Young Democrats joined by volunteers will be dropping off leaflets of The City of Frederick Democratic ticket. It is similar to what we produced back in 2001 including a photo and a short platform description so look forward to receiving over the weekend.

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All's Quiet in the City of Frederick, Md. Election

George Wenschhof

This election for mayor and board of alderman in the City of Frederick, Maryland continues to exhibit the characteristics of a movie you could not stay awake long enough to watch. The "yawner" resulted in only 18% of the registered Democrats and Republicans casting their votes on September 15, the day of the primary. Final official results can be read here.

Many of the residents like to claim the City of Frederick as being the second largest city in the state, but few chose to exercise their right to vote.

I have been a long proponent of moving the election to coincide with the presidential elections which will more than double the expected 30-35% general election turnout, while also allowing for schools to be used for polling locations.

However, it is what it is, so why is no one paying attention? Federal, state and local governments are feeling the crunch of the worldwide recession and there is little doubt the City of Frederick will be facing revenue shortfalls during the next administration.

Dealing with growth related problems such as congested and clogged roadways, sewer and water capacity, sustainability issues, sufficient fire and rescue services and over crowded schools doesn't seem to inspire a trip to the polls by the residents impacted.

Most of the candidates campaigned vigorously during the primary and the results were not surprising as the final field was set for the general election. However, the era of the door-to-door campaign may be coming to an end. A candidate that relies solely on this method to reach the voters will not likely receive the intended results. Door-to-door campaigning can be done with little or no funds (other than the cost of copied literature) and be novel as you sometimes actually talk with voters.

However, many voters tell me they are annoyed with the constant door knocking and would prefer more of a "meet and greet" or town hall setting. The ability of a candidate to personally reach the almost 32,000 registered city voters is also difficult today.

Brochures and Flyers mailed to voters are also very effective as a candidate can target voters with an effective voter file manager. The fund raising success of a candidate will be important as it takes money to deliver their message to the voter in means other than door-to-door.

The Jason Judd campaign combined a little of all of the above effectively. They led all candidates in fund raising, did many of the "meet and greets" in which a voter invites friends over to their home to meet the candidate, did some organized door-to-door lit drops and also some direct mail. While the Jennifer Dougherty campaign, perhaps due to low funds, concentrated on daily door-to-door efforts. Whether you supported Ms. Dougherty or not, you have to admire her work ethic as she seemingly went door-to-door every day.

Yet, throughout the primary, neither Democratic candidate for mayor attacked the other on any issue. The Judd campaign did a little questioning of tax hikes which occurred during the previous Dougherty administration. In addition, they tried to get (to no avail) some traction from the city sale of the old "Carmacks" building on North Market Street during the Dougherty administration to a developer who has done somewhat of a facelift to the building but has not leased it out. It never received much traction due to the fact the previous Republican James S. Grimes administration had purchased the "white elephant" and had a sale default prior to the Dougherty administration selling the building and the city benefit by receiving property taxes.

The Dougherty campaign, perhaps wary of how tough attacks on an inexperienced opponent would be perceived coming from her, stuck to a tactic of tearing down the record of Republican Mayor Jeff Holtzinger. The problem of that tactic was Holtzinger dropped out of the race and trying to focus on the issues and being nice did not work for Ms. Dougherty.

We are now five weeks away from Election Day and the only fireworks so far has come from the local Republican Central Committee who questioned the relationship of Jason Judd with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) and SEIU. I hardly found this to be a surprise. Instead, I wondered why it took so long for this to be asked and why the Judd campaign was not prepared for an answer to the question.

Mr. Judd has worked for unions and the Services Employees International Union since the end of his education years, gaining valuable experience in working with others while supporting positions on issues that have benefited working men and women. ACORN did work as did the SEIU on several similar issues including advocacy on neighborhood safety, health care, voter registration and affordable housing. While certain individuals of ACORN have come under fire due to questionable actions, it is not an accurate reflection of the overall work performed by the organization, nor a reflection of the work performed by the SEIU.

Some voters in The City of Frederick and Frederick County have long been opposed to unions of any sort so the fact this experience of Mr. Judd has been brought up is no surprise to me. Mr. Judd has been quoted as saying he would not support city employees forming a union. I would prefer he say that he supports city employees having the right to make their own decision in regard to the forming of and their participation in a union.

Another question Mr Judd should be prepared to answer or be proactive and give his position on is in regard to the Employee Free Choice Act, more commonly referred to as the card-check bill. It is currently on the back burner in Congress due to the attention being given to health care reform.

Unions have played an important role in the lives of working men and women over the years from creating child labor laws, workplace safety laws, fair wages and more. There is nothing embarrassing or shameful for the work experience that has been gained by Mr. Judd. In fact, it aids him as he looks to manage the services provided by government at the local level.

The only other issue capturing some attention is the recent annexations of three properties into the city by the mayor and board. I asked the Democratic candidates for mayor and alderman their positions on these annexations when I interviewed them live online. You can read their answers by clicking on the Interview links provided in the right hand margin of my Home Page.

If you read the interviews, you will see the Democratic candidates were not in agreement in regard to these annexations. However, this did not become an issue in the primary election. Ms. Dougherty took a laissez-faire approach, saying the decision would be made prior to her taking office. Mr. Judd spoke of the need to take care of older neighborhoods first before the city spread out with new growth.

The Democratic alderman candidates who moved on to the general election were split on the annexations with Karen Young, Carol Krimm, and Donna Kuzemchak in favor and Michael O'Connor opposed. Kelly Russell was not asked this question and she was unable to contact me prior to publishing this article.

In fact, Mr. O'Connor indicated he would support a petition drive if it was started and it has been with Frederick County Commissioner Kai Hagen leading the way. Recent comments from Frederick County Commissioner President Jan Gardner also clearly points out the displeasure Frederick County Government have with the annexations. All of which indicate the need for regional and intergovernmental planning as we grow in the future - a subject for a future column.

One of the questions I asked the mayoral candidates was if they favored creating an Intergovernmental Relations Director position and no one indicated their support for the position. I believe it to be a critical position as relations between the city, county, state and federal government will improve as a result. The recent annexation squabble is but one example of how this position could have been helpful. In addition, the position would aid in bringing needed funds to the city.

So, with five weeks to go until the election, stay tuned. I will keep you posted when the mayoral and alderman forums will be held next month.

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Dougherty is the Right Choice for Mayor

George Wenschhof

I have written previously on numerous occasions, going into this City of Frederick, Maryland election, I had no horse in the race.

As a result, the many in-person discussions and live online Democratic candidate interviews I have conducted have been enlightening to me and I hope for my readers of Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof.

All of my live online candidate interviews are linked conveniently in the right hand margin and I encourage you to read them before you vote on September 15.

My discussions and interviews with the Democratic candidates for mayor have led me to support and cast my vote on September 15 for former Mayor Jennifer Dougherty.

The next decade will be a challenge for elected officials at all levels of government due to the serious worldwide recession.

What will be needed is a mayor who not only has a command of the issues, but the ability to implement and provide the necessary services of local government during a period of financial revenue shortfall. Jennifer Dougherty is the person most qualified and capable of ensuring an efficient city government during this time.

Dougherty has proposed 7 Steps to lower taxes, ways to control spending, invest in public safety and protect the environment. The details of each can be found on her campaign website; http://www.jenniferformayor.com/.

Furthermore, her implementation of the Neighborhood Advisory Councils (NACs) during her term as mayor showed her commitment to reach out and include residents in the city decision making process.

Dougherty's successful economic development efforts along the "Golden Mile" and "Carroll Creek" during her previous administration are additional examples of how her experience will help the city in the years to come.

This decision to vote and support Jennifer Dougherty for mayor did not come without numerous interviews and considerable thought on my part.

My concerns with Jason Judd began when I first met and interviewed him at my favorite downtown deli "Beans and Bagels" in December 2008. Over a three hour period, I found Mr. Judd to be intelligent and thoughtful, but not decisive. In fact, after meeting him, one would be hard pressed to label Jason as an engaging or inspiring candidate.

A common comment many Democratic voters have shared with me after meeting him at a campaign organized House Party is, "I'm not one who loves Dougherty, but I'm voting for her over Jason because she is more qualified".

Since my first interview with Jason, up to and including the recent FCC candidate forum, he has continued to exhibit hesitancy in his answers to questions posed to him.

Under The City of Frederick government charter, the mayor is essentially the Chief Executive Officer who is responsible for making the day to day decisions in city government.

While Jason Judd did grow up in Frederick County and attend Governor Thomas Johnson High School, he did not move to the City of Frederick until November of 2007 and continues to commute to D.C. for work with the Service Employees International Union. His lack of time living in the city as an adult or working in the community could also prove troublesome in the capacity of mayor.

However, Mr. Judd's experience in community organizing has helped him run a competitive campaign.

Ms. Dougherty has lived and operated businesses in the city for twenty-two years, four of those years serving as mayor. In these lean times, her professional experience in the community and previous term as mayor will prove invaluable and be a benefit for city residents.

I have found the other Democratic candidate, hometown Chris Simpson to be extremely straightforward. He has often said "I don't know" to questions posed to him which is a refreshing response. However, he will not seriously compete for the Democratic Party nomination. I enjoyed meeting him and hope he stays involved in local politics.

Nonetheless, I do expect Simpson to draw more than just a token number of votes as his talk of public safety in various parts of the city, especially the west end, will resonate with some voters.

It is doubtful Mr. Simpson will draw votes from supporters of Ms. Dougherty. Instead, his votes will either be from residents who were not going to vote or he will draw votes from Mr. Judd who are from the "Anyone but Dougherty" block of voters.

Interestingly, some local Republican leaders have expressed to me their desire for the Republican Party nominee for Mayor to face Jason Judd in the General Election as they fear Dougherty would be a much more competitive opponent.

Much has been written, including by me, as to the acrimony that surrounded the previous Dougherty administration. Dougherty has learned and grown by that experience and deserves another term as Mayor. This time with a Board of Aldermen who will work with the mayor on behalf of the residents of the city.

Next week on Wednesday, I will discuss the Democratic candidates for Aldermen.

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City of Frederick, MD Democratic Mayoral Race Has Tongues Wagging

George Wenschhof

It is now only 54 days until the primary on September 15 and the race to capture the Democratic nomination for mayor is one to watch.

Four years ago, former four term mayor Ron Young reappeared to challenge incumbent and first term mayor Jennifer Dougherty in the Democratic primary. It had been 16 years since he had been defeated by Republican Paul Gordon who would go on to serve one term as Mayor.

However, before Mr. Young could appear on the ballot, there was a city charter provision requiring three years of residency which Mr. Young did not meet. The Republican aldermen on the board, frustrated with Mayor Dougherty, proposed and passed a charter amendment changing the residency requirement to one year. Mr. Young, who had lived literally a stones throw from the city boundary before moving back to the city, now met the requirement.

But, not so fast, as Mayor Dougherty vetoed the charter amendment nullifying the change in residency. What followed was a series of legal challenges, the result being Mr. Young was allowed to run for mayor. Along the way, the city charter provision of three years was determined to be unconstitutional, leading Mayor Dougherty to rescind her veto of the charter amendment changing the residency requirement to one year.

Interestingly, when the city three year residency requirement was determined not to be legal, and the amendment was passed changing it to one year, there is a 45 day period before it goes into effect. During this 45 day period there was no residency requirement for a mayoral candidate for the City of Frederick. It was during this period current Republican Jeff Holtzinger, who did not live in the city and another Republican; the late Stanley Mazaleski who resided in Emmitsburg, Maryland filed for the office of mayor.

Incumbent favored Republican alderman Joe Baldi, who was running for mayor and did live in the city, was defeated by Jeff Holtzinger in the Republican primary by 35 votes (1077-1042). How many votes did Mr. Mazaleski receive? - 35.

Mr.Young, after spending a reported record amount exceeding $100,000, went on to defeat Mayor Dougherty in the primary 2218 to 1690. You can read the City of Frederick primary results here.

Ron Young, however would lose in the general election to political newcomer and non-city resident Jeff Holtzinger 4740 to 4382.

Tongues wagged and pundits wrote that a spiteful Ms. Dougherty urged her supporters to vote for Republican Jeff Holtzinger ensuring the defeat of Ron Young.

While many others questioned why Mr. Young had not campaigned with more vigor after winning the primary. This group expressed doubt any candidate would be able to persuade enough voters to vote against the candidate of their political party.

Regardless, Ron Young and the Democratic party suffered an embarrassing defeat in the 2005 election.

The background is necessary as the pundits are writing and the tongues are wagging once more in the Democratic primary race for mayor.

Local Republicans are hoping the same divide that transpired in the 2005 Democratic primary will take place yet again this year. They hope it will lead to another Republican being elected mayor as they realize voter registration does not favor Republicans in the City of Frederick. So, many Republicans are helping to spread rumors of turmoil within the Democratic ranks.

This time, for the Democrats, it is a political newcomer and recent resident of the city, Jason Judd, former mayor Jennifer Dougherty and hometown Chris Simpson who are the candidates for mayor. All three have been my guest on the website and their interviews are linked in the right hand margin of the home page.

Some of the rumors circulating surrounding Mr. Judd who works for the Service Employees International Union and has the support of former Mayor Ron Young is he is just a surrogate for Mr. Young and the Union. In my conversations with Jason, I have not found that to be true. Rather, I see him trying to garner support from different folks throughout the city as he meets with voters expressing his platform while listening to their concerns. However, expect that label to stick somewhat as the race heads to the homestretch.

Others try to label Ms. Dougherty as the former mayor who could not get along with anyone and that is another unfair statement which will likely stick with some voters. I have found Jennifer to be cooperative, fair, and straightforward as to her positions on the issues. She is also busy reaching out to voters across the city.

The label that Mr. Simpson is running to aid Dougherty is another unfair and flat out not true rumor. The chances of Chris Simpson winning the Democratic nomination for mayor are slim due to the lateness of his entry to the race. However, it will not be due to his lack of campaigning. He will receive much more than a token number of votes.

Will Chris Simpson attract the blue collar vote? After meeting with him, I would argue that he will. From Mr. Simpson's perspective, he is not running to pull votes from one or the other Democratic candidate - He is running to win - the same as the other two Democratic candidates for mayor.

The Democratic candidates for mayor know better than to personally attack one another as it would only aid the Republican nominee in the general election. So, expect Dougherty, Judd and Simpson to stick to the issues and what they plan to do if elected mayor.

Instead, it is the Republicans who should be worried; especially so, if Ron Tobin becomes their nominee. He would be a lightening rod to galvinize and unify Democratic voters ensuring a Democratic victory in November. Democratic voters will tie him to the former James Grimes administration and all the turmoil and questions surrounding the last term in office by Mr. Grimes.

Further, the acceptence of a two year early retirement buy-out, only to be rehired by mayor Jeff Holtzinger is an outrage to all the working men and women in the city, regardless of political affiliation.

Republican voters would be better served to nominate Randy McClement as their mayoral candidate on September 15. Mr. McClement is known as a nice guy who has experience working on various city commissions. The most recent being the city charter rewrite committee.

While united Democratic voters will make it difficult for any Republican to win election as mayor, Randy will not act as the lightening rod to unite the Democratic base.

Look to see the Democratic candidates continue to concentrate on the issues important to the voters throughout the remaining 71/2 weeks prior to the primary and for a united front in the general election supporting their nominee for mayor.

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City of Frederick, MD Mayoral Candidate Chris Simpson to be Guest Today

George Wenschhof

Beginning at 2:00 PM ET today, Democrat Chris Simpson will be my guest. We will be discussing his entry into the race for Mayor. The other two Democratic candidates for mayor of the City of Frederick, have previously been guests on my website Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof.

My interview with Jennifer Dougherty can be viewed here and my interview with Jason Judd can be viewed here.

The Democratic field of mayoral candidates is now set at three as the July 7 filing deadline has passed. One of these three candidates will be chosen by the voters to be the Democratic party mayoral nominee on September 15; the day of the primary election.

The general election will be held on November 3.

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City of Frederick, MD Election Update 7-8-2009

George Wenschhof

The field is now set as the filing deadline of July 7 4:00 PM ET for candidates in the City of Frederick election has now passed.

While several last day filings did occur, there were no major surprises. Republicans and Democrats will each field three candidates for Mayor. There are a total of 20 alderman candidates; 11 Republican and 9 Democrats. The City of Frederick website has a list of all the candidates here.

The last day filings included incumbent aldermen Alan Imhoff (R) and David "Kip" Koontz(D). Also filing on the last day were two Republican candidates for aldermen; Shelley Aloi and Robert Cassidy. Ron Tobin (R) who is currently the executive assistant to Mayor Jeff Holtzinger (R), filed for mayor. I had heard rumors of this for the last month but was unable to verify.

Before I get into discussing the candidates, I want to say a quick thank you to Kari Melvin (hope I have the spelling correct) who works at city hall and provided me with the updated list of candidates. I stopped by twice; once around noon and at the end of the day - both times she quickly provided me with an updated list.

Also, during the day, I was contacted by NBC 25 reporter Jackie Cutler who wanted to interview me on the city elections. She had been receiving the daily updates from my site and wanted to hear my take on the upcoming election. My half hour interview in front of city hall after cutting and splicing, resulted in about ten seconds of fame on air as she interviewed a handful of individuals and reported on the last minute filings.

You can watch her report by clicking here and then clicking on the picture of city hall. It was the first time I had met Ms. Cutler and I found her to be very professional and well informed in regard to the local political scene.

Today, I will discuss the candidates for mayor. Tomorrow, I will discuss the aldermen candidates. On the Democratic side, I see Jennifer Dougherty and Jason Judd pretty much tied at this point, ten weeks from the September 15 primary election. The Democrat newcomer to the race; Chris Simpson has his work cut out for him. However, I found he had some interesting points in my brief telephone conversation with him after he filed last Thursday.

Mr. Simpson spoke of the decline of the neighborhoods off Route 40 (Golden Mile) and the need for a greater police presence. Depending on how the mainstream media treats him, he could, as a local born and raised city of Frederick man, catch on with some voters.

A local columnist, upon learning of Mr. Simpson's entry into the race, contacted me and asked me if I felt this would aid the Dougherty campaign. I did not feel Mr Simpson, as a present political unknown would aid either the Judd or Dougherty campaign. Instead, I felt he would draw equally from both which could prove to be interesting.

I plan to meet with Mr. Simpson on Thursday and will interview him live online as I did with Ms. Dougherty and Mr. Judd. Stay tuned and I will keep you informed when the interview will take place.

Jennifer Dougherty continues to go door to door daily as she campaigns to win reelection, while Jason Judd, who works in D.C. does not have the time to do so. While his support from former Mayor Ron Young is helpful, most people I talk to do not know Mr. Judd.

Dougherty signs have begun popping up everywhere of late, while the number of Judd signs appear to be unchanged from when they first appeared.

What the overriding issue will be for voters in this election is still to be determined. The early retirement buy-out debacle instituted by Mayor Holtzinger with consent of the alderman, continues to be the number one issue resulting in a head scratching exercise by city voters. Why pay someone 1-2 years of salary and then hire them back is hard to swallow for the everyday working man and woman.

Reduction in crime and safety is always of concern to voters which is why early remarks from newcomer Chris Simpson should not be dismissed.

Maintaining a satisfactory level of services to city residents while experiencing lean and difficult economic times will also certainly be a challenge for the incoming administration. In this area, Mr. Judd has a economics degree and Ms. Dougherty during her previous administration has written and had approved four annual city budgets.

The current administration has indebted the city at a record amount by acquiring land for a future park, finalizing a water agreement with questionable terms, and indebting the city for future infrastructure improvements including the now "infamous" jobs pathway road extension.

All of which will need to be paid for while city property values have decreased in values. This will result in less income for city services.

The annexation of additional land into the city at this point could become an election issue. Three farms known as the Summers, Crum and Thatcher farms have been brought forward for city mayor and board approval. They all appear to be premature as thousands of unbuilt units exist within the city boundaries at present.

One statement which has been attributed to Mayor Holtzinger by some is he feels the annexations are needed to pay for the cost of the water agreement. If true, the statement makes little sense. Planned reasonable growth takes into account the many factors impacted by increased development. The fact that the city entered into a water agreement does not automatically dictate additional land needs to be annexed into the city.

How the incumbent aldermen vote on these annexations and how the other candidates running for office weigh in on these annexations could easily become a issue of importance to the voters who are already tired of congested roads and overcrowded schools. However, if candidates oppose these annexations, they will have to move fast as the city mayor and board meetings have been scheduled.

The Republican field for mayor also grew by one when Ron Tobin filed to join Clint Hoffman and Randy McClement. Incumbent Mayor Jeff Holtzinger added confusion to the Republican effort by first being noncommittal to his intention to run, then filing to run for reelection, and finally withdrawing from the race.

Mr. Hoffman, a owner of a local towing business is the long shot. Mr. McClement began by being the only Republican candidate for mayor who had the support of state delegate Rick Weldon (I-3b). The rumor that Mayor Holtzinger would not file for reelection was strong, only to be dashed when he filed papers to run, making the incumbent mayor the favorite in the Republican primary. Holtzinger followed with his withdrawal from the race. This action was reminiscent of his supporter, former Mayor James Grimes who did the same thing only to refile for election in the 2001 election. Grimes would lose that election to Jennifer Dougherty. Will Holtzinger change his mind and refile? - doubtful.

So that leaves Ron Tobin, often referred to as "Darth Vader" or the "Grim Reaper" of city hall as the other Republican candidate for mayor. He was first hired by mayor James Grimes and was replaced during the Dougherty administration. Mr. Grimes was an early supporter of Holtzinger and upon his surprise election in 2005, Mr. Tobin reappeared at city hall.

Tobin will be competitive in the Republican primary due to support he will receive from the Grimes and Blaine Young camp. However, he is one who received the early buy out and was hired back by the mayor which hardly makes any sense whatsoever. Expect him to be clobbered with this.

Mr. McClement is the best qualified to win the Republican nomination due to his involvement with various city boards and commissions, including the update of the city charter. Randy has also attended many city mayor and board meetings. However, due to the support that will be given to Tobin, McClement will need to become more active and step it up in his campaign efforts to win the Republican nomination on September 15.

Tomorrow, I will discuss the aldermen candidates.

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Simpson Joins Mayoral Race for City of Frederick, MD

George Wenschhof

Chris Simpson makes the third Democrat to file for Mayor of the City of Frederick. The other Democrats to file are Jennifer Dougherty and Jason Judd. Randy McClement and Clint Hoffman are the two Republicans who have filed to run for Mayor.

Mr. Simpson is a born and raised resident of the city and is currently the owner of the family business; Golden Mile Liquors located off Route 40.

At the age of 40, he has seen many of the changes the city has gone through and wants to address the concerns of the every day working man and woman. He readily admits he is not a politician kind of guy, but rather one who wants to make decisions that are best for the city as a whole.

His Treasurer is John Junkins who is a close friend and adviser. He realizes there is just ten weeks to go until the primary on September 15 and intends to go after it hard; meeting and talking with voters while listening to their concerns.

I will be sitting down with Mr. Simpson next week to learn more about his positions on various issues and will have him as my guest live online in the near future.

The deadline for filing for office in the City of Frederick election is July 7.

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City of Frederick, MD Election Update

George Wenschhof

Many voters in the City of Frederick have not yet tuned in to the election so it is too early to start making projections. However, it is always interesting to see what is transpiring with the announced candidates.

Last week I wrote about Bill Hall making his official announcement that he was running as a Democrat for Alderman on June 20 at Mullinix Park at 3:00 PM during a Juneteenth celebration. I also spoke of what currently appears to be another eight Democratic alderman candidates in the race.

Let's take a look at what has been happening with the mayoral candidates.

The filing deadline is July 7 and the primary is September 15 so in about three months voters will be deciding who will be their candidates from their respective political parties for the general election on November 3.

Incumbent Republican Mayor Jeff Holtzinger's decision to drop out of the race is the most interesting recent development. He would have faced intense scrutiny over his residency and the decision to move forward with the early retirement buy-out plan.

Other issues such as the condemnation of the "Hargett Farm" for a city park, the city budget and the decision to issue millions in city bonds for infrastructure development would have also been fodder for opponents.

While many of the issues will still exist, other candidates will have to alter their campaign strategy as it can no longer be focused on encouraging city voters to vote against Holtzinger because....

On the Republican side, the owner of a Tow Truck business, Clint Hoffman is considered a very long shot. The other Republican who has filed, Randy McClement is well liked by those who know him. The major problem being he is not a long term Frederick resident and outside those who visit his Bagel Shop downtown or have seen him at various city meetings, he is not known by the voters.

In earlier columns, I gave him little chance against Holtzinger in the primary and even reported some Republicans were telling me he would withdraw form the Mayor's race and run for Alderman. McClement have not shown any inclination to withdraw from the race and is, at present, the favorite to win the Republican nomination.

I ran into Randy on the street a few weeks ago, the day before his daughter's wedding. I asked how Dad was holding up and he said fine. He added however, daughter had a long list of "to do" items for Dad. I told him I wished him and the family well as I was sure that would be an exciting moment.

When I spoke to Mayor Holtzinger after he announced his withdraw from the race, he indicated he would be endorsing the Republican candidate for mayor. When I spoke on how few voters know Mr. McClement, Jeff reminded me to think about how much of a chance I was giving him in the 2005 election. I have to admit I did not give Holtzinger much of a chance to win that election.

While much speculation abounds on what other Republican may enter the mayoral race, incumbent alderman Alan Imhoff is not one I would suspect would join the fray. Instead expect Imhoff to file for alderman. There was even some talk from a few about trying to get Bill Hall to switch back to Republican and run for Mayor, but Mr. Hall squashed that rumor.

On the Democratic side, talk continues on the possibility of a third candidate joining former Mayor Jennifer Dougherty and Jason Judd in the race for the Democratic nomination for Mayor.

Fueling the gossip is the fear Mr. Judd is not ready for the position of Mayor, has not lived in Frederick very long and has never worked here. In regard to Ms. Dougherty, one could argue she has the highest negativity rating among city voters of any candidate in the race.

I have personally found in talking with city voters, they have a love her or hate her mentality toward Dougherty and are quick to tell me so. It would appear the persuadable voters in the case of Ms. Dougherty would be a smaller number than in the case of Mr. Judd. As to Mr. Judd, many voters ask me who is he?

If I were to try to objectively handicap the Democratic race at this moment, I would call it even.

Adding to the talk a third candidate may enter the race is Ron Young telling many if he felt Jason Judd would lose to Jennifer Dougherty, he would enter the race.

The problem with Ron's statement is his entry into the race would probably aid a Dougherty victory in the Democratic primary. In 2005, only 3,908 Democrats voted in the primary and Ron easily beat Jennifer 2,218 to 1,690.

In a three way race, with Judd and Young supporters splitting their vote, only 1,400 votes for Dougherty would probably be enough to win. While Dougherty detractors are very vocal, her supporters are very loyal and will stay with her at the voting booth.

So some speculation continues as to who would make a viable third Democratic candidate. One who comes to my mind who would be able to draw voters away from both the Dougherty and Judd supporters as well as have her own following is former alderman Meta Nash.

Ms. Nash ran in the three candidate Democratic primary for Mayor in 2001. The primary fell on 9/11 and Jennifer won by about 30 votes over Meta as I recall. Alan Imhoff, who was a Democrat at that time, was a distant third. Ms. Dougherty went on to win that election against Republican incumbent mayor James Grimes.

Many have speculated to me that if Ms. Nash had won that primary in 2001, she would still be mayor today.

The most interesting aspect of the mayoral race to me so far if that so many voters are talking to me about other candidates who may file in both the Republican and Democratic Parties.

In a short four weeks, that talk will stop as the filing deadline of July 7 will have passed. Expect at that time, for the voters to begin concentrating on the filed candidates and their positions on the issues. Speculation will be over and the field set.

Stay Tuned....

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