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.

City Agrees to Change Campaign Finance Law

George Wenschhof

During The City of Frederick mayor and board of aldermen workshop yesterday, there was unanimous agreement to move forward with proposed changes to the city's campaign finance law.

Assistant city attorney Rachel  Depot submitted a proposal modeled after the recently passed state of Maryland campaign finance law.

Alderman Michael O'Connor(D), said during the city mayor and board workshop discussion "this loophole should be closed" and requested this amendment be presented during the first mayor and board meeting in November. Alderman Kelly Russell concurred with O'Connor and added her desire to rectify this prior to the end of their term.

The proposed change will not affect the current election and is scheduled to go into effect on December 6, 2013.

The proposed changes are designed to close some of the loopholes that allow individuals to make multiple donations from business entities owned by an individual, whose aggregate total contribution exceed the limit established by law.

The campaign contribution limits are $2,500 for mayor and $1,000 for alderman.

This is a welcomed move in the right direction by the city. 

However, I would recommend a change in the definition of what constitutes a contribution from one contributor in Sec. 7-22. Limit on contributions. (d) (ii) which reads "the business entities are owned or controlled by at least 80% of the same individuals or business entities.

In a conversation with assistant city attorney Rachel Depot, she informed me the state committee had recommended 50% and it evidently had been changed to 80% by the state legislature.  I would hope the city would go with the 50% level to further restrict influence by a single contributor. 

I  first pointed out the loophole after my review of the first candidate campaign finance reports revealed mayoral candidate Maryland state delegate Galen Clagett had received $20,000 from entities associated with local developer Marvin Ausherman and $10,000 from entities associated with Pleasants Construction. Also mayoral candidate Karen Young had received $7,500 from entities associated with local businessman John Fitzgerald.

In regard to the current election, I did request and received a response from all candidates in the General Election to abide by the "spirit of the law" on contribution limits for the remainder of this election.

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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Candidates Respond To Pledge to Honor Contribution Limits

George Wenschhof

A week ago I published a column where I stated “It is the “spirit of the law”, not the letter of the law, that should be followed by candidates in The City of Frederick election.”

Presently, contributions to city aldermen candidates are limited to $1,000 per person/entity and $2,500 per person/entity for mayoral candidates.

I reported the day the first candidate campaign finance reports were filed, a loophole in the law had been used to get around these limits reflected in the reports filed by the Karen Young and Galen Clagett campaigns for mayor.

$20,000 had been funneled into Democratic Maryland state delegate Galen Clagett’s mayoral campaign via multiple entities associated with local developer Marvin Ausherman. Another $10,000 was received via entities associated with Pleasants construction, another local developer. The $30,000 in contributions was half of what the Clagett campaign received in the first report.

Democratic alderman Karen Young, who won the Democratic primary for mayor, received $7,500 from three entities associated with local businessman John Fitzgerald.

There did not appear to be any illegal contributions.  Yet, the potential influence on an elected official by one who has arranged for a large donation to a campaign, is unsettling to voters, who already feel their voices are lost to big business, corporations and well organized interest groups.

I sent all the candidates links to the columns written on this issue and asked them if they would follow the spirit of the law. 

 

The aldermen candidates were asked “Would you pledge to honor the $1,000 contribution limit intent of the law, to the best of your knowledge from this point on in the campaign.”

The mayoral candidates were asked “to pledge to the best of their knowledge, to not accept more than $2,500 from any one person or entities associated with any one person, from this point on in the campaign”.

I received responses from all of the candidates with the overwhelming majority of them agreeing to abide by the “intent /spirit of the law”.  Their responses follow below.

Jennifer Dougherty, unaffiliated candidate for mayor said "I will take the pledge, no problem".

Democratic mayoral candidate Karen Young responded in an email to me "Yes".

Republican mayor Randy McClement said “I have never asked for bundled contributions. I will continue, as I always have, to follow all City campaign finance disclosure laws and disclose all contributions and donors”.

Alderman Michael O'Connor (D) stated "he will comply with both the intent and letter of the law".

Democratic alderman candidate John Daniels responded in an email to me: "George, I have every intention of honoring the intent of the law and have not and will not accept contributions that may be questionable. Please consider this my pledge."

Democratic alderman candidate Donna Kuzemchak responded with "Yes, I commit to complying with both the letter and spirit of the law, as I have always done so."

Alderman Kelly Russell (D) responded with "Yes."

Democratic alderman candidate Josh Bokee responded with "Yes".

Republican alderman candidate Alan Imhoff emailed me saying "I have no problem with adhering to the spirit of the “contribution limit intent of the law”.

Republican alderman candidate Dan Cowell responded with "I will honor the law as written. I will not work the loophole accepting more than $1000 from any individual, family, and/or business."

Republican alderman Dave Schmidt responded with "I think the contribution limits are important to prevent anyone from having undue influence on candidates. I pledge that looking forward in this election, I won't accept any contributions from LLC's owned by anyone who has already reached their $1000 limit to my campaign."

Republican alderman candidate Katie Nash’s initially responded with "You're asking me to pledge to follow the law - yes. I'm not being facetious when I ask if you believe I have somehow not followed this law? (If so I want to return the money)."

I responded to her with "I would suggest you read the article and the numerous one that preceded it to more fully understand the question.

The issue is that the law does not appear to have been broken in regard to exceeded the limits. However there are loopholes that allow contributions to exceed the "intent" of the law."

I added in an email saying, in part, "To follow up with you, I have not suggested any city candidate broke the law."

To which she followed with a long response that can be read here.

 

In an interview, Republican alderman candidate Phil Dacey responded with he was “okay with the “spirit of the law”, particularly with limiting influence of individuals.”  Dacey added, “He would like to see this issue looked at and appropriate revisions made by the next board.”

It is encouraging, that clearly an overwhelming number of candidates have agreed to honor the “intent/spirit of the law” for the remainder of the campaign.

What needs to happen next is for the new mayor and board to move quickly, following being sworn into office, to appoint a committee to review the existing campaign contribution law.

 

This committee should be charged with making recommendations on revisions to current law to eliminate these existing loopholes. After, receiving public input, a vote at a mayor and board meeting should be taken to amend the candidate contribution guidelines.

The next candidate campaign finance reports are due October 7.

Stay tuned.

 

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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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Kelly Russell Loves Frederick

 George Wenschhof

Alderman Kelly Russell
Clustered Spires High Wheel Bicycle Race

When I concluded my interview with Democratic alderman Kelly Russell, I asked her; why do you want four more years?  She answered quickly, with a wide smile, a common sight for those who know her, and said “I love the city and Frederick is growing and changing with amazing things happening.”  She added “it is important to do things right and lasting in the future.”

Kelly shared with me she felt public service was the highest honor and she received the highest satisfaction from it.  She wants to continue to be in a position to help the city move forward.

We discussed her accomplishments during her first term in office throughout most of the interview and Kelly spoke enthusiastically about her support of “Rails and Trails” in the city.

The design of the pedestrian and bicycle shared use pathway was aided with the help of a Council of Governments grant and when completed, will connect the east and west sides of the city.

She was proud of her efforts to have $1.5 million included in the city capital improvement budget this year to complete this project.

Working with an ad-hoc bicycle and pedestrian committee, (now a permanent advisory committee), Russell supported the creation of a loop that a bicyclist can use to visit 22 downtown Frederick historic sites that begins and ends at Tourism.

Alderman Russell also was pleased during her early months in office, the board moved to address resident concerns and safety issues by passing an oversized vehicle ordinance that regulated the size of vehicles parked on residential streets.

Kelly added she also brought forward legislation, during her first 11/2 years in office, that passed with a 5-0 vote, to include “sexual preference” as a protected class in the housing ordinance.

She spoke excitedly about her time on the city planning commission and her efforts to work with the historic preservation staff to establish a “demolition delay” on structures 50 years or older.  Kelly was especially pleased with her efforts to assist in successfully protecting the “hillside view” of the former Prospect Hall property by making the developers move an apartment building that would have obstructed the picturesque view.

Another law and resolution Russell noted she brought forward, addressed concerns of many residents by banning the sale and possession of synthetic marijuana (Bath Salts).

Before moving to a couple of questions left on my Facebook page for her, I asked her about how communication was going between the mayor and aldermen.  I reminded her she had complained to me about the lack of communication by Mayor Randy McClement (R) during her first year in office.

Kelly said she had promoted the establishment of monthly meetings between members of the board of alderman and the mayor, and as a result, communication had improved for her.  She added she had found a comfort zone to get things accomplished and she doesn’t let frustration with communication impede moving forward and getting things done for the city.

Devan Markel Naylor asked alderman Russell on my Facebook page if she would be willing to bring back bulk trash pick-up?  Kelly said she would like it to come back with a new name “free cycle round-up” where the city would partner with nonprofits with a recycle truck also available.  The “free cycle round-up” was piloted using the parking lot at Harry Grove Stadium on a Saturday.

Debra Santeufemio was concerned there was too much littering in the city and wondered if the city would consider a neighborhood clean up day.  Russell pointed out Downtown Frederick Partnership promotes “bring a broom” Saturdays and suggested Debra contact her Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC) and perhaps they could coordinate a neighborhood clean up day.  

Kelly Russell is one of eight Democratic and seven Republican candidates running for the five member board of alderman.

The City of Frederick primary election is September 10.

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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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.

 

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