“I've... seen things you people wouldn't believe... Attack
ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark
near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those... moments... will be lost in time, like
tears... in... rain. Time... to die...” – Roy Batty, Bladerunner
When you have been in and around
political campaigns long enough, you will have seen some remarkable things. Last night, the c-beams were, at best, glowing dimly at
the Peter and Elizabeth Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center on the
campus of Howard Community College.
For at that location, at that time, several public office-holders and
seekers took to the stage for a League of Women Voters of Howard
County-sponsored candidate forum.
I will focus on the highlights and the
lowlights. Moreover, I will discuss
things that voters care about, for better or worse, so I will talk about both
substance and – when necessary – style.
First up were the two Democratic
candidates for State’s Attorney, Howard County: the incumbent Dario Broccolino
and challenger Rich Gibson. The former
focused on discussing specific achievements and a turnaround narrative while
the latter spoke of the importance of community outreach. Frankly, both candidates appeared qualified.
Our Register of Wills, Byron Macfarlane
(D), is running unopposed for re-election.
His brief statement was solid and accessible. He talked about his
efforts to humanize and modernize the office.
He made the work of his rather arcane office sound interesting, which is
not an easy communications task. He is
another very-well qualified public servant.
Four Democratic candidates running for
Judge of the Ophans’ Court came next.
The primary election will winnow the field down to three Democratic
nominees, and they will face off against two Republican candidates in
November. Neither GOP candidate appeared
at the forum. A total of three judges
will be elected for this Court. Two of
the four present at the forum (Anne Dodd and Leslie Smith Turner) are incumbents
while the other two (Nicole Bormel Miller and Shari Lynne Chase) are
challengers.
Oh where to begin, perhaps more
importantly, where to end?
Based solely on performance alone, Anne
Dodd and Leslie Smith Turner finished in the top tier. Judge Dodd was a bit more
polished/comfortable with the format while Judge Turner did well talking about
her priorities, her experience and commitment to public service.
Nicole Bormel Miller is obviously very
smart and is qualified to be a judge on the Orphans’ Court. Putting my political strategist hat on for a
moment, I would counsel her to not talk about her combination of “youth and
experience” as a key point of differentiation.
I am in my 40s and most of the audience members were Baby Boomers or of
an older generation. I don’t think she
won many points with that line.
I can feel my blood pressure spiking as
I begin this paragraph. Although we live
in a relatively free and open society where people with minimal qualifications
can seek public office, based on what I witnessed last night, Shari Lynne Chase
has no business running for Judge of the Orphans’ Court. I did not hear her articulate any legal
credentials. I did hear her utter banal
sentiments about treating people fairly.
Most worrisome, if elected to the office, she seems to want to strike a
balance between her personal notion of a “humanistic” perspective and the
letter of the law. No Ms. Chase, that is
not how judges, or our courts, operate.
In fact, the application of such personal beliefs, in matters of law,
can undermine our system of jurisprudence.
This is why it is important for voters
to pay attention to all of the races, even the down-ballot ones. It would be truly unfortunate for Howard
County for a candidate such as Ms. Chase to be elected simply because of her
easy-to-pronounce name or the placement of her name on the ballot. The Orphans’ Court handles very serious
matters. Ms. Chase is not a serious
candidate and I hope Democratic primary voters understand and remember her lack
of qualifications when they enter the voting booth.
Following the Orphans’ Court
discussion, the three candidates for Howard County Sheriff gathered on the
stage. Rather, two assembled while one fell apart. The two Democratic candidates – current Sheriff
James Fitzgerald and Captain John Newnan, appear qualified to hold the
position. They covered substantive
matters, ranging from collective bargaining to the need for greater diversity
within the Howard County sheriff’s department.
Meanwhile the Republican candidate,
John Francis McMahon, described himself as a retired, reluctant candidate who
admits to being “less qualified” than the others. He said he would not be a captive of “special
interests.” Overall, he seemed a bit less than present for the proceedings. I think that is all that needs to be said.
Coming up…Part Two (County Executive and
County Council races).
Stay tuned, as more will follow.
