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The Dundalk Eagle, Dundalk, MD
May 8, 2014
Endorsements spread out in County Council contest Democrats seek to break out of pack by Ben Boehl When there are five candidates running for one nomination, there is a lot of scrapping involved, and every advantage counts — including endorsements. That phenomenon is readily apparent on the Democratic side of the County Council race. When Councilman John Olszewski, Sr. decided not to seek re-election after this year, five Democrats have come out for the nomination. Five have proven to be a crowd, and each candidate is trying to separate himself from the others. The sorting of the field began when — as was widely expected — Olszewski endorsed longtime friend and ally County Seal Democratic Club president Ron Yeatman to succeed him. Yeatman was also endorsed by the Baltimore
County Professional Fire Fighters & Paramedics Association Local 1311 and received a nod for the Teachers Association of Baltimore County (TABCO). Essex-Middle River Renaissance Corp, president Joe DiCara has been endorsed by former Democratic state senator and schoolteacher Mike Collins and received an endorsement from Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 25, which represents county sheriff’s deputies, in March. “I couldn’t be more pleased or honored. The deputy sheriffs know Baltimore County and law enforcement. I value their support and commitment,” DiCara said of the endorsement. Former New 7th Democratic Club president C.O. “Bud” Staigerwald received an endorsement from former county councilman Joe Bartenfelder in February and received the nod from the AFL-CIO last month. Multiple sources alleged to The Eagle that the Baltimore-area AFL-
Although Yeatman, DiCara and Staigerwald are the only Democrats to pick up major endorsements, Holupka and Weir both believe they are strong contenders in this race. photo by Ben Boehl CIO council was set to endorse Yeatman, but that Staigerwald was chosen after the state council intervened. “Yeatman was endorsed by the local AFL-CIO, but when the local recommendation went to the state level of the AFL-CIO, the state level changed their endorsement to [Staigerwald],” claimed one source. Ernie Grecco, president of the AFL-CIO’s Balti-
more Metropolitan Council, denied that Yeatman was ever considered and said the local group picked Staigerwald — not the state AFL-CIO. “We do not take nominations [from outside sources], he said. “We have a process with our delegates, and Staigerwald got the endorsement.” County Recreation and Parks board member Brian Weir entered the race
Assembly session a victory for hard-working families This past session of the General Assembly is best described as a victory for our hard-working families. For once, money will be added to the pockets – or pocketbooks – and not taken away by new taxes or increased fees. Other measures passed will undoubtedly improve quality of life on many levels. But first, let’s talk about our own house — the state of Maryland — and its financial standing. We passed a balanced budget that invests in education, public safety, transportation and jobs, while funding an assortment of local projects to enrich our community. Our spending growth will be kept at 3.5 percent, which leaves us a cash balance of $900 million and an ability to retain our AAA bond rating. I am proud to say we are one of only seven states that have kept this high bond rating throughout the recession. Many will greatly benefit from passing the gradual increase in the minimum wage: Maryland’s minimum wage rises to $8 per hour on Jan. 1, 2015, and six months later, in-
Sonny Side Up by State Del. Joseph ‘Sonny’ Minnick (6th District)
!"#$ %&'($ )&*+($ ,--./($ 0*.12.345$ 63378&1.+5$ 9:$ ;<!"<=<>><?$8@&3(A$!<"=B!<=###; joseph.minnick@house.state.md.us creases to $8.25 per hour on July 1. Subsequent increases occur on July 1, 2016, 2017 and 2018, when the minimum wage will increase, respectively, to $8.75, $9.25 and $10.10 per hour. Having owned a small business, I understand the day-to-day struggle of meeting payroll and expenses, while trying to make a profit. This is why I was not supportive of the increase. Nonetheless, I am pleased to know this measure will boost salaries, help household budgets and give workers a little peace of mind. We also increased the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is seen as one of the most effective tools for preventing working families from slipping into poverty. For the past 16 years, Maryland has offered one of the most generous refundable EITCs in the country – currently 25 per-
cent of the value of the federal credit. This assures us we’ll be able to see more money in the checkbook. To better prepare our younger family members, we took the first step in expanding Maryland’s public pre-kindergarten programs to provide full-day public pre-kindergarten for all four-year-olds – not just some. Now, local jurisdictions and community providers can apply for additional funds to expand existing pre-kindergarten programs under a competitive grant program. Roadway safety in our communities will be improved by legislation which tightens the rules applying to the use of speed cameras. A police officer must endorse speed camera citations, and the cameras must pass daily calibration tests by an independent inspector. This should remedy a troublesome situation.
Contractors operating the speed cameras cannot receive payment on a perticket basis, and manufacturers must pay a penalty of more than 5 percent if the tickets are erroneous. Cameras are permitted in school zones with speed limits of at least 20 m.p.h. For 15 days after a speed camera is installed, only warning citations may be issued. Closer to home, the General Assembly approved a partly-elected Baltimore County School Board, a measure many have fought long and hard for many years. The legislation creates a hybrid board made up of seven elected and four appointed members, along with a student member. A nominating commission will be charged with recommending names to the governor. Hopefully, these new laws passed during the 2014 session will strengthen our middle class and help maintain the quality of life we enjoy in our communities. I am grateful to see that the elected officials in Annapolis chose to take these important steps to improve our lives.
late and has not picked up any major endorsements, but he has been able to raise funds; a recent campaign finance report showed him with an account of $6,315.11 as of April 13. Weir has raised over $2,500 campaign contributions since March 1 and garnered over $4,500 in ticket sales from a single campaign event. Weir said he has not gotten any endorsements, but is only concerned about getting the endorsement of the public on June 24. Weir was the last candidate to enter the race back in late February. “Honestly I got in at the last minute because my rec, councils and all the regular people wanted someone that was not a puppet looking out for the regular person to change the quality of life,” Weir said. “The government center issues were big and I worked hard with Dundalk United and their efforts.” One candidate who has seemingly fallen off the radar is Greater Dundalk Community Council (GDCC) president Scott Holupka. Although he has been seen at a variety of community meetings, Holupka has not been as publicly visible as some of his opponents and has not put out the abundance of campaign paraphernalia like yard signs and stickers to match the other four council candidates. Holupka responded that his signs will be in the area soon, but pointed out that “yard signs don’t vote in elections,” adding that he has been campaigning door-to-door. “Don’t mistake signs for campaigning. Yes, I’m still committed to the race,”
“Don’t mistake signs for campaigning. Yes, I’m still committed to the race.” Scott Holupka
Holupka said. “I’ve been attending some community meetings, but focusing even more on knocking on doors and talking to — hopefully — likely voters. And, at least in the precincts where I’ve been, I’ve been told that I’m the only council candidate that has been there.” The eventual Democratic nominee will face Republican candidate Todd Crandell, who said that he has been following the Democratic race and feels confident against whoever wins the primary. “I do not have a preference in who to face; I’m confident in our growing base of bi-partisan support throughout the district, the strength of our endorsements so far in [former] Gov. [Bob] Ehrlich, Councilman [David] Marks and Bob Staab, and we have the hardest working volunteer campaign organization in the district — so we feel very good about November no matter who we face,” Crandell said. All six candidates will meet on Wednesday, May 21, at 7 p.m. at the North Point-Edgemere Volunteer Fire Department hall for a County Council forum, held by the Dundalk Chamber of Commerce and the Millers IslandEdgemere Business Association.