Frederick County Election Buzz (county council District 1 and 2, state delegate district 3-A and 3-B, state senate district 3)

George Wenschhof

The county council district 1 race, that favors Republicans in voter registration, will likely be close but not as close as it was four years ago when Democratic incumbent Jerry Donald beat Republican Ellen Bartlett (the wife of former 6th district congressman Roscoe Bartlett) when the absentee ballots were counted days after the general election.

 I have known Republican candidate Kevin Grubb for decades and interviewed Jerry Donald during the campaign.  I published a question and answer piece in the Urbana Town Courier.  Both candidates would be a good member of the council and I expect this race to be close again with Donald, who exhibited solid decision making in his first term, securing a second term on the council.
The district 2 county race was made more interesting when Republican incumbent Tony Chmelik, who lost to Steve McKay in the Republican primary election, decided to conduct a write-in campaign.  Lisa Jarosinski is the Democratic candidate in this three person race.

It is no secret Steve McKay and Democratic county executive Jan Gardner are aligned in regard to growth issues. I have interviewed McKay on numerous occasions and find him to be a thoughtful and reasonable person. He would not participate in the Republican Team Hogan effort that is endorsing Kathy Afzali for county executive and Gardner, while not directly supporting McKay, did not go out of her way to help Jarosinski.  This district has a Republican voter registration advantage and they are favored to win. 

Now, with Republican Chmelik conducting a vigorous write in campaign, Jarosinski who was originally considered a long shot, now has an opportunity to win what would be an upset.  While it is late, it is better than never, the Democrats are mailing a slate campaign brochure that includes Gardner and Jarosinski. 

McKay(R) remains the favorite in this race, but do not count out Jarosinski(D) who has campaigned hard throughout the district and would make an excellent council member. I published a question and answer piece with McKay and Jarosinski in The Urbana Town Courier.  Chmelik had not announced his write in campaign at that time.

The state senate race in district 3 will likely be close with the state Republican Party targeting it as a pick up seat for them following Democratic incumbent Ron Young’s narrow victory four years ago.

Republican candidate Craig Giangrande, owner of Frederick County Burger King franchises has received the support of the Republican state Party that has included what has now become the “normal” sleazy attack mail and video ads.

Ron Young, who has worked effectively with a Democratic controlled state legislature, won 4 years ago during the vote conducted during early voting and may do so in this election as well.  

We will not know how the early votes were cast until the general election is concluded.  However, Democrats outvoted Republicans during Frederick County early voting by 3,300 votes with many of these votes cast in district 3.

In district 3 for the state delegate races, voters elect one from district 3-B and two from district 3-A.  Look to see the two Democratic incumbent delegates in 3-A be reelected.  Carol Krimm and Karen Lewis Young have both displayed exceptional constituent service and have developed strong relationships in Annapolis that is helpful to Frederick County.

Out of the two Republican candidates, Mike Bowersox has the better opportunity then James Dvorak for an upset over Karen Lewis Young, who received an ethics complaint from a disgruntled former employee toward the end of the campaign.

The district 3-B race should be one to watch with Democratic challenger Ken Kerr conducting a very dynamic and energetic campaign against well-known incumbent Republican William Holden.

The General Election is Tuesday Nov. 6 and polls are open 7:00 Am – 8:00 PM.

Races are always determined by voter turnout - Go Vote!

Highlights from Frederick County, Maryland Primary Election

Jan Gardner

George Wenschhof

The Republican primary to determine the candidate to face incumbent Democratic Frederick county executive Jan Gardner was one race watched closely. Gardner ran unopposed while three candidates battled for the Republican nomination.
  
Maryland state delegate Kathy Afzali would prevail over Frederick council member Kirby Delauter and former county budget officer Regina Williams.  Afzali aided by the split vote among three candidates and the largest war chest, won with 42% of the vote.

The November 6 General Election will have three candidates running for Frederick county executive.  In addition to Gardner (D) and Afzali (R), Earl Robbins, a well known Frederick businessman is running as an unaffiliated candidate.

Former NAACP president Ben Jealous would emerge the winner in a crowded field of candidates vying for the Democratic Party nomination for Governor.  He and Prince George's county executive Rushern Baker had been running neck and neck in polls that showed as many as 40% of Democratic voters remained undecided.  Jealous would receive 40% of the vote and Baker 29%.

Jealous and his Lt. Governor running mate Susan Turnbull, a former chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, will face Republican Governor Larry Hogan and Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford.

Incumbent U.S. senator Ben Cardin (D) cruised to victory in the primary and will face Republican Tony Campbell.  Popular state comptroller Peter Franchot (D) ran unopposed and will face Republican Anjali Reed Phukan who also ran unopposed.  Respected state attorney general Brian Frosh (D) will face Craig Wolf (R) - both ran unopposed.

The announcement by congressman John Delaney (D-6th district) that he would not be running for reelection and would instead pursue a run for the White House, attracted eight Democratic candidates.  David Trone, owner of Total Wine & More, would beat Maryland state delegate Aruna Miller 40%-30%.  Trone ran for congress in the 8th district two years ago and lost to Jamie Raskin in the Democratic primary after spending millions of his own funds.  He would again spend millions self-funding his campaign in this race.

Trone will face Republican Amy Hoeber who won the Republican primary against three opponents with 68% of the vote.

Incumbent representative Jamie Raskin (D-8th district) coasted to victory receiving 90% of the vote against two other candidates.  He will face Republican John Walsh who received 45% of the vote among 3 candidates.

The district 3 state senate race attracted candidates and much speculation after incumbent Ron Young(D) barely won reelection four years ago.  Eight years ago, the four term former mayor of The City of Frederick defeated Republican Alex Mooney.  Young faced two opponents in this election, one of them Jennifer Dougherty who is another former mayor of Frederick and Jennifer Brannan.  Ron would win with 43% and Dougherty would receive 33%.

Young will face Republican Craig Giangrande who crushed Frederick council member Billy Shreve, receiving 77% of the vote.  Giangrande is the Frederick County Burger King franchise owner.

In the district 4 state senate race, Republican Michael Hough ran unopposed and will face Democrat Jessica Douglass who won a close contest with Sabrina Massett.

The district 3-a state delegate race where voters elect two, Democratic incumbents Karen Lewis Young and Carol Krimm survived a bit of a challenge from Ryan Trout and will face Republicans Mike Bowersox and James Dvorak who ran unopposed.

Democratic candidate Ken Kerr and Republican incumbent William "Bill" Folden both ran unopposed for state delegate in district 3-b and will face each other in the General Election.

Voters will pick 3 candidates in the district 4 state delegate race. Republicans Barrie Ciliberti, Dan Cox and Jesse Pippy ran unopposed and will face Democratic candidates Yselo Bravo, Lois Jarman and Darrin Ryan Smith, who also ran unopposed, in the General Election.

Republican incumbent sheriff Chuck Jenkins and Democrat Karl Bickel both ran unopposed and will face each other in the General Election.

The two Frederick County council members elected at-large (countywide) also attracted a lot of attention.  Democrats Kai Hagen, a former county commissioner and Susan Reeder Jessee would win a closely fought race among five candidates including former county commissioner and state delegate Galen Clagett.  Clagett would come in last and Kavonte Duckett, in his first try for office and bidding to be the first African American elected countywide in Frederick County, would come in a strong third.

Susan Reeder Jessee and Kai Hagen will face Republicans Phillip Dacey and Danny Farrar who won against two other candidates in a very close contest.  Also running for one of the two at-large council seats is Frederick County council president Bud Otis who is running as an unaffiliated candidate.  Mr. Otis was elected as a Republican but changed to unaffiliated after his support of Democratic county executive Jan Gardner upset his Republican colleagues on the council.

In the Frederick county council district 1 race, Democrat incumbent Jerry Donald ran unopposed and will face Republican Kevin Grubb who beat Dylan Diggs in their primary.

In a bit of an upset, Tony Chmelik, a Frederick County council member representing district 2, was beat by Steven McKay 54-46%.  McKay is well known locally from his work with (RALE) Residents Against Landsdale Expansion and much of the candidate differences in the campaign were centered on growth issues.

McKay will face Democrat Lisa Jarosinski in the General Election.

In the nonpartison race for board of education, the top eight from 13 candidates advanced to the General Election where voters will elect four.  Incumbent Brad Young led all candidates by a large margin.  Also moving on in order of votes received were Karen Yoho, Jay Mason, Liz Barrett, April Miller, Cindy Rose and Camden Raynor. 

Two candidates were locked in a tight race for the eighth and last position.  They were Kim Williams (4,932) and Marie Fisher-Wyrick (4892).  With only a 40 vote difference, this is a one race that will be decided by counting provisional/absentee ballots.

The Maryland Primary Election also received some intrigue when The Baltimore Sun reported days before the election, the state motor vehicle administration had failed, due to a computer glitch, to notify the board of elections of address changes and/or change of party affiliation done online for as many as 80,000 voters across the state.  These voters were notified they could vote using a provisional ballot.

Provisional and absentee ballots will be counted and the election certified on July 6.  Frederick County board of elections supervisor Stuart Harvey told me 700 absentee ballots had been received.

The primary results were also delayed for one hour when the hours of several voting polls in Baltimore were extended due to some problems opening these polls.

Out of the total votes cast in Frederick County, Democratic voters equaled 49.5% and Republicans voters 44.6%. 

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Frederick County state senate district 3 race, a close one

Ron Young

George Wenschhof

The Maryland June 26 primary election is tomorrow and the state senate race in district 3 has plenty of interesting dynamics at play.  In the Democratic primary, incumbent Ron Young has said this will be his last term, a phrase he has uttered in previous elections.  Ron has been involved in politics his entire life, serving as mayor of The City of Frederick for 4 terms and now as state senator for two terms.  He is well known and after a lifetime in politics has his supporters and detractors. Ron’s length of service and the ability to get things done along with a name recognition that is likely the highest of any politician in Frederick County, may help him eke out a victory.

He is opposed by Jennifer Brannan and Jennifer Dougherty in the Democratic primary.  Brannan is not well known and her campaign efforts have not helped voters to get to know her.  Dougherty on the other hand is known as someone who always appears on the ballot and one who has been divisive in local politics.  This election will mark the tenth time Jennifer has run for office in Frederick County.  Her sole win was in the 2001 City of Frederick mayoral election, aided when she won by 36 votes against more experienced Meta Nash in the primary held on 9/11, a day many voters stayed home. Republican two term mayor Jim Grimes had already beaten himself with a multitude of bad decisions, so the Democratic nominee was assured the win in the General Election.

There is no love lost between Jennifer and Ron. In her first race, Jennifer ran for mayor in 1993 and was opposed in the Democratic primary by African American Gary Hughes.  Hughes received support from Ron Young and beat Jennifer in that primary election.  Republican Jim Grimes would win that election for mayor.

During Dougherty’s only term in office, she alienated voters so badly, including Democrats, leading Ron Young to run against Jennifer and beat her in the 2005 city Democratic primary. Upset at being challenged and beaten as an incumbent, she would urge her supporters to back Republican mayoral candidate Jeff Holtzinger.  Holtzinger would upset Ron in that 2005 city election.

Frederick County Republican leaders are excited about the strong possibility of picking up this seat, realizing neither Jennifer’s or Ron’s supporters will likely vote for the other should they lose the primary.  This had been a Republican held seat for many years with Alex Mooney being the last Republican state senator.  To the delight of many Frederick County voters, Ron Young would beat Mooney in the 2010 election.

Capturing this seat for Republicans however will not be easy.  The Republican primary is also filled with intrigue with Frederick County Burger King franchise owner Craig Giagrande and his significant personal campaign financial contributions facing Billy Shreve, a member of the Frederick County council.

Giagrande has received the endorsement of popular Frederick County sheriff Chuck Jenkins(R) and the conservative Blog RedMaryland.com. 

Shreve was a member of the Frederick board of county commissioners when Blaine Young (R) was president.  When charter government was passed in Frederick County, Blaine Young would face Democrat Jan Gardner for county executive and lose. Shreve would run for county council and win, enduring what must have been a difficult four years for him under Gardner. Obviously, frustrated with his lack of influence in county government and knowing Ron Young(D) barely won against an unknown Republican candidate four years ago, Shreve decided to challenge Ron Young for state senate.

Now, Shreve is locked in a close contest against Giagrande in the Republican primary and may well lose.

Both of the Democratic and Republican primaries for Maryland state senate in district 3 will be close, as will the General Election.  How well the nominees for each political party unite their voters and are able to appeal across party lines will determine the ultimate winner in this race.

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An Early Look at 2014 Frederick County Election

George Wenschhof

Winchester Hall

The 2010 election year was a bad one for Democratic candidates in Frederick County, Maryland and for Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The surge in Republican conservatism, led by tea party zealots, resulted in a net gain of 60 seats for Republicans in the House.

Locally, where Republicans have held a voter registration majority for a long time, only two Democrats would be elected out of twenty-one elected seats on the ballot.

They were Ron Young, who beat three term Republican state senator Alex Mooney in district 3 and Galen Clagett who won reelection to state delegate in district 3-a.

Ron, who won by about 1,000 votes, was aided by the like number of vote advantage he received through the early voting from the poll conveniently located in The City of Frederick, which has a strong Democratic voter registration.

The Young-Mooney contest went against the national trend as Mooney was a right wing “tea party” conservative way before the tea party existed, although the district had been gerrymandered to have a majority of Democratic registered voters.

In none of the other 19 local races did Democrats even come close.

The inability to field a candidate for several of the top races in the county certainly hurt Democrats as did the failure of the Democratic candidates running for board of county commissioner to come together to form a slate.

County Sheriff and State’s Attorney headline the ballot and are two prominent elected positions in the county.  The failure to have a candidate on the ballot for these two positions as well as the high paying Register of Wills position did not help the other Democrats who were running for office in 2010.

The race for the board of county commissioners was a disaster for Frederick County Democrats in 2010 and a major focus of the 2014 election will be the race for county executive and the council, as the change to charter government is implemented.

All indications are the over 24 year local struggle over how to best manage growth in Frederick County will continue with the announcement by Democrat Jan Gardner she is running for county executive.

Present at her announcement, were the former members of the 2007-2010 board who made up the managed growth “dream team” during the 2006 election; John “Lennie” Thompson(R), David Gray(R) and Kai Hagen(D).

There has been a lot of talk about Democratic candidates challenging Gardner, so it will not be surprising if there is a contested primary.

Whether board president Republican Blaine Young, who has angered many voters by spending his term in office pursuing privatization of government services, will run for the county executive position remains a question, putting on hold, the much anticipated struggle between two candidates with opposing ideologies.  During a recent chat on the street, Young told me he would be announcing his intention next year.

 

Republican county commissioner Billy Shreve, who rode Blaine Young's coattails to election in 2010, has also been in the rumor mix for county executive, but is not considered a strong enough candidate for the position.  If he decides to run for office, look to see him either run for one of the two at large positions on the council or state delegate.

The new seven member county council will have five members representing districts and two members who are elected countywide.

It will remain a difficult contest for a Democrat to be elected countywide, due to voter registration, but a solid candidate, like a Jan Gardner, will be competitive and can surely win. 

Democrats will have a little easier go in several of the council member districts, especially the two made up primarily of voters from The City of Frederick and the district that includes The Town of Brunswick.

The Charter defines the council as part time members who earn only $22,500 and this will surely impact the strength and the number of candidates who will run for these positions.

The combination of at large and district elections for council members will also make it difficult for growth oriented candidate slates to develop, but look for the opposing ideologies in this area make an effort to do so.

The county sheriff position is another high profile position and interestingly, two term sheriff Republican Chuck Jenkins has been rumored as a candidate for the county executive position, should Blaine Young choose not to run.

If Jenkins decides to run again for sheriff, it will not be a free ride this time.  Republican Kevin Grubb, a former City of Frederick police captain who has established a candidate committee and Democrat Karl Bickel, who was unsuccessful in raising the needed signatures for an independent run in 2010, are both expected to run.

Whether Democrats will have a candidate for state’s attorney remains a mystery.  Republican Charlie Smith is expected to run for reelection.

The state delegation comprising of two state senators and six state delegates elected by Frederick County voters have been redistricted with the demarcation line being just north of The City of Frederick.

Due primarily to voter registration, look to see Republicans elected in district 4 with state senator David Brinkley and delegate Kelly Shulz a lock for reelection.  Republican state delegate Michael Hough, who was redistricted and delegate Kathy Afzali will be favored in the other two delegate positions.

In district 3, state senator Ron Young should win reelection, but expect a challenge to come from Republicans who are angered by his votes in Annapolis supporting same-sex marriage, the gas tax and the dream act.  

With the announcements by state delegates Galen Clagett(D) and Patrick Hogan(R) they will not be running for reelection and with redistricting creating a new seat for district 3-b, all three seats will be considered “open seats” and as a result, will be competitive.

City of Frederick aldermen Carol Krimm and Karen Young, Stephen Slater and Ryan Trout are among the Democratic names being mentioned with county commissioner Paul Smith and city alderman Shelley Aloi among the Republicans being mentioned at this time.

Look to see Democrats win at least 3 of the four seats in district 3 with a strong possibility of a sweep that would balance the Frederick County state delegation.

Early indications are 2014 will be a better year than 2010 for Democratic candidates running for election in Frederick County.

Stay tuned.

 

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Who will be the next mayor?

George Wenschhof

City Hall

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned.

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Frederick Democratic Primary Race for Mayor Heats Up

George Wenschhof

Karen Young

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

Galen Clagett

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

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

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

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

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

Clagett did not return repeated calls prior to publication.

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned….

 

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Strong Field of Democrats Emerge in Aldermen Race

George Wenschhof

Already, seven Democrats have or will be announcing they are running for one of the five seats on the board of aldermen.

The deadline for filing for election is July 2, 2013 with The City of Frederick primary election held on September 10, followed by the general election on November 5.

Incumbents Michael O’Connor and Kelly Russell, based on a solid record over their first term in office, will be favorites to win reelection.

One of the other two incumbent Democratic aldermen; Carol Krimm, will not run for reelection as she hopes to replace retiring state delegate Galen Clagett (D), who is running for mayor.  Galen has let it be known, should he win election, he will request from Governor Martin O’Malley (D), the appointment of Carol to his seat, to serve the remaining one year of his term.  If, this would take place, it would give Krimm a leg up in the 2014 election.

The remaining Democratic incumbent alderman; Karen Young, has already announced her candidacy for Mayor.  Interestingly, should Clagett win the mayoral race, look to see state senator Ron Young (D) ask O’Malley to appoint his wife Karen to the vacant Clagett delegate seat, setting up an interesting dilemma for the Governor.

Derek Shackelford called me several months ago, when I was still in California, to speak with me of his intention to run for alderman.  Shackelford, who is the only African American running for city office at this time, spoke with me about his desire to engage people in the political process and to groom others for political office.

His experience in working for the reelection of President Barack Obama, particularly serving as one of “One Hundred Leaders for Obama, will be of help to him as he campaigns for his own election.  His professionalism and campaign experience was illustrated by his well attended campaign announcement recently at the Bernard Brown Community Center.

Josh Bokee, who fell short, by only a few votes, of moving on to the general election in 2009, is running again, and will be a strong candidate to become one of the five aldermen elected in the general election on November 5.

His five years of experience of service, including time as vice chair, on The City of Frederick Planning Commission, provides him with excellent qualifications to serve as alderman.

His reasoned platform includes economic opportunity, safe neighborhoods, strong fiscal responsibility, healthy sustainable community and twenty-first century infrastructure.

John Daniels, a well liked man, whose heart is with the city, will also be running again for alderman. He is the type of person who is able to bring people together.

Since losing in the last city election, John has served the city, with distinction, as chair of Mayor Randy McClement’s ad hoc recycling and solid waste committee.

Fiscal responsibility is important to Daniels, who has followed the serious discussion surrounding the $93 million unfunded liabilities The City of Frederick is facing with their pension plan and other post employment benefits (OPEB).

Jack Lynch, who ran briefly for mayor in the 2009 election, before dropping out and endorsing Jennifer Dougherty, who would lose the primary election to Jason Judd, is now running for alderman.

Jack, in a recent email to supporters, said “I want to see leadership and changes and public officials asking the questions that should be answered instead of cheerleading every scheme for private interests. I want our community to be a whole one, an engaged place, where citizens feel empowered - One Frederick, one for all.”

In an email to me, Lynch added “My focus is upon how Frederick continues to remain one close knit community and extends the great benefits of this place, both past and future, to all our citizens. It includes designing our communities to be interconnected not just by a map and roads, but by a shared purpose and shared successes from all sides of town. We have a vitality and diversity and valued institutions and committed citizens.”

Former two-term alderman Donna Kuzemchak is heavily rumored to make a run to win reelection to the board after losing in the 2009 general election.  An out spoken woman, Donna is sure to add excitement and strength to the Democratic primary.

Between now and the July 2 candidate filing deadline, it is entirely likely a few more Democrats will venture forward in the alderman contest.

Already, city voters can be assured of a very strong slate of Democratic candidates for alderman.

 

Stay tuned, the city election promises to be one to watch.

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City of Frederick Hotel – What’s The Rush?

George Wenschhof

The idea for a hotel and convention center located in downtown Frederick is hardly a new one and actually dates back over thirty years to the days when Democrat Ron Young was mayor of The City of Frederick, Maryland.

Today, the absence of coordination and defined purpose for the project put forth by City of Frederick Republican Mayor Randy McClement threatens to derail a potential crown jewel project. This project could serve as an anchor, alongside the bustling Carroll Creek development, further strengthening an already vibrant downtown.

Muddying the future of a downtown hotel has been an unfortunate series of recent events ranging from a bungled request for a lobbyist, a signing of a poorly communicated memorandum of understanding and the floating of the idea of raising the hotel tax from three to five per cent.

Determining the feasibility, where to locate it and how to pay for it would all seem like reasonable steps to follow before proceeding haphazardly on a project of this magnitude.

After the feasibility of the project is determined, what is needed for a project of this significance is to hold open discussion on what role the city should take (partnership role and with whom, whether to purchase site, providing some level of funding, waiver of permitting fees, reduced taxes, etc.), allowing for public input, leading to consensus on the way to proceed.

A task force appointed by the mayor has done a lot of solid work, only to have its efforts soiled by these latest series of events.

The unsubstantiated request for a lobbyist by City of Frederick Republican mayor Randy McClement received intense public criticism, including from this writer, and according to several sources, the lobbyist has withdrawn his request, illustrating the inappropriateness of the request.

The rush to sign a memorandum of understanding, which took place at the last mayor and board meeting, left many wondering why this was needed now and what, if any, obligations were attached to it.

What followed, was the announcement by Democratic state delegate Galen Clagett (District 3-a) asking the Tourism Council of Frederick County to support his intention to file a bill to increase the hotel tax in Frederick County, raising an estimated $700,000 annually.

In a lengthy interview, Clagett informed me of his intention, saying he believed the city should own the land where the hotel would be built. He added he further believed future hotel tax funds received after the hotel site was paid, could be used for the construction of an aquatic center located in the recently acquired city park land, and a theater in the round on a portion of Carroll Creek.

All wonderful ideas, but apparently put forward without support. During a telephone interview with Democratic state senator Ron Young (District 3), he said ”asking county hotels to pay for competition against them does not make sense and he would not support it.” Young added he did not believe the other city delegate; Republican Pat Hogan would be in favor of raising the tax either, making it unlikely the county state delegation would support the idea.

Also, left out in the rush to push a raise in the county hotel tax were a discussion and a vote of approval by the mayor and board on the idea. Let’s not forget city voters may not like the idea of buying land for a hotel at a time when city coffers are strained.

Young said he strongly supports the construction of a downtown hotel and still believes a convention center would also work, but other funding sources need to be considered.

The updated feasibility study and the memorandum of understanding is needed to request a one million grant from the state stadium authority.

It would appear the board of directors of The Tourism Council would be wise to delay a vote of support on the increase of the Frederick County hotel tax.

The mayor’s executive assistant; Josh Russin explains the mayor wants to move forward on this project in this term and roughly spelled out the process the mayor wished to follow. Russin indicated the needed economic update of the feasibility study will be received in March.

Included in the process Russin sent me, was a Request For Information (RFI), which would be utilized to identify the land the hotel would be built on. Interested owners of appropriate parcels of land located downtown could submit their property for consideration. A “to be determined” rank and review criteria would be used by a city committee who would select the parcel.

Democratic Alderman Karen Young, who was the first to object to the hiring of a lobbyist, said she was concerned about the proposed site selection process, preferring a professional with specific hotel/convention center experience, be utilized to determine the optimum site. She suggested the consultant being used to update the feasibility study be considered to help identify the site, as they are experienced in this field.

She also stressed to me her support of the overall project.

The good news surrounding the concept of a downtown hotel is that much support exists. The Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism Council of Frederick County are two significant organizations who have signaled overall support of the project.

What is needed now is for the mayor to slow the process down and take control of this project. Communicating more effectively with city voters and all parties involved is a must.

First, the update of the feasibility study needs to be received, reviewed and shared with the public. If, this shows the project is doable, the mayor should move forward with his board of alderman, the other stakeholders in this project and the public to determine what role the city will play.

Then, a reasonable timeline to implement the project should be developed.

A project of this size is sure to have lots of intrigue, ranging from politicos wanting to leave a legacy to property owners jockeying to have their site selected.

All the more reason the mayor needs to conduct the process with care and full transparency. This would help ensure a successful project with the greatest benefit for the city and its residents.

Speed is not the issue – doing it right is.

Stay Tuned….

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Political Maneuvering Begins in Frederick County As Redistricting Nears

George Wenschhof

In what Democratic state delegate Galen Clagett (District 3-a) is calling a "premature move", members of the Frederick County Republican state delegation will hold a press conference on Wednesday August 17 at 4:00 PM ET at the C. Burr Artz Library to present what they are calling a bipartisan redistricting map conference.

This highlights the political maneuvering which takes place every ten years, when the U.S. Constitution requires reapportionment take place in regard to representation in the House of Representatives. The number of Representatives (435) stay the same, but based on population totals, a state may gain or lose their number of Representatives, while always guaranteed a minimum of one.

The solid Democratic state of Maryland has 8 congressional districts with six of them considered "Blue"; one (6th) considered "Red" and one (1st) which has been a toss-up in the last two elections. As a result of the census data, Maryland maintained their number of Representatives in the House.

Before, state elected leaders can begin the deliberative process to determine the districts for state senators and delegates; the eight congressional districts will need to be redrawn as elections take place next year.

In addition, the state election calendar has been changed for next year with the deadline for candidates to file, (January 11, 2012), not so far away. The primary will be held April 3, 2012.

As a result, Maryland Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley will call a special session of the General Assembly in October to finalize the congressional districts.

Frederick County is currently a part of the convoluted sixth district which has benefited Republican Roscoe Bartlett who won his first election in 1992. Republican voter registration across the vast sixth district has enabled Bartlett to continue to serve in Congress.

Sixth district Democrats are hopeful a shift in district boundaries resulting from this year's reapportionment will offer an opportunity for a more competitive race, compared to the average 40% their candidates have received since 1992.

In addition to the sixth district, look to see efforts made to "help" the first district turn Blue.

After the Congressional realignment is completed, Maryland will turn to state redistricting. Across the state, 35 of the 47 senators are Democratic and 98 of the 141 delegates are Democratic. Each of the 47 districts elects one state senator and three state delegates.

In Frederick County, it is the reverse of the state and 6 of the 8 member state delegation are Republican.

As a result, you can expect some interesting attempts at redrawing lines in Frederick County from both Republicans and Democrats.

The Republican state delegation plans to present a redistricting map which they call "fair and equitable to the citizens of Frederick County".

When I spoke to Democratic State delegate Galen Clagett (District 3-a), he told me he had not held any discussions with any of the Republican delegation from Frederick County in regard to redistricting and as a result was not on board with what was being presented. "They (the Republicans) were jumping the gun" according to Clagett.

Galen added, Democratic state senator Ron Young had shown him in passing, a redistricting map, which he did not look at closely or comment on.

Clagett has, however, been working with an ad hoc five member committee appointed by Maryland House Speaker Michael Busch. As part of this process, he has met with a state official who is looking at different statewide scenarios for redistricting. Clagett added the House had not agreed to any redistricting at this point and would not until the Maryland General Assembly meets next year in regular session.

Democratic State senator Ron Young (District 3), who is mentioned in the Republican press release, indicated to me in a telephone conversation, he had also met with the state official working on redistricting and had shared a draft redistricting map with Republican state senator David Brinkley (District 4) and spoken with Republican delegates Kelly Schulz (District 4-a) and Kathy Afzali (District 4-a).

However, Ron added while he had also seen the press release sent by Republican members of the Frederick County state delegation, he had not been informed that it had been scheduled or asked to attend.

What I am hearing in regard to the preliminary discussions is an effort to have Maryland legislative districts 3 and 4 be inclusive of Frederick County with the current portions of Carroll County and Washington County eliminated.

Each district 3 and 4 would be comprised of approximately 117,000 Frederick county residents.

In district 3, one proposal being kicked around includes three at large delegates as opposed to the current two delegates from 3-a and one delegate from 3-b.

While early talks are underway, the serious discussion on state redistricting will take place next year when the Maryland General Assembly meets in regular session.

The hope will be to finalize a plan next year allowing for two years for candidates and voters to know the new districts prior to the next election in 2014. Approval next year would also provide ample time for judicial review if a legal objection is filed.

Do not look to see any agreement reached without the approval of the big three Democrats; Governor Martin O'Malley, Senate President Thomas "Mike" Miller and House Speaker Michael Busch.

Until then, the talk taking place is just talk.

Stay tuned...

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