First Draft

So there I was, 8:54 pm, all set to file my paperwork to run for elective office when <bam> stuck in sudden and unrelenting traffic at Admiral Drive and 450.  Jumping out of my assembled-largely-in America Camry, I sprinted eastward.  I may have accidentally bumped into/knocked over Senate President Mike Miller. No time to look back.  I reached the main door of the Board of Elections building. Attempting to fling it open, I found it locked.  9:01 pm.  Closed for the day.  Filing period over. Dreams dashed.

You won this round, Congressman Cummings.  It would have been a spirited primary…     

Wait, that didn’t happen at all.

There is much to cover, too much for one post on a school-night (speaking of schools…educator Sharon Blake, I don’t know much about her (yet), but (topline) her choice scans well.  Former head of the Baltimore Teachers Union…I think Krish Vignarajah made a solid LG selection. So here are some bullet points focusing on Democratic candidates for state races:

Governor:  No last-minute surprises here. Still noodling on which progressive to back:  Vignarajah, Rich Madaleno, or Ben Jealous.  Kevin Kamenetz made a fine decision to bring Valerie Ervin on the ticket. I wish she was running with any of the Big Three I mentioned earlier in this paragraph (yes, yes, it might have been a MoCo-heavy ticket and geographic balance is still fairly important).    

Senate 9:  With a number of Republicans losing solid GOP seats in local races in other states, I am wondering if MD SD-9 might become more competitive now (as opposed to 2022 or 2026).  Katie Fry Hester is a good candidate.  And if Reid Novotny weakens, or (can one dream?) defeats, Gail Bates, could the Democrats pick up this primarily Western HoCo (with a slice of Carroll County) district in this cycle with, say, 50.2% of the vote?  It would require a big gain from the last cycle, but 2018 should be a significantly more favorable D environment compared to 2014.

Senate 12: Once this became an open seat with Ed Kasemeyer’s announcement, this one could have gone so many ways.  Yet here we have it: a Clarence Lam – Mary Kay Sigaty primary.  Personally, I think Sigaty (my County Councilperson) has problems in her base.  Had she been eligible and had she run for re-election, I believe she would have had a serious primary challenge on her hands.  She may run well in Howard County, but I think Lam runs essentially even with her in HoCo and carries the (not majority but substantial) part of D12 in Baltimore County by a comfortable margin.  First formal prediction: Lam 56% - Sigaty 44%...and I might be a bit generous to Sigaty here.

Senate 13: Congratulations Senator Guzzone.

House 9A:  3 Democratic challengers facing off against 2 Republican incumbents.  I have heard most about Natalie Ziegler about I am reluctant to comment further on this race at this time.

House 9B:  Daniel Medinger seems like a fine and serious candidate.  That said, I believe Courtney Watson would be a superb Delegate and would be the better Democratic standard-bearer against GOP incumbent Bob Flanagan in the General Election.

House 12:  This one got weird.  Let’s assume that Terri Hill and Eric Ebersole are both well-positioned to win re-election.  Is there a Team 12 slate?  Are there two slates?  Right now, I read the two strongest challengers as Jessica Feldmark and James Howard.  Dario Broccolino has credentials…but I don’t know how he would fare seeking a state legislative office.  This being my home district, I will be commenting on developments frequently.  I am looking forward to receiving and reviewing the completed D12 candidate questionnaires.  Hint hint.  

House 13.  Vanessa Atterbeary is an excellent legislator who works on important issues and deserves re-election.  Shane Pendergrass should win another term and Jen Terrasa – a capable Councilperson who is right on downtown Columbia development issues (comparing favorably to the aforementioned Councilperson Sigaty) – should have the strength to win both the primary and general elections.  Sorry, Larry Pretlow.

Of course, candidates still have a couple of days to withdraw their names.  So there may still be changes hurtling our way.  Stay tuned, etc…

Up next:  Howard County races. 

In solidarity.

The Arrogance of the Siddiquis

Turning to HoCo’s House Lannister, Dr. Janet Siddiqui has decided to enter the race for the 4^th County Council District.

First of all, one should be skeptical of the argument that self-funders can be independent of special interests (“unbought and unbossed” to employ former Congresswoman Shirley Chisolm’s slogan).  Folks with the ability to loan themselves $100,000 (funneled through various committees, as outlined here: https://scotteblog.com/2018/01/17/will-janet-siddiqui-run-for-office-in-2018/) are themselves a special interest.  Of course, I expect her campaign won’t completely self-fund, but who would give the Siddiquis money to fill their coffers?  Fortunately, campaign finance reports are available to the public. Just go ahead and type in “Siddiqui” in the Committee Name box here: https://campaignfinancemd.us/Public/ViewFiledReports

Her attempted job hop in 2014, from the Board of Education to a brief run for the House of Delegates in District 13 to deciding to drop out in favor of her husband Nayab is redolent of a sense of entitlement.  This familial bait-and-switch was rejected by Team 13, while she was selected to run on the slate, Nayab was not. In her own words, she said regarding a run for the state legislature, “I’ve always looked forward to that in my plan.”  (Source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/columbia/ph-janet-siddiqui-withdraws-district-13-story.html).  Oh really, would you care to tell Howard County voters more about your "plan?"  Or how the events of “the day of the filing” were necessary for you to rediscover your “commitment to the people and children of Howard County.”  If that commitment was so unshakeable, should it have mattered what Aquino and Meshkin did or did not do re: seeking re-election to the Board?

Let us not forget the very recent past, when Janet Siddiqui voted to retain the services of former Superintendent Renee Foose.  By voting with the other members of the “Gang of Five” to renew her contract, this gave Foose the leverage to secure a massive ($1.65 million) buy-out.  Of course, it should be noted that three members of this Gang were tossed out of office by Howard County voters in 2016, including Dr. Siddiqui.

Back to when she was on the Board of Education, her commitment seemingly didn’t extend to an awareness of certain aspects of the position.  When asked about the public release of a “special education audit,” that one parent called “critical information that the public needs,” Siddiqui’s reply was “I don’t know that it hasn’t been released” (Source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/columbia/ph-ho-cf-special-education-forum-0414-20160412-story.html). The report cost $300,000 yet only 26 pages were released to the public ($11,538 per page).  As parents and other activists clamored for greater transparency and a full report, Siddiqui’s response, “we should work with what we have, moving forward.”  That sounds like acquiescence, not advocacy.

Then there is the curious relationship that the Siddiquis seem to enjoy with gas station owners.  Another prominent blogger has written more about this topic (Source:  
http://53beersontap.typepad.com/53beers/2014/06/siddiqui-and-omvb-leaders-to-bring-gas-station-to-om-village-center.html

If you prefer videos for information,  a YouTube channel (HCEA Howard) created four short videos featuring Janet Siddiqui in which you might be interested:

Ranging from mold to poor spending decisions and weak financial oversight, they include:

Pediatrician Janet Siddiqui falls short on health issues for students and staff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q8G-dFQm90

Failed management by Board Member Janet Siddiqui proven in State Audit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdYeamS8PBU

State Audit Results under Janet Siddiqui’s leadership

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouaK40DuPEU

Janet Siddiqui spends our tax dollars in the wrong places

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnklEzt4_qo

In the opinion of this author, her track record demonstrates questionable judgement and an excessive degree of concern over what is best for the Siddiquis, not Howard County.  As said in campaign literature in support of Grover Cleveland’s presidential candidacy, “public office is a public trust.”  Based on her performance, Dr. Siddiqui has not earned our trust, and she should not be elected to a public office such as the County Council.

Stay tuned, as more will follow…

A Promise...and a Marker

This is not a legacy piece regarding Maryland State Senator Kasemeyer (D-12).  Frankly, this blog has argued that Kasemeyer could (and perhaps should) have faced a spirited primary challenge this cycle.

The Democratic Party, certainly in state legislative districts which are capable of electing thoughtful, civic-minded progressives, should nominate such individuals to be their standard bearers.  Of course, this is a reflection of Michael Harrington’s perspective on the importance of the “left wing of the possible.”

Of course, not every matter is strictly “ideological” in the classic meaning of the word.  It has already been noted that the delegation plays an important role on such issues as the manner of election of the Howard County Board of Education.  I concur with others than the retiring Senator missed an opportunity here.

However, there are a number of issues which do reflect progressive values and sensibilities. A short list would include, but is far from limited to, the following:

-          A $15 an hour state minimum wage

-          Either single-payer health care for Maryland, or at the very least a state run-public option

-          Movement towards tuition-free college in Maryland

-          The de-concentration of economic power through a more progressive state taxation structure

-          The practical expansion of the right to vote through same-day voter registration

Policy ideas matter.  They can change people’s day-to-day lives. They have real-world consequences.  To that end, this blog will taking a very close look at the policy platforms & prescriptions offered up by those who seek public office in Howard County, especially in my home district, the 12^th.   That is my guarantee to you, the reader.

Stay tuned, as more will follow.

In solidarity.

Elevate This…

The fact of the matter is that Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman wants it both ways.  He wants to latch onto the (relatively) progressive legacy of (some) of his family while still retaining the R-label, so he can secure his base…which is virulently pro-Trump.

Now, F-list minions like C.O. [whose full name is not important, at all], who would not have been entrusted to fetch the coffee of GOP backbenchers in the ‘90s, may try to spin it otherwise (and poorly, like a hack) …but the brutal reality is that if Kittleman really were truly independent-minded, he would leave the GOP and run as an independent in 2018.

Party affiliation is a window into one’s values.  I quit the GOP in the early 2000s for several reasons.  First and foremost, it had become abundantly clear that the liberal wing (here is looking at you, Governor Milliken) was clearly not aligned with the Republican Party of the Bush 43 era.  The “religious” conservatives along with the neo-cons had a lock on the party.  If you were progressive, there was only one honest choice, and that was to join the Democratic Party (or an organization even further to the left, but that is by-the-by).

So now, the GOP, the party of the “malefactors of great wealth” (a phrase employed by Teddy Roosevelt, a Republican for whatever that is worth) is now whining about certain campaign finance issues.  To that, I say let’s take a close look at who is giving $ to the Kittleman campaign.  What is it they want?  And who is getting paid?  These are all useful and pressing questions.

Let’s face it, based on the State of the Union, the Republican Party is a wholly owned subsidiary of Trump Inc.  Kittleman needs to be held to account for maintaining his allegiance to a party that decided to sell what remained of its soul to a deranged real estate "mogul" who has no business being anywhere near 1600 Pennsylvania.  Which begs the question: who does Kittleman truly put first? The county or his party?

In solidarity.