THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, October 2, 2013 o
Page A-7
Gubernatorial competition a study in demographics n
Gansler officially in Democratic race
BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER
When choosing among a racially and demographically diverse field of gubernatorial candidates, voters are likely to consider more than just the issues next year, experts say. The state could have its first black governor, its first female governor, or its first openly gay governor. It also could have a heterosexual, white, male or Jewish governor, none of which would be a first. Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D) is the latest candidate to officially throw his hat into the ring, kicking off his campaign Tuesday.
In the 2014 Democratic primary, he faces Del. Heather Mizeur (D-Dist. 20) of Takoma Park and Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D) of Mitchellville. Across the aisle, Harford County Executive David R. Craig, Del. Ronald A. George (RDist. 30) of Arnold and Charles Lollar of Charles County, the past Maryland state director of Americans for Prosperity, are competing for the Republican nomination. As Gansler addressed voters Tuesday, he spoke often of diversity — what he has helped bring to Maryland government and what is yet to come, promising an administration that “from top to bottom, will unapologetically be diverse.” But his promise was not far removed from the heat Gansler took in August for accusing
KATE S. ALEXANDER/THE GAZETTE
Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D) kicked off his campaign to be Maryland’s next governor Sept. 24 in downtown Rockville.
Brown of relying on race to get elected. While some criticized Gansler’s comment as racist, Richard E. Vatz, professor of
communication studies at Towson University, said that what Gansler was really saying was “get to the issues.” Demographics shouldn’t matter in an election, Vatz said. “It is not relevant,” he said, quoting the late President John F. Kennedy’s response to being asked about being the first Catholic president. Vatz said race, as well as religion and gender, are not persuasive selling points and overshadow critical issues in an election. But demographics matter to some voters, said Melissa Deckman, chair and professor of political science at Washington College in Chestertown. Studies show that AfricanAmerican and Latino voters tend to support candidates who are like them, but not all voters
vote for their own, she said. For instance, women do not tend to vote for other women so much as they tend to lean Democratic. While many African-Americans voted for Barack Obama in 2008, isolating race has proven difficult in empirical political science research, Deckman said. If elected, Brown would be the state’s first black governor. But so would Lollar, and to date, Lollar’s race has been a focal point. Vatz said demographics matter more to Democrats than Republicans. “It has to be said that this is really one sided,” Vatz said. Deckman agreed. “Republicans, by definition, do not like to do identity politics,” Deckman said. For candidates in the majority Democratic state, how and when to mention demographics
in a campaign is a challenge. Deckman said it can be a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation. “In some respects, these would be important milestones for those communities,” she said. “But you also have to weigh the general election and general voters. You have to appeal to people in the middle of the road. Too much emphasis on identity politics really turns off Republicans.” A poll commissioned by Brown’s campaign showed the lieutenant governor leading among Democrats with 43 percent. Trailing behind were Gansler with 22 percent and Mizeur with 5 percent. However, 31 percent of those polled were undecided. kalexander@gazette.net
Five years into Montgomery trans fat ban, violations persist County has not had to impose $50-per-offense fine, official says
n
BY IAN
ZELAYA
SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE
Five years after Montgomery County imposed a ban on trans fats in food establishments, nearly 10 percent of restaurant inspections are turning up violations. During fiscal year 2013, there were 308 trans fat violations out of 3,238 inspections, said Clark Beil, a senior administrator for the county’s Licensure and Regulatory Services. If a restaurant is found to use cooking products with more than 0.5 grams of trans fat or without labels, it’s considered a violation of the countywide ban. Trans fat, most of which is artificial, is responsible for raising LDL (bad) cholesterol levels
and increasing the risk of stroke, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Montgomery County was the first county in the country to ban trans fat in restaurants and supermarkets. The ban started in 2008 for vegetable oils, shortenings or margarines for frying, pan frying and grilling, or for spreads, and took effect in 2009 for oils and shortenings for deep frying cake batter and yeast dough. It applies to any place “in which food or drink is prepared for sale or for service on or off the premises,” according to a county fact sheet on the ban. Beil said most of the violations this year were from firsttime offenders. The ban does not apply to food served in a manufacturer’s original sealed packaging, the fact sheet says. “Sometimes people don’t realize their product is a violation,” Beil said. “We ask them to
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fix it and they always do.” The DoubleTree Hotel Bethesda received a trans fat violation in 2012, but was in compliance with the regulation for its two inspections this year. Mente Lawson, the executive chef of Share Wine Lounge & Small Plate Bistro at the DoubleTree, said that when the ban was implemented in 2008, the only product he had to replace was frying oil. At first, the only issue was purchasing products differently, Lawson said. Most chefs buy through wholesale. Some products containing trans fat had to be sent back. Eventually, the wholesale venues he buys from changed products to match the guidelines. Lawson said trans fat can be found in many processed meals, but he makes most of his dishes from scratch. Lawson believes the countywide trans fat ban is beneficial.
“A lot of foods have trans fat leading to obesity,” he said. “Anything that comes back to what the body can break down naturally is better for us in the long run and short run.” The county’s environmental health specialists do the inspections. According to Beil, the inspections are not complicated. “They simply look on shelves in the pantry and storerooms of the restaurant and they read the labels,” he said.
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If an establishment is found to have a first-time violation for a product, specialists ask those in charge to replace the product. Beil said restaurants usually replace products immediately. The director of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services can suspend an establishment’s license for up to three days if the business has “knowingly and repeatedly” violated the ban, the fact sheet says. “Obviously, if someone were
to repeatedly not replace a product, we have the ability to issue a citation,” he said. An offense is a Class C civil violation, carrying a $50 fine. Each day in which the establishment is in violation is considered a separate offense. However, “I don’t recall anyone every being fined,” Beil said; offenders comply quickly. Beil said no restaurants have appealed the inspectors’ findings.