Extra Buzz, Sept. 9, 2017
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?
You Decide Who's Who in the latest chapter of Showdown at Winchester Hall.
It didn’t take long, FredExers. As you know, the big announcement is soon upon us. No, not the results of the Frederick city primary election on Sept. 12, silly. The BIG, important announcement on Sept. 14 where Del. Kathy Afzali (R-Dist. 4) reveals what she’s been hiding behind a transparent curtain for the past six months: her intention to nab the top job at Winchester Hall in 2018.
Eric Beasley, eagle eye observer that he is, recently reported that Afzali inadvertently, but hilariously, scooped herself on her announcement poster. [pictured right]
But we digress.
Afzali, who will be pitted in the primary for county exec against Regina Williams and Council Member Kirby Delauter (R-Dist. 5) so far, has already called on Delauter to give it up, and offered him a job in the process. As we always say, chutzpah is part of her “charm.”
This week, she lit on Delauter – and Council Member Jerry Donald - like a flea on a dirty dog. In her Sept. 6 email reminder about her upcoming star-studded shindig, Afzali opens with a scolding for her opponent and his colleagues.
“Here it is September again and another school year begins, with the name calling, petty bickering and childish behavior. But enough about the county council meetings, I want to talk about my big announcement...”
Pot meet kettle, but she’s not wrong. Social media, A Miner Detail, Frederick’s Local Yokel and the local daily bleated out the scandalous details – well mostly – of the Clash of the Councilmen, or as we like to call it, the trailer of upcoming attractions in The Election Games, 2018.
Councilmen Jerry Donald (D-Dist. 1) and his neighbor on the dais, Delauter, came nose to nose following Tuesday’s council meeting, pumped up and ready to take it outside the seat of county government and into the parking lot for a good ole fashioned bare-knuckled street fight.
Delauter, the resident gunslinger, said later he wanted to keep the exchange private, which is why he approached Donald behind closed doors. It wasn’t that private, though. Jessica Fitzwater and Bud Otis were the lucky ones who managed to escape before the short but atomic showdown. The remaining members were trapped at the scene, and will likely be replaying the unsettling business in their minds for some time to come.
The genesis of the battle is a meme posted on Donald’s campaign page by a die-hard Delauter detractor and meme maker, Carl Thomas. The image depicted Delauter getting spanked by Donald. Thomas posted it on Donald’s page in response to his scalding rebuttal to Delauter’s “fake-news” drama over making the county a “sanctuary county.” In his campaign for county exec, Delauter is assuring would-be supporters that he is strongly against it.
Thing is, according to Donald, there’s nothing to be for or against. The subject’s not an issue, never has been, never will be, he said, and Delauter knows it. Hold up there, hoss. Delauter thinks it is, and it’s his campaign, dammit. Growl, curse, mutter, curse, growl. And where does Donald get off celebrating a depiction of his colleague being physically assaulted? [Even Council V.P. M.C. Keegan-Ayer (D-Dist. 4), an unwilling onlooker and Donald supporter, said the meme “wasn’t nice.”]
Calling the image “unprofessional,” Delauter said he asked Donald to take it down. Donald claimed ignorance, and said he didn’t know how to remove it. [Psst…it’s still there.] One thing led to another … and well, you know. Or you think you know.
Depends on who you talk to. Keegan-Ayer called it “scary.” Council Member Tony Chmelik (R-Dist. 2) said, while he was disgusted by the display, he wasn’t going to dish the details, preferring to stay focused on the work of county government. Delauter said Donald and Keegan-Ayer blew the “15-second” incident out of proportion in their Facebook posts on the subject Tuesday night and should never have made the incident public. Donald said Delauter only wants privacy when it suits him. Otherwise, he happily shares any terse email exchanges between him and his colleagues with anyone and everyone. Sorry, we didn't get Council Member Billy Shreve's take. We'll take a leap of faith and say he supports Delauter's version, and Trump cradles both of them in his tiny but influential hands. Because, they're so much alike, ya know.
But we digress.
Delauter said he was over it, and headed for the door after the short convo, but Donald shouted at his back, “walk away like you always do,” and gave a dismissive wave. Well now, what is a real man to do when his real manhood is thusly besmirched? Why, challenge the dirty rotten scoundrel to a duel, of course.
When Delauter heard Donald’s taunt, he said he “walked back to him and said ‘give it a shot.’ Again, he said nothing. I made a derogatory remark and left the building.”
Donald was unhappy with the “sanitized version” of the confrontation that landed in the daily paper Thursday. And Delauter’s version was pure fabrication, he said.
So, here’s the unsanitized version, according to a few onlookers, Donald included: Delauter used a choice, shall we say “presidential” word, to describe Donald, and he didn’t mean a kitty cat. Then he spiced it up, Kirby style, with the “eff word.”
“You’re too much of a f*%#ing p*@@y to fight me,” was the verbatim quote repeated over and over, according to Donald and other witnesses. [Note to Kirby: start a curse jar now. You will fund your entire campaign, and still have money left over to build a new school. You're welcome.]
Thurmont, Delauter’s hometown, don’t play. The Monocacy River Board shenanigans aside, the last time we recall hearing of two elected officials getting ready to rumble was several years ago after a Thurmont town meeting. Then-Commissioner Bill Blakeslee allegedly challenged then-Commissioner Bob Lookingbill to settle their differences by rolling around punching each other in the face in the parking lot. Ah, good times. Cooler heads prevailed, though, just like they did Tuesday.
Good thing. Nobody wants to see that. Seriously. Two middle-aged politicians in Dockers duking it out under the parking lot lights, while sly opportunists take bets on the outcome, and the rest watch in stunned silence, or publicly shout for them to break it up, while secretly hoping the good guy beats the living crap out of the bad guy. Doesn’t matter who's who. It’s all ugly.
And it’s only going to get worse. You know what they say: Every time Delauter curses out a colleague, a contender for county exec gets her wings. Then she flaps them in his face until he cries for mercy.
In the meantime, Donald is stuck in his assigned seat next to Delauter for the duration, and he sees no meeting of the minds … EVER. “It’s done. I doubt we will ever talk about it again. I am over it,” he said. But he still sounds steamed.
In other news ...
Craig Giangrande officially filed Wednesday, Sept. 6, as a candidate in the 2018 Republican primary for state senate, District 3.
Giangrande, of regional Burger King franchise fame, is rumored to be backed by Gov. Larry Hogan (R) himself. Giangrande is the only officially filed candidate in the race. Matt Mossburg, who thought he wanted the seat for a hot minute, decided to take his chances in the Congressional Sixth District race instead. County Council Member Billy Shreve said he, too, wants the seat, but hasn't filed. Incumbent Sen. Ron Young (D-Dist. 3) intends to run for reelection too.
Frederick city Alderman Phil Dacey (R) is aiming for a transfer to an at-large seat on the county council, as we reported previously. Several sources say the Republican held a fundraiser last week, hosted by former state delegate and county commissioner, Democrat Galen Clagett. Clagett ran a poll earlier this year to see how he'd fare in the mayor's race or as a candidate for state senate, District 3. No word on how it all went. Clagett hasn't returned multiple calls for comment on his plans or his support of Dacey.
Former Frederick city Mayor Jeff Holtzinger took the helm at FACT [Frederick Area Committee for Transportation] in January, but the group hasn't met and looks like it may be fading into oblivion. "Some folks want to discuss regrouping, and one member put out that option [to disband.] We will be meeting in September and will see how the discussion goes," Holtzinger said. He said he'd like to see more focus on local projects that "make some progress in our lifetimes."
CORRECTED 9.9. Long lives in Emmitsburg. Add Mark Long, Emmitsburg resident and 2014 Democratic candidate for County Council, Dist. 5, to the list of probable candidates in 2018. This time, he hopes to have better luck as an at-large candidate.
Extra Buzz is the word on the street from credible sources. Sometimes you have to guess, but other times I just lay it out for you. If you have something to share, anonymity guaranteed, send an email to thefrederickextra@gmail.com.
