Gadzooks, what an election!

I have slices of four posts in mind.  I have skeletons for some, nervous systems for others.  I am hoping to roll those out over the course of June.

This is more of a “Did you know?” piece based on the 2016 Howard County Board of Education Primary Election Results.  Based on the data available on the Maryland Board of Elections website:

-       Kirsten Coombs finished in first place among the 11 candidates.  We knew that.  But did you know that she won 92 of the 118 Election Day/Polling Place precincts?  She also won among Early Voters and Absentee/Provisional Voters.  What about the other 26 precincts where she didn’t win?  She placed second in 19 and third in 7.   This indicates wide and deep support, countywide, for Ms. Coombs.    

-       How big was the win?  Coombs, with 35,298 votes, shattered the previous high-water mark for recent Board of Education primary elections, which was 28,320…which was set by one J. Siddiqui in 2008.  More on her shortly.

-       Fun fact: there is higher turnout in General Elections compared to Primary Elections, but Coombs’ vote tally, in the 2016 Primary Election, would have been sufficient for her to win a Board of Education seat in the 2010 General Election, ahead of Brian Meshkin and Cindy Vaillancourt.   

-       Who failed to finish in the top three in every single Election Day district?  Ellen Flynn Giles and Ann DeLacy.  It is not my intention to be cruel here, but rather to point out that this election cycle constitutes a referendum on the direction of the Howard County Public School System.  DeLacy and Giles finished second and third respectively in both the 2012 Primary and General Elections.  For them to be swept across the board four years later with 8^th and 9^th place finishes demonstrates the strength of positive, change-oriented, reform-minded platforms.

-       Dr. Janet Siddiqui is in serious trouble.  As the last incumbent standing in this election cycle, she becomes the WHOLE poster child for a failing status quo.  She managed to win only six election day precincts.   Of the top six vote-getters, there were 123,369 votes for challengers compared to 24,660 votes for the “strongest” incumbent: Siddiqui, so 83.3% for reform candidates against 16.7% for Siddiqui.  There might not be enough orange paint in the County to vault her out of fourth place. 

What will come next?  The Presidential Campaign? Thoughts on Downtown Columbia and Sensible, Civic-Minded Growth?  Shenanigans in Wilde Lake? Adventures with Slats?

  

Stay tuned, as more will follow.

So What's Next? '16/'18 Edition

Now that Maryland’s 2016 Primary Election is in the firm and unforgiving grasp of the past, shrewd Howard County political observers are now focused on the Long Slog to the General Election…not only for the importance it has in and of itself, but also as a harbinger for 2018 (and beyond).

At the precinct level, there were some quirky voting patterns evident in the 2014 returns.  Were they the by-product of a weak Democratic gubernatorial candidate? Second presidential term, mid-term fatigue with the party that holds the White House?  A local Republican Party that is showing signs of life in not just the West but in the swing First County Council district and generally reliably Democratic Columbia?  Was 2014 a once in a decade (or generation) event, or a sign of votes to come?

Thought experiment.  Trump is so idiosyncratic, it would be difficult to construe a Trump victory in Howard County in November to mean that we are on the precipice of a local liberal/conservative realignment.  Even if he obtained a majority of the local vote, and managed to win election to the Presidency, Trump would have plenty of time between January 20, 2017 and November 2018 to completely wreck the GOP brand.  In such a scenario, the over/under for County Executive Allan Kittleman to call for a 2020 primary challenge to the Donald would be June 30, 2018.  But I am getting ahead of myself.

That said, with the County Exec up for re-election, multiple state legislative and Board of Education races of interest, and four open County Council seats in the ’18 cycle, you better believe that local operatives, activists, and power brokers will spend many chilly November nights pouring over the ’16 Official General Election Results data, searching for portents that will inform their decision-making processes.  

Amidst all of this uncertainty, all we can rely upon is mercurial human nature itself. 

Stay tuned, as more will follow.

Parent Empowerment - Education in HoCo

Almost didn’t make the Parent Empowerment Education Forum, presented by the African American Community Roundtable of Howard County and the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) last night.  A light-hearted dramedy of minor miscues transpired shortly before our planned departure; but everything was handled and we arrived at Wilde Lake High School at 7:00 pm.

It was clearly The Event in HoCo last night.  The Jim Rouse Theatre was packed to capacity…with several attendees sans chairs standing about in the back or side of the auditorium.  In addition to the concerned parents, there were a number of community leaders, elected (and appointed) officials, educators, students and candidates present.

The long and short of the forum was a focus on promoting parental engagement in the learning process.  Specifically, the gathering centered on strategies and programs designed to help parents help their children excel in their primary and secondary education.

Candace Dodson Reed led off the event with the welcoming and introductory remarks.  She did her usual excellent job.  The order of the proceedings once established, it was time for Dr. Foose, the HCPSS Superintendent, to make her presentation.

Dr. Foose’s speech could best be described as Progress.  She covered some of the technological and cultural steps taken to enhance the learning environment in Howard County public schools (“family programs, parent advocates, daily routines, community involvement”).  She also presented some data points illustrating advancements made in graduation rates, test scores and other diagnostic measures among African-American students in the HCPSS within the past couple of years.

Next up was Albert Corvah, recent HCPSS grad and now Harvard University student.  His remarks could best be entitled The Promise.  He related his personal narrative (successes, challenges, motivating factors) and gave abundant credit to his parents for helping him excel academically.  I concur with Mr. Corvah that I wish there were more students present at the Forum last night; he definitely had a message that could have resonated with middle and high school students.  Perhaps his taped speech could be shown in classes throughout the County. 

After a solid introduction by Robin Jean Baptiste (WLHS student), Dr. Freeman Hrabowski (President, UMBC) got up and delivered what we call a good, old-fashioned stem-winder.  Now, you usually get a heavy dose of erudition when university presidents speak, but…as a general rule…many long-time academicians can be a little dry.  Fortunately, Dr. Hrabowski’s speech was both informative and engaging.  His presentation could be referred to as The Vision. He weaved a storyline that included elements from his childhood as well as his experiences as an educator and college president and delivered practical (yet academically grounded) counsel on parental involvement strategies.

I missed the introduction of the next speaker, but I believe the final remarks (aka “So Here Are the Next Steps") were delivered by the Reverend Dr. Robert Turner (Senior Pastor, St. John Baptist Church).  His presentation could best be summarized as The Program.  He talked about some of the concrete programmatic efforts that are underway, including the Parent Academy that… as I recall… will be launched in the Spring of 2015.  I assume the African American Community Roundtable of Howard County (this organization can be found on Facebook) will be providing additional information on this and similar initiatives in the near future.

Overall, from my vantage point, I believe the event was a smashing success.  There was an aura of enthusiasm in the room, a palpable sense that these efforts can Make a Difference.  It is clear, from the questionnaires distributed to the audience members (note: I didn’t see the survey instrument myself) that the Roundtable wants to foster an ongoing dialogue with parents and other community stakeholders to explore and assess needs, wants, concerns, expectations, etc…  That is an excellent process to have in place and I hope there are ample opportunities and milieus for an open, thoughtful and evolving education conversation in the days, weeks and months ahead.

On a personal note, I am just elated to write about something beyond Campaign 2014.  A candidate for BoE could have walked up to me last night and said they were going to launch an investigation into the disappearance of Atlantis and I wouldn’t have posted about it…at least not right away.  But if you are seeking public office and you would like to share your thoughts on UFOs, chemtrails, fluoride, the Hollow Earth hypothesis or any similar topics, please drop me a line. 

Stay tuned, as more will follow.