Wicomico County Council – Page 6

Wicomico County Council promises new direction

Last night a packed house (for once) attended a Wicomico County Council meeting which was short on legislative action but long on emotion as three new members replaced three outgoing ones. These are my observations.

The meeting was essentially comprised of two rounds of remarks sandwiching the actual ceremony of Council members being sworn in and receiving their certificates. (I noticed they are similar to the ones I have for being on Central Committee; I would have expected something a little different.)

The outgoing councilman who spoke first was John Cannon, who opted to make an attempt for state office rather than maintain the Council seat he won in 2006. “I think we have done some great work over the last four years,” said John.

He also praised County Executive Rick Pollitt for doing “an excellent job” and county citizens for being “very receptive” and “very nice.” But he also pleaded, “there’s been a lot of unity in this Council…I urge you to continue that.”

Bill McCain, who only wished to serve one term and thus didn’t seek re-election, finished his service by encouraging those present to serve the community and praising John Cannon as a “good political example” of someone he could have political differences with amicably. “I leave this Council (as I started) with no personal agenda,” McCain concluded.

Looking at the situation with his usual sense of humor, David MacLeod asked, “please look up when you’re talking to me…everyone thinks I’m still looking for two votes. It is what it is.” He praised his successor Bob Caldwell as “a fine gentleman” and joked about being asked to go on Comedy Central if he didn’t win.

But he looked back at his term by recalling, “I had no idea what I was getting into when I ran for office (but) it was really exciting.”

“Wicomico County is a gift…when I finally came to Wicomico County (after living all over the world) I knew I found home,” stated MacLeod, who said he would remain available and accessible if needed.

Stevie Prettyman, who survived a re-election challenge, piped in that she would miss MacLeod for his sense of humor, Bill McCain for his influence, and John Cannon for his shyness.

After running unopposed, Joe Holloway thanked his cohorts and the voters and pledged, “I look forward to serving the taxpayers of Wicomico County…with diligence and enthusiasm.”

Sheree Sample-Hughes spoke of the “blessing and privilege” of serving for the betterment of her children’s lives and was most pleased that the current council was civil despite their disagreements. “That shows we are leaders,” she said. She also stated she’d miss John Cannon as her “tag team partner” at meetings they both attended, Bill McCain as a “big brother,” and David MacLeod for his sense of humor and keeping her motivated.

Finally, Council President Gail Bartkovich told those assembled it was rewarding and humbling to serve as Council president. And while she was sorry her departing fellow Council members were leaving, she was looking forward to “a great new Council.” She also had special thanks for her husband John, who until recently served as the chair of the Wicomico County Republican Party, for getting her started in politics.

After each spoke, we took a short break as the incoming Council was gathered to be sworn in by Clerk of the Courts Mark Bowen and then posed for pictures. (Among other places with pictures of the event is Right Coast.)

The first order of business was to elect new officers. No one objected when Bob Culver nominated Joe Holloway to be Council Vice-President and Matt Holloway nominated Gail Bartkovich to return as Council President. It’s worthy to note that their terms as officers only last until December, 2011 – by charter, each year a new officer election is held.

After the ceremony, the newly-minted Council made their remarks.

Bob Caldwell thanked his election opponent David MacLeod for an exhilarating, civil, and humorous campaign, although he pointed out in referring to a published remark by MacLeod that, “I would be much more comfortable if he’d lost by a 2,000 votes as well.” He also wanted in his thanks to “drop three f-bombs on Council” – faith, family, and friends.

Sheree Sample-Hughes thanked her “Team 1” and told us “I look forward to serving with integrity and honesty.”

Joe Holloway thanked his fellows for supporting him as vice-president and vowed to “bring respect to Council.” His departing cohorts were “always gentlemen,” he continued, but Joe also warned that, “we have four years as tough as the last four – our work is cut out for us.”

Bob Culver also gave thanks and reminded us, “I know why I was elected…for the business part of my experience.” He promised to “do what I was elected to do” as a member of Council.

Stevie Prettyman reminisced about the “positive energy” she felt at her initial swearing in 12 years ago, but cautioned that the economy was much better then. Now, “it’s going to be a tough four years…we’re going to have to make some tough choices and tough decisions and do things differently.”

Matt Holloway was the most brief, thanking his family and supporters and “really looking forward to working with this Council” to make Wicomico County “the place it could be.”

Gail Bartkovich promised as President to maintain the transparency initiatives she started, keep her fellows informed, and give them an equal right to place those items on the agenda which they promised their voters they would do. But this would be her one and only year as Council President as she pledged to pass the gavel this time next year.

After she finished, Gail invited us to a brief reception in the adjacent room with refreshments – not at taxpayer expense, as she reminded us.

So we have a new Council and they get down to real county business Tuesday, December 21. Indeed, it should be an interesting four years.

A new era for local Republicans

For the first time – at least in recent history – as of today the majority of elected officials in Wicomico County will be Republicans once County Council is sworn in at tonight’s meeting.

Traditionally Wicomico has been one of the last vestiges of the old-fashioned Democratic Party that ruled the South for decades after Reconstruction ended. Many’s the case where Democrats are so because “my daddy was a Democrat and he would roll over in his grave if I switched.” In fact, Democrats still hold a small registration edge in the county.

But in the privacy of the voter booth, many Democrats aren’t faithful to their registration. In the last twenty years the GOP has begun to make inroads into the traditional Democratic dominance, beginning at the top of the ballot and working its way downward. In 2006 Republicans became a 4-3 majority on County Council, but, of the 15 elected offices in Wicomico County government Democrats remained in control of nine. As of today, though, that 9-6 advantage flips to Republicans thanks to the pickup of two County Council seats and a new State’s Attorney.

Perhaps even more frightening for local Democrats was that four of their six remaining officeholders were unopposed for re-election – two judges of the Orphan’s Court, the Clerk of the Courts, and Register of Wills are all longtime incumbents. And neither of the contested winners won by huge margins since neither garnered over 60% of the vote.

More telling, though, Democrats could not find a challenger in three of the five County Council districts or for Sheriff. And perhaps their temper tantrum in the State’s Attorney race, where longtime incumbent Davis Ruark was dumped by rank-and-file Democrats in favor of Seth Mitchell, cost them that seat. Mitchell was soundly defeated by Matt Maciarello, who only made the ballot as a Central Committee selection to represent the GOP.

By and large, except for the two-vote margin of victory Bob Caldwell sweated out, Republicans romped to victory in most races. The fact that Sheree Sample-Hughes ran a general election race after facing only primary opposition four years ago is enough to make the contention the GOP was making a local push.

But now it will be up to the Grand Old Party to govern – with a vetoproof 6-1 margin on County Council they will be calling the tune for County Executive Rick Pollitt. Certainly it will push Pollitt toward the center, and most likely this will end Pollitt’s continual call for eliminating the revenue cap – he will have to set a budget which lives within our means and like it. Otherwise there’s presumably enough support for a Council-created alternative.

Personally I don’t think that we’re down to the bone yet, as Pollitt seems to suggest. However, there are a few wild cards in the equation where Republicans could have to tinker with the tax system with the biggest being the prospect of teacher pensions being forced onto the counties as the state attempts to balance its budget. (This will also be a signal that the long-overdue switch to a defined-contribution system from a defined-benefit one is nigh. That may be the only budgetary saving grace, and we may have to endure a teachers’ strike to get it.)

I believe the timing of this changeover couldn’t be better for Republicans, though. Besides the continuing fiscal woes there are other thorny issues like a new comprehensive plan and redistricting on the horizon and I certainly prefer a conservative, common-sense approach to both – insofar as possible with the state always breathing down our necks, that is.

But the onus will be on us now in 2014. Before we had a very tenuous majority on County Council and losing one Republican (as often happened) gave the opposition Democrats a victory to back their County Executive. Now the ball is in our court, and Rick Pollitt could have room to shift blame if things don’t turn out for the best. I think they will, but time will tell.

If I were to make a prediction, though, this could be the start of a new prosperity for our fair county. Sure, Rick Pollitt will get some of the credit (whether deserved or not) but we have the chance now to place conservative principles in action and I’m sure that, beginning today, we will succeed.

Caldwell officially in

It may not be his WORST nightmare, but Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt will be matching wits with a solid vetoproof bloc of six Republicans on Wicomico County Council.

Bob Caldwell just let me know: “It is official! The count was done today, and the original numbers stood.”

His 2 vote margin was perhaps the smallest in the state for a race of such a size, but Bob will join fellow new members Bob Culver and Matt Holloway in beginning his Council tenure next Tuesday. Four incumbents remain: Stevie Prettyman, Gail Bartkovich, Joe Holloway, and Sheree Sample-Hughes (who is now the lone Democrat.)

Let’s hope the closeness of the margin doesn’t affect Bob’s friendship with outgoing Councilman David MacLeod, whom I suspect isn’t leaving the stage of county affairs.

But things are going to be different around here beginning next week, and they better hit the ground running!

Debate at FOP/PACE forum part 1 – the ‘potted plants’

Perhaps County Council candidate Bob Caldwell said it best in his closing remarks. Pointing to the side of the room where the duo running for State’s Attorney were sitting, he quipped, “(Over there) we have passion, and (on this side) potted plants.”

Indeed, most of the interest in the event came out of a contentious exchange between State’s Attorney candidates Matt Maciarello and W. Seth Mitchell. But a total of ten candidates had something to say during the event, while three others submitted written answers to questions presumably posed by the moderator, PACE director Dr. Adam Hoffman.

Since it works out well for post length to discuss the six County Council candidates who showed (plus the three who submitted written statements) as one post and save the County Executive and State’s Attorney for a later post, I’m going to do it that way – otherwise I’m looking at a 3,000-plus word post. So you get a tease.

The format was a little bit different than most, with the candidates not only presenting their opening statements but also answers to two questions regarding ideas to deal with the surge in crime we’ve had locally and why voters should choose you over your opponent, all in one four-minute monologue. Once these questions were answered, the format allowed for a few questions supplied by the audience and closing remarks.

Instead of working in strict chronological order, I’m going to summarize what each candidate said in order of their contest. One weakness of the format was that opponents in some Council races did not necessarily speak consecutively; this summary will correct that. For the record, all but one County Council candidate was represented – Dave Goslee, Jr. in District 1 did not attend or submit the questionnaire, while both District 2 contenders Mike Calpino and Stevie Prettyman along with at-large hopeful Matt Holloway submitted written remarks read by Dr. Hoffman.

So I’ll begin with County Council at-large posts and run in alphabetical order through them and on to the contested district seats.

David Cowall began by noting the turnout, “reinforces my faith in democracy.” He went on to point out that, in reality, crime statewide and even in Wicomico County has declined, at least statistically. And while he was “impressed” with the cooperation between law enforcement officers (hereafter referred to as LEOs with the phrase ‘law enforcement’ similarly abbreviated), we should focus on repeat offenders. Yet “we need to emphasize the professionalism” of LEOs – “we don’t need Barney Fife as our deputy sheriff.”

He also promoted his background as a former Naval officer, cancer specialist, and director of Coastal Hospice, which he termed “an excellent model for government.” To him, it’s more important to educate than incarcerate.

In his closing statement, he added a touch of humor by saying, “I want to bring back beards for elected officials.” But he stressed the ideas of civility, integrity, and hard work and concluded, “I’m not a particularly partisan person.”

Bob Culver stressed his business experience numerous times during his presentations, making the argument that the county needs a businesslike approach to governance. (As you’ll read in the next installment, he and Joe Ollinger were on similar pages.) To him, the agriculture industry needs to stay as our number one job producer, along with an emphasis on tourism.

One interesting idea brought up by Culver was the thought of having part-time officers as Ocean City does during the peak season. They may not necessarily carry weapons or do the same functions as a regular LEO but could be useful in certain situations. But his “business voice” came out in comparing himself with his opponents on the revenue cap – we need to “do more with less” and “quit whining.”

Government should provide “more bang for our buck,” concluded Bob, and “we need to be able to stand up on our own” without needing as much help from the state and federal governments.

Matt Holloway was not present to give an opening statement, but stressed business growth and more certain punishment of offenders along with having the best equipped and trained LEOs as possible in his answer to the crime question.

He stressed that he was superior to his opponents because he was, “young, motivated, (and) can bring fresh ideas” to the table. Matt also asked us to consider his agricultural background and “business sense.”

Returning to the political fray after a four-year absence for “medical reasons,” Ed Taylor spoke about his efforts to reduce recidivism during the period as a consultant. Apparently his ideas worked, as Taylor claimed he helped lower the recidivism rate by 80% through helping to provide jobs and housing. Yet since he “wanted to be part of the solution” for a county which needs to “survive hard times,” he’s back for another try.

“We need to reestablish community substations,” said Ed, as he also stressed community involvement and stiffer penalties as ideas to combat crime. Describing his opponents as “good people…I don’t think I’m better than any of them,” he based his argument on election on his “fourth degree” (after a bachelor’s and two master’s) – a “PhD in politics.”

In closing, Taylor again spoke of his experience to help bring the nation, state, and community “out of the depression we’re currently experiencing.” He also claimed, “I will always be on the side of the FOP…they deserve LEOPS” (a pension plan for LEOs and the subject of a long-standing collective bargaining dispute.)

Turning to the district races, Sheree Sample-Hughes had a walkover in her District 1 race as the lone candidate to show up or respond. So she stressed her “passion to serve” and lengthy background in public service as a county and state employee before taking her elected position four years ago. Her job, as she saw it, was to “connect people to resources.”

As far as crime, Sheree saw substations as an “information source” but we also needed to stress code enforcement and juvenile services. Continual LEO training and dialogue would be beneficial as well. In a second term she wanted to build a stronger relationship with the judicial system while maintaining the dialogue she had with her district through regular community meetings.

And while she expressed the thought in closing that, “tough times are yet ahead,” thus far she’s “served with passion, vision, and energy” and pointed to graffiti legislation as one of her key achievements on the County Council.

Neither candidate for District 2 could attend the event, and while Mike Calpino wrote that while he couldn’t properly answer a request for specific proposals “on what I know little about,” he did take the time to outline an answer to the comparison to his opponent via a lengthy plan for county expenditures.

On the other hand, Stevie Prettyman begged forgiveness for not being able to attend and similarly punted on the initial question by saying, “I’m not an LE professional.” But she has supported their budget requests in the past and was an advocate of the former DRILL Academy – “I was disappointed that it failed.” And while it’s not an issue the county could directly address, she supports legislation allowing concealed carry.

In stating her case for re-election, Stevie wrote that she’s “not new to politics…I’m independent and do my homework.” With debate on the county’s comprehensive plan and zoning code looming, she believed her experience in dealing with these in the past would serve her district well – as an example she cited the Cove Road controversy.

While District 3’s Gail Bartkovich was present, she got a pass in the event because she’s unopposed. The last Council race in contention was the District 4 race. (I did not see District 5 Council member Joe Holloway present; he’s also unopposed.)

Bob Caldwell is no stranger to legislative politics, as he served a term on Salisbury’s City Council (and ran for mayor in 2009 as well.) It was part of his “history of public service.” Regarding crime, a subject that “all communities wrestle with,” he reminded us that “LE is reactive” and our court commissioners had a role to play in making sure the bad guys aren’t released on their own recognizance.

But Bob’s sense of humor served to lighten the event. Referring to opponent David MacLeod as a “friend of long standing,” he stressed their biggest difference was a difference in philosophy. But he couldn’t resist a zinger or two at his friend, joshing MacLeod about referring to “a checkered past (and) being one step ahead of the law” in his opening statement. (MacLeod was speaking about his time as an addictions counselor.)

He stated his case by returning to his root philosophy of “common sense and fundamental fairness” and asked the voters to consider who they trusted to deal with the unexpected which was sure to come.

David MacLeod worked in a similar vein, cautioning Bob that “I hope you don’t mind waiting another four years” for elected office. In addressing the crime issue, David opined that the “leading cause of all these problems is drugs” and as an addictions counselor, “I reduce demand, (LE) takes care of the supply.”

As for why he’s the better candidate, MacLeod put it simply that, “I sorta know what’s coming over the hill.” He warned us to be careful of preconceived ideas, because, as he later noted in his closing, “this is going to be a little bit bumpy.” His closing argument was that we should “go with experience,” both on the County Council and in writing grant applications.

MacLeod said in his presentation that things were, “interesting to say the least.” Certainly that applied to the other half of the forum where County Executive hopeful Joe Ollinger tangled with his incumbent counterpart Rick Pollitt while Matt Maciarello and W. Seth Mitchell sparred in the main event. That’s the subject of part two upcoming.

Campaigning as usual bad for one businessman

Onetime TEA Party organizer and Wicomico County Council hopeful Chris Lewis is also a business owner. And while he’s not a complete stranger to the political process, recent events surrounding his downtown Salisbury deli have left a sour taste in his mouth.

It started last week when a representative of Andy Harris’s campaign contacted Lewis about stopping by his deli as part of a business tour through Salisbury’s downtown area. Last Monday the stop was called off, only to be re-added to the schedule the next day on one stipulation – Lewis, who supports Andy’s GOP opponent Rob Fisher, would have to take Fisher’s signage down.

(continued on my Examiner.com page…)

Candidate Wednesday: August 11, 2010

The first edition of Candidate Wednesday begins with Democratic Wicomico County Council at-large hopeful Mike Brewington, features second Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jim Rutledge (in the famous school bus interview), and wraps up with House of Delegates District 38A officeseeker Mike McCready.

Just in watching the interview I was struck by the ease at which Mike delivered his message, which is sometimes rare in a first-time candidate. I can understand his ideas about being a Democrat, although I disagree about them being “for the people” anymore. He obviously would fall under the category described as a “Reagan Democrat” given his conservative fiscal views.

However, he fell a little flat in some of the answers. While you can’t get too wonkish in a ten-minute interview, he needs to realize that, yes, it will be tough on these workers that are furloughed but job creation doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: losing a public sector job may be the stimulus for creating private sector work on a large scale. And Mike never answered the question on the parking lot, although he brought up a good point regarding the gas tax.

The interview with Jim Rutledge was done on his Crisfield-bound bus for the Tawes Crab and Clam Bake – sometimes you have to take your chances when you get them. But the problem with doing the interview in such a location is that the background noise is too distracting to effectively allow Jim to convey his message. And that’s too bad because Jim makes a lot of good critical points about legislation passed (financial reform, Obamacare, etc.) with the help of his Democratic opponent, Senator Barbara Mikulski.

This interview with Mike McCready was one of the earlier efforts and it seemed that they were still working out the bugs – for example, the whole interview is slightly out of focus. But I liked the line of questioning for the most part and if McCready was trying to establish himself as a conservative he did more or less a decent job – perhaps aside from the aspect of toll roads and raising bridge fees.

I just wish Matt had thought to ask an obvious question I would have asked – how do you think you’ll get along with the liberal majority of Democrats in Annapolis? Certainly he’ll be one of the few who supports gun rights and cares about the fate of farmers and watermen in that caucus.

That brings the first edition of Candidate Wednesday to a close – hopefully if you’re a voter you’re now a more informed one.

Candidate Wednesday begins this week

The other day I told you folks that I was going to become another outlet for the Right Coast interviews being done by local questioner Matt Trenka. Tomorrow I will replay three of the nine videos done so far, somewhat randomly selected to present candidates in three different races. These will appear both here at monoblogue and in a slightly different format at my Wicomico County Examiner page.

There will also be my commentary on what was said, although I will limit it to a paragraph or two. I may also lend a hand to future interviews as my schedule allows, perhaps as an off-camera guest questioner.

So far the nine interviews which have been done include:

U.S. Senate candidate Jim Rutledge
House of Delegates candidates John Hayden, Mike McCready, Marty Pusey, Mike McDermott, and Dustin Mills
County Executive candidate John Wayne Baker
County Council candidates Chris Lewis and Mike Brewington

Of the group five are Republicans and four are Democrats so it is a nice bipartisan mix, although all are challengers.

At the moment doing three per week means I’ll have videos on August 11, 18, and 25. If there are more the date will be September 1 and as we approach the primary it may mean I add a day or two during that week since early voting begins September 3 and absentee ballots are out shortly.

Look for the first three videos tomorrow afternoon.

Taxes become more of an issue

District 4 Council candidate Bob Caldwell touted his previous experience and pushed tax relief for homeowners in one fell swoop Friday. In a press release, he reminded voters he’d worked to combat “assessment creep” as a member of Salisbury City Council and promised to do the same on a countywide basis if elected:

Bob Caldwell voted to protect against so-called “assessment creep” increases in the City’s property tax on owner occupied homes.

(continued on my Examiner.com page…)

What if you had a forum and no one showed up?

This article is an extension of one on my Examiner.com page. Since I was the only person to cover it I really didn’t have to be in any hurry to write about it, did I?

Sometimes events like this really make me wonder about the state of our governed: what if you had a candidate forum and only candidates showed up?

Last Friday was such an event. Each week over the last month or so the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce has hosted what they call a “lunch and learn” event where a group of four politicians (none of whom are opponents to each other) plead their cases before whatever audience shows up. In this case, it was two other officeseekers, me acting as press, and two members of the general public. Even counting the moderator, politicians outnumbered citizens for this forum.

For me, it was nothing new except for getting to hear from County Executive hopeful John Wayne Baker. I have heard and seen plenty from the two Republican participants (Stevie Prettyman of Council District 2 and the unopposed Joe Holloway of District 5) and had just seen the other guest, County Council candidate Ed Taylor, at the NAACP forum.

At this forum, each gave an opening statement and then answered a series of questions – many of them posed by other elected officials or officeseekers.

For example, John Wayne Baker, who is running for County Executive as a Democrat, was asked by David MacLeod whether his very campaign would be a violation of the Hatch Act (Baker works at the Eastern Correctional Institution.) Baker replied that the warden gave him permission as long as he didn’t campaign on state time.

But in his opening statement Baker suggested that his TEA Party involvement led him to throw his hat into the County Executive ring, stating, “if you sit on your couch and complain, no one hears you.” And while he may not have a lot of executive experience he knows that in budgeting, “column A has to equal column B.”

Prettyman said that “clear vision and clear thinking” are necessary in a term where several items are on the table, such as redistricting, the comprehensive plan, and the charter review. She also touted her 25 years of business experience prior to politics.

Since Holloway is unopposed, he doesn’t have to worry about losing the election. But he still talked about following a “common-sense philosophy” of government over the last four years, using the example of westside land acquisition. He also recalled that “we were warned” about the upcoming recession back in 2007 yet the warnings were unheeded.

I asked Baker how he would see his relationship with County Council if elected – after all, he was potentially sitting with over half the County Council in the room if the election results turned out the correct way.

Baker replied he was a “very upfront person” who was a fiscal conservative and would return to budget basics. “We need a whole different philosophy in government,” said John. But since he already works with a “difficult set of clients,” working with County Council would not be that difficult.

Obviously holding a job with ECI did tie Baker’s hands in one respect – he would not comment on inmate release policies. Joe Ollinger asked that question of him, which may have been a bit unfair since both are running for the same position.

The fourth person scheduled to participate showed up a little late, but Ed Taylor gave as his reason for running again that, “I feel I’m doing the right thing (to) be part of the solution.” His experience of three previous terms would be an asset, theorized Taylor.

There was some discussion on a subsequent question from Joe Ollinger about the tax differential report done recently. None of the Council members present had the study’s cost, but the point was brought up that a differential would be revenue-neutral – however, the tax rates for various jurisdictions would be affected with city rates going down and rural rates increasing.

When asked about the spike in crime by David MacLeod (who was in the audience doing the grilling this week) Stevie Prettyman said that the legislative body had little to do aside from providing the tools for the law enforcement arm of the county to succeed. But the conversation turned to the former drill academy which closed several years ago and how it could have been effective given the right leadership and type of youth sentenced to stay there. “I was sorry to see it go by the wayside,” noted Stevie Prettyman.

But John Wayne Baker saw the problem differently. When asked about using different model communities for crime, Baker was blunt, stating that statistics can be deceiving and in the end “it has to be not worthwhile to be a criminal.” Kids needed a work ethic, he argued, and part of the answer was to “find some common sense in Wicomico County” and attempt to recruit kids away from the gang culture.

Some of that answer could be in parks and recreation, and an observer asked about those programs, particularly the proposed west side park. It was still in the works, said Stevie Prettyman, but Program Open Space money was “frozen.” Baker countered with the question of when we have enough parks (the county has 58, he claimed) and mentioned the successful private ventures of the Fruitland Falcons youth football program and the Crown Sports Center. Prettyman conceded we had to balance core functions with the quality of life.

These were just some of a number of interesting exchanges which most people missed. It’s a shame that candidates put themselves out and speak, but most people will vote based on reputation, party, or thirty second commercial rather than these face-to-face meetings. That’s a missed opportunity to be sure.

Playing favorites?

Yesterday I detailed Thursday night’s NAACP forum and bemoaned the lack of participation by challengers. However, several different sources have chimed in to comment that these same candidates were unaware of the event.

It’s noteworthy to mention that, aside from the various Central Committee posts, there are 13 incumbents running for county office and I believe all but one was in attendance. (I honestly don’t recall seeing Karen Lemon, who is running unopposed for Register of Wills – but she may have been there.) On the other hand, only 8 of 16 challengers were there and none of them were what you would consider “Tea Party” candidates. (For the purpose of this discussion, these would be County Executive candidate John Wayne Baker, County Council at-large candidates Mike Brewington and Chris Lewis, and District 2 challenger Mike Calpino. In the group you have two Democrats, a Republican, and a Libertarian, so it’s not exclusionary by party.)

Allow me to contribute my two cents to the story. I only heard about the event because I peruse candidate calendars to create my weekly Election Calendar, and it was on Joe Ollinger’s website that I saw the note about the NAACP forum being held. In fact, my original mention of the event had it beginning at 6 p.m. and not 7:00 because there was no time listed and I was going from memory of similar forums in 2006.

I received my personal invitation from the e-mail account of Orville Penn (who was the moderator) on Monday last – it was sent late Sunday night. The addressee was NAACP Wicomico (a common tactic to verify the e-mail got out) and it was cc’d to 20 candidates, mostly Central Committee members but also aspirants for State’s Attorney, Judge of the Orphans’ Court, Register of Wills, Clerk of Courts, amd Sheriff. It also appears that Penn received the information from the Board of Elections website, so if a candidate did not list an e-mail he or she was skipped.

This is the content of the invitation itself:

July 10, 2010

Dear Political Candidate;

You are cordially invited to participate in the NAACP’s Meet the Candidates political forum. The forum will be held at 7:00pm on July 22, 2010 at First Baptist Church, located on the corner of Delaware and Booth Streets in Salisbury.

The forum will give members of our community the opportunity to meet you. Please confirm your attendance by contacting the NAACP’s office at 410-543-4187 upon receipt of the correspondence, it will be appreciated.~~by July 15, 2010~~.

We look forward to seeing you on the 22nd of July.

Sincerely,

Mary Ashanti

Mary Ashanti, President
(Note that the formatting and emphasis is as it was in the original, and the July 15 date was crossed out.)

It’s worth noting that a handful of candidates on the ballot did not supply an e-mail to the Board of Elections; however, none of the aggrieved candidates are among that group.

It appears the answer to this mystery would be to see the original e-mail sent out on or about July 10th, presumably to all the candidates who were originally slated to speak – County Executive and County Council hopefuls. Since everyone who is looking for that office has an e-mail we would immediately find out if any omissions were made.

So did the NAACP skip candidates who have been associated with the local Tea Party movement? In Chris Lewis’s case it’s very possible since his e-mail provided to the Board of Elections has the phrase “tea party” in it – for others it’s less clear. But without proof it’s a matter of he said, she said.

With another forum for state-level candidates being planned, such an omission may affect a few candidates there as well.

NAACP forum well attended – except by candidates

On my Examiner site I have pictures as well, but quite honestly they serve to record some of the participants for higher county office.

There are 46 total candidates on the primary election ballot for county offices here in Wicomico County. Perhaps it was the somewhat late notice for the event – as a candidate I received an invitation earlier this week – but barely half could be bothered to attend. (Granted, the thirteen Republican Central Committee aspirants make up a large percentage of the ballot and there was a competing event in Ocean City. But none of the four Democrats for their Central Committee showed either!) Many of the so-called “Tea Party” candidates locally were absent as well. In fact, aside from the County Executive race there weren’t a whole lot of challengers present – all but one District Council forum participant was an incumbent member of County Council.

Of course, being an NAACP forum many questions focused on race, but the audience of nearly 100 seemed to be most interested in economic issues. The audience-supplied questions tended toward that part of the platform. And since local NAACP head Mary Ashanti demanded respect in order to avoid trouble with the national organization, the candidates and audience were fairly well-behaved and polite.

In looking at each individual race, some differences were clear from the outset.

Right off the top, speaking in his opening statement, Tom Taylor told the crowd he was running on a “strict” fiscal accountability ticket for County Executive. On the other hand, incumbent Rick Pollitt said as the first County Executive, “we needed to concentrate on getting the citizens more engaged,” and talked about his efforts at diversity in employment and appointments. And these guys are both Democrats. The Republican in the race, Joe Ollinger, pointed out his lifetime of business experience and vowed to bring new, refreshing ideas to the table.

Even the books which best exemplify their approach to government (yes, this was a question) were radically different. Rick Pollitt chose John F. Kennedy’s “Profiles in Courage,” while Joe Ollinger selected “The Genius of the People,” which is a look at the trials and tribulations of our Founding Fathers as they drafted the Constitution in 1787. Tom Taylor preferred Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged,” which also happens to be one of my favorites.

Two related questions talked about disparity and inequity. While Joe Ollinger spoke about hiring the most qualified people, he also noted “the great equalizer” was public schools. Conversely, Tom Taylor said that government’s sole purpose was to protect individual rights, not provide services – it’s “the great umpire” but governs best when it governs least. And once again, Rick Pollitt brought up his contention, “the government had to reflect the face of the community” but not, as Ollinger said previously, a quota.

When the question turned to harmony between the executive and County Council, Ollinger promised to “work very closely” with County Council; Pollitt also thought “we’ve established a good relationship.” Meanwhile, Taylor related his experience with PAC-14: he tapes each County Council meeting for the community access cable channel. Taylor vowed to continue to attend County Council meetings if elected.

The final question dealt with quotas as moderator Orville Penn wanted to ask if the officeseekers would promise a particular percentage of minorities in county government. Of course, Rick Pollitt said, “I will try my best.” Joe Ollinger would hire the most qualified person since “the most important job” is to make sure money is spent wisely. But Tom Taylor not only would hire the best person, he spoke about us being “all one race – the human race.”

It’s unquestionable that Democrats have a choice in their primary race, as Taylor described himself as a libertarian Democrat while Pollitt spent the first three years of his term making the case the revenue cap was handicapping him. In some respects Taylor could even be considered to the right of Ollinger, who believed his business background would hold him in good stead for running the county.

Democrat John Wayne Baker, who would be described as a Tea Party candidate for County Executive, did not attend the forum.

The forum turned to the three (of six) County Council members who were present – Democrats Ed Taylor and David Cowall and Republican Bob Culver.

In his opening statement, Taylor talked about the three terms he’d already served on County Council, and remarked people asked him, “why are you crazy enough to run again?” He wanted to, “be part of the solution.”

Political newcomer Cowall said County Council was, “a job that needs doing right” and a place for “logical, nonpartisan decisions.” Culver, the Republican who ran for County Executive in 2006, simply cited his upbringing and business experience in his remarks.

The first question regarded the revenue cap, which Culver favored but Cowall thought “needs a new look” and Taylor opposed – he claimed that in 2002 he calculated the county would lose $50 million under the cap.

Another question concerned how minorities “get the axe” when budgets are cut. Culver contended that core services have to have “first consideration” while Cowall believed we needed to “set our priorities and set them right” – across-the-board cuts were a “bad idea.” Taylor would leave education and public safety alone.

A final question asked about jobs for the minority community. I thought Bob Culver had an interesting point, one that encouraged minorities to take low-paying jobs now because of the prospect for advancement as the economy rebounded. This generation expected what his already had without working its way through life as he had. He also had the idea of subsidizing job creation through grants which would defray part of salaries for new hires. (Of course, what happens when the grant money is gone?)

Cowall, who said we “need to support our farmers,” pointed out that jobs are being created in certain sectors like health care and by Salisbury University. Green jobs were also a possibility within our ability to create them, and he was upbeat about our future. Taylor thought we needed to add more economic development staff and try to draw construction back in.

Honestly, none of the three excited me a great deal and it’s a shame that Mike Brewington (another “Tea Party” Democrat), Matt Holloway, and Chris Lewis (a “Tea Party” Republican) weren’t in attendance to express their ideas and make the forum a little more rousing.

The final major portion of the debate dealt with district Council members, with most of the stage time devoted to District 1 council candidates. Not only was that the only district which was represented by both candidates in the running for the seat but it’s a district which serves a large part of the black community and is represented by the sole black member on Wicomico County Council, Sheree Sample-Hughes. Her opponent, Dave Goslee, Jr., is white.

In their opening statements, Sample-Hughes talked about “having a seat at the table” and her interaction with the community through quarterly meetings. On the other hand, Goslee touted his business and farming experience.

Of course, some of the questions involved NAACP and civil rights issues. Sample-Hughes played up her membership in the organization, calling it an “educating” organization, and discussed an incident which occurred in a local barbershop where patrons were told to hit the floor by police. The African-American community was “not as respected as it should be,” she opined, but added, “there should be a point in time where we are okay.” Meanwhile, Goslee spoke about his “endeavor” to attract talented people to the business he helps to operate and believed that Biblical principles should be the basis of our relationships.

One interesting interchange was the candidates getting to ask questions of each other. Goslee asked Sample-Hughes about her charitable works – which mainly involved working with the American Legion auxiliary – while Sheree asked Dave about what he could bring to the table in partnerships? Goslee cited his work with the Delmar Fire Department, the United Way, and the Joseph House as examples.

Since the other candidates were unopposed at the forum, they were allowed an opening statement before getting into group questioning.

Stevie Prettyman of District 2 told the crowd her “commitment is to conservative principles” and talked about her favorite books: a tome by fellow Councilman Taylor called “Just Me and God” and her mother’s journal. Her opponent, Mike Calpino (another local Tea Party participant and the lone Libertarian on the county ballot) did not participate.

District 3 Council member Gail Bartkovich talked about the importance of the upcoming county comprehensive plan and related how she and Sample-Hughes, who serves as Council vice-president, work out the weekly agenda together. Bartkovich has served as Council president for the last year. Her Republican opponent, John Hamilton, was not in attendance.

David MacLeod of District 4 was more blunt: “I need four more years to get it right.” He related his life experience, which including time living overseas in Africa, and said he would concentrate on crime – “a cancer” on the community – if re-elected. Opponent Bob Caldwell, a Republican known for community involvement, surprisingly missed the forum.

Joe Holloway of District 5 is in the catbird seat since he is unopposed. So he talked about Council’s role as a “filter” between the County Executive and the people and termed it the “last line of defense” against overlegislation.

The questions by this point were more simple, perhaps because the evening had grown long and there were still more candidates who were on the agenda.

On the revenue cap:

Sheree Sample-Hughes thought a modification (a 3% increase) was needed because she could see the constraints from sitting at the table.
Stevie Prettyman voted against the original tax increase which set off the drive for the revenue cap and instead said “we have to create job opportunities (and) get out of the way.”
David MacLeod noted the “community expressed themselves…I have to learn to live within that.”
Joe Holloway is deadset against removing it because the revenue cap acts as a control on spending.
Gail Bartkovich described the “mistrust” caused by the original situation and called for more transparency.
Dave Goslee would honor his constituents’ wishes.

Reagrding the comprehensive plan:

Goslee related his business experience with making short- and long-term plans with his employer and vowed to create “the best county in the state of Maryland” by stressing jobs and public safety.
Bartkovich sought public input and described the plan as a “vision of (the county’s) look and growth.”
Joe Holloway wanted to make sure we didn’t tackle the “downzoning” issue before the comprehensive plan was complete.
MacLeod sought a “balance between growth and agriculture” and also stressed public participation.
So did Prettyman, who saw the plan as a method of expressing our, “hopes, dreams, (and) vision.”
Sample-Hughes saw the plan as a foundation to preserve agriculture but also as a work which could enhance employment and public safety.

Speaking of downzoning, the last question was regarding the candidates’ position on the subject. While Sample-Hughes thought it best to study the approach other counties have taken, MacLeod was “very concerned” about the possibility of state involvement, and Bartkovich said she wouldn’t consider the subject until the comprehensive plan was finalized.

Even more hardened in their opposition were Prettyman, who demanded any downzoning plan include adequate compensation, and Holloway, who contended there was no good compensation method. Dave Goslee was very much opposed since part of his plan for retirement involved selling pieces of his farm – an option which Holloway also remarked saved some of his farmer friends from bankruptcy.

Since the hour was late, remaining candidates were briefly introduced. The two present State’s Attorney candidates answered a question about the role of the State’s Attorney – Seth Mitchell saw it as one of “seek(ing) justice” and demanding responsibility while training young staffers properly, while incumbent Davis Ruark saw his role as being a leader in the community, seeking justice, and assuring fairness. Newly-minted (and perhaps former) candidate Matt Maciarello was not present.

Other candidates who attended the forum (and absentees):

Mark Bowen (Clerk of the Court) who remarked he’s unopposed for the first time in 16 years.
Norma Lee Barkley, Melissa Pollitt Bright, William Smith, and Pete Evans for Judge of the Orphans’ Court. Barkley, Bright, and Smith are incumbents, and Smith is the sole Republican. Barkley remarked she was seeking her last term and the three incumbents work well together as a team regardless of party. No candidates were absent.
Sheriff Mike Lewis is unopposed but was called away before having the opportunity to speak.
Three officeseekers (of 13) for Republican Central Committee were there: myself, Dave Goslee Jr. and G.A. Harrison. Harrison has his own thoughts on the proceedings. Political bloggers running for public office: whooda thunk it?
Amazingly to me, none of the four members of the Democratic Central Committee came up to speak. Each Central Committee member (by this point it was two, Goslee and I) were allowed 30 seconds to speak and I took about 15.

A future forum is in the works for state candidates (District 37A incumbent Rudy Cane and his Democratic opponent Von Siggers were in attendance) with a date to be determined. Hopefully they do a better job of showing up than a number of county officials did.

Caldwell promises ‘spirited’ District 4 race

An unsuccessful Salisbury mayoral campaign didn’t dissuade GOP stalwart Bob Caldwell from throwing his trademark Superman hat back into the political ring. Caldwell filed just before the deadline to challenge incumbent District 4 Wicomico County Council Democrat David MacLeod in November’s election – since both Caldwell and MacLeod are unopposed in the September 14 primary the race will be more of a marathon than a sprint.

(continued on my Examiner.com page…)