McClement Facing Strong Challenge in Republican Primary

George Wenschhof


Randy McClement

Shelley Aloi

Randy McClement, who is running for reelection for mayor of The City of Frederick, has drawn a record number of challengers for the seat.  A total of seven candidates are running for mayor; 3 Republicans, 3 Democrats and 1 Unaffiliated.

Getting past the primary election held on September 10 will not be easy for the first term mayor, who has the reputation of being a nice guy.  Randy will first have to get past former mayor Jeff Holtzinger and alderman Shelley Aloi in the Republican primary before he would face the winner in the Democratic primary and unaffiliated former mayor Jennifer Dougherty.

One of the main reasons cited for the multitude of candidates opposing Randy is that, putting aside he is a nice guy, the rap on Randy is he is a weak leader with no vision for the city.

Jeff Holtzinger

Holtzinger put it more bluntly in a recent interview when he told me the mayor is letting the alderman run the city and that is not the way the city charter is set up.  Often silent on issues that come before the mayor and board over the last four years, Randy rarely offered his opinion on matters presented at public meeting or workshops.

In my interview with McClement, he touted his fiscal stewardship during a time of economic uncertainty as the main thing he was proud of during his first term in office.

However, as a result of a lack of vision and a seemingly unwillingness to provide direction, Randy has been stuck with the moniker of being a “caretaker mayor”.  That is, during his watch, nothing great happened and nothing really bad happened.

Former one term mayor Jeff Holtzinger can’t say the same, as it was during his administration two costly decisions were made.  One, was the early retirement buy-out program and the other was the decision to purchase the Hargett farm for a park.

Both decisions are still costing the city money.  Holtzinger sticks by the Hargett farm purchase, telling me the cost to develop the farm will be considerably less per acre than the city is paying to develop Carroll Creek.

Holtzinger, who is also an engineer by trade, wants to get back to building infrastructure for the city to provide relief from the congestion city residents currently face.

Alderman Shelley Aloi is also frustrated with the lack of leadership exhibited by Randy and told me when she announced her run for mayor “the city can’t take four more years of him”.

She is angry the city hasn’t done more to reduce the underfunded liability of the pension and other post employment benefits programs.  She was especially incensed over the negotiated contract the mayor did with the city police union, saying it will cost the city millions.

The talk around town has Randy surviving the primary election, resulting from Holtzinger drawing votes away from Aloi.

But, don’t discount Aloi, who was the only Republican elected to the board of alderman in the 2009 election. In that election, as well as this one, she has displayed a strong closing campaign effort as voting day nears.

The real fireworks will begin following the primary when city voters will have a choice between the Democratic, Republican and Unaffiliated candidate for mayor. 

Stay tuned.

 

---

 

Your Donations to Frederick Politics are needed and appreciated - Please click on the Donation Button in right hand margin of page - Thank You! 

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.

 

---

Your Donations to Frederick Politics are needed and appreciated - Please click on the Donation Button in right hand margin of page - Thank You!

Aloi Wants To Get Fiscal House in Order

George Wenschhof

Shelley Aloi

Republican Shelley Aloi told me The City of Frederick is her hometown and that as mayor she would focus on “public safety and getting the fiscal house in order”.

Shelley said she had traveled around the world and had come back because Frederick is so great she wanted to ensure it continues to be a wonderful hometown for other families for generations to come.

Shelley shared with me she never thought she would be in politics and that prior to running and being elected alderman, she had traveled the world helping people in need.

She had worked in a soup kitchen in Atlanta, a para church organization “Christmas of Service” in Amsterdam where she helped homeless, drug addicts and prostitutes, and had spent three months in Germany providing humanitarian aid.

Upon returning home, Shelley attended the 2008-2009 Leadership Frederick County” class and it was during the state and local government day portion of the class, she decided “this would be a natural next step in serving people”.

She ran for alderman in the 2009 city election and came in third of the five aldermen elected.  She was most proud of the way the board of aldermen, on the most part, have worked well together and although they often have different viewpoints and perspectives, they have been respectful of one another.

As Mayor, Aloi intends to focus on everyone from children to senior citizens to provide a quality of life everyone enjoys.

When it came to public safety, Aloi said she intends to provide adequate resources for police technology, educational initiatives to support strategic policing and promote community policing.  Newly hired Police Chief Thomas Ledwell would also be retained under her administration.

Aloi was especially critical of Mayor Randy McClement on his handling of the underfunded city Pension and Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB) programs.

Shelley felt the mayor did not have this as a priority and as a result, the city unfunded actuarial accrued liability for the pension, grew from $62.5 million in fiscal year 2010 to $100 million in fiscal year 2014.

With OPEB, Aloi said the city changed the way calculations were done, resulting in a reduced unfunded liability “on paper” from $128 million to $104 million.

Aloi sent me a follow up email after my interview where she said “I also fault Randy McClement for his negotiations along with Kelly Russell, Michael O’Connor and Carol Krimm for their votes obligating city taxpayers to cover 100% of retiree healthcare costs for all sworn employees hired before January 1, 2010. This is a future cost for which no financial projections were completed. A straight line estimate without an actuarial analysis makes this as much as a $44 million dollar obligation. We do not have the money to pay for this promise.”

In addition, Aloi said the mayor has touted the city reaching a level of 80% funding in twenty years, but left out the city would be contributing $7.5 million each year (for the amortization portion only) over the next twenty years.

Economic development would be another focus for Aloi, as mayor, and she quickly pointed to the importance of the city moving to Phase II of the Carroll Creek project.

She again criticized Mayor McClement for almost letting $3 million in state funding go away because he had not secured local matching funds.  Aloi said she, aldermen Carol Krimm and Karen Young scrambled to first; urge the mayor not to send the money back and second; secure the necessary matching funding for the project.

Aloi said the lease negotiation of city owned Harry Grove Stadium was also handled poorly by the mayor.  She did not understand why one of the most valuable parts of the contract “the naming rights for the stadium” was not included in the original negotiation.

Aloi would also like to help the growth of small business in the city which she feels is hampered by rules that are too onerous and costs too high to do business in the city.

Alderman Aloi will face Mayor Randy McClement and former mayor Jeff Holtzinger in the Republican primary.

The Democratic mayoral primary will include alderman Karen Young, Maryland state delegate Galen Clagett and Carol Hirsch.

Former mayor Jennifer Dougherty is running as an unaffiliated candidate and will not have an opponent in the primary election.

The City of Frederick primary election will be held on September 10.

Stay tuned.

 

---

 

Donations to Frederick Politics are needed and appreciated - Please click on the Donation Button in right hand margin of page - Thank You!

Should City Provide Funding for a Downtown Hotel?

George Wenschhof

 

Republican Mayor Randy McClement has promoted a downtown hotel/conference center since being elected and had previously expressed desire to have broken ground on the project by now.

 

Wednesday, during a City of Frederick mayor and board of aldermen workshop, a real estate consulting firm hired by the city, said there will be a funding shortfall between $10-12 million.

 

Frederick News Post reporter Jen Bondeson in an article published Thursday wrote, in part, “Developers say that when the proposed hotel comes to fruition, room rates will not be high enough to support the added features, said John Gibb, managing director of Jones Lang LaSalle, a real estate consultant firm.”

During tough economic times and a heavy debt service already existing with The City of Frederick, I asked mayoral candidates “whether they would support taxpayers funding the anticipated shortfall or an amount of the shortfall and if so, why and if not, why?”

 

Former mayor and unaffiliated candidate Jennifer Dougherty responded with "I don't think it makes sense from what I know today. Government services - police, trash, snow plowing, etc. have to be our priorities.

Government would be going into competition with private enterprises in the scenario described...that's a tough one to accept.

If the private sector cannot afford it, we should be careful about government getting into it. I think it's premature to commit or expect City taxpayer funds on this project."

Alderman Karen Young, who is one of three Democrats running for mayor sent me an email saying "I don't see the city filling that wide a gap. I have never been in favor of a cash supplement. I can see the city providing parking as long as it would benefit the overall community. I might also consider the city's participation in providing land under very specially defined conditions."

When I pressed her for a level of funding by the city she would support she said "That is premature. I'd have to see the total plan."

Former Republican mayor Jeff Holtzinger sent me an email saying "If a private hotel/conference center operator can make it work that would be a nice asset for downtown. I do not think the City should be in the hotel/conference center business.

There is a hotel with conference space in the City limits at the intersection of Opossumtown Pike and Thomas Johnson Drive. I do not think the City should be looking to compete with this privately owned hotel/conference center.  

The private sector will have much better insight as to whether such a facility is feasible in a downtown location and that is who should be calling the shots on this not City Hall. If a private developer does have an interest in a downtown site, the City's proper role would be to provide a predictable, consistent and fair regulatory process.  

No I do not think the City should fund any part of this shortfall. In my opinion that is not a proper role of local government to be the lending institution for a private enterprise." 

In an email, alderman Shelley Aloi, who is one of three Republicans running for mayor, said "I want to assure City taxpayers that under my leadership the City of Frederick will not pay for a downtown hotel, nor will we pay the debt service for a hotel. Instead, I see the role of City government as creating an environment that allows the private sector to flourish. The City's Department of Economic Development in cooperation with our consultant will continue to work with local partners (The Chamber of Commerce, Major Employers Group, etc.) to develop a plan of action that opens the possibility for a full-service hotel with large meeting space.

Today, large groups must travel to Washington, Baltimore and even Hagerstown to host functions. Frederick should have a share of this market and we can work toward this end in many ways that do not use City taxpayer dollars. For example, the City of Frederick already has plans for an additional parking deck. A partnership in which hotel occupants can use and pay for parking in a City owned deck would be a win-win situation.

Another scenario might be securing the use of State funding. To be clear, most State dollars are spent in other areas including Baltimore City and County, Prince Georges County and Howard County. Why should the taxpaying citizens in the City of Frederick support programs in these much larger areas? I submit that we should not. Since the State government will spend our money either way, the City of Frederick should work on behalf of citizens to bring the benefit of these State programs home to Frederick. If not, we will continue to send our money down the road to other communities."

At time of publication, Mayor Randy McClement and Carol Hirsch (D) had not responded to my inquiries.

Update: 8:00 AM - Mayor Randy McClement responded with the following: "I have said in the past and continue to say, the City will NOT build a hotel or conference center. We are facilitating in the discussions along with the private sector on the feasibility of having one in Downtown Frederick. The Hotel Advisory Group continues to move forward with examining this possibility and I look forward to their final recommendation.

I have said that if public infrastructure, such as a parking deck, was needed to help bring a facility like this to downtown AND that public infrastructure helped to serve the greater good of that service area, I would look at possibly moving that infrastruture up in the process."

Maryland state delegate Galen Clagett's office informed me he was on vacation with his wife and will respond upon returning home next week.

The manner in which the city proceeds with this project and the level of funding provided is likely to have an impact on the upcoming City of Frederick election. 

Stay tuned.

---

Your Donations to Frederick Politics are Appreciated - Please click on the Donation Button in right hand margin of page - Thank You!  

The City of Frederick Primary Election Online Mayoral Poll

George Wenschhof

The City of Frederick primary will be held on September 10, less than six weeks away. Three Republicans and three Democrats will face off that day to determine who will move on from their political party to the general election held on November 5.

The three Democratic candidates are Maryland state delegate Galen Clagett, alderman Karen Young and Carol Hirsch.

The three Republican candidates are incumbent mayor Randy McClement, alderman Shelley Aloi and former mayor Jeff Holtzinger.

The general election will include unaffiliated candidate Jennifer Dougherty, who does not face opposition in the primary.

Over the next three days, I will be running Democratic and Republican mayoral candidate polls; located in the right hand margin.  You can only vote once and the polls will close on Monday August 5 at 6:00 AM. 

Enjoy!

---

Your Donations to Frederick Politics are Appreciated - Please click on the Donation Button in right hand margin of page - Thank You!

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.

---

Your Donations to Frederick Politics are Appreciated - Please click on the Donation Button in right hand margin of page - Thank You!

Young Calls Foul on Frederick News Post Mayoral Poll

George Wenschhof

Karen Young

Democratic Alderwoman Karen Young, who is running for mayor of The City of Frederick, expressed dismay to me yesterday over the manner a recent poll was conducted by the Frederick News Post (FNP).

 

Democratic Galen Clagett (D) won the poll with 40.9% and Young received 23.5%.

In an email to me Karen said “The FNP poll has been totally contaminated.  I believe that at least one person, if not more, is erasing cookies and voting multiple times.

I did a professional Voter I.D. survey about 10 days ago. The FNP results are WAY off.  My Voter I.D. was done by Chism Strategies and 2055 calls were made."

When I asked her; “who were called and the results”, Young said “Democrats with a voting history. Results had me slightly ahead.”

The online Frederick News Post website conducts daily polls, covering various issues and does not, to my knowledge, vouch for the authenticity of the results.

 

Below, are the results from the FNP poll, challenged by Young.

 

"Now that all the candidates have filed, who would you vote for to be Frederick's next mayor?"

Total Votes: 1232

16.2%

Shelley Aloi 56 - 4.5%

Carol Hirsch 90 - .7%

Jeff Holtzinger 65 - 5.3%

Randy McClement 199 - 16.2%

Galen Clagett 504 - 40.9%

Karen Young 290 - 23.5%

Jennifer Dougherty 64 - 5.2%

None of the above 45 - 3.7%

Young also forwarded me an email she sent to FNP city reporter Jen Bondeson, where she said, in part, "While I recognize that your poll is informal, it is also misleading. The danger is that the results are being used to predict outcome. This is an inappropriate use of information that is more the result of "working the poll" rather than obtaining findings from a scientific measurement."

The City of Frederick conducts a closed primary election where voters of a registered party elect their candidate(s) to move on to the general election, when all registered voters take part.  

This year, on September 10, for mayor, Democratic registered voters will choose between Galen Clagett, Karen Young and Carol Hirsch.  Republican registered voters will choose between incumbent Randy McClement, Jeff Holtzinger and Shelley Aloi.

Republican and Democratic registered voters will also vote on September 10 to determine five aldermen who will move on to the general election. 

On general election day, held on November 5, all registered voters will choose between the winner of the Republican and Democratic mayoral primaries along with unaffiliated candidate Jennifer Dougherty, who does not face a primary.

Also, on Novemeber 5, all registered voters will choose five aldermen between the five Republican and five Democratic candidates who won their respective primaries.

Earlier, alderwoman Young complained of what she called a negative push-poll conducted by Galen Clagett, that she said made her look bad.

Both the Republican and Democratic mayoral/aldermen primaries promise to be hotly contested.

Stay tuned.

---

Your Donations to Frederick Politics are Appreciated - Please click on the Donation Button in right hand margin of page - Thank You!

Holtzinger Files for Mayor

George Wenschhof

Jeff Holtzinger

The long anticipated entry into the City of Frederick mayoral race by Jeff Holtzinger is now official with his filing for the office at city hall.

The former one term mayor will face incumbent Randy McClement in the Republican primary.

The race for mayor promises to be the one to watch in the city election where voters will elect a mayor and a five member board of aldermen.

Already in the race for mayor, are Delegate Galen Clagett and alderwoman Karen Young who will face each other in the Democratic primary.

Rounding out the familiar faces is former Democrat Jennifer Dougherty, another one term mayor, who on her fifth run for the office, has filed as an unaffiliated candidate.

The Republican and Democratic primaries will be held on September 10 and Dougherty, who will not have a primary, receives a free pass to the General Election to be held on November 5.

In an email exchange with Holtzinger, I asked him, for publication; “what are the main reasons you are challenging the incumbent Republican mayor?”

He responded with “I have nothing against Randy personally and know he is viewed as nice guy, which is a good thing. However, I think he has been very ineffective as Mayor.

My observation is that he appears to have difficulty making decisions and has not taken charge as, in my opinion, the Mayor should be doing. This does not mean you need to act like a dictator but you need to be willing to take the lead and make decisions.

As a consequence, very little has been accomplished other than projects that were started and/or initiated prior to this Administration taking office. The City has tremendous in house resources (employees) and I think these resources could have been utilized to get needed public works projects designed, permitted and ready to move toward construction as funding becomes available.

I also am of the opinion that the current BOCC is a very pro municipality Board and that more could have been done jointly with this BOCC to further City interests. My background and experience both inside and outside local government matches well with the major issues that face the Mayor of the City of Frederick.”

I added “Also, sure to come up, will be questions pertaining to your city residency. The city website has your address as 232 Dill Ave.

How long have you lived there?”

Holtzinger responded with “Yes, I am sure. I established residency well before November 2012. I am a renter and yes I am aware that how I established residency may/will be problematic for some voters.

I followed up with the question “In regard to your establishing residency, do you actually live at 232 Dill Ave.?”

Holtzinger responded with “Yes I stay there, but I do run back and forth alot.”

When I asked Jennifer Dougherty in an email if she had a quotable comment on Holtzinger’s entry into the mayoral race she responded with “it does give an opportunity for the issues to include Hargett Farm and the Early Retirement Buy-Out - both still costing the City taxpayers. So I guess Randy, and perhaps Shelley (alderwoman Shelley Aloi-R), can talk about those issues in their Primary.”

Mayor Randy McClement was attending the Maryland Municipal League convention and was unavailable for comment.

The deadline for candidates to file for office in the city election is July 2.

Stay Tuned…

---

Donations to Frederick Politics are Appreciated - Click on the Donation Button in right hand margin of page - Thank You!

Frederick Democratic Primary Race for Mayor Heats Up

George Wenschhof

Karen Young

Democratic infighting is nothing new in The City of Frederick elections and this year’s primary election for mayor promises to be more of the same.

Galen Clagett

This time it is city alderman Karen Young facing off against delegate Galen Clagett and the fireworks are starting early with Young accusing Clagett of using a push poll to make her look bad.

"Young should get used to hard-hitting polls, Clagett says", was the headline of an news article written by Patti Borda that appeared yesterday in the Frederick News Post.

During a telephone interview Karen told me she was disappointed and that she wanted to run a positive campaign.

Young said Clagett is known for his lack of respect of women and his actions illustrate why many women do not run for office.  She added it only makes her work harder to help the next generation of women enter politics easier.

She told me she will not conduct a push poll and she hopes the campaign will focus on the issues and who has a better vision for the future.

Clagett did not return repeated calls prior to publication.

The city primary election is September 10 and this early heated exchange between Clagget and Young is not new for Democratic candidates for mayor.

The early campaign smiles always seem to fade as accusations fly and hard ball campaign tactics are utilized by candidates who often know each other well.

In spite of a Democratic voter registration advantage, a Republican mayor was elected in 2005 and 2009.  The last Democratic mayor; Jennifer Dougherty, who served one term from 2001-2005, is often blamed for the loss of former mayor Ron Young (D) to Jeff Holtzinger (R) in the 2005 election and for the loss of Jason Judd (D) to Randy McClement (R) in the 2009 election.

It is widely known Jennifer was livid, that as an incumbent, she was challenged by former four term mayor Ron Young.  In an act of desperation, Jennifer would try to tie Ron Young to the infamous “Black Book” scandal involving a local madam that took place during the last term of Republican mayor James Grimes, who Jennifer beat in the 2001 election.  Ms. Dougherty’s hardball action backfired and she would lose the primary election to Young.

It appeared to be a surprise to unknown Republican mayoral candidate Jeff Holtzinger, he won against Ron Young and was elected mayor.  Reports, at the time likened Jeff to a “deer caught in the spotlight” when he was informed election night he was the next mayor of The City of Frederick.

 

Holtzinger’s election resulting from the low city voter turnout and support from disgruntled Dougherty supporters.

In 2009, Dougherty would try for the fourth time to become mayor.  She was beat handily in the Democratic primary by newcomer Jason Judd, who was previously unknown in political circles.

Prior to the general election, I reported a Dougherty supporter paid for a robo-call to city voters urging them to write-in Jennifer Dougherty.  Once again, a Republican would win the mayor race.  This time it was Randy McClement who narrowly beat Jason Judd.

Jennifer is at it again, running for mayor for a fifth time.  This time as an Independent, she will once again impact the outcome.  She has to be hoping low voter turnout, split between three candidates, combined with siphoning off supporters from the losing candidates in the Democratic and Republican primaries, will result in her victory. 

A bitter and bruising primary often makes it difficult for supporters of the losing candidate to vote for the primary winner in the general election, which may play to Dougherty’s advantage in a close three-way race.

So far, incumbent Republican mayor Randy McClement does not have an opponent. Former mayor Jeff Holtzinger, who will have residency entanglements, is reportedly anxiously waiting in the wings to make his announcement.

Stay tuned….

 

---

 

Donations to Frederick Politics are Appreciated - Click on Donation Button in right hand margin of page - Thank You!    

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.

--------------------

To receive "Daily Updates" from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below.