Election Extras!
Some odds and ends collecting dust on the 2017 City of Frederick Election
Aloi, Making Friends and Waves
Republican mayoral candidate Shelley Aloi was endorsed by former 6th District Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, and former Mayor Jeff Holtzinger [2005 – 2009] gave her high marks, too.
From Aloi’s campaign Facebook page: “This time former Mayor Jeff Holtzinger who split the vote in the last election is supporting me. Jeff's words -- "Shelley has the determination to address these challenges (the City's) and the boldness to make tough decisions to get things done."
Holtzinger confirmed in an interview that he endorses Aloi for the primary win over incumbent Mayor Randy McClement. Two terms of one mayor is enough, he said. If you are doing great things for the city, a third term may be warranted, but he doesn’t see the current mayor as worthy of a third term. He apparently didn’t find him worthy of a second term either, as he ran against him in the 2013 primary, along with Aloi. The last mayor to win a third term in Frederick is Sen. Ron Young (D-Dist.3), who served from 1974 – 1990.
Aloi’s also got a campaign volunteer in Roelkey Myers, the former director of parks and recreation who got the boot by McClement in 2015, for allegedly not keeping better tabs on the Clustered Spires Golf Course. Golf pro Don Frost was also fired, and later charged with theft. Frost was found innocent in a jury trial last October. Myers testified at the trial. After leaving City Hall, he moved on to the City of Baltimore as chief of park maintenance, but said he’s retiring in September and plans to enjoy retirement. And he hopes his former boss gets the boot this time, too.
Credit worthy?
If you caught the Aug. 21 mayoral debate at Frederick Community College, you heard Aloi give incumbent Randy McClement grief over his part in Phase 2 of the Carroll Creek Linear Park project. According to Aloi, McClement touts that project as a personal victory.
But Aloi - and then-aldermen Karen Lewis Young – say, not so fast, mister. Seems that in 2011, McClement was ready to refuse $1.5 million – half of $3 million offered – of a state matching grant for the project. He had the memo all written up and ready to go, worried that the city wouldn’t be able to handle it’s share.
After hearing from then-parks director Roelkey Myers about the potential loss, Lewis Young alerted Aloi and they headed into Republican territory at Winchester Hall to get some help to force the mayor’s hand. The county had pledged $400k for the hotel project, and the aldermen asked to forward fund it so that the city could meet its matching grant obligation, Lewis Young said.
The rest of the aldermen were on board, and with a signed letter from BOA, Aloi and Lewis Young took it to the mayor and told them they didn’t want to leave the state money on the table.
“That’s how we took the entire grant,” Lewis Young said. “He [McClement] will tell you today that he got that money. I have heard him say he knew that times were bad economically, but he made the tough decision. No, it didn’t happen. There is written documentation of that.”
Myers confirmed the story, and said the city had to go back to the state for $2.8 million more when the bids came in higher than budgeted. “The state liked the project and gave us the money, so if we hadn’t gotten the full matching grant, we would’ve missed out on the additional funds, too,” he said.
With a $15.8 million budget and no contingency money for the project, Myers said he had to rely on his relationship with the contractor to get it done on budget. When he left in 2015, he said the job was under budget and 80 percent complete.
McClement responded via email, and asked for his statement to appear in its entirety: “I am not here to take credit for anything, I'm willing to listen to anyone because good ideas come from everywhere. Countless hours and effort were put into this and every other project in the city by staff, by boards, by commissions, by myself, former Mayors and former Boards of Aldermen. All I care about is that it was done, done right, and the City of Frederick is better off for it.”
Wilson Explains Puzzling Response
Democratic BOA candidate Roger Wilson wants voters to know that his answer on a recently released questionnaire doesn’t tell the whole story. [pictured left]
The Young Dems asked their candidates to answer 15 questions, including the one that tripped Wilson up: "Do you believe the representation within the Frederick Democratic Party reflects the needs and demographics of the city of Frederick?"
Wilson answered, “Yes.”
Both Democratic mayoral candidates and eight of 10 Democratic candidates completed the questionnaire. Read the responses here.
The other candidates answered in the negative, for the most part, citing the need for more people of color and other minorities, and sexual orientations to be better represented in elected office, the local Democratic party and on city boards and commissions.
Mayoral candidate Jennifer Dougherty, for example, notes the lack of diversity at City Hall since she left office in 2005, and the lack of women specifically, in volunteer positions. “Today, what is equally noticeable is the shortage of women in volunteer positions on boards and commissions - just 24%, while 5 commissions (including Ethics and Elections) have no women at all,” she writes.
Incumbent Alderman Kelly Russell believes diverse representation should be a constant goal. “Community needs and demographics are fluid,” Russell writes, “so the Democratic Party, as with any organization, must be cognizant of the changing needs and make the best efforts possible to meet them.”
In his defense, Wilson said he, along with his team members, “totally misread” the question. “I didn’t even think about diversity,” he said. Rather, he thought the question was about whether or not Democratic values were reflected in the party.
His answer would have been far different had he read it the way the other candidates did, he said. And in fairness, in responding to a different question, Wilson talked about the importance of recruiting and retaining “a diverse police force that reflects Frederick’s diverse neighborhoods.”
Happy to give Roger Wilson a chance to clear that one up.
For more candidate questionnaires, here’s a thorough, detailed one from the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce, and of course, The Frederick Extra published its own questionnaire. Find mayoral and aldermanic candidates, including three of the five Republicans running in the general election here and here.
Early Voting (Better Late Than Never) and More on Upcoming Primary
Early voting debuted in the Frederick city election on Aug. 25 and 26, and voters were lined up for the privilege, according to Election Director Stuart Harvey. All early voting takes place at the Senior Center on Taney Avenue. “I was genuinely surprised to see a line at the door,” Harvey said.
More city voters turned out for the city’s first foray into early voting than county voters, who first voted early in 2010. In 2010, roughly one percent of the county’s registered voters voted early in the 2010 primary, while 2.3 percent of the city’s eligible voters showed up to vote early.
“The city can look at that and be pleased with the first time for early voting in the city,” Harvey said.
On Friday, 402 city residents voted early, and 334 voted on Saturday, Harvey said. In comparison, 197 county voters turned out the first Friday of early voting in 2010, and 152 on Saturday. Countywide registration for Democrats and Republicans in the 2010 primary was 136,477. In the city, Dems outnumber Republicans nearly two to one, with 20,629 to 11,107 registered voters respectively.
Even with that disparity, Dems turned out in bigger numbers by a margin of three to one, Harvey said. The Senior Center on Taney Avenue has historically seen a higher number of Democratic voters, he said. Republican aldermanic candidates bypassed a primary election because there are only five. All five will be competing against five Dems for five seats on the board of aldermen.
Republicans only voted for mayor, choosing between former alderman, Shelley Aloi, and incumbent two-term mayor, Randy McClement.
Despite the encouraging turnout for early voting, Harvey said, it’s not enough to be able to predict if it indicates a higher overall turnout for the primary election. City voter turnout is historically low. Just 16 percent of the city’s registered Dems and Repubs voted in the 2013 city primary, and 24 percent turned out for the general election.
One thing Harvey is sure of, though. “I have never seen this before, and I have to give credit to every one of the candidates. All the signs, every one, came down Saturday night. I was astonished. They were great about taking them down,” he said.
If you missed early voting, and are worried about getting to the polls on primary day, you can apply for an absentee ballot in person up to election day at the Bourne Building, 355 Montevue Lane, Suite 101. For directions, visit the Board of Elections page here.
To act as an agent, you will come in and fill out a form, and will be issued a ballot.
Polls are open for the primary election on Sept. 12, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Do your civic duty. Vote. No excuses.To find your polling place or more info on the 2017 election, visit the city’s website.
