In 2004, Wicomico County voters laid the groundwork for a new office of County Executive, the first of whom would be elected in 2006. Originally the Republicans had Brian Kilgore as one candidate, but he dropped out rather quickly after announcing his candidacy last fall. It wasn’t until late last winter that we finally had hopefuls make their commitment to the race; in order of filing they were Rick Pollitt (Democrat, filed March 3), Bob Culver (Republican, filed March 13), Ron Alessi (Republican, filed March 21), Tom Taylor (Democrat, filed May 4), and B.J. Corbin (Republican, filed on deadline day, July 3). This left two seeking the Democrat nomination and three vying for the GOP slot.
Once again, I’ll go through the hopefuls by party, beginning with the Democrats.
Rick Pollitt is the city manager in Fruitland, and points to how the town has grown and achieved success under his leadership. However, they also have a high tax rate, and Pollitt has openly questioned the revenue cap that county voters also approved in 2004, claiming at one point that he’d prepare not only a regular budget, but a shadow budget of sorts that would show what the county could spend money on if it weren’t tied up by the revenue cap. In his campaign literature, Pollitt states that he’d “(p)repare a budget that provides the most bang for the buck within the limits of our funding resources while acknowledging there will be serious needs underfunded until our community finds the will to fill them.” Or, in so many words, until we lift the revenue cap.
Currently Pollitt serves as well on the Board of Education so I feel it’s quite possible that schools, while important, might get a little bit too much of a kid glove treatment as he’d “open a channel to the Board of Education as it relates to budget and the needs of the school community.”
On the other side in his self-described “David vs. Goliath” matchup is Tom Taylor. Taylor is what I would describe as a Reagan Democrat, stressing private property rights, citizen preparedness, and allowing citizens more of an ability to defend themselves as they see fit.
Taylor fits in with Wicomico County in many ways. Our county is one where the Democrats lead in voter registration, but where the Democrat party has not had a gubernatorial or Presidential candidate carry the county since William Donald Schaefer in 1986. Essentially, it’s a conservative hotbed where voter registration means less than it does in most places.
On the Republican side, it’s highly probable that a fiscal conservative will be elected (although I feel one candidate stands above the rest in that regard, more on that as I continue.) Wicomico County, based on its overall voting record in races for executive positions and its overwhelming approval of the revenue cap just two years ago, is no place for a “taxer and spender.” Because he provides an insurance policy against government overwhelming the masses in Wicomico County, I’m urging our county’s Democrats to follow the age-old example and let David slay Goliath. Tom Taylor is your best pick for County Executive.
As a member of the Republican Party and as a blogger, I’ve heard a lot about the County Executive race on our side that pits Alessi, Corbin, and Culver against each other. With his tirade against the local bloggers, Ron Alessi has struck me as possibly a little confrontational. I know my fellow bloggers want what’s best for Wicomico County, and for a guy who says “let’s pull together for a better future”, dismissing claims made against him and his associates and supporters as personal attacks seems to be an odd manner of handling the rope. Compare this to how the other party in the campaign finance imbroglio, M.J. Caldwell (who also has plenty to lose in his bid for a County Council seat) has handled the affair, stating his side quietly and without heated rhetoric.
There’s one other item that Alessi has stated which leads me to believe that he’s seeking the job as a means of settling old scores. During the NAACP forum (from monoblogue, July 15):
Alessi did say, though, that his “first priority” (accompanied by his finger thumping the podium for emphasis) would be to solve problems with the educational structure that he claimed hadn’t been addressed in the eight years since he previously ran for a County Council seat.
To me, then, we have two better quality candidates, B.J. Corbin and Bob Culver, either of whom would be fine in the County Executive post. What swayed me to my decision was something else that was said during the NAACP forum by one of the candidates who said the county needs a “strong leader” who could handle a $120 million budget but say “no” when it’s required.
Corbin stresses his experience working for an agency that dealt with both the private and public sectors, the Private Industry Council. As someone who worked within government and ever-tightening budgets, I’m sure he feels that his strong suit is trying to do more with less and that’s a good attribute to have. But, like Pollitt, I have that worry in the back of my mind that maybe Corbin is a little too close to government, and just might say yes when saying no is required.
As a businessman, Bob Culver has created jobs, figured out how to make payrolls, and been a successful entrepreneur. And as I stated above, he is the one who talked about strong leadership and saying no when required. To that end, I think he’s the better overall choice for Republicans so I urge them to follow my lead and vote for Bob Culver on Tuesday.
Tomorrow, I’m going to revisit my endorsements and review my own campaign for the Republican Central Committee. Because I was at the NAACP forum (the sole GOP Central Committee candidate there), I was given a candidate survey and insofar as I know, I’ve never seen the answers publicized. So tomorrow I’ll take care of that, I sent a five-page letter outlining my views to Mary Ashanti because of the format of the questionnaire and the request that certain answers be explained further. I think you’ll enjoy it.
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