Extra Buzz, Sept. 20, 2017
What Race is That, Again?
We thought Roger Manno wanted to be a Congressman, but literature dropped in Frederick city last week was a tad confusing, to say the least. Manno’s Frederick lit droppers might want to eyeball what they’re selling next time they hit the streets.
Instead of a glossy tabulating the pros of Manno for the 6th District Congressional seat in 2018, voters were invited to support him for a state senate seat in a District 19 in Montgomery County. He’s already got that seat. Ouch.
While we appreciate a legislator who recycles, this was just sloppy.
The 6th District’s proving popular with Dems, particularly now that the district boundaries appear to be safe from tinkering, for now.
Add another local and regional luminary, former Chief of Frederick Police and former Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, Kim Dine of Frederick to the list of potential candidates. We hear he’s considering it. He’s certainly got connections and he’s already a natural on CNN.
Extra Buzz reported recently that Lois Jarman, Ph.D was considering a run at state delegate for District 4, and she is, but she’s also considering another run at the Board of Education. Jarman said she’d like to see more Dems come forward for District 4, including Chip Jewell, with the unenviable long title of Director/Chief at Division of Volunteer Fire & Rescue Services. UPDATE: Jewell will NOT be running for political office in 2018.
Two Republicans and one Dem have filed to run in the three-seat district, and incumbent David Vogt is expected to run for reelection. With Del. Kathy Afzali [R-Dist. 4] on a quest for the Frederick County Exec’s office, and Vogt on the outs with Republican “kingmaker” Sen. Michael Hough [R-Dist. 3], expect a slew of candidates to sign on.
Joseph Dvorak, a Republican, filed to run for delegate in District #3A on Aug. 29. Two Democrats, Del. Carol Krimm and Del. Karen Lewis Young, hold the two seats now. Lewis Young is expected to run for reelection in the primarily Democratic district, while Krimm is pondering her choices.
Frederick City Election R's and D's
Republican Bruce Blatchley, who dropped out of the Republican aldermanic race before it even got started, is replaced on the ballot by Bryan Chaney, president of ChaneyGang LLC. Chaney offers divorce coaching, technical solutions and earned his real estate license this year. The Republicans have a lot of ground to cover between now and early voting, which runs Oct. 27 and 28. Election day is Nov. 7.
The Frederick Extra is, again, cosponsoring a debate with Frederick Magazine, 930 AM WFMD, and Frederick Community College students on Monday, Oct. 23. Aldermanic candidates, five Democrats and five Republicans, will debate from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Democrat Michael O’Connor and Republican Randy McClement take the stage from 8:15 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Frederick city election, and the one in Annapolis, grabbed the attention of the state party, as potential indicators of Democratic success in the 2018 gubernatorial election. Party leader Kathleen Matthews greeted enthused Dems Sunday night on Brewer’s second floor for The Frederick Democrats Unity Happy Hour. Hosted by local Democratic leaders, the event featured brief remarks from Matthews, mayoral candidate Michael O’Connor, [pictured right, photo by K Heerbrandt] and the aldermanic winners. For the full remarks, watch the video here.
Afzali, “Borrowing” from Gardner 2014 Campaign?
Sorry it’s been a bit quiet here lately. The Frederick Extra had to take a few days to recover from this shocking revelation last week from Del. Kathy Afzali: She’s not only running for Frederick County Exec, she’s kind of single white female-ing County Exec Jan Gardner (D.)
Is it just us, or do Afzali’s campaign promises ring a bell, a familiar one that rang three years ago ?
Let’s compare Afzali’s platform, with then-candidate Jan Gardner’s speech announcing her run for County Executive at Winchester Hall on Nov. 9, 2013.
From Afzali’s campaign website:
As your conservative Republican alternative to the disfunction [sic] at Winchester Hall, I pledge to:
Freeze property taxes and fees [Gardner: “Tax rates will be held steady.”]
Promote slow responsible growth [Gardner: “I believe I’m the best person to try to address the problems created by these [developer] agreements and I will certainly prevent the county from digging a deeper fiscal hole. I will work with the council to restore a functional Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) so the county will once again require infrastructure – schools and roads – to be in place or provided concurrent with new development.”]
Oppose uncontrolled development [Gardner: “A massive wave of new rezoning by the [previous] Board has increased the housing pipeline to 30 to 40 years, converting hundreds of acres of farmland where infrastructure is not adequate and will be expensive to provide.”]
Fully fund Frederick County public schools [Gardner: “You cannot run an educational system with a plan to “buy a lottery ticket” as one current official suggested to the Board of Education. We need a responsible four-year plan. We need to fund education above the minimum required by law.”]
Direct county departments to work for citizens ---NOT bureaucrats [Gardner: “I will restore respect for county employees. I will pledge to work to rebuild county government with a focus on efficiently serving the people of Frederick County.”]
Demand the highest standard of ethics and personal conduct in public office [Gardner: “I propose the creation of a truly independent ethics commission, and stronger ethics laws that clearly state that county elected officials cannot profit from their position or do business with the county. And, I want to reinstate penalties, so there are consequences for serious violations…I will restore open and transparent government to Frederick County. The public deserves to know what its government is doing.”]
Also from Afzali’s site:
I will end the bickering in county government and stand up to special interests,” Afzali said in a statement. “It’s time for a fresh start.” [Gardner: “And, I will promote a positive image for Frederick County outside our community …I will invest the time to work with the council to develop shared goals to ensure that we are all working together toward the same vision. I will establish an environment of trust and mutual respect.”]
Property taxes are increasing and growth has become unmanageable across the county. [Property taxes have stayed at $1.06 per $100 assessed value since 2014-2015.] “A balance between growth and rural heritage can be found and I believe that I am the leader to do it,” Afzali continued. [Gardner: “An important part of fiscal responsibility is managing growth responsibly so a cost burden is not shifted to county taxpayers.”]
So, is Afzali morphing into a Democrat? Or just trying to trace Gardner's successful path to the head job at Winchester Hall?
Fair Winners and Losers
While Gov. Larry Hogan (R) was schmoozing and lunching at the Fair this week, his Sec. of Labor Kelly Schulz was laboring last week, hardhat and all, with her crew of safety inspectors. Bragging them up, Schulz [right, photo by K.Heerbrandt] said Maryland has a low accident rate, 28 per 10,000 as of 2015. Last year, there were three amusement-related accidents in Maryland requiring medical assistance.
Rides are checked pre-Fair by Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation inspectors, and throughout the week to ensure workers and rides are doing the job safely, said Supervisor of Amusement Ride Safety Rob Gavel. For safety tips, visit here.
Before the Governor’s Annual Lunch Tuesday with officials, a local lawman allegedly told a certain delegate aiming for a new office that she parked illegally, and to move it or get towed. The delegate, in a room of legally-parked elected officials, allegedly thought elected officials are like ambulances or priests or something, and got to park anywhere, anytime. The lawman in question would neither confirm or deny the incident, citing privacy. “People should not pass tales,” he said.
Council Member Billy Shreve (R-At Large) has been hanging around the Republican tent, advertising his “delplorable” state of mind, and stirring up mischief for his nemesis at Winchester Hall. He called out County Exec Jan Gardner for sponsoring an exhibit in the name of economic development. Gardner’s take is that it’s much ado about nothing, as the county has participated in the GFF for years.
If the county didn’t have a presence, we have a feeling Shreve would be snarking about that, too. But he’s hot on the trail, he said, asking county staff for proof of Gardner’s statement about the county’s past Fair involvement.
Will he and his fellow Repubs be pulling out lie detectors at Winchester Hall in the near future?
Gourd Grief! So what about the Fair entries that didn’t belong to the winner? A local artist saw her own work festooned with winner ribbons. That’s nice. But she didn’t enter the pieces. Instead a former student allegedly entered them in her own name. For shame, indeed. Anyone know what became of these fraudulent un-Fair entries?
