City Election Wrap Up
[Pictured above, Democratic candidates, City of Frederick 2017, courtesy, Democratic Central Committee]
The 2017 City of Election went out with more of a bang than a whimper. After Democrats carried the day, sweeping all six seats for mayor and board of aldermen, some Republicans are still smarting, with one considering a mayoral run in four years.
For a race with quietly remarkable hallmarks, such as the record number of black candidates and winners, and the Democrats’ public solidarity and historic victory, it was still a race overshadowed by the 2018 gubernatorial election, and marred by primary election mishaps. Republicans blundered, and at least one of the party’s candidates was eager to say so on record.
Aldermanic candidate Bryan Chaney may have been an 11th-hour substitution on Sept. 13, but he made waves in Republican circles where previously there was barely a ripple in this election. Looking back on his whirlwind campaign of foibles and firsts, Chaney blames his loss, in large part, on his association with the Republican Central Committee. “The Republican Central Committee was of no help to me at all, in fact they were probably more of a hindrance, as was having an ‘R’ next to my name,” Chaney said in an interview.
Had he run as an unaffiliated, he may have had a better shot at victory on Nov. 7, Chaney said. He, along with others, he said, is exploring the city’s rules on unaffiliated candidates. The city requires an independent candidate to procure signatures from at least three percent of the city’s registered voters. Former mayor Jennifer Dougherty was the first and only candidate to wage an independent campaign for mayor in 2013, turning in 1,500 signatures.
Back to 2017, and the RCC couldn’t field enough candidates to hold a Republican primary election, making the GOP the underdog right out of the gate. Candidate Bruce Blatchley dropped out after the Sept. 12 primary and the RCC replaced him with first-time candidate Chaney.
Republican candidates were beaten soundly, top to bottom, by their Democratic colleagues. Alan Imhoff, a former alderman [2006 - 2010] was the top Republican vote getter, but came in well behind the fifth spot held by Ben MacShane, with 3,064 votes to MacShane’s 5,366 votes. Chaney was next with 2,681, followed by Katy Bowersox, Hayden Duke and Nate Power.
The mayoral race was a washout, too. Mayor Randy McClement lost his bid for a third term to Alderman Michael O’Connor, with 3,295 votes to O’Connor’s 5,229 votes, or 36 percent to O’Connor’s 58 percent of the vote.
Despite the dismal showing, the local Republican organizations did their jobs in 2017, according to Republican Club Vice President Eric Beasley.
“The job of the Republican Central Committee is to support our candidates, ensure they have the tools for electoral victory, and mobilize the Republican volunteer base for voter outreach,” Beasley said in an email. “Those responsibilities were fulfilled … It is not the job of the Central Committee or [Republican] Club to manage campaigns, but we will teach you how to manage a campaign.”
In a later email, Chaney said he’s “getting pounded on” by followers to stay in the game. Well-placed Democrats, he said, also told him they were “puzzled by the RCC pushing no sanctuary city as an issue, along with the poorly designed push card.”
Chaney was the first Republican candidate to renounce the controversial “push card” designed and distributed by the RCC. The issue of protecting undocumented immigrants is likely to take on greater significance in the 2018 election. County council members have already tussled over it in a conflagration that nearly led to fisticuffs.
Mayor 2021?
Regardless of who’s to blame for the Republicans’ demonstrable drubbing on Nov. 7, the loss has empowered Chaney to continue to fight the good fight on issues he brought to the campaign, he said. He owes it to those who registered to vote simply to cast a vote for him, he added.
“I don’t think the people of Frederick will let me drop it here, whether I enter the mayoral race in four years, or start an organization, I am not going to drop the pension issue. It’s too important as a citizen that I be a pain in the butt to make sure they [new mayor and BOA] do something about this,” Chaney said.
The newly minted realtor is not the only one with thoughts of the mayor’s office on his mind.
A former alderman and president of the Frederick County Board of Commissioners, Blaine R. Young’s political life in the past 20 years has been a roller coaster of glaring gaffes, embarrassing losses and flashy redemptions. Yet, a reincarnation of his political career looms large.
In this case, a return to City Hall, where Young’s father Ron ruled the roost from 1974 to 1990, is an attractive, if ironic, option, for the junior Young.
While giving his take on the dismal Republican defeat on Nov. 7 – he didn’t know half the people running and the campaigns were lackluster and ill managed– Young offered up his intention to seek the job of mayor in 2021. “There was no energy in the campaign and there was no concerted effort to make sure the Republicans knew that they needed to vote,” Young said. “Yes, the Trump effect had a big impact here and in Annapolis and other places and yes, I’m looking at running for mayor in four years.”
What Does 2017 Tell Us About 2018?
Is the 2017 race a red flag to Republicans for 2018, a harbinger of things to come, as political blogger Ryan Miner asked on his podcast Sunday night? Republicans certainly feel more invested in the gubernatorial race, with local seats for county exec, county council, state delegate and senate, along with various court offices, attracting candidates well before the Feb. 27, 2018 candidate filing deadline.
Beasley, like Young, sees the negativity sapping the national GOP affecting local Republican losses, among other factors. “The reality of elections is that there is no one single issue, event, or happening which can truly sway the election. Every election is built upon the previous ones, every candidate brings something different to the table, and random events can influence the election in many ways,” Beasley said.
“I would not say it was the main factor, but I would say the national political atmosphere had an impact,” Hayden Duke said. Duke, who lost his second race for city alderman, said he was disappointed in the outcome, but not in his campaign.
The only Republican aldermanic candidate who campaigned in primary season, Duke said he will stay active in the city, but will not run again for alderman again. Duke’s also eager to help 2018 candidates he supports win their respective races.
As for Democrats, they are counting on the momentum of the Trump effect, but found success in 2017 through the power of partisanship. Voters can expect more of the same in 2018.
Democrats believe their message of unity and hope that not all is lost inspired Democrats to show up at the polls, albeit not in the numbers candidates hoped for, according to Mayor-Elect O’Connor. With just over 22 percent of registered voters participating, the turnout echoes previous city elections.
“We didn’t do that [work together] to send a warning shot to Hogan or to poke at Trump,” said O’Connor. “We worked harder, we had a better message that resonated, and it all resulted in a better outcome.”
The low turnout at 21.6 percent, doesn’t bother O’Connor, who said those voters who do show up are generally better educated on the candidates and the issues. Offering early voting for two days prior to election day drew just over 4 percent of the city’s 42,053 registered voters, with Dems showing up 2 to 1 over Republicans.
Election Director Stuart Harvey blames the low turnout, in part, on the “horrendous weather,” which historically tends to keep voters at home.
Even though Democrats have a numbers advantage over city Republicans, they had not managed to elect a Democratic mayor since Jennifer Dougherty, who served between 2002-2006. The power of partisanship, however, was on full display this year, as Democrats showed up in much greater numbers in this election than they did in 2013, according to Harvey.
As for write in votes, failed Republican candidate for mayor, Shelley Aloi didn’t take enough votes from incumbent Randy McClement to lose him the election, garnering the bulk of the 465 write-in votes. Jennifer Dougherty, who ran and last against O’Connor in the primary, had a dozen or so write-in votes. Those receiving one each include Election Director Harvey; “Loose Cannon;” and “Adolf Hitler.”
Hurting his odds more than a write-in campaign nipping at his heels, was the fact that McClement sought a rare third term. The last mayor to win a third term was Ron Young, who led the city from 1974 – 1990 before losing to Republican Paul Gordon. McClement, Young and former mayor James Grimes [1994 – 2002] are the only mayors in recent history who have held two terms.
McClement campaigned primarily on his record for steering the ship into calmer financial seas following the 2008 economic recession, he said. He and O’Connor, who served as alderman under McClement for eight years, are similar in outlook, the incumbent said, so he was expecting a closer outcome. “I thought it would be a close race, but not sure how close. Michael and I have similar thoughts and direction. There’s not a lot separating us,” McClement said.
What’s Next?
Now, McClement is helping O’Connor make the transition from alderman to mayor, and to get started on the next budget, due in March from the mayor’s office. “I believe in orderly transition,” McClement said. “This has never been about Randy, but about the city of Frederick.”
After the 62nd City of Frederick administration is sworn in on Dec. 14, McClement said he will likely go back to working with Homeowners’ Associations, a position he held for 13 years before opening a bagel shop with his wife. The couple sold the bagel shop in 2012.
The Democrats shift into power full force in the new year, tackling the fiscal year 2020 budget before looking to craft a more progressive vision for Frederick. O’Connor’s top priorities include transparency, economic vibrancy and solutions for economic disparities.
“That doesn’t mean we will have all answers, but I want the community to know these are conversations we want to have at City Hall,” O’Connor said.
His approach is collaborative, he said, and he plans to reenergize community engagement in city issues to encourage bold and innovative problem solving.
Top vote-getter Alderman Kelly Russell is the likely president pro-tem of the aldermen, if tradition holds and her fellow aldermen elect her. Like O’Connor, Russell’s served her two terms under McClement. She’s looking forward to a change. “We now are going to have a mayor that has a mind that thinks long term, and strategically, and not just about day to day operations. We can get serious about things we’ve been talking about that are more progressive.”
Russell cites a solar farm at the Frederick Municipal Airport as an example of an idea that would get more attention in an O’Connor administration.
