Luna volunteer meeting

I was very impressed with the meeting I was at this morning. At 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday it’s sometimes hard to get people up for anything but District 38B candidate Bonnie Luna had a nice contingent at her volunteer meeting.

District 38B hopeful Bonnie Luna addresses her supporters.

A photo of Bonnie Luna's volunteers and supporters.

It was quite refreshing to be at this sort of meeting rather than a candidate forum. Bonnie did address the crowd for a few minutes about her campaign, but the thing I really liked about it is that she asked all of us who were there starting with her fellow candidates (Ron Alessi and James Gillespie were present), to briefly introduce themselves and state whatever thoughts they had. Since I was a candidate in the primary, I introduced myself as an incoming member of the Republican Central Committee and briefly stated my goals as such.

Doing more of the speaking was State Senator J. Lowell Stotzfus. While noting that Luna “won’t be put in a corner office and forgotten”, he spent more time discussing the legislative record of her main opponent, Delegate Norman Conway. In part Lowell stated that Conway:

* Voted to raise taxes, including the sales tax.
* At one point, Conway had a MBRG (Maryland business organization) rating in the 80’s, which meant he voted pro-business over 80% of the time. Now his rating is in the 20’s.
* Conway voted for three veto overrides of measures that eventually were overturned by the Maryland Court of Appeals.

Also, Stoltzfus reminded those present that Maryland has an “executive budget” thus the General Assembly cannot add anything to the operational budget and has little power over the capital budget. The only thing legislators can do with the capital budget is in the form of what Stoltzfus termed “bond bills”, and that piece of the pie is only about $20 million.

As an example of Conway’s handiwork, Stoltzfus stated that the $1.5 million of state funding to build the new MAC Center (our senior center) was orginally in the capital budget, removed by Democrats including Conway, and reinserted as a “bond bill.” So the money stayed the same, but this way it could be claimed that Conway got the state funding.

A wall full of volunteering opportunities.

What I liked about the setup is that the person who organized it did so in a way that was quite clear. The photo above is a series of sign-up sheets for working the polls on Election Day, and each polling place was there. (I signed up to work mine.) There were also sheets for other volunteer opportunities (placing signs at polling places, phone banks, door-to-door, etc.) so it was easily discernable what was being signed up for.

I’ll freely admit that I didn’t vote for Bonnie in the primary, not that I didn’t think she was qualified, but I liked two other candidates slightly more than her (to me any of the five were an improvement over the Conway/Mathias cabal.) However, I definitely have to tip my hat to Bonnie as far as campaigning goes as she’s been to all of the right places and obviously she’s leading a campaign staff that’s extremely well-organized and focused. Her website has had one of the best calendars I’ve come across as far as where she’ll be and when.

So I’m happy to lend her a hand as she attempts to bring back a House of Delegates she termed as “out of control.”

Election Calendar Update 10-27

One item that came to my attention yesterday and I’m getting to it tonight…set your alarms.

Tomorrow morning, District 38B hopeful Bonnie Luna is having a Campaign Rally and Volunteer Meeting at 8:30 a.m. at the Chamber of Commerce building, 144 E. Main Street in Salisbury (same place as WCRC meetings are held.) Also speaking will be District 38 Senator J. Lowell Stoltzfus. It should run about an hour and it’ll be interesting to find out how many show up.

monoblogue goes national!

I was reading my e-mail from the site and found out that our newest Maryland Blog Alliance member, Stephanie Dray of Jousting for Justice, was mentioned on msnbc.com as a sidebar link from an article on Michael Steele. So I checked it out and, lo and behold! fellow MBA member Crablaw is on the list and so is monoblogue!! So welcome to all those who followed the link from msnbc.com and also a big welcome to Stephanie. She makes the MBA much more diverse as she’s our first woman member and has a “progressive” blog.

Frequent readers of monoblogue might recall that she’s the one who called my conservative commentary “wonky” so she’s definitely welcomed to the group as far as I’m concerned. I’ll take it as a complement although I like to think of what I say as well thought out!

WCRC meeting – October 2006

Once again, it’s the fourth Monday of the month and I spent the evening at the Wicomico County Republican Club meeting. Our attendance was somewhat lower than in months past but pretty good for not having a speaker announced beforehand. As always, the Pledge of Allegiance and club business came first, and then we heard from an assortment of speakers under the topic of new business.

First off, club President Bill Hall mentioned the PACE/MPPI Town Hall meeting this upcoming Wednesday that I noted on the Election Calendar last night, but also added something I didn’t know about, so this will be an Election Calendar update of sorts.

October 26: District 38B Delegate hopeful Michael James is holding a Meet and Greet Reception at the Blue Ox Steakhouse on 127th Street in Ocean City from 5-7 p.m. Cost is $25 and RSVP goes to Rose Brous, (410) 289-7039.

And another event I actually forgot to include last night that I knew about:

November 6: Congressman Wayne Gilchrest is hosting an Election Eve Victory Rally from 6:30 to 8:00 at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center, 300 S. Salisbury Boulevard in Salisbury (that’s Business Route 13 for those out-of-towners reading this.) As it says on my flyer, All Republican Candidates, Friends, and Supporters Invited! (It’s a free event too, so I’ll stop in before the Central Committee meeting that night – luckily they’re close together.)

Ok, back to the club meeting. Ellen Andrews of Governor Ehrlich’s campaign was next to speak, and she commented on the good attendance at the Autumn Wine Festival. (I’ll post on that sometime this week since I was there as a volunteer.) She also once again stressed the importance of getting out the GOP voters, and we found out about a caravan of support that will run from here to OC the Saturday before the election. (Sort of like a funeral procession for the O’Malley bid?) I’ll see if I can nail down details for this by the next Election Calendar.

Joe Ollinger of Ron Alessi’s County Executive campaign was next up. Before I continue, I’d like to thank Ron for providing the food, particularly the brownies. But Alessi didn’t stay for the meeting, Joe spoke on his behalf. Mostly he was looking for volunteers, and he had a unique trinket to pass out (everyone got a small bag of them) – bottlecaps which say “Vote for Ron Alessi – keep the cap” (a reference to Wicomico County’s revenue cap.) I actually had my own bag of caps and left them there, darn it. I set them aside because I was writing notes on the meeting and didn’t grab them when I went to ask Ellen Andrews a question afterward.

Woody Willing of the Board of Elections briefly commented on the state of voter registration – registrants since the process reopened after the primary are running almost 2 to 1 in favor of Republicans (261 to 144) so we’ve chopped 100 off the gap in a month, which puts us on pace to overtake the D’s in 4 years (just like my goal.)

Central Committee head Dr. John Bartkovich also thanked the Wine Fest volunteers (you’re welcome) and asked for people to serve as a backdrop for our upcoming TV ad to be taped tomorrow. Also tomorrow begins the radio advertising campaign that will be on various local stations.

Continuing, John was looking for volunteers to work at headquarters, noted that the latest polls had both Steele and Ehrlich within the margin of error as far as their races go, and briefly explained the statewide ballot questions. The one that irks me the most is the parkland one, it’s simply the General Assembly making another power grab. Before the election, I’m going to attempt to break down these questions…just a lot of races to cover in not a lot of time! (Actually, Crabbin’, one of our fine local blogs, has gotten a head start on it.)

One other item that was covered in brief as Bill Hall reassumed the speaker’s role was letters of gratitude from Mike Lewis, Ron Alessi, Rich Colburn, Stevie Prettyman, and William Smith for our club’s contribution to their respective campaigns. Since Gail Bartkovich was one of the few candidates present, she also thanked us in person.

Delegate Page Elmore was among the last to speak as he pointed out how much capital funding Governor Ehrlich had given to Wicomico County in general and in particular Salisbury University. According to Elmore, the $49 million received by SU this year was the largest capital works allocation in the state, surpassing even the main College Park campus of the University of Maryland.

Unfortunately, the speaker anticipated for tonight couldn’t attend. Jason Schumaker works for Scott Rolle’s Attorney General campaign. It was noted by others who were here tonight that Rolle’s opponent, Doug Gansler, is quite liberal and has had scrapes with the state’s highest court insofar as professional ethics are concerned. (I link to Gansler’s campaign site as well as Scott Rolle’s, both under Maryland Statewide.)

This meant that we had a pretty short meeting compared to the average and I’m actually through recounting it at a decent hour. I believe we’ll have a meeting next month if only to plan for the annual Christmas party, then it’ll be a slower time as we recover from this year’s election and lay the groundwork for the next partisan election in 2008.

Election Calendar – October 23 thru November 7

Just about two weeks to go, I’m just going to take this up to Election Day now. Next week will be the last scheduled update with breaking news as I hear about it. At the moment there’s not a lot to add.

Monday, October 23: It’s time once again for the Wicomico County Republican Club‘s monthly meeting, at the usual place of the Chamber of Commerce building at 144 E. Main Street. As always, social time at 7:00 p.m. and business/speaker at 7:30. I found out today that other people didn’t get a reminder card either so I haven’t a clue who the speaker is. My suggestion (for what it’s worth) would be for each candidate in attendance to speak 60 to 90 seconds to update us on his/her campaign and where they need help for the final push.

Tuesday, October 24: District 38B hopeful Bonnie Luna is scheduled to be at the Delmarva Republican Club meeting at the Carousel in Ocean City.

On that same night beginning at 6 p.m. Luna’s opponent, appointed incumbent Jim Mathias holds a fundraiser at Fresco’s, 82nd Street in Ocean City. It runs through 8:00 and donation is $100.

Also, County Executive candidate Rick Pollitt will drop by the College Neighborhood Association meeting that starts at 7:00, so if you live thereabouts here’s a chance to see him.

Wednesday, October 25: A town hall meeting called “New Ideas to Better the Old Line State” is slated for the SU campus that evening. This is to introduce the book by the Maryland Public Policy Institute, “Maryland 2006-2007: A Guide to the Issues“. This starts at 6:30 and runs until 9:00 in the Worcester Room of University Center on the SU campus, and PACE is a co-sponsor.

And of course Charles Jannace will be up to his usual Wednesday night open house of sorts at Break Time Billiards on South Salisbury Blvd.

Thursday, October 26: Rick Pollitt will be at another neighborhood meeting, this time it’s the Camden Neighborhood Association’s meeting that starts at 7:00 p.m.

Friday, October 27: I’ll be manning the local GOP headquarters that afternoon.

Saturday, October 28: Again, this is one of those sort of events that draw candidates like flies, but Billy Gene Jackson Sr. Park is hosting their Octoberfest and one of those who are supposed to be there is County Executive candidate Charles Jannace.

Sunday, October 29: Wicomico County Sheriff candidate Mike Lewis is hosting a “Barn Dance and BBQ” fundraiser at 23985 Ocean Gateway in Mardela Springs. The minimum donation is $50 a couple and tickets can be purchased by calling (443) 235-3648. This goes from 2-6 p.m.

Monday, October 30: County Executive challenger Charles Jannace will be among those at the NWA/BEACON Candidate Forum on Growth and Development. It’s in the University Center at SU (Nanticoke Room) and goes from 7-9 p.m.

On that same night, the NAACP in Worcester County has a Candidate Forum. Now Jim Mathias’s calendar (where I got the info from) shows the event at 9 p.m. but I have a hard time believing it starts that late. Hosting the event is the Snow Hill Firehouse.

Wednesday, November 1: One final go-round at Break Time for Charles Jannace.

And as always Bill Reddish was kind enough to send me another update last week for his standard 7:40 a.m. interview slot.

October 23: Wicomico County Council District 1 lady-in-waiting Sheree Sample-Hughes.
October 24: Wicomico County Council District 5 officeseeker Joe Holloway.
October 25: Incumbent District 37 State Senator Richard Colburn.
October 26: Wicomico County Council District 5 hopeful, Ed Werkheiser.
October 27: District 37B incumbent Delegate Addie Eckardt.

Finally, this is a plea for those of you who believe as strongly as I do that this election is probably the most important one in years and that you have a candidate (or candidates) you believe in, it’s time to get out and do some volunteering for that person. We have 15 days now since the clock struck midnight while I was doing this (I had to watch the World Series game you know.) Next week will be the last Election Calendar for this go-round, but updates will come as I hear about them.

Pollitt responds

I got a note from Rick Pollitt the other day regarding a comment I made in my post on the Pittsville forum. Here’s the comment in question:

“I saw Rick’s answer on the sprinkler question as telling – it was “unfortunately” up to the individuals whether or not to install sprinklers in new single-family dwellings.”

And on Saturday Rick wrote me back. However, I don’t check that particular mailbox as often as I should and to be frank, the last few days have been a settling-in process for me in my new home – not to mention it’s baseball playoff season! So tonight I’ll allow his words to clear up any misconception I may have unwittingly led to.

Rick Pollitt wrote:

I wanted to drop you a note just to clear up a faulty impression I left with you (and probably others) at the Pittsville forum Thursday night in reference to in-home sprinkler systems. You wrote it was “telling” that I said “unfortunately” the requirement in Fruitland for sprinklers in single family homes was not adopted. My intent was to apply the term to the local fire company’s position which, of course, was in support of sprinklers in all residential structures. As a staff person, I was not asked for a formal position but in conversation with the members of the Planning Commission I came down on the side of those who preferred leaving it to the choice of the new home builder/occupant.

I’ve said in a number of forums that the older I get, the more libertarian I become in my views. I want no more government than is necessary but, being in the business, what government I do have I want to be efficient and productive. I mentioned in my reply that the reason that requirement was not adopted was due to the same philosophy that opposes mandatory motorcycle helmets, seat belts, etc. essentially saying that sprinklers in single family homes should be a matter of choice and not a government mandate. From a personal standpoint, that view more closely mirrors my own.

I do have a couple comments that I’d like to add however. Talking about the revenue cap in the way that Pollitt does would lead me to believe that many who have a libertarian bent question his stance regarding “no more government than necessary.” One comment on his literature reads that within the first year of a Pollitt administration, he will begin to “(p)repare a budget that provides the most bang for the buck within the limits of our funding resources while acknowledging that there will be serious needs under-funded until our community finds the will to fill them.” (emphasis mine.) I can’t say that this statement advocates less intrusive government as getting the additional funding resources almost always means John Q. Public has to dig deeper into his pockets.

However, regarding the sprinkler question itself I would agree with him. In my job I regularly come across the benefit of sprinklers in larger-scale construction. The 2003 International Building Code allows most building types extra area and/or stories if sprinklers are added. As an example, I’m project manager for a 30,000 s.f. condominium building that had its need for fire separation walls reduced from four to one (although each tenant unit still needs to be separated whether sprinklered or not.) Its next door neighbor being prepared for Phase 2 of the project now is able to have no such walls as it falls within the 21,000 s.f. allowable area (as opposed to 7,000 s.f. with no sprinklers.) The same holds true for commercial buildings as in more and more cases owners are opting to install or retrofit their buildings with sprinklers.

But single-family homes are a different animal entirely. Their smaller size makes a sprinkler system a larger portion of the construction cost and the cost to benefit ratio is more dubious. (This isn’t to say that other fire detection and prevention methods aren’t necessary – I regularly make sure my smoke detector is functional and have a small fire extinguisher in my kitchen.) But to mandate sprinklers in single-family construction is more of a “nanny state” than I prefer to see.

I do have to say that I appreciate that Rick reads my blog, obviously he finds it less cancerous than some others do.

Election Calendar – October 16 thru 29

A few events scattered along the highways and byways of the lower Shore. We’re not getting the statewide candidates insofar as I know, with one exception.

Monday, October 16: Maryland Attorney General candidate Doug Gansler will be visiting the SU campus from about 11:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a variety of events.

Also, District 38B’s appointed incumbent Jim Mathias is holding a fundraiser at the Marlin Moon Grille in West Ocean City from 6-8 p.m. More details are available by calling (410) 632-0870. Among the guests will be Doug Gansler; it’s on his calendar to be there too.

Finally, the last of two scheduled debates between Gov. Bob Ehrlich and challenger Martin O’Malley is slated to air on WJZ-TV and MPT stations at 7:00 p.m. In Salisbury’s cable area that’s channels 13 and 22; over-the-air the local MPT station is WCPB-TV, channel 28. This debate was taped Saturday.

Also, if you are a member of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce or otherwise registered for their conference, here’s the speakers scheduled for debate for those two days in Ocean City. Aside from the governor’s race, 5 of the 6 statewide candidates (except Comptroller candidate Peter Franchot, who was invited) are slated to appear.

Tuesday, October 17: This is the last day to register to vote in the 2006 Maryland election.

District 38B incumbent Norm Conway sponsors a Cocktail Reception at Brew River in Salisbury. This goes from 5 to 7 p.m. and the cost is $50. County Executive candidate Rick Pollitt will be among the attendees.

Conway will miss at least part of the Gang Awareness seminar being held at the Chipman Center, 323 Broad Street in Salisbury. But County Executive candidate Charles Jannace will not, it’s on his “to-do” list.

Wednesday, October 18: It’s on her calendar, but I’m sure Bonnie Luna will be joined by others at the CRASH political forum, to be held at the Ocean Pines Library. This starts at 6 p.m.

6:00 also is the start of “CJ time” (for Charles Jannace) at Break Time Billiards, 1009 S. Salisbury Boulevard.

Also, it’s the normal meeting day for the Wicomico Democratic Club, whenever and wherever that is.

Thursday, October 19: No events currently scheduled.

Friday, October 20: While it’s not a candidate event, I’m scheduled to work at the Wicomico County Republican headquarters that afternoon. So stop by, pick up some signs and say hello to the guy who does monoblogue! The headquarters is at the intersection of N. Salisbury Blvd. and Northwood Drive in Salisbury.

Saturday, October 21 and Sunday, October 22: This is the weekend of the Autumn Wine Festival at Pemberton Park in Salisbury. The reason I added this event is that the Wicomico County Republican Central Committee is hosting a booth there and I’d suspect that several of our candidates (as well as maybe some of the Democrats) will be there. As of this evening, it’s on both the Jannace and Pollitt calendars to attend.

Sunday, October 22: Once again, Doug Gansler is down on the lower Shore, this time to attend the church service with District 37 State Senate candidate Hilary Spence at the Bethel AME Church, 623 Pine Street in Cambridge. According to Gansler’s calendar, he’s to attend a Spence fundraiser afterward. (You’d think she’d blog about something like that!) But the service begins at 11 a.m.

Monday, October 23: It’s time once again for the Wicomico County Republican Club’s monthly meeting, at the usual place of the Chamber of Commerce building at 144 E. Main Street. As always, social time at 7:00 p.m. and business/speaker at 7:30. Not sure yet who’s gonna talk to us or what wackiness will occur this month with the blogs, but I’m sure I’ll find out one way or the other. Hopefully the reminder card forwards to me in time.

Tuesday, October 24: District 38B hopeful Bonnie Luna is scheduled to be at the Delmarva Republican Club meeting at the Carousel in Ocean City.

Wednesday, October 25: A reception called “New Ideas to Better the Old Line State” is slated for the SU campus that evening. It’s a stroke of luck that I recalled the date, the paper with further info is buried amongst my still-packed items. Maybe this will pre-empt the usual Jannace Wednesday night hijinks?

Thursday, October 26: No events currently scheduled.

Friday, October 27: For the second Friday in a row, I’ll be manning the local GOP headquarters that afternoon.

Saturday, October 28: Again, this is one of those sort of events that draw candidates like flies, but Billy Gene Jackson Sr. Park is hosting their Octoberfest and one of those who are supposed to be there is County Executive candidate Charles Jannace.

Sunday, October 29: Wicomico County Sheriff candidate Mike Lewis is hosting a “Barn Dance and BBQ” fundraiser at 23985 Ocean Gateway in Mardela Springs. The minimum donation is $50 a couple and tickets can be purchased by calling (443) 235-3648. This goes from 2-6 p.m.

Bill Reddish was kind enough to send me an update last week, he’s now slated pretty much through the 26th.

October 16: Wicomico County Council District 3 incumbent Gail Bartkovich.
October 17: Wicomico County Council District 4 candidate David MacLeod.
October 18: Wicomico County Council at-large hopeful M.J. Caldwell.
October 19: Wicomico County Council District 3 challenger Mike Pretl.

October 23: Wicomico County Council District 1 lady-in-waiting Sheree Sample-Hughes.
October 24: Wicomico County Council District 5 officeseeker Joe Holloway.

October 26: Holloway’s District 5 opponent, Ed Werkheiser.

Bill will be away on the morning of October 20th and I surmise was working on a guest for the 25th at the time he wrote to me. There’s only nine of those coveted 7:40 a.m. slots available as the election draws closer.

With the next Election Calendar, I’ll be taking this down to the final day rather than stop the Sunday before the election. I also will begin in my general coverage to focus on the races more as the time winds down, particularly those races which are head-to-head and revisit the Ten Questions from the primary in those races where they’re relevant. I’m pretty much settled into my new home now so I can get back to more frequent blogging once I straighten the place out!

Pittsville forum – a review

Tonight I took the easy jaunt eastward on Old Ocean City Road and found myself in Pittsville to check out the latest candidate forum. Around 70 people or so were there to hear from both candidates for Sheriff, 7 of the 13 hopefuls for County Council, and two of the three County Executive officeseekers.

Mike Farlow was the moderator of this event, which focused heavily on issues affecting the public service community, firefighters in particular. It was natural since the event was held in Pittsville’s fire hall, which is one of the nicer facilities around. While Farlow is a member of my opposite number (Democratic Central Committee) I thought for the most part he did a good job in selecting fair and nonpartisan questions that encouraged thoughtful answers.

The evening started with a few introductions. A few candidates who were present but not on the speaking bill were recognized. They were Orphans Court Judge Peter Evans and Clerk of the Court candidates James Gillespie and Mark Bowen. Also introduced was my fellow Central Commiteeman Dave Goslee, Sr. (I wasn’t introduced but that’s no biggie.) Later during the program it was also noted that Orphans Court Judge Melissa Pollitt Bright had arrived so she was given her due. Audience questions were encouraged, said Farlow, but nothing Clintonesque like “boxers or briefs”, questions were to be kept clean, fair to all candidates, and to the point.

Opening the candidate portion of the forum were Mike Lewis and Kirk Daugherty, both of whom seek the office of Wicomico County Sheriff. The pair were given time for opening and closing statements and ended up answering nine questions supplied by Farlow and various audience members who filled out cards for that purpose. These questions dealt with the role of the fire police, future staffing needs, the substation in Pittsville, communications between the various law enforcement agencies, cooperation in the event of a natural disaster, gambling (as a function for nonprofits), mounted patrol, and two questions regarding safety in schools. Because Lewis spoke first, his summary starts this report.

Mike Lewis isn’t ready to retire at 42, so he’s running for the “job” of Wicomico County Sheriff. Lewis had enough time in his open to cite what he considered the two biggest problems the county faces as far as law enforcement goes, the “rampant” drugs and guns. He began the question and answer session by praising the fire police as “unsung heroes” and advocated a yearly banquet in their honor.

Lewis continued his case by advocating increased staffing as the county developed, wanting also to “raise the standard you can expect” from the Sheriff’s Department. And while the Pittsville substation looked to be ready to go, Mike wanted to use the substations as places to work with other law enforcement agencies like his native Maryland State Police, seeking to combat a problem he termed as “organized crime vs. disorganized law enforcement.” Furthering the theme in the next question, Lewis stated he’d spoken to the chiefs in the three largest Wicomico communities (Salisbury, Fruitland, Delmar) about cooperation and training in his specialty, drug interdiction. One goal was to teach local police about looking for contraband during a routine traffic stop.

Mike had an interesting response to the question on disaster preparation – rather than reinvent the wheel, he advocated looking to adapt a program that was instituted as a response to Hurricane Katrina last year. Also, while he was a supporter of instituting a mounted patrol in the county, a bigger priority to him was establishing a motorcycle patrol unit.

As for school safety, Lewis cautioned that “we can only do so much to prepare” for a situation like that occurring in Pennsylvania last week. But one thing that Mike brought up which I didn’t know is that Wicomico County’s Board of Education is funding the nine school deputies to the tune of $471,000, which is the most in the state and that Wicomico is the only county where the Board funds the deputies to that degree. Lewis closed by stressing his experience, awards, and expertise in drug interdiction, noting a concern about a “lack of service” in our county’s smaller communities.

Kirk Daugherty also talked about experience, as he spent 26 years in the Maryland State Police before switching over to the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Department to serve as chief deputy for a time. The current president of the Maryland Troopers Association pointed to his experience there and in the WCSD as time where he learned to prepare budgets. The crime rate in Wicomico County “concerns me very much” he stated, also citing concerns about the needs of seniors and youth as far as law enforcement goes.

He lauded the fire police as moneysavers as they freed up manpower from other first response agencies, telling the assembled that because of the presence of the fire police at accident scenes it allowed more time to investigate the accident without the worry of traffic control, tending to the injured, etc. This was a good thing, as he also noted the Maryland State Police hadn’t been able to keep up with the growing Wicomico population so local law enforcement has had to pick up the slack.

With the growing population, Kirk felt it was imperative to reopen the substations and “very important” to institute community policing so people could build a trust with the deputies. Daugherty wanted to place more personnel in the rural areas of the county, yet also have the deputies interact with the municipal departments rather than have “lines in the sand.”

In speaking about disaster preparation, Kirk expressed concern about the deputies and their families, citing the need for a plan for the families’ safety as well as the officers. He further noted that, in the event of a coastal hurricane hitting the Ocean City area, the Route 13 bypass would become a “parking lot.” Daugherty didn’t really see the need for a mounted patrol himself, so that questioner was probably frustrated with the responses he or she got.

School safety was addressed by Kirk in the manner of having the deputies in schools present to “build trust” among youth and reminding them that the deputies “are the good guys.” He also wanted deputies trained in rapid response to assist in a better fashion should the unthinkable occur like events in Pennsylvania’s Amish country. And Daugherty didn’t see law enforcement as the only protection, calling on officers to communicate with outside agencies if they see a problem child as well as citizens needing to speak out about suspicious behavior.

Noting finally that “I care about you”, Kirk promised that if he were elected the Sheriff’s Department would become more “effective and efficient.”

Then we turned to the County Council races. There were six of the 13 candidates there to begin the evening, at-large candidate John Cannon arrived just before the end and got a couple minutes to make remarks after his second, David Ennis, had made a short speech on his behalf. By happenstance Cannon’s and Ennis’s remarks turned out to be complementary and not repetitive. However, the six who did come will have their due first.

The roll call of those attending the full program was at-large candidates M.J. Caldwell and Bill McCain, District 1 winner (barring a late write-in candidate) Sheree Sample-Hughes, District 3 challenger Mike Pretl, and both District 5 candidates – Joe Holloway and Ed Werkheiser. Oddly enough, the candidates sat in such an order that they were fairly close to where I’d perceive them on the political spectrum – on the far right (and speaking first) was M.J. Caldwell, followed in order by Holloway, McCain, Werkheiser, Sample-Hughes, and Pretl. Sending their regrets were District 2 Councilwoman Stevie Prettyman (also unopposed), District 3 Councilwoman Gail Bartkovich, District 4 candidate David MacLeod, and at-large candidate Brenda Hughey-Jones. There was no mention of District 4 candidate Bryan Brushmiller or recent at-large write-in repeat candidate Lucy Graf.

With six candidates there was by necessity fewer questions; they only were asked about their knowledge of the fire service, enhancing revenues for fire services, alcohol permits, and improving the safety of our rivers. I found that the answers to the first question were relatively similar, generally stressing the sense of community that the fire department brought, so I’ll skip that question in my summaries.

M.J. Caldwell began by kidding about the large crowd, he was used to speaking to 12 people in a box. Yes, he’s an attorney. But Caldwell “wants to see changes” in Wicomico County and strives to make it the best county in Maryland. To that end, he stated that the county needs to “set priorities”, saying the ones they have now are “gray and mishmash.”

Caldwell is quite the fiscal conservative, vowing not to vote for new taxes and chiding his Democrat opponents for calling “revenue” what should be properly known as “taxes.” His number one priority was the “safety and security of the citizens” with his second priority being neighborhood schools. The fact that three county high schools are located in a small area around Salisbury (rather than spread through the county) was hard for him to fathom when he first moved here. He called for the relocated Bennett High School to be placed on the eastern end of the county.

M.J. also separated himself a little bit by commending the question regarding a yearlong liquor permit for nonprofit organizations like fire halls as a “great idea” and called it a practical solution from the community rather than government. Caldwell wanted the county to be “more community proactive.” Another thing M.J. wanted the county to be was to be the operator of a countywide sewer and water commission in his answer to the rivers question, an idea he claimed has been gathering dust since it was first proposed forty years ago. Finally, Caldwell touched on another pet issue in his closing statement, that of improving the disability system for the Sheriff’s Department.

District 5’s Joe Holloway had been interested in politics for awhile but finally made the plunge this year. Much of his passion came from talking and debating with customers of his store that he ran for nearly two decades before he sold it in 2004. Because of that retail experience, he could relate to the liquor permit question, talking about having to jump through those hoops on a yearly basis.

As far as monetary matters went, Holloway remarked that “we gotta live with the tax cap” and spent a little bit of time catering to the hosts – citing figures that showed the parks and recreation budget in the county was larger than the fire budget and was growing at a faster rate. All the while, he continued, the county-owned Civic Center still charged local high schools money to hold their commencement exercises, which drove the high school graduations out of the Civic Center.

Joe’s most notable quip was in response to the river question – “don’t eat the fish.” More seriously, he stated that the county’s growth was partly to blame for river conditions.

Third on the council hit parade was at-large hopeful Bill McCain. His reason for running was his desire to “give back to the community” where he’d started a business with one employee and grown into a successful operation with a staff of 22. With his chosen field of real estate appraisal, continued Bill, it gave him an opportunity to work all through the county.

Four main points McCain touched on as planks of his campaign were education, growth, crime, and the county’s image. Education and public safety topped the list as far as budgetary priorities went, and he promised to lobby the County Executive for their budgets. Bill wanted to keep “open ears and an open mind” for solutions such as one for the question raised about liquor permits.

An avid outdoorsman, McCain also wanted to fund more fully agricultural preservation programs and rural legacy districts to preserve farmland. But key among his selling points was his claim that he would bring diversity to the County Council, make proactive decisions, and “do the right thing”, things he was “willing to make the sacrifice” for, including being away from his family this evening to attend the forum.

Ed Werkheiser was probably the most at home since his avocation was that of working in the fire department. He claimed it would give him a perspective no one else could offer. Ed saw one solution to supplemental funding of the fire community as writing grants to get federal dollars for local needs. Werkheiser also showed support for impact fees, and called on local firehouse to combine and “speak up” with one voice to procure a better budget number. Where Ed didn’t have as much expertise (such as on the rivers question) he called upon the county to listen to the experts in that field and look for state resources to combat the problem.

Oddly enough, Sheree Sample-Hughes had perspective on the grants comment since that’s part of her “real” job, albeit she focuses on children and family issues. Still, she saw Werkheiser’s idea as one “worth researching.” Sheree spent her opening time going through her experiences in public service, working for Pocomoke City for a time on sewer separation and Section 8 housing issues before taking a job with then-lieutenant governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend’s office promoting volunteerism.

Because she’s all but assured of being sworn in come December, Sample-Hughes cited her studies of some of the issues that had come before the forum such as listening to Chesapeake Bay Foundation presentations on problems with the Wicomico River, and wanting to work with proficient people as a “strong proponent of strategic and long-range planning” with a “passion to serve.”

Mike Pretl also thrived on the question of environment. The head of the Wicomico Environmental Trust billed himself as the “smart-growth” candidate and pointed to his fight against a large housing development in “the worst possible place” near Whiton as a key component in this endeavor. Saying that his outside experience (he’s a fairly recent arrival to the area) could be helpful to County Council, Pretl hammered on the growth theme for much of his time. The only time he departed from that was when he called the liquor laws “archaic” and “ripe for change.”

Mike also made the point that growth needed to be constrained to core areas where infrastructure exists (in other words, enforce the comprehensive plan currently in place) and additionally, that environmental projects such as river cleanup needed to have more community support. He also cautioned that grant dollars would be harder to match with the revenue cap in place.

As noted before, John Cannon was a latecomer so he didn’t answer the questions. While Ennis in his remarks opined that Cannon had the “right set of qualifications” and that John’s priorities would be to review and enforce the comprehensive plan and support public education in the county, Cannon himself went through his family and business background and touted himself as a “successful” lobbyist who would use common sense and make “progressive” decisions. Of course, he joked about being tardy, saying that he was stopped by a sheriff’s deputy on the way and wasn’t sure whether he should say he was for Lewis or Daugherty, so he held his tongue.

Another candidate who had input was District 3’s Gail Bartkovich. While she couldn’t attend because of a previous out-of-town engagement, she wrote a letter stating her regrets for not being able to make it. In reading the note for myself, I found this to be its most intriguing passage:

“I am a member of the Republican Club, but no other groups or organizations because I believe it is my obligation and responsibility to represent each and every one of you equally and without prejudice.”

Finally, we got to the two County Executive candidates who were at the event. Because Ron Alessi had a scheduling conflict, he chose not to attend and his second was Joe Ollinger, who got to speak during the interim between questions and closing remarks for the two aspirants present. He did not have to answer the questions, which dealt with what each candidate knew about the local fire services (similar to County Council’s question), funding EMS personnel, employee retention, sprinkler systems in new homes, growth, reducing property taxes for fixed income folks, and what each would do in their first 100 days.

Drawing first blood was Rick Pollitt, who touted his family’s 300 year history in the area but sought to make the county the home of “stay-heres.” In a bow to the hosts, he also used part of his opening statement to note that the fire department in Fruitland has a seat on their planning and zoning board, which gave them input on egress issues, among others. He continued by saying that he “would do better by fire companies” in the budget but the budget had to be prioritized. In fact, Pollitt claimed that each year he started the Fruitland city budget from scratch and built it as a whole (rather than the federal style of baseline budgeting.) Pollitt advocated a “climate of thrift and economy” with incentives for department heads to save money.

I saw Rick’s answer on the sprinkler question as telling – it was “unfortunately” up to the individuals whether or not to install sprinklers in new single-family dwellings. Where growth was concerned, Pollitt claimed to be running on his record of making “growth pay for growth” with impact fees and other measures like making developers build out the “paper streets” found in most developments (these are stub streets that would connect to future subdivisions.) Rick also claimed that the trouble with reducing property taxes for seasoned citizens lay in the assessments.

In his first 100 days in office, Pollitt vowed to start by “building bridges and establishing relationships” and would immediately begin working on the education portion of the budget instead of waiting until the spring as has been the usual case.

Pollitt closed by pleading guilty to the charge brought by his opponents of being a bureaucrat and said he did so “with a lot of pride.” He “knows the limits of government” and agreed with the residents cited by Jannace in his remarks that water and sewer bills in Fruitland were too high – Rick promised to establish a “blue-ribbon panel” to study putting together a countywide water and sewer authority. If you control the water and sewer, Pollitt claimed, you can control growth. He finished by stating that he was “motivated by his children” and hoped there would be another 300 years of Pollitts in the area.

The newcomer in the field, Charles Jannace introduced himself as a “refugee” from New York City and a “true conservative.” No matter how much you take out, Jannace continued, you can always find waste in government. He had just enough time to state his number one priority was public safety.

(In answering his questions, I kept getting the impression Charles was a tad frustrated and would’ve liked maybe 10 more seconds just by his mannerisms.)

But Charles did sneak into the fire service question a mention of establishing a countywide police department, which he stated was endorsed by Sheriff hopeful Mike Lewis. Jannace also complemented the way the county fire department is run – “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” He particularly admired the spirit inherent in the fire service and wished it was present in other areas of county government.

Jannace correctly stated on the sprinkler question that the cost would be passed on to the buyer unless the developer was made to be held responsible for it. But more controversial was his call for a moratorium on growth in Wicomico County, with APFO’s as needed until the infrastructure caught up. His highest priority, he claimed, was the agricultural industry and land preservation and he’d give farmers “a seat at the table” come budget time.

CJ also stated that he as County Executive couldn’t reduce property taxes under the county charter. But when he started to talk about how Fruitland’s taxes and fees were “higher than they should be” Jannace ran out of time, which drew an audible “thank you!” from Pollitt and a laugh from the audience.

In his first 100 days, Charles said that his first task would be to hire “the Republican who should be sitting up here”, B.J. Corbin, as Director of Administration. He continued by saying that if you wanted a bureaucrat, you should vote for Rick Pollitt. But people were tired of high taxes and fees. (This is what led Pollitt to say in his response that “I’m a people” but that he was proud to be a bureaucrat.)

It was the closing remarks from Jannace that brought about a reaction. Because of the way the event was set up, Joe Ollinger, speaking on behalf of Ron Alessi, made his statements (that I’ll characterize below) between the “100 days” question and closing remarks. Out of the chute Charles opined that it was ironic that Ollinger got to speak for the absent Alessi while Jannace was excluded from the PACE debate. When CJ stated that this was at Alessi’s behest, Ollinger called out “not true!” from the crowd. But Charles continued and used his closing remarks to talk about the county’s school system.

First of all, he showed the audience a copy of the Board of Education budget, which is a thick volume as downloaded. Jannace told the group that the budget needed to be scrutinized. He also had what I thought was an interesting concept, citing a 2004 federal law which allowed honorably retired law enforcement officers to carry a concealed weapon. Why not use these retired officers to supplement the deputies in the schools? This way the county could be proactive when it comes to situations like those encountered recently in Pennsylvania and Colorado.

Jannace then blasted the “obsolete” school (the new Bennett HS) that was planned and noted measures used in other places that could be integrated into the design to make kids safer, such as isolation zones and smart cards that can track a child’s whereabouts.

Now to backtrack a bit, Joe Ollinger was the second for the absent County Executive hopeful Ron Alessi. With apologies for Alessi’s absence, Ollinger went through some county budget statistics over the last 3 years. Salaries have gone up 2-4% per year, while county revenues increased 5.5% annually, and income tax revenues 9.4% annually. Over the last 3 years, the budget grew at a 9% annual clip while the Board of Education’s portion went up 8% per annum. Ollinger continued that Ron Alessi wanted the most government for the fewest dollars and that Alessi would keep the revenue cap. But most tellingly, Ollinger spoke of Alessi’s “opponent”, using a singular form instead of plural.

Now a personal note. With my impending move I’ll likely be offline for much of the weekend, which means I don’t get to moderate comments until I get back online. So be patient if you have a comment, I’m not blowing you off. I might be doing it from the floor of my new house (because of a carpet snafu I can’t put my table in my new office) but hopefully I’ll have the Election Calendar on its regular Sunday date.

Ten little Terpians

Yes, I know “terpians” isn’t a word, but it sounded good at the time. The Maryland Bloggers Alliance now has a tenth member, and it’s Free State Politics. So my list on the left-hand side grows again and I’d like to extend my welcome to Wade and all the FSP readers who visit my little old Eastern Shore blog.

As for me, I’ll be posting in a lighter-than-normal fashion for about the next week or so as I get ready to shift locales. I do think I’m going to take some time and check out the scene in Pittsville on Thursday night so that might be the last report from this location. The Good Lord and Comcast willing, I’ll be back online by Sunday for the Election Calendar at the new place.

Election Calendar – October 9 thru 22

It looks like I’m going to be more bipartisan in my Election Calendar this week as a couple local Democrats have pumped up the calendar section of their websites. But, like I had happen a couple times last week, if a reader becomes aware of a political event let me know and I’ll try to get it on monoblogue in a timely fashion.

I also perused the Delaware side of the border and all the federal candidates (U.S. Senate and House) except for the recovering (from his slight stroke) Mike Castle have nearby events on their calendars over the next two weeks. These are linked to the right as part of the candidate websites.

Monday, October 9: Delegates Norm Conway and Jim Mathias co-host a Chicken and Shrimp Dinner fundraiser at Watermans Seafood Company in West Ocean City (right along Route 50) from 5-7 p.m. Admission is $25.00 at the door.

Tuesday, October 10: A Wicomico County Candidates debate featuring Clerk of the Courts candidates Mark Bowen and James Gillespie and Sheriff officeseekers Kirk Daugherty and Mike Lewis will occur in the Guerrieri Hall Auditorium at Wor-Wic College from 7 to 8:30 p.m. This is a revision and extension of an event in last week’s calendar as I found out Clerk candidates are also involved.

Meanwhile, District 38B hopeful Bonnie Luna is slated to attend town meetings in both Snow Hill and Willards, which both start at 7:00. I have no idea which order she’ll do them in.

Wednesday, October 11: District 38B appointee Jim Mathias is holding a meet and greet at Trader’s Fried Chicken, 123 Ames Plaza in Pocomoke from 5-7 p.m.

Also, County Executive candidate Charles Jannace has his usual Wednesday night event at Break Time Billiards, 1009 S. Salisbury Blvd. Generally it gets underway about 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 12: Bonnie Luna is slated to attend Berlin’s town meeting that day. I’m not sure about the time on this. She seems to make an effort to hit many of these events in the district. I also want to note that Bonnie has other events on her calendar that I don’t put in because I’m not sure if they’re of a public nature; her website has more details.

Friday, October 13: No events scheduled. Wonder why.

Saturday, October 14: Charles Jannace will host a Twilight Cruise fundraiser with refreshments and light fare. Boat will leave the dock at 4:30pm, and cost is $100 per person. More info or reservations can be gotten through Donna at 443-523-7653.

Sunday, October 15: This sounds like a wingding for the D’s in the area. Norm Conway will hold an Oyster, Chicken, and Dumpling Dinner at the Willards Lions Club from 1 to 4 p.m. For the $25 donation (at the door) you can also get slated appearances from Governor candidate Martin O’Malley, U.S. Senate candidate Ben Cardin, Comptroller aspirant Peter Franchot, and Attorney General officeseeker Doug Gansler.

Monday, October 16: Jim Mathias is holding a fundraiser at the Marlin Moon Grille in West Ocean City from 6-8 p.m. More details are available by calling (410) 632-0870.

Tuesday, October 17: This is the last day to register to vote in the 2006 Maryland election.

And again, Norm Conway is looking for money – this time it’s a Cocktail Reception at Brew River in Salisbury. This goes from 5 to 7 p.m. and the cost is $50.

Wednesday, October 18: It’s on her calendar, but I’m sure Bonnie Luna will be joined by others at the CRASH political forum, to be held at the Ocean Pines Library.

One who won’t join her is Charles Jannace, as his regular Break Time Billiards gettogether is slated that night.

Thursday, October 19 : No events currently scheduled.

Friday, October 20: While it’s not a candidate event, I’m scheduled to work at the Wicomico County Republican headquarters that afternoon. So stop by, pick up some signs and say hello to the guy who does monoblogue! The headquarters is at the intersection of N. Salisbury Blvd. and Northwood Drive in Salisbury.

Saturday, October 21 and Sunday, October 22: This is the weekend of the Autumn Wine Festival at Pemberton Park in Salisbury. The reason I added this event is that the Wicomico County Central Committee is hosting a booth there and I’d suspect that several of our candidates (as well as maybe some of the Democrats) will be there.

WICO-AM’s Bill Reddish and his upcoming 7:40 a.m. guests:

October 9: Current Delegate from District 38B Norm Conway.
October 10: Wicomico County Council at-large candidate John Cannon.
October 11: Wicomico County Council at-large candidate Bill McCain.
October 12: House of Delegates District 38B officeseeker Bonnie Luna.
October 13: Wicomico County Sheriff hopeful Mike Lewis (still tentative).

October 16: Wicomico County Council District 3 incumbent Gail Bartkovich.
October 17: Wicomico County Council District 4 candidate David MacLeod.

I also wanted to add that last night at 9:46:42 p.m. a visitor from the Boston area turned out to be my 10,000th visitor. Unfortunately, he or she was on for only a moment. But visitor 10,001 was from Laurel, DE and spent over an hour reading 11 pages of monoblogue. Hopefully that person enjoyed the time.

Clarifications

When I wrote it, I knew what I meant…

“As I’ve stated, I’ve done local newsletters before to keep people in my precinct informed about Central Committee happenings and will do more of that after I’m sworn in. Fortunately monoblogue can cover all of Wicomico County, no more hand delivery! I found out on Thursday night that I’ll officially be sworn in during the fall Maryland Republican Party convention in Annapolis on December 2nd.”

However, after the Central Committee meeting on Monday, there were a couple people (who shall remain nameless) that pointed out a couple comments I’d made here and it placed me on the defensive. But if you are a regular reader of monoblogue, you’ll notice that I will post monthly on Republican Club meetings but I do not post on Central Committee meetings. This is intentional because there’s sensitive discussions that happen there at times which have to do with overall GOP campaign strategy and I’d like to keep that stuff close to my vest.

On the other hand, WCRC meetings have a much more public face. It was stated to me by these same people that they thought it would be better to have people pay for their membership if they want to find out what’s happening with the WCRC. But I disagree because I believe my efforts would encourage membership in the long run. Yes, I give what most people who were there tell me is a very faithful rehashing of the events and speakers that grace our meetings, but the only way to enjoy the fellowship and meet the speakers is to actually attend the meetings – then sooner or later the membership dues will come in. If no one hears about the meetings, you’re not going to get a lot of people showing up. I realize this is an election year, but could it be possible that the coverage I give on monoblogue may have convinced a few extra bodies to make the effort to attend these meetings, and just possibly chip in a couple more dollars to the kitty?

I thought the best way to explain my philosophy was to use examples from my past so I went and dug out the newsletters I did during the two years of my elected term to the Lucas County Republican Central Committee (1998 to 2000). On an occasional basis, I would write up and distribute a two or four page newsletter to anywhere from 50 to 80 people in my precinct – in total I did eight editions of the newsletter I called the 16-P Leader (named for my 16th Ward and Precinct P).

This is one example of my Central Committee reporting, from the very first edition in 1998:

Talmage, Griswold picked by GOP

On June 13, at a sometimes acrimonious reorganization meeting, Dee Talmage and Mike Griswold were elected to run the Lucas County Republican Party Executive Committee and Central Committee, respectively.

Mrs. Talmage will now replace James Brennan at the helm of the local party and take over the daily operations. She was selected by a unanimous vote of the Central Committee, after interviewing with a selection committee made up of local GOP leaders. The selection committee selected her over Sylvania Township trustee Dock Treece and Senate District 2 State Central Committeman Paul Hoag.

At the same meeting, Mike Griswold was selected to head up the party’s Central Committee (the body you elected me to) by a 145 to 77 margin over 21st Ward Chair Susan Abood. Our 16th Ward went 12 to 1 in favor of Mr. Griswold, myself being the lone Abood holdout (I seconded her nomination as well). I felt that Mrs. Abood would help steer the party in a new direction away from the “old guard”.

Speaking of the 16th Ward, we elected a new ward chair in the person of Tim Kuhlman, who replaces William Outland. Mr. Outland was defeated in his precinct reelection bid.

Also of note: on May 5th, we elected Chuck Larkins to represent the 11th Senate District Republicans on the State Central Committee, replacing longtime incumbent James Brennan. Donna Owens was unopposed for her seat.

I also had articles in this newsletter introducing myself to the voters, our precinct’s results from the previous fall’s local election, a candidate focus on the Republican who was running for State Senate from our district, a short note about the state income tax deductability of political contributions, an appeal for volunteers, and fundraiser news for GOP candidates. Honestly, I should take some time and scan all these newsletters as background files because in rereading them last night, I could tell that people would see the obvious seeds of monoblogue being planted in these newsletters.

What’s most important to note is that the Executive Committee of the LCRP has much the same function as the Wicomico County Central Committee does. It’s a much smaller body made up of ward chairs and they make the decisions about candidate endorsement and appointment. The Central Committee people (also called precinct chairs) ratify the decisions made by the Executive Committee and work their respective precincts to increase GOP turnout and registration (which was my task and one thing I managed to accomplish in my 2 year term). My newsletter was one effort in trying to get people more politically involved – in later editions I added items on neighborhood issues such as the local Block Watch and a grassroots effort to redistrict City Council.

This website is an extension of the purpose behind my precinct newsletter, with monoblogue I can update on all the issues I care about and I can do it a lot more frequently. My goal on being elected to the Wicomico County version of the Republican Central Commitee (as stated before) is to make the Republican Party the majority party in Wicomico County and involve more people, particularly young adults, in the political process. Since more and more people get news from the internet, this is the perfect place for giving out the facts about the Wicomico County GOP and enhancing it with my “wonkish” conservative commentary.

The time for cynicism is over. I share many of the same goals as the rest of the Central Committee – getting good Republican candidates and helping them win their elections at all levels. Because one particular GOP candidate has a problem with certain “cancerous” local blogs, it’s no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater. The Wicomico County GOP didn’t have too many problems with the blogs prior to September 13 and the party will have to deal with them, like it or not, after November 7. I’m hoping the WCRCC can work with and learn from the conservative side of the local blog world, the possiblility of being an outstanding amplifier of our message is there if we learn how to work with those involved.

Election Calendar updates – 10/5

Another midweek update here as I got a couple things in my e-mail.

From: Michael James for House of Delegates
Subject: Meet & Greet Reception

Dear Voter,

You are invited to a “Meet & Greet” Reception
Sunday, October 8, 2006
Ocean Pines Yacht Club
5:00p.m.-7:00p.m.

Special Guest Speaker
Congressman Wayne Gilchrest

$15.00 per person or $25.00 per couple
R.S.V.P. Roseanne Bridgman 410-641-7243

And also:

“bury voter” informed me that there’s a candidate forum on Thursday, October 12th at the Pittsville Fire House. Apparently write-in County Executive candidate Charles Jannace (on whose behalf “bury voter” informed me of this forum) will be there so we’ll see who else shows up.

Now that this is finished, back to watching the playoffs!