Tag Archives: Republicans

New Voter Web Site Launched by League of Women Voters

Posted on August 31, 2010 | 2 Comments

The League of Women Voters has published local Voter Guides for many years. The guides have usually been distributed in newspapers and at the library. The LWV invented the concept of a voter guide. Now they’ve reinvented it!

This year, the League of Women Voters is revolutionizing the way voters get information about candidates. The LWV has launched VOTE411.org. which it calls “Election Information You Need.”

VOTE411.org is nothing short of amazing. It brings election information into the 21st Century. Now, everyone can be an informed voter, even if you don’t follow the news in newspapers or on TV.

Every voter, no matter where they live, can go to VOTE411.org, and find information about their state candidates. The site is user-friendly. It’s organized so that all the candidates for an office are listed together on one page. You can click on any two candidates and compare them side-by-side. If you want, you can save and print your own personalized sample ballot, and take it with you to the polls.

Rest assured, the LWV did not leave out the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. All the state candidates, from governor to House of Delegates, in Worcester, Wicomico, and Somerset Counties are included. The site lists the names of the many candidates for County Commissioner in Worcester County, but doesn’t provide photos or information for those candidates.

To see and compare the seven candidates for House of Delegates in District 38B, and the candidates for State Senate in District 38, simply click right here. You’ll bring up a list of Maryland candidates, starting with governor at top, to House of Delegates and County Commissioner candidates at the bottom. Click through the pages to find the offices and candidates you’re interested in.

The League of Women Voters is nonpartisan. They provide information on Democratic and Republican candidates on an equal basis. And of course, the League of Women Voters is  NOT for women only. The LWV has always provided information on all candidates, regardless of gender, race, or anything else.

– John Hayden


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Posted in Election 2010, Maryland politics

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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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District 38B Voter Registration By Party

Posted on August 17, 2010 | Leave a comment


Campaigning from West Ocean City to Snow Hill, to Pocomoke City, to Salisbury, to Berlin, to Ocean Pines, I’m putting a lot of miles on my car. As you can see by the above map, District 38B is one of the largest legislative districts in Maryland, by land area.

I’m grateful that we still have lots of wide open farmland and water, here on the Lower Eastern Shore, at the somewhat isolated southeastern corner of the great state of Maryland. One of my goals in running for House of Delegates is to keep it that way (open country that is, not necessarily isolated).

Recent numbers show Democrats continuing to hold the lead in voter registration in District 38B, which is all of Worcester County and the northern and eastern portions of  Wicomico County. This will come as no surprise to anyone who grew up in Maryland. People on Maryland’s Eastern Shore have a long tradition of being Democrats.

A candidate for Wicomico County Council recently told the following story. It’s available on You Tube. When he was a child, he asked his grandfather, who was an Eastern Shore farmer, why he was a Democrat. His grandfather said, “Because Democrats are for the people.” If you’re not from Maryland, you might not understand. It’s an Eastern Shore thing. (Although as you can see by the map, Republicans have picked up a lot of strength in the central part of the Eastern Shore, which was once solidly Democratic. Nevertheless, we still have plenty of Democrats in those areas.)

As of Aug. 16, the Worcester County Board of Elections reports:

  • Democrats, 19,412
  • Republicans, 16,541
  • Unaffiliated, 6,615
  • Total, not including insignificant minor parties, 36,568

And in the District 38B portion of Wicomico County, the Wicomico Election Board’s numbers as of June 1 are:

  • Democrats, 8,658
  • Republicans, 7,634
  • Unaffiliated, 3,009
  • Total, not including minor parties, 19,301

The Democratic Candidates

Rep. Frank Kratovil

Instant analysis: Some people are under the delusion that District 38 leans slightly Republican. The map and the numbers tell a different story. It’s not a coincidence that our Eastern Shore Congressman, Rep. Frank Kratovil, is a Democrat, and both delegates presently representing District 38B are Democrats. They are Del. Jim Mathias and Del. Norm Conway.

Del. Mathias is running for the State Senate, and he is without a doubt the candidate most able and most well-prepared to represent the Lower Eastern Shore in the Senate. Jim Mathias, a conservative Democrat, is going to be the next state senator from the Lower Eastern Shore, and that is a very good thing.


Mathias

Three Democrats and four Republicans are running for the two House of Delegates seats in 38B. The three Democrats  are the incumbent, Del. Norm Conway, of Salisbury; Gee Williams, of Berlin; and me, John Hayden, of West Ocean City.

Conway

The Democratic edge in voter registration is significant in 38B, but not overwhelming. The number of independents, or unaffiliated, as we call them in Maryland, is relatively small, compared to some other places. But there are certainly enough unaffiliated voters to swing an election either way. And it is worth pointing out that Republicans sometimes have a higher percentage turnout than Democrats.

Unaffiliated voters fall into two groups. You have those who value their political independence and take it seriously; and those who are simply not interested in politics.

Hayden

The takeaway: When Democrats turn out to vote in District 38B, Democrats win. There are enough unaffiliated voters to turn a close election to either party. I believe that the unaffiliated voters tend to vote for the best candidates, regardless of party.

Both parties will select their two nominees for House of Delegates in the September primaries. Voter registration will be reopened after the September primary so more new voters can register before the general election in November.

I would hazard a guess that in this year of uncertainty, any two of the Democratic hopefuls in District 38B will have more credibility and more real-world savvy than any two of the Republican hopefuls. That’s my opinion. Considering that I’ve been a registered Democrat in Maryland since I was old enough to vote, my opinion is not exactly unbiased.

Many issues are up for debate between now and November, and there’s plenty of time for any of the candidates to demonstrate their grasp of the issues. I have a feeling the voters will be watching closely.

Voter Registration Deadline

The deadline to register to vote in the September Democratic or Republican primary elections is fast approaching. The deadline is Tuesday, Aug. 24. To find out if you’re already registered, and to find out how to register (it’s easy), go to the Maryland Elections Center Web site.

Note that only registered Democrats can vote in the Democratic primary election in September, and only registered Republicans can vote in the Republican primary election in September. If you’re registered independent or unaffiliated and you want to vote in one of the primaries, you can change your affiliation to either Democratic, or Republican. It’s  your choice! The deadline for changing your party affiliation is also Tuesday, Aug. 24. I invite you to join the majority of your Eastern Shore neighbors by registering in the Democratic Party!

Every registered voter, Democratic, Republican or Unaffiliated, may vote for any candidate and any party of their choosing in the November General Elections. Registering Democratic or Republican does not in any way limit your right to vote for YOUR candidates or your party  in November.

– John Hayden

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Posted in Election 2010, Maryland politics

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