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Shackelford’s New Brand
The Rev. Dr. Derek Shackelford announced his run for Frederick City alderman Friday night as a “new brand of leadership.” Now he wants to let others do the talking. Getting down to work means being seen, growing his team of volunteers, and listening to what community leaders have to say, Shackelford said in an interview.
Shackelford joins five other Dems officially vying or five spots in the Sept. 12 primary. More than 60 people gathered for his candidacy announcement at the William Talley Rec Center. The event included remarks by former Frederick City Police Chief Kim Dine and Shackelford’s wife, the Rev. Charlotte J. Shackelford. Making his announcement at the Rec Center reflects his focus on the city’s next generation, Shackelford said. [Photo: Shackelford at his Apr. 21 announcement, photo courtesy of Derek 4 Alderman.]
The evening went beyond his expectations, he said, in terms of energy, momentum and financial support. This is the second time Shackelford has run for city alderman. In 2013, he came in sixth in a field of eight Democratic primary candidates, and did not make it to the general election.
His speech Friday identified the theme of his campaign, “A New Brand of Leadership.” “One that merges leadership with service … that gives a voice to the issues you care about by hearing your voices and working together for solutions … that is inclusive by bringing all people to the table … that stimulates the transformative change where no one is left behind … that embraces fresh approaches and new ideas that focus on the why we can get it done,” Shackelford told supporters.
The self-described author, leadership developer, preacher and social activist, has “a passion for community service.” As alderman, he wants to expand on that theme, and at the core of his platform are youth programs and leadership initiatives.
Giving young people the tools to succeed, he said Friday, starts “by implementing a summer jobs program that prepares young people to compete in a global workforce that builds knowledge and develops employment skills.”
Shackelford advocates championing quality education and a “true” community school concept, and promoting leadership opportunities. “Our young people need be able to be heard in our communities so we need to recognize their voices and involve them in the solutions to our issues,” he said. For more information, visit his candidate website here.
To date, only Democrats have filed to run for alderman and mayor. Alderman Michael O’Connor and former Mayor Jennifer Dougherty, running for mayor, will likely be joined by Galen Clagett, former delegate and commissioner who ran for mayor in 2013. He was defeated in the primary by Del. Karen Lewis Young, who lost to Mayor Randy McClement in the general election.
The deadline to file to run for the primary is July 3. The primary election is Sept. 12. Early voting is Aug. 25 - 26. The general election is Nov. 7, with early voting on Oct. 27 – 28.
Krimm's Push for Transparency
Two pieces of state legislation proposed by Del. Carol Krimm (D-Dist. 3A) in 2016 called for more transparency, and are yielding results this year, even though one law failed to pass. Companies can include several charges on an electric bill and not give a description or reason for the charge. Krimm’s proposed legislation required an electric company to include an explanation of each charge that is listed in its customer bill, and to disclose whether the charge is a uniform charge, a charge based on customer class, a charge based on usage, a one-time assessment, or another type of charge, fee, or assessment. It also required a description of how the charge is calculated, how the charge is authorized, and the purpose of the charge.
Energy companies opposed the bill, and it died in committee. The Public Service Commission, however, later mandated that Potomac Edison/First Energy put a website link to an explanation of charges on every bill. The change was instituted earlier this year. Krimm said in an interview that she didn’t find out until the mandate was in place, but was pleased to see the addition of an explanation of charges available to consumers.
Her bid for transparency regarding special fund revenue passed last year, HB 120, and now anyone can go online here and find out the name, purpose and source of revenues collected by the state and earmarked by law to a special fund. You can see how much the state earned from the sale of lottery tickets last year, nearly $2 billion. The Department of Natural Resources reported $325,480 towards the management of threatened and endangered species. The income is from voluntary donations from taxpayers on their state income tax return. Krimm said she's gleaned a lot of new info from the site, and that others have, too.
