The City of Frederick 2017 Election Buzz

George Wenschhof

George Wenschhof

No respite from politics for The City of Frederick voters following what may go down in history as the most raucous presidential election that clearly illustrated the deep divide in America.

Beginning soon, announcements by candidates for mayor and board of aldermen will begin to trickle out even though the deadline for candidates to file is not until July 3, 2017.  A petition candidate deadline is May 1, 2017.

The primary election will be held on September 12 and the general election will be on November 7, 2017.

There is growing frustration among voters with the current mayor and board who feel their city government, at best, has been status quo over the last 8 years under Republican mayor Randy McClement and a board of aldermen dominated by Democrats.

What is often said, is at least the mayor and board is free of the drama that existed during former Democratic mayor Jennifer Dougherty's administration.

However, there will be lots of issues that will receive discussion, among them and perhaps the main issue highlighted will be the lack of leadership displayed by nice guy mayor McClement. Also missing is a sense of togetherness and any vision for the future for the residents of what is now the second largest city in the state of Maryland.

The inability by the mayor and board to negotiate an extension of the baseball stadium lease would lead to a poorly executed Request for Proposals and the subsequent renaming of the field with less than artful signs, lack of job development for city residents, the shoddy handling of the downtown hotel/conference center development, little to no action on Blighted properties, another sloppy execution of a request for proposal on the extension of Monocacy Boulevard, a costly and unaffordable plan for the Hargett Farm park debacle, parking fine increases, hikes in water and sewer fees and removal of the bust of Roger Brooke Taney in front of city hall are all just a few of the issues sure to be discussed by candidates.

So what are the early rumors on who will enter the fray?  On the mayor side, Democrats already have several names that are surfacing.  Incumbent alderman Michael O’Connor has all but announced he will be running for the Democratic Party nomination.  His major obstacle will be he never differentiated himself from mayor McClement over the last seven years and if leadership is a skill he plans to run on, he has never shown it during his years in office.

Former one term and first woman mayor Jennifer Dougherty will likely run again.  She has been running since 1993 and has only won one time and that was back in 2001.  Likability is her biggest problem as is the fact she has been the Democratic spoiler in every race since 2005 when she was defeated in the Democratic primary. She became the first incumbent city mayor to be defeated by a candidate of her own party when another former mayor Ron Young defeated her.  She would not support Young in that general election and Republican Jeff Holtzinger would win.  In 2009 after losing to Jason Judd in the primary, she would again not support the Democratic nominee resulting in the election of Republican Randy McClement.  Apparently frustrated with the Democratic Party, Jennifer would run as an unaffiliated petition candidate in the 2013 election with former local reporter Katherine Heerbrandt helping her. Once again, she would split the vote, this time with Democratic candidate Karen Young, and leading to the reelection of Republican mayor Randy McClement. 

Reportedly, she will run as a Democrat this time.  All told, Dougherty is 1-7 in elections who in addition to losing 4 times for mayor also lost a bid for county commissioner and congress.  However, she is a tireless campaigner and would be competitive in this election.  

Another Democrat Roger Wilson, who received the plum job of county liaison to towns and municipalities by Jan Gardner when she was elected county executive has also given considerable thought to running for mayor. He ran for state delegate in the 2014 election and lost. His major problem is the optics of him running for mayor while being paid by taxpayers.  Because of this, the latest rumors have him rethinking and considering a run for alderman.  However, the optics problem remains and voters will not want a city alderman who is working in an appointed position with the county executive and as the county liaison to the city.  City-County agreements are often in front of the mayor and board for consideration, so remaining in his county position would be a difficult sell to voters wondering who he was representing, the city or the county?  His dilemma is to decide whether to give up a well paying position to run for city office.

It would not be a surprise to see downtown resident Peter Samuels jump into the race.  His dissatisfaction with what he refers to as the downtown hotel/conference center boondoggle might just be the catalyst to get him to run.

Former County commissioner and state delegate Galen Clagett’s name has also surfaced.  He ran for mayor 4 years ago and lost to Karen Young in the Democratic primary.  Throughout his time in office, he is known for getting things done so he may throw his hat in the ring when he sizes up the field.

A name that repeatedly pops up when I am talking to folks around town is Jim Racheff.  Jim is widely respected and someone who has been active in local Democratic politics.  He recently chaired the transition effort for county executive Jan Gardner, is chairing Gardner’s “Livable Frederick” Comprehensive Plan update and has served as chair of the city board of zoning appeals.  When I asked him recently if he would consider running, Jim told me his attention to his business would not allow him to do so.

City Democratic alderman Josh Bokee is another who is been talked about who will be entering the race for mayor.  He has let me know he will make his intention known prior to the end of the year. 

It is likely even more Democrats will come forward for mayor.

    

The question remains whether Republican Randy McClement will run again and if not, who will be the Republican candidate?  A rumor sure to stir up political buzz around town has Blaine Young moving to the city and running for mayor.  I heard this rumor immediately following the election of Republican Donald Trump as president.  Although said in jest, it is a type of move Blaine Young would make.  It is more likely, if McClement did not run for reelection; Republican alderman Phil Dacey would seek the job of mayor.

The buzz surrounding city alderman candidates will follow in another column.

Stay tuned.

Mayor and Board Sworn in Today

George Wenschhof

Randy McClement

The inauguration ceremony for the 61st administration of The City of Frederick takes place today.

The Weinberg Center will host the public event.  At 11:00 AM, Mayor Randy McClement (R) will be sworn in to serve his second term.  The board of aldermen will be consist of two Democrats who will enter their second terms; Kelly Russell and Michael O'Connor.

Joining them on the board will be newcomers; Phil Dacey (R), Josh Bokee (D) and former three term Democratic alderman Donna Kuzemchak.

It is expected Kelly Russell, who received the most votes in the election, will be made Mayor Pro Tem today.

Democrats, will once again hold a super majority on the board of alderman, while a Republican serves as mayor of a city that has a strong Democratic voter registration advantage.

Republican alderman elect Phil Dacey will be facing voter anger to the robo-calls made on behalf of his campaign that criticized Democratic alderman elect Donna Kuzemchak for failing to pay her property taxes on time.  Dacey has yet to comment on the issue.

Kuzemchak, once research has been done, may be setting a record for serving the most number of terms as alderman, when she serves her fourth term on the board.

She told me, when the seating arrangement was being set for the board of alderman, she requested a seat next to Dacey.

Stay tuned.

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McClement Wins with Plurality, Democrats Maintain a Super Majority on the Board

George Wenschhof

Aldermen O'Connor and Russell tally the votes

Sadly, as I had predicted, the off-year City of Frederick election resulted in a 22% voter turnout with about 10% of the registered voters electing the mayor. 

Republican mayor Randy McClement easily won re-election to a second term with 49% of the vote.  Democratic challenger Karen Young finished second with 32% of the vote and Unaffiliated Jennifer Dougherty was third with 19% of the vote.

The low voter turnout resulted in Randy winning with only 3,714 votes out of 35,500 registered voters in the city. There is no run-off provision in the city that would guarantee the winner would receive a majority of the vote.

This marks the fourth loss out of five tries for mayor for Dougherty. Her entry into the race as an Unaffiliated candidate combined with the endorsement of McClement by disgruntled Democratic Maryland state delegate Galen Clagett, who lost to Karen Young in the Democratic primary, once again contributed to a Republican winning the mayor in a city with a majority of Democratic registered voters.

The votes cast for Dougherty (1,480) were less than the number of signatures she obtained to qualify to run as an Unaffiliated candidate.

The combined votes of Young and Dougherty would have been 3,887 or 51% of the vote.

The board of alderman race, where voters elect five, went largely as expected.  Four Democrats and one Republican were elected, which maintains the super majority currently held on the board by Democrats.

The first and second place finishers were Democratic incumbents Kelly Russell (4,212 votes) and Michael O’Connor (4,169).  Democrat Josh Bokee came in third with 3,789 votes, followed by Republican Phil Dacey (3,781) and Donna Kuzemchak (3,656).

The under votes in the alderman election were 3,596 and there were only 25 under votes in the mayoral election.

Kuzemchak, who had previously served three terms as alderman, won re-election despite some dirty tricks run by the Dacey campaign.

Red Maryland Blog is reporting Ted Dacey, the brother and campaign manager for Phil Dacey was behind the robo-calls made by the Maryland Republican Party.  The negative calls were directed at Kuzemchak.

As, I reported earlier, the Dacey family are close supporters of former Maryland state senator Alex Mooney and Ted had worked for Mooney previously.

Another rumor has the Dacey campaign also behind robo-calls that were misdirecting voters from the Wormans Mill area to an incorrect poll location. Dacey, while serving on the city board of appeals, voted with the Developer and against residents who opposed proposed changes in Wormans Mill town center. 

The dirty tricks used by the Dacey campaign will certainly mar the alderman elect and it remains to be seen if criminal charges will result from the alleged robo-calls misdirecting voters.

There were a little over 800 absentee ballots sent out and as of Monday, about 400 had been received.

While, the order of finish may change between the top four finishers in the alderman race, absentee ballots are not expected to impact their win in the election.

Fifth place finisher Kuzemchak has a 164 vote lead over Republican Katie Nash, but in a multiple candidate race, it is unlikely Nash will be able to make up the ground to win a seat on the board.

Interestingly, the top four alderman-elect received more votes than Mayor McClement and Donna Kuzemchak was only fifty-eight votes behind him.

 

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Who Will Win Alderman Race?

George Wenschhof

Trying to predict the five winners from ten candidates who will serve on The City of Frederick board of alderman is always difficult.

Sadly, when voters are asked to pick candidates to fill multiple slots, under votes often occur.  What happens is a voter has one or two, maybe three candidates they have made up their mind to vote for on Election Day.

Afterward, they either vote party ticket, a familiar name to fill up their five votes, or they simply choose not to exercise their right to vote, in this case, for five candidates.

The other tricky maneuver utilized by some candidates is to tell their close supporters to single-shot or bullet vote, meaning just vote for them.

The general consensus I am hearing and one I agree with is incumbent Democratic aldermen Michael O’Connor and Kelly Russell will be reelected.  They have both performed well in their first term in office and deserve another four years.

The next name I hear most often from voters from both sides of the aisle is Democrat Josh Bokee.  Bokee ran for alderman in the 2009 election and fell short. He stayed involved in city politics serving on the city planning commission.  His time on the planning commission earned him further respect so look to see him also be elected.

In what is expected to be another low voter turnout election and with the likely high number of under votes, the next two slots will be closely contested.

Democrats John Daniels and Donna Kuzemchak have experience and knowledge of city hall and would serve the voters well as aldermen.

Daniels has the demeanor and familiarity with city hall to enable him to be one of the most effective aldermen on the board.  He will add reasonable and thoughtful decision making to the board of aldermen.

He has been campaigning hard and with the help of former Democratic sixth district congressional candidate Don DeArmon, Daniels is be a favorite to fill out one of the next two slots on the board.

Donna, a former three term alderman, has been much more energized in this campaign, following her loss in 2009 and will also be in the mix to complete the five member board of aldermen.

The only experienced Republican candidate is former one term alderman Alan Imhoff.  He has name recognition from having run for office on numerous occasions and also having served on many city committees.

Recognizing, he is in the mix, he is going door-to-door to meet with voters, not something he has been known to do in the past.

Phil Dacey raised the most money out of the aldermen candidates, but most of the donations came from outside of the city so it is hard to project what this will mean in votes.  He does have many campaign signs and spent his campaign funds on glossy mailers, three of which were received at my home on the same day.  He also was the only candidate to pay folks to go door to door for him.  His connections to ultra right conservative former state senator Alex Mooney may hurt him in the city election.  However, his money raised will make him competitive for one of the remaining seats on the board.

The most often description and criticism I have heard in regard to Katie Nash is she is a grandstander, one who will drop the sensational headline to get attention, but one who had little substance or knowledge of the issue she was highlighting.

Her signs depict her last name, the same as popular former Democratic alderman and current planning commission member; Meta Nash.  There is no relation, but sadly some voters will think they are casting their ballot for Meta or a relative of Meta.

Dave Schmidt and Daniel Cowell campaigned hard in their first entry into a political election. However, I believe they will both fall short.

It is very likely Democrats will maintain a majority on the board and a strong possibility this election will be a clean sweep by Democratic candidates.

Stay tuned.

Make sure you vote on November 5.

 

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Democratic Dream Team Will Move Frederick Forward

George Wenschhof

The experience, passion and vision shared by Josh Bokee, John Daniels, Donna Kuzemchak, Michael O’Connor, and Kelly Russell clearly demonstrates why the Democratic candidates running for The City of Frederick board of alderman deserve your vote on November 5.

After conducting multiple interviews with the candidates and being closely involved in city government for many years, it is great to see these talented candidates recognize the uniqueness and diversity in the many neighborhoods that make up the city, are committed to working with the neighborhood advisory councils and know the value of giving citizens a voice in government.

It was encouraging to see them campaign door to door and hear from them, after they listened to voters firsthand, they understand the importance of addressing traffic congestion, increasing public safety, spurring economic development to create local jobs, providing cost effective and performance focused government services, and lobbying for city schools to get their share of state dollars for needed construction and renovation.

It is exciting the city, already a sought out place to live, is poised to become a sustainable friendly, safe, family community interconnected with pedestrian/bike walkways and trails combined with employment opportunities close to home.

It will take teamwork, expertise and dedication to ensure Frederick becomes the extraordinary city it can be. 

Josh Bokee, John Daniels, Donna Kuzemchak, Michael O’Connor, and Kelly Russell, have the drive, knowledge and the skill set to work with the leadership of mayoral candidate Karen Young to productively move Frederick forward. 

Make sure you vote on November 5.

Clagett, Young Spend Most in City Election

George Wenschhof

The second candidate campaign finance reports submitted yesterday showed Maryland delegate Galen Clagett spent $82,000 in his losing effort to win the Democratic Party nomination for mayor of The City of Frederick. His contributions included a late $5,000 donation from himself.  The balance in his campaign account was $1,771.

Karen Young, who won the Democratic Party nomination, reported raising a total of $71,000, spending $53,000 and led all candidates moving on to the General Election with $18,535 in the all important cash on hand.

Republican Mayor Randy McClement reported raising a total of $27,310, spending $12,500, with a balance of $14,753.

Unaffiliated mayoral candidate Jennifer Dougherty, who did not participate in a primary, reported raising a total of $12,890, spent $6,604 with a balance of $6,235.

In the first finance report, Clagett reported receiving $20,000 from entities associated with Marvin Ausherman and $10,000 from entities associated with Pleasants Constructions.  Young reported receiving $7,500 from entities associated with local businessman John Fitzgerald.

I was the first to report this and call for an amendment to the candidate contribution law to close the loopholes that allowed candidates to receive greater funds than the amount ($2,500 for mayor, $1,000 for alderman) allowed by law.

In addition, I sent a pledge request to all of the General Election candidates for them to abide to the “spirit of the law” for the remainder of the campaign.  In my first review of the second finance reports, it appears none of the candidates used any of the loopholes available to them, which is a good sign.

On Wednesday, the city mayor and board workshop will discuss changes to the law to eliminate these loopholes.

Republican Phil Dacey ($18,000) and Democrat John Daniels ($13,000) led the alderman candidates in funds received.  Dacey had $8,801 cash on hand and Daniels $6,525.

Interestingly, Dacey was the only candidate to report paying individuals to go door-to-door for him.  This is an allowable expense, but not one that has been used by candidates in previous city elections.

Daniels and Dacey were also the top alderman candidate fundraisers in the first candidate finance report.

Incumbent aldermen Kelly Russell(D) and Michael O’Connor(D), who are heavily favored to win reelection, reported $3,255 and $5,253 cash on hand.

Josh Bokee, who came in third in the Democratic alderman primary, reported raising $9,756, spending $7,019 with a balance of $2,729.

Fraternal Order of Police FSK Lodge #91 followed up their endorsement of Democratic aldermen candidates Michael O’Connor, Kelly Russell, Josh Bokee and John Daniels with a $500 contribution to each.

All of the candidate campaign finance reports may be read online at The City of Frederick website.

The next candidate campaign finance reports are due Tuesday October 29, one week prior to the election on November 5.

Stay tuned.

 

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FOP FSK Lodge #91 Endorses Aldermen Candidates

George Wenschhof

City Hall

In a press release, the Fraternal Order of Police, Francis Scott key Lodge #91 issued their endorsements for aldermen in The City of Frederick election.

Earning their endorsement were four Democratic aldermen candidates; Josh Bokee, John Daniels, Michael O'Connor and Kelly Russell.

The press release stated "After consideration of all the current candidates, FOP Lodge 91 has agreed the below candidates are concerned about the public safety in the City of Frederick. The endorsed candidates believe police services are essential services of government. They understand the men and women of the Frederick Police Department come to work willing to sacrifice their lives for the protection of the citizens of the City. This group of candidates have shown a willingness to ensure the public safety needs of the citizens in City of Frederick are met."

In a telephone interview, FOP president Charles Snyder informed me a ballot was sent out to their membership, that included a recommendation of these four alderman candidates by the executive board.

Mr. Snyder added a two-thirds vote by those who cast a ballot is needed for the endorsement.

When I asked if they were intending to endorse a mayoral candidate, Charles told me they were holding a mayoral candidate forum next Tuesday evening. Following, the forum they will decide if they were going to send out ballots to members to endorse a mayoral candidate.

Democratic alderman candidate Josh Bokee told me "I'm honored to have received the endorsement of FOP Lodge #91. Neighborhood safety is a top priority of mine and I appreciate the support of the men and women who strive to protect our residents everyday."

City alderman Michael O'Connor sent me an email saying "I am pleased and honored to receive the endorsement of the FOP. Consistently the residents I talk to ask about public safety and encourage support for the men and women of the department, under the leadership of Chief Tom Ledwell. We must continue to provide the resources necessary to keep Frederick a safe and desirable place to live, and I look forward to working with the Frederick Police Department, and my elected colleagues, on achieving our community's policing goals."

The City of Frederick general election will be held November 5 where voters will choose their mayor and five member board of alderman.

Stay tuned.

Alderman Kelly Russell and alderman candidate John Daniels had not responded to messages from me at the time of publication.

5:45 PM Update:  Alderman Kelly Russell had been attending a wake and upon returning home and hearing the news sent me an email saying "Receiving the endorsement of FOP Lodge #91 is a real honor and privilege. It is not an action taken lightly by the membership. These women and men are devoted to providing exceptional service to our residents, and are willing to put their lives on the line every day to ensure our safety. I am grateful for their daily sacrifices, and for their show of support."

Update: Alderman candidate John Daniels said "I am honored to receive the endorsement of the FOP Lodge #91. These men and women who make up the Frederick Police Department serve to protect the residents of and visitors to our city, and truly deserve the support of the elected leaders. Thank you FOP."

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Young and Drive for 5 Begins for Democrats

George Wenschhof

After a hard fought City of Frederick primary among well qualified candidates, Democrats enter the general election with a very strong field of candidates.

Interestingly, on both the Republican and Democratic primary for mayor, the addition of a third candidate did impact on the final outcome.

On the Democratic side, political newcomer and ASL User Carol Hirsch received 10.17%, Maryland state delegate Galen Clagett 39.70% and alderman Karen Young won with 50.13%, prior to the absentee ballots being counted.  Absentee ballots are not expected to alter the outcome of the mayoral contests.

What is unknown is whether the votes that went to Hirsch were drawn equally from Clagett or Young, or came predominately from one or the other.  If, they had gone to Karen, she would have won even more convincingly or had Clagett received all of them, it would have been a neck and neck finish.

The entry of former Mayor Jeff Holtzinger into the Republican primary for mayor had most local political pundits predicting Mayor Randy McClement would win and he did.  Once again, the vote received by Holtzinger was 19.11%, alderman Shelley Aloi 32.19% and Randy won with 48.70%.

Had Aloi, won all of Holtzinger’s votes, she would have won.

More important for Republicans, is their incumbent mayor did not receive 50% of the vote, which is typically a clear signal he is vulnerable in the general election.

However, in this general election, there will be the addition of unaffiliated candidate and former mayor Jennifer Dougherty, thus creating another three way contest.

The three way contest will add lots of intrigue and plenty of conjecture on who will be the next mayor.

For Democrats, it will be important for the Young and Clagett campaigns to reach out to each other and work together to help elect Karen Young as mayor.

Rumored Democratic infighting is what purportedly led to a Republican victory in the 2009 and 2005 race for mayor.

The alderman contests went mostly as anticipated with the final two slots for the board a close finish between three qualified candidates who also exhibited strong campaign organization.

Derek Shackelford finished a close sixth, only 97 votes behind fifth place finisher John Daniels.  Finishing first and second were the only two incumbents to seek reelection, Kelly Russell and Michael O’Connor.  Josh Bokee finished a strong third and former three term alderman Donna Kuzemchak finished fourth, only 81 votes in front of Daniels.

 

Kelly Russell finished fifth when elected in 2009 and her strong showing in the primary illustrates her hard work over the last four years.  Michael O'Connor finished second in 2009 and second in the primary also displaying his effectiveness over the last four years.

Hopefully, both Shackelford and Jack Lynch, who finished seventh will stay committed to local politics and will stay involved.  It would be wise for the local Frederick County state Democratic Central Committee, to reach out to them to ensure and help facilitate their involvement locally.

Hayden Duke and Jill King were the two Republican alderman candidates who will not move on to the general election.

The first place finisher was Phil Dacey, followed by Katie Nash.  The third and fourth place finishers were former alderman Alan Imhoff and Dave Schmidt.  Only 18 votes separate these two, so the absentee count may impact their order of finish.  The fifth place finisher was Daniel Cowell.

Looking at the under votes, that often take place in multiple candidate elections, there were few in the mayoral contests with only 83 from Democratic voters and 9 from Republican voters.

In the five person alderman race, there were 2,754 under votes among Democratic voters and 2,081 under votes among Republican voters.

There was some talk election night that some alderman candidates had encouraged their supporters to “single-shot” (voting for only one candidate), but there is no confirmation this took place.

Interestingly, Democratic alderman Kevin Greene, who made no appearances throughout the primary campaign, received 319 votes.

 

The City of Frederick unofficial primary results can be viewed here.

Now, the general campaign begins and in 8 short weeks voters will weigh in on who their mayor and board of alderman will be for the next term.

Democrats are well positioned, with well qualified and experienced candidates to obtain a sweep in November.

Stay tuned.

 

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Vote September 10 in The City of Frederick Primary

George Wenschhof

The City of Frederick, Maryland primary election is tomorrow September 10.  Scheduled in an off year election cycle, few voters go to the polls.  The 2009 primary election had under 20% voter turnout.

The primary election is important to participate as this is the process the political parties use to determine their candidates to move on to the General Election to be held November 5.

There are 3 Democratic candidates and 3 Republican candidates running for Mayor.  The winner of each will advance to the general election. The general election for mayor will include unaffiliated candidate Jennifer Dougherty, who did not face a primary challenge.

There are 8 Democratic and 7 Republican candidates who are running for the city Board of Aldermen.  The top five finishers, from each party will advance to the general election.

Below, for your convenience, are links, in no particular order of significance, to interviews I conducted with all of the mayoral candidates and some of the alderman candidates.

I have included a few links to some relevant articles at the end.

Please remember to vote September 10!

Democratic candidates for mayor:

Karen Young: Young Focused on Issues, Expects Highly Competitiv...

Galen Clagett:  Clagett Stresses Vision and Management Experience ...

Carol Hirsch: Hirsch Focused on the Environment

Republican candidates for mayor:

Randy McClement: Mayor Proud of Keeping Taxes Level without Sacrifi...

Shelley Aloi: Aloi Wants To Get Fiscal House in Order

Jeff Holtzinger: Holtzinger Wants to Return as Mayor

Unaffiliated candidate for mayor:

Jennifer Dougherty: Dougherty: “Government is not the enemy”

Democratic candidates for alderman:

Josh Bokee: Bokee Enjoying Meeting Voters 

John Daniels: Daniels Supports Aquatics Center for Frederick

Kelly Russell: Kelly Russell Loves Frederick

Michael O'Connor: O’Connor: “It’s an Honor to Serve”

Jack Lynch: Lynch Wants More Citizen Involvement in Planning P...

Donna Kuzemchak: Kuzemchak runs for reelection

Derek Shackelford: Strong Field of Democrats Emerge in Aldermen Race

Articles:

City of Frederick Election for Mayor Underway

Frederick Democratic Primary Race for Mayor Heats ...

Who will be the next mayor?

Young Calls Foul on Frederick News Post Mayoral Po...

Should City Provide Funding for a Downtown Hotel?

Clagett Signs on Yellow Cabs Stirs Controversy

Will Wal-Mart Vote Impact City Election?

Clagett, Young lead in fundraising among mayoral c...

Clagett Defends $30,000 in Contributions from Aush...

Bokee Wins Straw Poll at Frederick Young Democrats...

Democratic Aldermen Contest Promises to be Close

Democratic Mayoral primary: a "pick-em” race

McClement Facing Strong Challenge in Republican Pr...

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Democratic Aldermen Contest Promises to be Close

George Wenschhof

Photo by George Cassutto, copyright 2013
http://www.cyberlearning-world.com

On September 10, registered Democratic voters will choose 5 of their 8 candidates for alderman to move on to the general election. The embarrassingly low voter turnout resulting from the off year City of Frederick election will likely add to the closeness of the vote.

Also, contributing to the closeness will be numerous under votes that will take place on Election Day. Political insiders often refer to multiple candidate races when voters choose numerous candidates as “cattle call elections”.

In The City of Frederick election, it is important for candidates to be in the top three names in a voter’s mind, for often, after that, it’s a crap shoot as to who the voters will cast a ballot for, if any.

While, the Democratic candidates are working hard to win in a competitive election, there has been virtually no animosity openly shown toward each other.

With such a well qualified and experienced field of candidates, those who implement the best get out the vote effort will likely move on to the general election on November 5.

The only two city alderman incumbents to run for reelection are Democrats Kelly Russell and Michael O’Connor and although, they are not assured a first and second primary place finish, are solid bets to move onto the general election.

Both displayed admirable traits in their first term in office and deserve another term.  Overall their votes illustrated their willingness to listen to the many aspects of an issue presented to them and follow with an informed decision.

While, they recently voted for the rezoning of the Frederick Towne Mall property (a position I opposed) to facilitate the building of another Wal-Mart in the city, they would serve the city well over the next four years.

Alderman Kelly became a strong advocate for the development of shared use pedestrian/bicycle paths and her time as a police officer led her to be a strong voice for  public safety.

O’Connor displayed his willingness to make difficult votes when he was the lone alderman to oppose the annexation of the Keller and Caidlyn properties and he continues to encourage citizen engagement in the planning process.

Josh Bokee and John Daniels, both ran for alderman in 2009 and fell short of being elected.  They have demonstrated their commitment to the city by staying involved over the last four years.

Interestingly, published pictures often displayed the two sitting side by side in candidate forums, almost giving the image they were running together as a team.  In addition, Josh and John finished first and second in a straw poll conducted by the Frederick Young Democrats at a forum they hosted for the candidates.

Josh’s time spent serving on the city planning commission and John’s time spent working on the city ad hoc solid waste/recycling committee provided them with valuable experience.

Bokee and Daniels have exhaustingly gone door to door meeting voters, which along with their public service over the last four years have them well positioned heading into the primary election.

My time spent talking with Josh and John over the years leads me to say they would both bring level headed decision making to the board of alderman, if elected.  A demonstrated trait a voter should desire in an elected official.

Derek Shackelford, the only African American running for office, has also worked extremely hard in his first run for elected office.  Derek has advocated for economic development and the need for citizen involvement and engagement in the political process.

His work in the ministry and community should help him in his effort to become a minority voice on the board.

Donna Kuzemchak, in her bid to win reelection after serving three terms, has received the support of her fellow “mommy mongers”; former President of the Frederick board of county commissioners Jan Gardner and community activist Val Dale.  The three all ran together years ago with board of education issues being a main focus in their campaigns, resulting in the moniker. 

The outspoken Kuzemchak has not shied away from her vote in favor of the city purchase of the costly Hargett farm for a municipal park and it remains to be seen if this vote will hurt her attempt to re-enter the political arena.

Jack Lynch, who briefly ran for mayor four years ago, before withdrawing and endorsing Jennifer Dougherty, has focused on increasing citizen involvement and moving to a more regional approach to planning.

Jack focused his campaign efforts on providing testimony at city mayor and board meetings and writing numerous letters to the editor appearing in The Frederick News Post. 

Lynch testified against the rezoning of the Frederick Towne Mall to aid a Wal-Mart to be built and also testified against the 97 acre Caidlyn annexation, saying the annexation did not follow the plan and was premature.

The eighth Democratic alderman candidate; Kevin Greene has been missing in action since filing for the office.  No one has seen the candidate at any political functions or going door to door to meet voters. 

Myrna Whitworth, who is chair of the Frederick County Democratic State Central Committee shared with me recently she did not know why he was not campaigning. Myrna informed me they interviewed him for a previous vacant central committee position, but he had not been chosen for the position.

It will be interesting to see how many votes Greene receives after apparently doing nothing more than filing for a seat on the board of alderman.

Knowing all of the Democratic candidates, except for Mr. Greene, voters should feel confident they will be well served by electing any of them.

Make sure on September 10, you vote!

Stay tuned.

 

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Clagett, Young lead in fundraising among mayoral candidates

George Wenschhof

The first campaign finance reports were filed Monday by the candidates for mayor and aldermen in The City of Frederick election. The city website has them here.

As, one might have expected, Democrats; Maryland state delegate Galen Clagett and alderman Karen Young raised the most among the mayoral candidates. 

Clagett raised $60,425, spent $56,083.34 and had $4,341.66 cash on hand.  Young reported raising $49,351, with expenditures of $27,218.20 and with some carry over funds; she has a balance of $25,751.98 in the all important cash on hand.

Democratic mayoral candidate Carol Hirsch did not file a report.

On the Republican side, incumbent mayor Randy McClement raised $10,960, spent $7,890 with a balance of $3,070.

Alderman Shelley Aloi, who also had carry-over funds from her previous campaign, raised $3,532 and spent $5,064, leaving her with a balance of $3,077.  Former mayor Jeff Holtzinger reported $740 raised, $42 spent with a balance of $698.

Unaffiliated candidate Jennifer Dougherty reported a total amount of funds raised of $6,027.01, expenditures of $4,839.52 and a balance of $1,187.49.  Jennifer contributed the bulk of her contributions with a total of $4,631.

While, the amount of money raised by a candidate certainly signals financial strength, it does not always predict a winner.  In the 2005 election, Democratic candidate Ron Young raised over $135,000 and while he defeated incumbent Democratic mayor Jennifer Dougherty in the primary, he would lose the general election to political neophyte Republican Jeff Holtzinger.

With the first finance reports filed, you can bet campaigns will be pouring over other campaign reports, reviewing contributions and expenditures, looking for anything that may jump out and impact the primary election held on September 10.

Leading all candidates with $60,425 in contributions, you can expect Clagett’s report to be eyeballed closely.

A quick glance shows he received a total of $10,000 from five different entities with the same address of 24024 Frederick Road, Clarksburg, Maryland, and he received a total of $20,000 from nine different entities who shared the same address of 7420 Haywood Road, Ste 203 Frederick, Maryland. 

The campaign limits per entity is $2,500 and none of the entities exceeded that figure.

Karen Young sent me an analysis (you can read here) of the Clagett campaign fundraising and expenditures where she identifies the $10,000 coming from entities associated with Pleasants construction and the $20,000 coming from entities associated with Marvin Ausherman. 

Overall, her analysis shows the Clagett campaign received 67.3% from Developers/Real Estate, 17.8% from Individuals, 10.3% from political campaigns/PAC and 4.6% from Business.

 

Young shared with me "I am pleased with the results of my fundraising to date.  My fundraising goal was to raise money from a broad and diverse group of constituents.  To date, my contributions are 64% from individuals and 36% from business."

Interestingly, Young herself also received contributions with the same address of 114 Baughmans Lane Frederick, Maryland from three different entities totaling $7,500.  The business at that address is Fitzgerald.

With $25,751 cash on hand, Karen Young is positioned best for the home stretch prior to the primary election, among all of the mayoral candidates with Clagett having $4,341 and Republican candidates Mayor McClement ($3,070) and alderman Shelley Aloi ($3.077) lagging far behind.

The Democratic and Republican primaries for mayor promise to be tight. With Karen Young having six times the cash on hand that Galen Clagett has, you can expect the Clagett campaign to be actively raising funds over the next four weeks.  Look for a close race in the Democratic primary.

The Republican mayoral primary also looks too close to call between Aloi and McClement.  Don’t underestimate Aloi, who surprised many with her strong alderman showing four years ago.

Republican Phil Dacey ($10,066) led all alderman candidates in funds raised, followed by Democratic candidate John Daniels ($8,145).

 

When I asked John Daniels how he felt about raising the most money among Democratic alderman candidates he said "I am really appreciative of the financial contributions and encouragement I have received through out this campaign. I will continue to work hard, spend those contributions wisely and, when elected, I will work hard for all residents of Frederick."

Other alderman candidates who were top fund raisers were Republicans Katie Nash ($7,225) and David Schmidt ($7,035) and Democratic candidates Josh Bokee ($4,460) and Derek Shackelford ($4,029).

The primary election is only four weeks away when Republican and Democratic voters will determine their mayoral candidate and five alderman candidates to move on to the general election on November 5.

Stay tuned.

 

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Bokee Wins Straw Poll at Frederick Young Democrats Speed Dating with Democratic Aldermen Event

George Wenschhof

Democratic Aldermen Candidates
Photo By George Cassutto, copyright 2013
http://www.cyberlearning-world.com

Josh Bokee received the most votes in the straw poll conducted following the event with John Daniels finishing second, followed by incumbents Michael O’Connor and Kelley Russell.  Derek Shackelford and Jack Lynch finished tied for fifth and former alderman Donna Kuzemchak came in seventh, only one vote behind Lynch and Shackelford.  Kevin Greene who was not present, came in last with only two votes.

Josh Bokee

I asked Josh Bokee how he felt about coming in first in the straw poll in the candidate forum sponsored by the Young Democrats of Frederick. He said ""The forum was well organized, and the questions fr
om attendees were thoughtful and touched upon a range of issue
s that other residents have also been discussing, including public safety, affordability and creating well paying jobs here, locally. Regarding the straw poll, while it was nice to hear the results, I'll be continuing to work hard every day to meet voters and listen to their priorities."

The Young Democrats of Frederick, hosted this opportunity to meet with the Democratic candidates and ask questions in a roundtable format.  Jamie Shopland, President of the Young Democrats of Frederick moderated the event. It was held at the Whitaker campus at Hood College on Saturday afternoon between 2:00 - 4:00.



Jamie Shopland
Photo By George Cassutto, copyright 2013
http://www.cyberlearning-world.com

Jamie Shopland told me “As President of Young Democrats, it's important to me to engage young voters in the political process and we wanted to do that in a fresh way that made candidates more accessible. To achieve that, we took the concept of speed dating and applied that to politics achieving a more intimate interaction between candidate and voter.

Overall I think the forum was a success. I've heard nothing but positive comments and a few folks told me they are changing their votes based on what they heard today."

John Daniels
Photo By George Cassutto, copyright 2013
http://www.cyberlearning-world.com

When I asked John Daniels how he felt about coming in second, he said "I was both surprised and elated to place second in the straw poll conducted today. I applaud the YD’s for holding the event. 

My campaign is going extremely well. Our fundraising goals are on target and the strategy for the remainder of the primary is in place. 

Although the number voting in todays poll was small and not likely to sway the general public, I consider it an affirmation that people in Frederick, at least politically active young people, are supportive of a more progressive platform embracing smart growth and sustainable solutions for dealing with our environment."

The turnout of about twenty-five, had an opportunity to hear a formal opening and closing statement from the candidates and the fun part came as candidates were paired with voters at tables to field questions and provide answers.  After, a set period of time, voters would move to another table to sit down with other candidates to ask them questions and hear their answers.

The “speed dating” continued until all visitors had sat at a table with all the candidates and had the opportunity to hear their answers to their questions.

All of the tables were engaged in lively discussions with the questions varied, ranging from job creation, traffic concerns, public safety, blighted properties, growth issues, to the city passing a “living wage” ordinance and city-county-state relationships.

The City of Frederick primary election will be held September 10, where Democrat and Republican voters will choose five aldermen from their party’s candidates to move on to the general election held on November 5.

Stay Tuned.

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