This could be the earliest voter guide ever created. It will continue to grow as I get more familiar with who is running for what and what it is they stand for. I have met several candidates and have been impressed with some and not so impressed with others. I am human and I do have my “hit list” of candidates that I strongly feel should be rejected. Eventually I will add them to the list with an explanation as to why I feel the voters should not vote for them. But for now, their absence will suffice. Since our great county is divided in three districts (34, 35, and 7) I will make sure I am clear about who these people represent and what office they are running for.
Candidate #1: State Senator Bob Hooper District 35 (Bel Air, North Fallston, Jarrettsville, Forest Hill, Street, Whiteford, and more)
Senator Hooper has been a man dedicated to the people for as long as I can remember. I am proud of Senator Hooper and his strong convictions. He abstained from voting for the slots bill which was good enough for me. I know people who live in the Park Heights area and they do not want another addiction coming into their community. I personally wanted slots until I met with community leaders in Pimlico and Park Heights. They do not want it in their backyard. Just like most of us do not want a homeless shelter or a half-way house in our neighborhood. We all know that slots can be addictive and the city does not need another thing to be addicted to. I view Senator Hooper as one of the bright lights in Maryland politics, a real straight shooter. I hope he remains well and is able to continue to serve us. It would be a great loss to our county to lose someone like Bob Hooper.
Candidate #2: State Senator Nancy Jacobs District 34A (Joppa, Edgewood, Aberdeen, Havre de Grace, Northern Cecil County, and more)
Senator Jacobs is a staunch conservative. She is someone that you either like or you don’t. She is avidly pro-life, pro-gun, pro-death penalty, and pro-family. She may go uncontested in the upcoming election which could be very dangerous for Mr. Guthrie and Mrs. James. If a heavy hitter like Nancy is able to throw her weight around District 34A, some Dem’s heads may roll. Nancy has been invincible since her thumping of Art Helton. She has a lot of money in the bank and I honestly cannot think of any reason for someone to challenge her. A pro-choice, anti-death penalty, anti-gun candidate would get absolutely wiped because of the Cecil County vote. Nancy is sitting pretty and that is good news for the good guys.
Candidate #3: Donna Stifler: House of Delegates District 35A (North Fallston, Jarrettsville, Street, Forest Hill, and more)
I personally feel that there is a need for change in Harford County’s representation in the House of Delegates. I would prefer that Barry Glassman (who will probably be the top vote getter again) and Donna Stifler be the two representatives for the northern part of the county. I don’t care for Joanne Parrott. I have never seen her around when a camera was not present. I know she has her “old dog” supporters. You know what they say about old dogs. You can’t teach them new tricks. The old faithful will continue to vote for Parrott and Glassman. I just hope there is enough support for Stifler to knock off Parrott. I know for sure that I will be working hard behind the scenes for her. Here is one example of why I do not care for Joanne. A friend of mine asked what she thought about abortion. Now that is a question that is going to gain or lose you a vote, so just answer it. Instead she pulls a politician’s classic and says, “How do you feel about it?” Just stand up for what you believe in unless you don’t know what you believe in. That is why I support Donna Stifler. It is clear that she has convictions and strong morals. So when people ask me who I support for House of Delegates in 35A I am going to say, “Who do you support in 35A?” Just kidding. I am going to say, “I support Donna Stifler.”
Candidate #4: Dave Tritt, Sheriff
Dave Tritt is a father of eight children and is stepping into the political arena for the first time. The Aegis recently called the sheriff’s race the most important election this fall. I almost agree with them (for the first time ever). Honestly, I did not know who our sheriff was until about a year ago when Derald Guess was murdered. I was not impressed with Golding back then when he attempted to play down the tragedy by saying that gang activity was in its infancy. Come on man. A family man was just shot in the head in a gang initiation. That is not infancy. Edgewood has been a mess for a long time and I just recently found out that they do not have a juvenile holding cell. When a juvenile is picked up an officer has to wait with them until they are picked up. The southern precinct is completely inadequate for the needs of that area. I blame Golding for this. The man has been completely silent for the past three years. I really think it might be time for a change. The Harford County Deputy Sheriff’s Union recently elected Fred Visnaw as their new president. It will be very interesting to see if he is a “yes man” for the administration. I have a gut feeling that he will not be. This might be a good thing for Dave. I spoke with Dave at a County Council meeting and he was very impressive. The question that remains is whether a man from the outside can gain enough support to carry the day. I feel it is time to bring in someone from the outside to breath some new life into the office.
Candidate #5: Chris Pate: House of Delegates District 34A
Chris Pate seems to be a very nice guy. He is one of those people who reek of intelligence. The few times I have met him, I have certainly been his intellectual inferior. He is a lawyer at some big law firm downtown. He was previously a member of the Harford County Republican Central Committee but for some reason bowed out of politics for a time. If I remember correctly he was a favorite of Nancy Jacobs and David Craig to fill the vacancy left by Boutin. Apparently some other politics got in the way at the Central Committee preventing Pate from being appointed. With the support of Jacobs behind him, he is certainly a formidable foe for James. I look forward to seeing the two Havre de Grace natives duke it out this summer. As I mentioned above, if Nancy goes unopposed, watch out sister (Sister James that is).
Candidate #6: Anyone but Wagner, County Council President
COMING SOON!!
Candidate #7: Paula Mullis or Chris Biggs (Anyone but Guthrie), County Council District A
COMING SOON!!
February 2, 2006 at 9:57 am
Did you see the Gazette article which took a survey of dozens of Annapolis insiders, asking who they thought were the most effective and least effective legislators? Bob Hooper was at the top of the ‘least effective’ list…
February 2, 2006 at 4:59 pm
That is an absolute lie. I saw that article and Bob is not even close to the top of the list. Anyways, what makes you “effective” in Annapolis? Does effective mean doing whatever Mike Miller says? Does effective mean raising taxes? Does effective mean supporting same sex unions? Does effective mean supporting anti-business legislation? Bob is a man with principles and convictions, and if that means “ineffective” in Annapolis, so be it.
February 2, 2006 at 5:40 pm
C’mon, both of ya: give us a link, fer cryin’ out loud!
Assuming this is the article the two of you are talking about, Hooper was ranked #8 “Least Effective”. That’s better than seven, but isn’t appearing on that list a bad sign?
(The Gazette also mentioned that (a) “so much of the State House crowd we sent ballots to are Democrats,” and (b) “about 30 percent of the ballots were returned.”)
Most importantly, the Gazette’s disclaimer ought to be read again: “Gauging effectiveness is a purely subjective exercise. For some legislators, it means introducing and passing bills. For others, it means working behind the scenes to shape legislation or bring home the bacon. Effectiveness is also about those intangible traits such as charm, smarts or personality that produce results.
“This is neither a definitive nor scientific survey; it’s meant for fun and to spark debate. The results, however, provide a snapshot of how lawmakers are viewed in Maryland political circles.”
GOP O., either it’s good to be considered “ineffective” in these circles or not… but you can’t have it both ways! (lol)
February 4, 2006 at 7:56 pm
Good stuff. I am involved in the Tritt campaign and certainly like what you have to say. Some people might like to talk to you. You should post an email address or some contact information.
February 5, 2006 at 4:15 am
I’m glad to see these conversations. Bob Hooper is a man of principle and integrity. Some liberal democrat lobbyists (the ones who were sent the Gazette survey) may consider him ineffective, but that is only because he thinks for himself and doesn’t buy everything they say.
Regarding Joanne Parrott… at some point every politican should consider retirement. That time has come for her. She should bow out now before she is humiliated in the 2006 election by Donna Stifler. When Parrott speaks on the floor of the House of Delegates, absolutely NO ONE listens….you can see people leaving to take a bathroom break knowing that when they return they will have missed nothing. It is really sad. I almost feel sorry her. She needs to realize it is time to retire.
February 5, 2006 at 11:38 am
Senator Jacobs is the best and simply an amazing force in Annapolis. I have watched and heard her many times. In Committee just recently, she went after a Public Defender who was opposed to lifetime supervision for sex offenders with the tenacity of a pit bull. She was so unassuming; almost Columbo-like as she took little bites and then went in for the kill – I’m for Nancy.
March 10, 2006 at 8:31 am
Who is David Tritt? Looking at his website, he has no law enforcement experience. He has no background in law, criminal justice or any other related field. If he was a member of the Sheriff’sOffice he would not even be eligible for promotion to the command staff as he has no college degree. Being a family man and an airplane mechanic does not qualify one to head the largest law enforcement agency in Harford County responsible for a multi-million dollar budget, the care and housing of 400 inmates per day. Mr Tritt knows nothing of law enforcment and while the Air Force may believe in on-the-job training, the position of Sheriff is the wrong place for him to do his learning.
March 10, 2006 at 11:32 am
You are the second person to point this out. I am well aware of the fact that he is not a cop. That is one of the reasons I like him. I know quite a few deputies and none of them like Golding. That concerns me. They view him as out of touch. He said so himself that he was thinking of retiring. You said Tritt knows nothing of law enforcement. How do you know that? That is a pretty arrogant thing to say. It is called a “Preliminary A List” for a reason. No one has started talking issues yet. If the only thing Golding offers me is the fact that he has been around since Jesus walked on the earth, then he is in trouble. We have a serious problem in Edgewood and his action has been minimal at best. Who is Dave Tritt? Possibly a better option to Golding.
March 13, 2006 at 11:58 am
Your comment that “I know quite a few deputies and none of them like Golding.” seems a little far reaching. I know a lot of deputies and many of them do like Golding. I don’t know of any deputies that can say whether they like or dislike Tritt since I don’t know any who have ever met him. Regardless of like or dislike, who can get the job done is the important point. In reference to your comment “You said Tritt knows nothing of law enforcement. How do you know that?”, I’ve reviewed every page on Mr. Tritt’s web site since this is all he’s made available and none of it mentions any Law Enforcment experience. If this is incorrect, I’m waiting for Mr Tritt to correct his ommission.
If Mr. Tritt were applying for the job of Police Commissioner, Chief of Police or any other appointed head of agency position based on the information provided on his web site, he wouldn’t even make it past the first screening, never mind the final interview. If Mr. Tritt wants to be Sheriff, then perhaps he should come out and spend some time on the front lines, learning what the job is all about with the deputies before he becomes “The Sheriff”.
March 14, 2006 at 12:27 pm
I agree with you 100% that who can get the job done is more important. I would again caution you about presuming knowledge or the lack of knowledge. Just because one does not have experience does not mean that they do not have knowledge. If too many people think that way then we would never be able to get rid of anyone creating a “good old boy” system and an ineffective democracy. Knowledge and experience do not equal leadership. I apply that to every race I evalutate.
I think we also have a difference in opinion on the actual role of the sheriff. I view the sheriff as my representative in law enforcement which is one of the reasons why I voted against the creation of a police department under the county executive. I do not view the sheriff as a “super cop.” Golding may be a great cop but I think he is an average, at best, sheriff. Your analogy of a candidate applying for an “appointed head of an agency” is simply inapplicable in Harford County. We do not have an appointed sheriff. The only interview that means anything is Election Day. That is where we will evaluate Tom’s last 3+ years and make the final decision as to who should lead in the next 4 years. I for one find comfort in the fact that I play a role in the safety of my county.
About my statements being “far reaching,” the deputies I know work in the Northern Precinct and they say they see Tritt all the time. I am really just going off what they tell me. I am fairly ignorant when it comes to policing matters but I am not ignorant when it comes to performance of leadership. And they tell me it is lacking. I will dedicate more to the sheriff’s race as the candidates, including DiStefano, roll out their issues. A three horse race almost never benefits the incumbent, especially when only 1 out of 100 people in the county could tell you the sheriff’s name.
March 29, 2006 at 3:16 pm
Why aren’t any of the delegates on your ‘A’ list?
I like that McComas is only mentioned once on the entire site, and thats only because you reported the size of her war chest along with everyone else’s. Why haven’t any Republicans announced to run against her?
April 19, 2006 at 9:28 pm
[...] From Harford County Preliminary “A” List: “The Aegis recently called the sheriff’s race the most important election this fall. I almost agree with them (for the first time ever). Honestly, I did not know who our sheriff was until about a year ago when Derald Guess was murdered. I was not impressed with Golding back then when he attempted to play down the tragedy by saying that gang activity was in its infancy. Come on man. A family man was just shot in the head in a gang initiation. That is not infancy.” [...]
April 20, 2006 at 12:10 am
I’m a little confused by the last post but I will respond anyways. If I had to choose someone right now it would probably be Tritt. This race is quickly getting crowded. We will soon have two democrats and possibly three Republicans. I feel the need for change in many places this election year and sheriff is only one of them.