By Adam Pagnucco.
When the county’s GOP-controlled Board of Elections tried to eliminate early voting sites in Burtonsville and Chevy Chase, Council Member Tom Hucker was one of the leaders in getting the decision overturned. Hucker is reminding his District 5 constituents of that achievement with the mailer below.
By Adam Pagnucco.
District 5 County Council Member Tom Hucker, who is running for reelection, has sent out a mailer spotlighting a Silver Spring farmer who credits him for saving his farm from development. Hucker’s opponent, Kevin Harris, is criticizing him for not participating in public campaign financing. This mailer is an effective counter-response in pointing out that Hucker has a progressive record going back more than twenty years, both in and out of office. We expect to see a lot more communications like this one.
By Adam Pagnucco.
A few interesting things popped up in candidate filings today.
Krish Vignarajah has still not filed for Governor. Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz has filed, but his announced running mate, former Montgomery County Council Member Valerie Ervin, is not listed on his filing.
Grace Rivera-Oven, who was the Political Director of David Trone’s campaign for Congress, filed to run for Council At-Large on February 26. She has started a traditional campaign finance account.
Jarrett Smith, who is a current member of the Takoma Park City Council, filed to run for Council At-Large on February 23. Smith was reelected to the City Council in November and will not have to leave his seat to campaign for county office. Smith has started a traditional financing account.
Kenge Malikidogo-Fludd has filed for County Council District 5. Bethesda Magazine previously reported that Kevin Harris is running against incumbent Tom Hucker. Malikidogo-Fludd is using public financing, as is Harris, while Hucker has not yet opened a public financing account. However, Malikidogo-Fludd’s listed address is in Germantown, which is not in District 5.
Jaye Espy, who was running for Delegate in District 15, withdrew from the race on February 21.
Michelle Carhart of Rockville filed for District 18 Senate on February 22. Delegate Jeff Waldstreicher and Dana Beyer, who has run for Senate and House unsuccessfully in the past, are also running. Carhart’s website is inactive at this writing.
Filing closes at 9 PM tomorrow night. There may be more news in store by then!
Note: an earlier version of this post reported that Jarrett Smith had not yet established a campaign account. We apologize for the error.
By Adam Pagnucco.
Significant speculation surrounds the number of candidates who could be running for county office in MoCo next year. Some believe that fifty or more people are interested in running but the ultimate number will probably be much less. Below are the candidates who are actually running for County Executive or County Council at this moment. All of them have either established a campaign committee, have filed to run, have publicly announced their intent to run or are incumbents who are eligible for reelection. If there are mistakes or omissions on this list, please let us know. We will be posting regular updates.
By Adam Pagnucco.
District 5 County Council Member Tom Hucker filed for reelection to his current seat on June 19. Hucker’s decision ends speculation that he was considering the at-large race, in which he would have been a formidable contender. It may also lead 2014 District 5 candidate Evan Glass, who came very close to winning, to run at-large. What is currently unknown is whether Hucker will have any challengers. Below is his filing from the state’s candidate list.
Interestingly, this decision leaves MCEA without an endorsed candidate in Council District 5. Unlike SEIU, they did not make the jump from Barclay to Hucker.
Delegates attending today’s monthly meeting of the MCEA Representative Assembly have voted to rescind their recommendation of Christopher Barclay in the race for the District 5 seat on the Montgomery County Council. MCEA President Doug Prouty issued the following statement:
“As teachers and childhood educators, we hold ourselves to the highest of standards. It is what our community expects of all those in public service. We also believe that Chris Barclay has been – and we hope will continue to be – an important voice for our county’s neediest students, schools and neighborhoods. Nevertheless, we regretfully withdraw MCEA’s recommendation of Mr. Barclay in the June 24th primary election for the vacant County Council District 5 office. We look forward to continuing to work with Chris as a member of the Board of Education. We believe that he – and we – can continue to be strong partners in focusing resources and attention on the challenge of closing student achievement gaps and narrowing the growing income gaps in our community. We believe Chris can have a good future in public service in the county. But in light of the recent news and financial disclosures, we cannot recommend him in this race at this time”.
The Representative Assembly consists of elected MCEA representatives from schools and worksites across the county. Approximately 130 MCEA Representatives participated in today’s discussion and decision. This action, like all candidate recommendations, required approval of a super-majority (58%) of those voting.
Approval of this motion by the MCEA Representative Assembly leaves the Association with no position in the Council 5 race.
SEIU Local 500 is dropping it’s endorsement of embattled School Board Member Chris Barclay and instead endorsing State Delegate Tom Hucker in the open seat contest in Council District 5. Press release is below.
SEIU Local 500 Endorses Tom Hucker for Montgomery County Council District 5
Hucker’s experience and progressive record cited as reasons for the endorsement
(Gaithersburg, MD) SEIU Local 500 changed their endorsement to Tom Hucker in Montgomery County Council District 5 primary.
“For as long as our members have known and worked with Tom Hucker, he has been a steadfast supporter of our schools, our children and our community,” said Merle Cuttitta, President of SEIU Local 500. “Whether it was marriage equality, the Dream Act or funding education, Tom stood with us – and more importantly, he stood with the people of Montgomery County. He is an experienced leader on progressive issues and he has a track record of getting things done. We have no reservations about endorsing him for the Montgomery County Council.”
Concerns that recent disclosures have become a distraction prompted Local 500 to withdraw their endorsement from Christopher Barclay and put their full support behind Tom Hucker, who has been an outspoken progressive leader in the Maryland House of Delegates.
“Christopher Barclay has been a strong advocate on behalf of our members and for education in our community,” said David Rodich, Executive Director of SEIU Local 500. “Unfortunately, recent developments have become a distraction and raised serious concerns about his electability. Our members’ number one issue in District 5 is having a progressive County Councilperson who will stand up for social and economic justice. Our members are not prepared to leave that outcome to chance. Tom Hucker has the experience and he is ready to be the progressive Councilperson District 5 needs.”
SEIU Local 500 represents over 20,000 people across Maryland and the District of Columbia, including supporting services employees in Montgomery County Public Schools and part-time faculty at Montgomery College.
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Reliable source tells me that MCEA is getting ready to revoke its endorsement of Chris Barclay for Montgomery County Council District 5 in the wake of the school board expenses scandal and endorse someone else unknown to me. Wise decision to maintain credibility in the wake of this disqualifying scandal.
I received the following response from Terrill North to Del. Eric Luedtke’s post about the needs of the northern end of Montgomery County Council District 5. Like Evan Glass, he is a candidate for this open council seat.
David,
I’m glad Del. Luedtke is paying attention, but as the unnamed candidate he mentioned canvassing the area I’d like to add a few details.
I began talking with my neighbors in Burtonsville “officially” in 2010 when I led Impact Silver Spring’s efforts knocking on over 4500 doors and meeting with community leaders examining local needs.
Residents told us they wanted:
· constructive activities for the youth, and
· better job opportunities for adults.That year (with seed money from Councilmember Navarro), we expanded Impact’s afterschool program (then serving 60-90 kids in Long Branch) to East County (now serving over 400 youth primarily in East County). This year, we worked with a coalition of stakeholders to launch the first workforce development program serving East County (so local residents could benefit from job opportunities coming with the FDA Science Center). We are also currently working to bring Montgomery College continuing education programs to the East County Regional Services Center.
I’m already enacting the plan for East County based on resident concerns.
As a candidate, spending a lot of time in East County is second nature to me because most of my in-laws live there; I’ve been hearing their concerns without asking since long before 2010! Since my campaign kick-off at Cuba de Ayer on Route 198 in February, I have been actively engaging Burtonsville voters (and non-voters). I will be in White Oak this weekend meeting with 230 families from another multi-cultural youth program I work with, structuring a summer day camp featuring sports, meals, and academics (modeled on the program I saved from Bush Administration cuts in 2007 as a Hill staffer). That’s after judging an oratorical contest for East County youth that morning (1st annual competition of MoCo youth in the Baltimore Urban Debate League).
I will disagree with Eric about one thing, I don’t think East County is ignored. The key, however, is that residents need to vote! The precinct at Greencastle Elementary had an 8% turnout in the 2010 local primary, compared to 40% at Takoma Park Elementary. I spoke at a D14 Democratic Club forum last week where the only Burtonsville residents in attendance were candidates for central committee. The more folks vote, the more quickly issues will be addressed.
I develop institutions that improve the lives of District Five residents wherever they live. I put as much effort into establishing a workforce development program in East County as securing over $1 million for stormwater mitigation in Takoma Park. Best of both worlds!
Regards,
Terrill
Statement from Christopher Barclay Regarding
Board of Education Expenses
Rockville, M.D. – (May 22, 2014) Christopher Barclay released the following statement today:
“I would like to express regret using a Board of Education-issued credit card for personal use. Though I made sure to repay the board after any personal expense, I agree that this should not be an accepted practice. There has been an active debate regarding the Board of Education’s expense policy and when expenses for school board business are appropriate. I welcome that debate. I support the existing task force recently put together by my colleague and Board of Education President Phil Kauffman to review how the board manages its expense policy. I believe the Montgomery County Council has avoided the use of county-issued credit cards all together and I would support the school board considering the possibility of a similar approach.
This has been a teaching moment for me. As a member of the board for the past eight years, I have worked steadily to ensure that all students enrolled in Montgomery County Public Schools have access to quality education. In pursuit of this goal, I have approached my duty as a school board member as a full-time job. Expenses reimbursed by the county reflect time spent working as a member of the board including engaging parents and students in the community, sitting down with community leaders and attending conferences to learn best practices. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure a more transparent process in spending practices. I look forward to continuing to be the unwavering, dedicated advocate I am known for regarding real challenges facing our families particularly the achievement gap in our schools, income inequality, and access to equal opportunity to thrive in Montgomery County.”
