Tag: local politics

A friend needs a hand again (and so do I)

You may recall that last week Melody Scalley of AFP Virginia was looking for people to do door-to-door campaigning in the Hampton Roads area. Well, the same rules apply for this weekend and the two locations I cited from last week are still in play.

But this weekend (and next) I’m looking for a few good men and women, too. If you are planning on going to the Good Beer Festival this weekend or Autumn Wine Festival next weekend, I’m looking for conservative volunteers to staff our presence there. Most of the time you just need to smile, be friendly, and engage those who come looking for campaign information by pointing them in the RIGHT direction. It’s really not hard.

My biggest need this weekend is for people later on Saturday afternoon (after 4 or so) and all day Sunday. The Good Beer Festival runs from 12:30 to 6 on both Saturday and Sunday, and we’ll have a tent, table, and a couple chairs. Being a week out, I haven’t seen my signup sheet at headquarters recently but at last check this trend seems to also hold true for the Autumn Wine Festival. (Don’t quote me on this, but I’ve heard a rumor that a certain statewide candidate popular with area conservatives will be at the Autumn Wine Festival to campaign.)

You can drop me an e-mail: ttownjotes (at) yahoo (dot) com if interested. Or if you wish to help Melody out, her number is (703) 258-4200.

Election Calendar update

Two items to update the Election Calendar:

As I noted Sunday the Democratic Club of Wicomico County meets tomorrow with the speaker being District 38B Delegate Norm Conway.

For the other one (I know, what a tease) you need to follow along to the Examiner.com page.

Because the event in question occurs this Saturday I opted to create an update to the calendar to keep my readers in the know.

Rutledge slates local fundraiser

Local voters will get the opportunity to help out the U.S. Senate campaign of a conservative seeking to unseat one of Harry Reid’s Maryland toadies.

It was a year ago this coming weekend some of us were introduced to Jim Rutledge as the Lower Shore Young Republicans held a fundraiser, while others met him shortly afterward at a Wicomico County Republican Club meeting last June.

For a small price ($25 per person is the “suggested” donation, kids under 16 free) you can meet and greet the Senate candidate this Saturday. It’s a pig roast and barbecue being held at 32625 Spearin Road, southeast of Salisbury. (Take Snow Hill Road south from Salisbury and turn left on Spearin Road to the last farm on the right – if you hit the Worcester County line you went too far.)

Granted, even getting 100 people to pay $25 apiece isn’t going to make much of a dent in the incumbent’s $2.7 million cash on hand (primarily garnered from special interest groups, trial lawyers, unions, and other PACs) but making her spend that money to defend the seat creates a situation where she can’t help anyone else. As opposed to other GOP candidates, there’s local people campaigning for Jim on the street and yard signs large and small being put up by local supporters.

You may also run into a number of other local GOP candidates at this event, so it can be a “one-stop shop” for getting to know local officeseekers. If you’d like to support one of the conservatives trying to turn Maryland and the U.S. Senate in the right direction, it’s easy to do: please R.S.V.P. (include the names of each person attending) and contact Don Coffin at 410-860-2111 or e-mail dcoffin@ezy.net.

Impressive

I’m going to have much more on this tomorrow evening (let’s face it – why put out your best stuff on an evening not known for huge readership) but tonight’s Lincoln Day Dinner here in Wicomico County was quite successful and well-attended.

Even though it’s Easter weekend, we had three statewide candidates make their appearance and a fourth may have only been prevented from coming because of the impending birth of his fourth child. I think that’s pretty good.

Yet with all that excitement statewide, the local front is strangely quiet. Sure, most of the GOP stalwarts will be running again but I’d like to see someone in the County Executive’s chair who is more fiscally prudent. And if we have the same County Executive, let’s have him face a County Council who can override his vetoes with a 5-2 supermajority.

Maybe it’s time to entrust some of these county offices which have been in Democratic hands for a long period of time to the GOP. Certainly there’s something to be said for experience but, despite the wretched attempts at change coming from the White House, it’s not such a bad thing all the time. Sure, these are county positions but no one needs to remain as Register of Wills or Clerk of the Courts for decades on end. Maybe some new blood and new ideas in the office will prove to be the fiscally responsible thing to do.

This can be put another way. Despite the great turnout we had tonight, with over 150 attending, I would expect the TEA Party on April 15th to have at least four times that number. Out of all those people one would think we have a few who would stand up and put their name on the line to serve their public for a few years before returning to the private sector. That’s all I’m asking for.

Personally, I’ve made a promise to myself that I would not run for an office after I turn 50 (and I’m 45 right now.) I understand that elected office isn’t something one should aspire to for a lifetime but many of my opposite number treat the perks of office as their birthright. That’s the attitude we need to have changed and it’s going to take people who wish to sacrifice to effect the change we all seek.