Candidates Power On After Poor Turnout
Meh.
That’s what 27,380 voters thought about Tuesday’s Frederick city primary election. Of the 31,736 registered Democrats and Republicans, a meager 4,356 voters participated, giving it the distinction of being the lowest turnout in recent history at 13.73 percent. Even the city’s first foray into early voting didn’t boost the numbers, although 2.3 percent, or 733 voters, showed up to cast their votes in advance of the Sept. 12 primary.
Candidates reported that a lot of voters they visited during the campaign weren’t even aware of an election. Mayoral hopeful Republican Shelley Aloi said she heard some lame excuses on the campaign trail, including “if it doesn’t rain, I’ll vote.” Aloi lost to incumbent Randy McClement, now seeking a third term, garnering 552 votes to his 836.
Frederick’s not alone in struggling to get voters into the voting booth. “Municipal elections nationwide just have poor turnout,” said Election Director Stuart Harvey. “Voters tend to focus on county, state and federal government unless there is a major local issue, like a snow storm that upended a mayor in Chicago years back.”
The city’s highest primary turnout in nearly 20 years, at 26.67 percent, was in 2005, when a former mayor sued the city to run against then-incumbent, Jennifer Dougherty. Ron Young, who held office from 1974 to 1990, didn’t meet the city’s three-year residency requirement to run for mayor, and took the city to court for the privilege. He won in court, beat Dougherty in the primary, and lost the general election to Republican Jeff Holtzinger. The city has not had a Democratic mayor since Dougherty.
For those candidates who pounded miles of pavement knocking on doors, asked for money, showed up at every debate, forum or city event, and basically put life on hold for the past several months, it was a hard pill to swallow. “I thought this year would be better with all that’s happening nationally, but that didn’t happen,” said Derek Shackelford. Shackelford, a Democrat vying for a seat on the board of alderman came in fifth place, with 11.32 percent of the vote and moves on to the general election.
The top vote getter in the aldermanic race by one vote, incumbent Democrat Donna Kuzemchak is seeking a fifth term. She served between 1998 and 2009, lost in 2009, and returned to office in 2013. “I was surprised at the turnout. I can honestly say that I was shocked at the turnout,” she said. “The falsehood of social media, where so many talk about this terrible, terrible presidential administration – and it’s all true - and then don’t show up to vote? I don’t understand it. Some people say, well, it’s just a local election. I say it’s an election and it’s important.”
The five Republican aldermanic candidates didn’t have a primary and go straight to the general election. Unlike state and county races, their names didn’t appear on the ballot. The city opted not to have unopposed candidates on the ballot to save money. Hayden Duke said he was frustrated to learn that his name wouldn’t be on the ballot, along with his fellow Republicans. Until the filing deadline, Duke was the sole Republican candidate running for alderman. “If elected, I will seek to change the Charter regarding this issue … it might have confused some voters.” Not having a Republican primary for alderman, he said, helped contribute to the low voter turnout.
The city also cut expenses by not mailing out sample ballots. The estimated cost of mailing them is $50,000. Harvey disagrees, and said that sample ballots boost turnout, and end polling place confusion because the polling place is listed on the sample ballot. “And it would advertise early voting,” he said. The city’s poll locator had some glitches over the weekend leading up to the primary, and throughout election day. Some voters couldn’t find their polling places, and were referred to Harvey’s office for the correct information. Harvey is sure the city will resolve the problems by the general election.
Tale of Two Mayoral Races
Democratic mayoral race victor and two-term alderman Michael O’Connor said the decision to not send out sample ballots was a bad move. O’Connor beat out former mayor Dougherty with 56.55 percent of the vote. The budget for the 2017 primary and general elections is $300,000. When it comes to something as critical to democracy as an election, O’Connor said, the city shouldn’t skimp. Voter turnout is indicative of the feeling many city residents have of being “disconnected” to City Hall.
“It struck me during the campaign that there’s an increasing diversity city-wide … and a feeling of being disconnected from the city on issues that are important to them,” he said. The city’s leadership must find different ways for citizens to engage, he said, and it’s incumbent upon the newly elected mayor and board to determine how to react to the community's ideas to get things done. “The mayor, along with the board of alderman, will figure out how to work together with residents,” he said.
He was pleased that the winning aldermanic candidates represent a geographic diversity that hasn’t always been the case on the board of aldermen, and that two African American candidates, Shackelford and Roger Wilson, were victorious in the primary.
His opponent Dougherty pledged her support to O’Connor in a call that he said was heartfelt and gracious. In a letter to her supporters, Dougherty said her support of O’Connor is “genuine” and “if not me, he is the one who should have a chance to lead our City.” McClement has had eight years, she said, and that’s enough.
“Today, we are not sad for the votes not won -- we are proud of the passion in our fight, we are proud of the ideas we placed into the debate, and we know there is victory in effort,” Dougherty told supporters.
Republican mayoral candidate Aloi doesn’t share Dougherty’s sentiment when it comes to her opponent, but acknowledges that by waiting until the last day to file, she did her campaign a disservice. Her poorest showing was in the early voting results, and she believes she would have done better if she’d filed earlier.
“I’m responsible for that,” she said.
But she’s still feeling the sting of being the Bernie Sanders of the Republican party. The bias on the part of the Republican Central Committee, she said, hurt her and her campaign. For more on that, read the unpublished letter she sent to the daily paper here.
Aloi didn’t call to congratulate McClement on election night. “I just didn’t think of it,” she said.
While disappointed in the outcome, the former alderman said she was heartened to hear that three different people, with no connection to each other, planned to vote for her as a write-in on election day. “Inside of 10 minutes, they all said the same thing. I found that very interesting,” she said.
She wouldn’t say whether she had plans to stage a write-in campaign, but said her team was doing a debriefing Thursday. Overall, Aloi said she had "a really good time" knocking on doors and listening to residents talk about their issues. “The west side feels forgotten. Others say the taxes are too high and they plan to move when their kids are out of school. Downtown, residents worry a lot about crime,” she said.
McClement who ran a low-key campaign and came out on top with 60.23 percent of the vote, said in a written statement that he was “proud of the job we have done over the last two terms.”
“I’m happy that the Primary voters chose to nominate me again to lead the City of Frederick. I look forward to a robust campaign of ideas. Michael and I have worked together for eight years, and that’s not going to stop now,” he said.
He plans to work hard to regain his seat in November, he said.
Looking Ahead
As Democratic winners reenergize for the general election, they are focusing on scouring the precinct results and honing their platforms. Shackelford said his team is reviewing the precincts where he did well, and those where he didn’t, to determine how his message resonated, and where it fell flat.
Kelly Russell, who came in one vote behind her fellow incumbent Kuzemchak, is seeking a third term. A few of her priorities as a third- term alderman include more progress on the city’s sustainability plan. “I am frustrated that there’s no solar energy projects through the city. I still have a dream of a solar farm at the airport,” she said.
As the liaison to the planning commission, Russell wants to continue, should she be reelected, as the city has a lot of projects on the horizon. She’s proud of her advocacy for pedestrian and cyclist safety, and wants to do more.
Newcomers Wilson and Ben MacShane, were satisfied with their showing. Wilson came in third, and MacShane fourth. “It’s an uphill battle being a new candidate,” MacShane said. He plans to continue to develop support in “every corner of the city” and to advocate for families with his progressive, but pragmatic approach to city issues.
MacShane’s campaign impressed Kuzemchak. “Ben is the Energizer bunny – he never stops … People don’t realize that as the candidate you have to be everywhere. You can’t have people showing up for you. I have to make every phone call to raise money. I have to physically speak to people. I have to give it my all and realize that without my team, I cannot make it,” she said.
As the third-place winner, Wilson said he is switching gears to start talking about residential growth – echoing some of the concerns about infrastructure and school capacity recently shard by his employer and fellow Democrat, County Executive Jan Gardner. “No more portables in our county,” he said.
Tax transparency, and a focus on the green economy will help take the city to a different place, Wilson said. As for the election results, he said he is “overjoyed because the city is ready for change. We are getting ready to write the next chapter in the city, and another generation is taking over,” he said.
Democrats have had a significant head start over the Republican aldermanic candidates, and the question of whether it hurt or helped Republicans to have an uncontested primary will ultimately be determined on election day.
The general election is Nov. 7. Early voting is Oct. 27, from noon to 8 p.m., and Oct. 28 from noon to 6 p.m.
The Frederick Extra, Frederick Magazine and 930 AM WFMD, along with Frederick Community College students, are teaming up again to sponsor a debate at Frederick Community College’s JBK Theater on Monday, Oct. 23, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The debate features aldermanic and mayoral candidates.
