Tag Archives: Maryland

Assateague Coastal Trust Forum

Posted on August 25, 2010 | Leave a comment

County Commissioner Candidates at Tuesday evening’s ACT forum (left to right): Jimmy Schoolfield (D-1), Jerre Clauss (R-1), Bill McDermott (R-1), Larry Ward (R-1), Edward Lee (D-2), Virgil Shockley (D-4), Tommy Tucker (D-4), Linda Busick (R-6), and John Bodnar (D-5).

Nine candidates for Worcester County Commissioner grappled with a range of questions at the Assateague Coastal Trust’s forum for commissioners at Snow Hill High School on Tuesday evening.

Someone once said that 80 percent of life is just showing up. The incumbent County Commissioners didn’t have a very good attendance record Tuesday night. Only two of the seven commissioners presently employed by the citizens of Worcester County participated. That’s not even enough for a quorum.

The two incumbents in attendance were Mr. Shockley, a Democrat who represents District 4, the large, rural, western portion of Worcester County; and Ms. Busick, a Republican from District 6, the northern end of the county. Of the 13 candidates who would be new faces at the county offices, seven were present Tuesday, and six were absent, by my reckoning.

In fairness, most of the candidates who were not on hand are from the northern part of the county, especially Ocean Pines and Ocean City. Honestly, no one can attend every political meeting. Perhaps they are planning to be at the Assateague Coastal Trust’s next scheduled forum, in Berlin. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, Sept. 7, 5:30 p.m., at the Berlin Intermediate School.

Some candidates missing, but lots of seats available in the audience, too.

The public didn’t have such a good attendance record, either, Tuesday night. Nothing unusual about that! As a news reporter, I’ve covered meetings of all kinds from one end of Maryland to the other. Wherever you go, you’ll find that the public in general shows little interest in the hum-drum of civic affairs.

People like to grumble about government, but they leave it to their elected officials to do anything about it. Fair enough. If I’m elected to the House of Delegates this fall, I plan to devote my energy full-time, year-round to the people’s business.

As the two pictures from the forum show, an impression of the size and attendance at any event depends on where you point the camera.

Four incumbents were absent: James Purnell (D-2), Bud Church (R-3), Judy Boggs (R-5), and Louise Gulyas (R-7). District 1, which includes Pocomoke City and the southern part of the county, does not have an incumbent running. I guess we should cut these incumbents some slack, because truth be told, they have sat through hundreds of meetings for the county during the past four years.

Candidates who would potentially be new faces had better attendance. Three were challengers in Districts 2, 4, and 5. And four participants were from District 1.

The nine candidates in attendance had a spirited discussion, and they were all polite and respectful to each other. Environmental and agricultural issues were addressed, of course, but education, housing, and jobs were also discussed. The forum also touched on county government transparency and the controversy surrounding the Liquor Control Board.

Just to give a sample of the candidates’ comments:  Jimmy Schoolfield of District 1 said he’s particularly interested in bringing business and jobs to the Pocomoke City area, including the industrial park.

Edward Lee of District 2 said affordable housing is in short supply in his area, and he wants to pursue the concept of a Housing Commission, possibly by redirecting some existing funds or employees.

Virgil Shockley of District 4, a 12-year veteran of the commissioners,  provided needed technical expertise on many issues, most notably efforts to bring broadband wireless internet access to Worcester County.

Linda Busick, during the discussion on housing, pointed out that although many of the residents of the resort areas of the county are affluent — some even wealthy — we also have a significant amount of local poverty.

The nine candidates running to represent Worcester County in the Maryland General Assembly (two Senate candidates and seven delegate candidates) were invited to attend as observers.

But only two legislative candidates showed up to listen and learn. They were A. Kaye Kenney, Republican candidate for House of Delegates from Wicomico County, and Bernard John Hayden (that’s me), Democratic candidate for Delegate from West Ocean City.

– John Hayden

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Posted in Election 2010, Environment, Maryland politics

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“What’s In It For Me?”

Posted on August 22, 2010 | Leave a comment

Let me tell you a story.

It’s about a strike we almost had when I worked at Maryland’s largest newspaper.

The Sun was intent on breaking the Baltimore-Washington Newspaper Guild, following the example of The Free Press in Detroit. Guild members included famous reporters;  anonymous night copy editors (like me); hundreds of advertising and circulation department employees; and about 40 janitors.

The newspaper’s strategy was to force a strike by outsourcing the janitors’ jobs to low-paying contractors. Guild leaders felt honor-bound to defend  the janitors.

The tension built through weeks of  negotiations. On deadline day, everyone was ready to strike. We knew there would be no coming back. Some of us would find jobs in other cities; most would be jobless.

When copy editors came to work that afternoon, management people were sitting in our chairs. Security guards were standing by.

At 4 p.m. word came that The Sun had offered a contract. A grim-faced manager passed out a memo. He asked us to vote for the contract.

“I don’t think so,” I said.

At 6 p.m., Guild members — hundreds strong — marched  across Calvert Street to vote the contract down. We took our belongings with us.

We gathered at Center Stage. The 10 members of the negotiating committee sat at a table up front. One young women spoke for the committee. I don’t remember her name. She was a graphic artist in the newsroom. Like most newsroom employees, she was well-educated and relatively well-paid.

She said The Sun had offered a deal, and the negotiating committee was recommending we accept it.

“You want to know what’s in this contract,” she said. “You want to know, what’s in it for you. I can tell you what’s in it for me.”

She said the next sentence slowly:

“There’s . .. NOTHING . . .in this contract . . . for ME. . . .”

No raises for the newsroom. BUT, we had saved the jobs of the janitors. We had gained small pay increases for a few members at the bottom of the scale. That was it.

“If you’re like me, there’s nothing in this for you. But I’m asking you to ratify this contract.”

It took a few minutes to sink in. We had won, but only a few would benefit. We voted to approve the contract, grudgingly.

As we approach the 2010 elections in a time of economic uncertainty, Americans are sharply divided into two groups.

  1. Those who say, “What’s in it for me? I want mine!”
  2. And those who say, “What’s best for the least among us? I’m willing to sacrifice for my neighbors and my country.”

We’ll decide by Election Day, each of us in the privacy of the voting booth. I expect that “What’s in it for me?” will win, but I hope I’m wrong.

– John Hayden

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Posted in Economy, Election 2010, Maryland politics

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The ‘Great Reset’ and the 2010 Election

Posted on August 20, 2010 | Leave a comment
Annapolis - Maryland State House

Maryland State House in Annapolis, Image by 1Flatworld via Flickr

I’m republishing a post I wrote for “Maryland On My Mind,” on Jan. 13, 2010. Seven months later, these points seem more relevant than ever. The economic crisis and political polarization grow more unpredictable with each passing month. But many people remain in denial about the realities of change and dislocation.

I believe the General Assembly has taken the first, faltering steps along the road to the Great Reset. But most of the country, and most of Maryland, is paralyzed by fear, anger, and a can’t-do mentality. It is not good for polarization to be so extreme, and hatred so widespread.

Legislators elected this year are going to have to look fear in the eye and stare it down. They’ll have to endure distrust and hostility every day, but move calmly forward into an unpredictable future. Somehow, they’ll need to begin to heal our divisions and restore trust.

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JAN. 13, 2010 — Today is the first day of the 2010 legislative session for the Maryland General Assembly. The state of Maryland, along with most of its counties and local governments, is at a point of financial reckoning.

Maryland is not alone. Almost every other state is in the same predicament, or worse. It is possible that California may suffer default or bankruptcy in some form this year.

I think 2010 will mark the beginning of the Great Reset in America, starting at the state and local and household levels. (Richard Florida has written a book titled “The Great Reset.”) By reset, I mean that we will have to accept change, and establish new paradigms, new “normals,” in our economy, politics, government, and business. This means adjustments in our daily way of living. It started with work and employment. The jobs aren’t coming back. I doubt that consumer spending will come back either. We may need to adjust to smaller houses and smaller cars. We definitely need less borrowing and debt.

Jon Taplin has written extensively about what he calls “the Interregnum.” Jon says the old order has ended, but the new order has not yet begun, or if it has begun, it has not been firmly established. So we are in between, a time of Interregnum. I think that, at least at the State level, we are entering a later stage of the Interregnum, the Great Reset.

Throughout 2009, America was grieving the demise of the American Dream. Many people have suffered in the collapse of economic bubbles, the Wall Street crisis, and government intervention to rescue the private sector. Anger has degenerated into arguing, finger-pointing, and extreme partisan acrimony.

The next stage, which begins in 2010, has to be acceptance, or at least recognition, of change. Many of our economic and political assumptions and paradigms need to be examined. State governments are being forced to address fiscal crises. Legislatures from Maryland to California need to set new priorities for spending and government services. Some of the changes in education, health care, government bureaucracies, pensions, and government regulation will be difficult to accept.

Of course, many in America still hope for a return to the status quo ante. We long for the comfort of the bubbles. People need to accept that the clock cannot be turned back. We cannot repeat the same mistakes.

For the Maryland General Assembly and most of America, beginning the the Great Reset this year will be difficult because it’s an election year. Painful decisions about the Great Reset have been postponed until 2011. Some individuals and families are out ahead of government and business — many of us have already started to adjust our lifestyles and spending.

But many vested interests will resist resetting as stubbornly as Wall Street bankers have resisted parting with their bonuses. The Great Reset is going to take more than one year.

– John Hayden

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Posted in Economy, Election 2010, Maryland politics

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