Thanks to Alan Banov for providing the following:
Early Voting in Montgomery County, 2010
The primary will be held on Tuesday, September 14, and the general election will be on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. However, those are not the only days in which people can vote. Thanks to a new Constitutional Amendment and new laws, anyone can vote on the following dates, without any particular excuse or reason:
Primary 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sept. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9, 2010
General 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Oct. 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, and 28, 2010
Early voting will be at five locations throughout the County
1) Germantown Recreation Center, 18905 Kingsview Rd., Germantown 20874
2) Bauer Drive Recreation Center, 14625 Bauer Drive, Rockville 20853
3) Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville 20850
4) Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center, 14906 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville 20866
5) Silver Spring Civic Center, One Veterans Place (corner of Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street), Silver Spring 20910
(After 2010 early voting will also be held on Sundays within the early voting periods.)
Vote close to where you live. Vote close to where you work. Or just vote at any of the five places you choose. Just vote only once!
The rules for voting are just the same as for other elections. The only differences are that you can vote anywhere, not just close to your precinct, and you may vote somewhat shorter hours (10 a.m. to 8 p.m., not 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.).
Due to early voting, we expect shorter lines at the polls on the regular election days and we may learn the election results faster!
For more details, go to http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/eletmpl.asp?url=/content/elections/2010GubernatorialElection/EarlyVoting/EarlyVoting.asp
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Information on Early Voting
Alan Banov's Central Committee Letter
Below is a copy of his letter on why he is running for reelection to an at-large spot on the Central Committee:
I am running for re-election to the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee again because I want to continue helping the County Party elect Democrats for County, State, and Federal offices and offer my extensive experience to the new members who will be elected to the Central Committee.
I have been a Democrat since I was a little boy. When I was 6 and 10, I voted for Adlai Stevenson in mock elections at my school. In Charleston, SC, not many people, young or old, supported Gov. Stevenson for President in 1952, and even fewer did so in 1956! In 1968, while I was an intern for Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (D-SC), I was proud to cast my first official vote, casting my ballot for Lyndon Johnson for President. I majored in political science and history in college (University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill) and decided to become a lawyer to help the underdogs. For over 30 years I have had a practice devoted to representing employee and labor unions in labor and employment issues. I have always been a liberal or progressive.
I have had extensive experience in the County Democratic precinct organization since 1989, when I became a precinct chair. I have been a precinct chair (13-40 in Kensington) for nine years, an area coordinator in District 18 for four years, and I worked my way up in the District 18 Caucus, from secretary to treasurer to vice-chair to chair in 2001-2002. I was elected to MCDCC in 2002 and again in 2006. In 2006 and 2008 MCDCC elected me to be its vice-chair.
During my last four-year term I led the Issues Committee, which studies election and other issues for the Central Committee. Under my leadership, the Issues Committee recommended that the Central Committee advocate certain measures in the General Assembly; I drafted one bill; and I wrote testimony and testified in Annapolis on a number of bills, including one to reduce the electioneering buffer zone from 100 feet to 25 to 50 feet.
However, my greatest accomplishment was as co-chair of the Voter Protection Committee in the 2008 General Election. In prior years I had helped lead the voter protection efforts at the Board of Elections, Leisure World, and around the County. In the 2008 General Election Karen Czapanskiy and I recruited dozens of lawyers, developed many training materials for them, wrote FAQs for our precinct officials to read before and during the election, and solved problems as they developed. Afterwards, as reported in the November 2008 minutes of MCDCC,
“The Chair of the Central Committee reported that Bruce Marcus (General Counsel of the Maryland State Democratic Party) and Gov. Martin O’Malley both congratulated the Montgomery County Democratic Party’s voter protection program as the most organized in the state.”
Right now I am working with other members of the Central Committee to ensure that the 2010 elections will be run fairly and efficiently. In addition, I am coordinating the Dollars Drive in District 18, to help raise needed money for the operation of the County Party.
I am running with 23 other members of the 2010 Democratic Leadership Team for positions on the 24-member Central Committee – Simon Atlas, Vivian Malloy, Sandra Raymond, Elly Shaw-Belblidia, Venattia Vann, Marie Wallace, and Janet Williams (all running at large), and Marva Deskins and Arthur Edmunds (District 14), Sharon Jackson Bland and Marjorie Goldman (District 15), Almina Khorakiwala and Marc Korman (District 16), Anna Matko and Oscar Ramirez (District 17), Vic Weissberg and Gabe Albornoz (District 18), Elliot Chabot and Charlotte Crutchfield (District 19), Dan Adcock and Karla Walker (District 20), and Darrell Anderson and Francine Towbridge (District 39). All of us are unopposed except for Elliot and Charlotte in District 19.
While I am thus unopposed, I will be doing some campaigning so my fellow Democrats will get to know me and so I can answer any questions about the Central Committee.
I will appreciate the votes of Democrats in the Primary, which will be on September 14, or in the Early Voting period which precedes it (September 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9).
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Alan Banov on Harry Sanders
By Alan Banov.
Harry deserved all of these wonderful accolades. Tom Hucker said it well: one person CAN make a difference, and Harry made a terrific difference in the transit lives of Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, because he was so knowledgeable, logical, passionate, and decent.
Harry (right) and Alan (third from right) at a Dollars Drive Party.
He was also an excellent Democratic Party precinct chair. We could always depend on him to make sure his precinct in Woodside was covered, and he contributed his time in many other ways.
Harry and former Congressman Al Wynn.
I am very sad he is gone.
My heart goes out to Barbara.
Alan Banov is the Vice-Chair of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Kaiser Seems Determined to Give Local ER's and 911 More Business
By Alan Banov.
Did you hear that Kaiser is shutting down its urgent care department at its Kensington Center? And it’s sharply curtailing the other vital services (pharmacy, laboratory and x-rays).
Just after the close of Open Season, in a bait-and-switch move, Kaiser Permanente announced that it will close the Urgent Care after-hours center at its Kensington Center, requiring members from the down-County area and even Northwest DC to drive all the way to Shady Grove when they need urgent care. See the attached letter we received from Kaiser just this week. It announces that these changes will take effect as of February 28 -- less than three weeks from now.
Check out their statement that they are "pleased" to terminate these services. Such chutzpah! How do you think the County would react if Ike Leggett were to announce that he was "pleased" to reduce plowing services dramatically!
This is a matter of life and death for many Kaiser members who may not be able to make it to Shady Grove when they are in need of urgent care. These are senior citizens in their 70s and 80s who may not be able to drive themselves to Shady Grove after dark, especially when they are ill; mothers of children with asthma who will now have to sit on I-270 in rush hour while their children are struggling to breathe; and single adults suffering from a variety chronic illnesses who can't possibly drive themselves to Shady Grove during an acute episode.
The Kensington urgent care center serves people from Northwest DC (the only other urgent care center is in Penn Quarter) and the entire down-county area of Montgomery County. This service change will, of course, place a greater burden on our County services, since many patients will probably end up calling 911 when they need urgent care. They may very well end up at area emergency rooms, which are already over-burdened, because they are too ill to make the 30-45 minute ride to Shady Grove, especially at rush hour. I personally know there have been times when I could barely drive the one mile from my home to the Kensington urgent care center; I could not possibly have made it to Shady Grove.
Details are in a new blog which Daphne White has started:
http://kaiserkensington.wordpress.com/
MPW readers: Could you please contact Kaiser Permanente right away and help us persuade them that this move will be harmful to their members! Specifically, you may contact Marilyn Kawamura, president of Kaiser Permanente for the Mid-AtlanticRegion at marilyn.kawamura@kp.org or 301-816-2424 ext. 0. In addition, please contact Kaiser's medical director, Bernadette Loftus. Her email is Bernadette.loftus@kp.org, and her phone number is 301-816-5239.
Please contact me at my office number (301-588-9699) or at legalrun@aol.com, or fellow Kaiser member Daphne White (301-949-0378) if you need more information or want to help us. (Daphne is the leader of this movement, and she created the blog!)
Thanks!
Alan Banov
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
The Good Sport Awards, 2008
Over the last year, we have poked and prodded our fair share of politicians. And we have encountered a variety of reactions. It is not easy for politicians to see their names on the Internet in sometimes unflattering terms, though that is part of the price they pay for the privilege of power. But the way politicians react to teasing and (sometimes) constructive criticism provides valuable insight into their character. Today, we pay homage to the good sports: those who have reacted with humor and class to an occasional poke from this blog.
Delegate Saqib Ali (D-39)
Any discussion of good sports must start with Delegate Ali, the undisputed King of Facebook. When we posted his hilarious (and borderline unhinged) Facebook Wall declarations, we did not know what to expect. A lesser politician would have reacted with anger or defensiveness. But Delegate Ali turned the tables on us, directing his Facebook legions to swarm this blog and even teasing us in return.
A few weeks ago, another politician was complaining about my coverage of him when Delegate Ali walked by. I told this individual, “Don’t get worked up over what I said about you. Look at what I said about Saqib!” And Delegate Ali chirped in, “Hey, Adam made my Facebook page famous!” And deservedly so, Delegate. Thanks for the good cheer.
Delegate Al Carr (D-18)
Delegate Carr must feel I have it in for him. After all, I zapped him twice in two days: once over the Purple Line and again over the CARR bill. This prompted a friend of mine to ask, “Are you trying to get rid of him?”
Nothing is further from the truth. Al Carr is a decent person who handles disagreements, including the two above, with class and civility. He has not had one cross word for me about his treatment on this blog. Al’s graciousness is a quality I wish more politicians had. (Disclosure: it may not be obvious from my recent comments on the CARR bill, but I am the Treasurer of the District 18 Democratic Team and have contributed to Delegate Carr’s campaign fund.)
David Lublin, Town of Chevy Chase Council Member
Once upon a time, David Lublin generously invited me to join this blog. So what did I do? I promptly spoofed him, mocking his appearance at a fictional press conference about the dreaded blogger tax and assigning him a mythical hairless Chihuahua named Muffitt. Worst of all, David was about to run for Town Council at the time and was directing voters to the blog! But David tolerated my misbehavior and allowed me to continue my diatribes before the rest of you. I suspect he is grateful that I am not one of his constituents.
County Council Member Marc Elrich
Council Member Elrich has taken his lumps here. On one post, I speculated whether the police would catch him skinny-dipping in Sligo Creek. On another, I put him on my “Bad List” because “Marc is not happy unless someone is mad at him, so here he is. I’ll come up with a reason for his inclusion later.” And I even spread a satirical rumor that Federal Realty was raising money for him, an obvious fallacy given that Marc does not accept developer contributions. Nevertheless, Marc gave me an exclusive on his BRT plan, a big story that was followed up by the Post and the Gazette. As a former teacher, Marc should know not to set a dangerous precedent for someone like me: the more I act out, the more stories I get!
Marc Korman and Alan Banov, MCDCC Members
In the good old days, this blog was a hotbed of anti-MCDCC propaganda, including possibly the most infamous post in our history: our District 18 appointment satire Long Ago and Far Away. MCDCC Members Marc Korman and Alan Banov would have been well within their rights to never visit this blog again! But Korman has become a reliable once-a-week contributor and Banov gave us the scoop on the illegal District 4 robocalls. Of course, I wonder if they’re just setting me up to feel guilty prior to my writing any more anti-MCDCC rants!
And the grand prize winner is...
Senate President Mike Miller
Whether it was our rollicking interview, our criticizing him for pressuring teachers on slots, our christening him as “Big Daddy” or our demented fable about his encounter with Uncle Ike, no one has been tormented by this blog more than Mike Miller. Now we have heard from multiple sources that the Senate President knows almost everything that is said about him. But that did not stop him from having his picture taken with your author.
If Mike Miller is truly aware of our blog’s coverage of him, then this picture is proof that he is the ultimate good sport!
So to those of our readers who are politicians, we know you are going to get mad at us in 2009. We know you will pull out your hair and say, “How could he write that?!” We know you will find our home address and strongly consider calling your Uncle Bruno in New York to take care of us. But bear in mind that if you can laugh it off, in a year’s time you too will be recognized for your class, your good humor and your indulgence of trouble-making bloggers!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Who Wants to be on the Board of Elections?
From Alan Banov, Vice-Chairman, MCDCC.
Sam Statland, President of the Montgomery County Board of Elections, has resigned, and the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee requests applications to be nominated as a substitute Board member at its January 2009 meeting.
The County Board of Elections consists of five regular members (3 Democrats and 2 Republicans) and two substitute members (1 Democrat and 1 Republican). The other Democrats on the Board are Members John Sullivan and Jerry Garson and Substitute Member Rosalyn Pelles. By virtue of Mr. Statland’s resignation, Ms. Pelles has become a regular member.
At its regular meeting on Tuesday, January 13, 2008, MCDCC will vote to nominate a candidate to be the new Democratic member. The Members of the Board of Elections serve for a four-year term and oversee the operations of the Board. Their work requires attendance at regular monthly meetings and considerable work, day and night, in the periods before, during, and after primaries and general elections. Board members receive a small stipend.
MCDCC is soliciting applications from registered Democrats who wish to serve as substitute Election Board member for the remainder of the current term, which ends in 2010. Experience with elections or the Elections Board is highly desirable.
To Apply: Please send a letter of interest and a resume or biographical sketch to the MCDCC at 3720 Farragut Avenue, Suite 303, Kensington, MD 20895-2195, or e-mail or fax them to MontgomeryDems@msn.com or 301-946-1002. The deadline to apply is 12:00 noon, Friday, January 9, 2009. Applicants will be interviewed by a committee of the MCDCC, starting at 7:30 p.m., January 12, in the order in which applications are received. Applicants will be notified on the afternoon of January 9 about the times of the interviews. Minorities, as well as women, are encouraged to apply.
Alan Banov (Legalrun@aol.com) and Karen Czapanskiy (KarenSyma@yahoo.com), are the chair and co-chair, respectively, of MCDCC Board of Elections Review Committee. Also serving on the committee are MCDCC Secretary Elliot Chabot and MCDCC Member Milt Minneman. The committee will make its recommendations at the January 13 MCDCC meeting. Applicants will be invited to appear at that meeting, but will not be expected to say anything more than to introduce themselves. The MCDCC will recommend that Governor Martin O’Malley appoint its selected candidate to the vacancy.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Meet MoCo's Most Independent Woman
Gaithersburg resident Geneva Garner, age 108, has voted in more elections than you ever will.
As a blogger, I hear a lot of things. Most of them aren’t very interesting but this item caught my eye. MCDCC officers Alan Banov and Milt Minneman told me there was a 108-year-old woman in Gaithersburg who was going to vote Democratic for the first time. Now I was very skeptical of this, having heard of a 108-year-old woman in North Carolina who was also going to vote for Obama. So I told them, “Something is fishy here... How many 108-year-old Obama voters can there be? I'm not inclined to bite on this line.”
But their source contacted me and supplied me the name of her 108-year-old friend: Geneva Garner. Sure enough, Ms. Garner really is 108. So I drove up to Gaithersburg to meet her at her voting place.
Being a Silver Spring guy, I naturally got lost on the way there. I arrived barely in time as Ms. Garner was entering her community building. Ms. Garner says she has been voting regularly since women first won the right to vote in 1920. She is a Republican but votes “independently.”
And so came the big moment. I asked, “Do you mind if I ask who you’re voting for?” Ms. Garner replied, “I just made up my mind this morning. I’m voting for Ralph Nader. The two parties are for big business!” Ms. Garner has been voting since the time that cars replaced horses and NO ONE is going to tell her how to vote!
I just have one thing to say to Mr. Banov and Mr. Minneman: you, dear sirs, owe me a bon-bon!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Alan Banov Runs for President
Not content with his current position as the Vice-Chairman of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee, Alan Banov has mounted an insurgent campaign for the U.S. Presidency. Exclusive coverage of this breaking news story can be found here.
Friday, April 04, 2008
County Council District 4 Round-Up
OK everybody, with less than two weeks to go, here’s the latest.
1. The Prince George’s County Council District 5 special election has MoCo campaign operatives’ tongues wagging. In that seven-candidate election, Theresa Dudley defeated Adam Ortiz by 171 votes at last count with a turnout of 8.2% of registered voters. If that turnout holds in MoCo District 4, roughly 8,400 voters will show up. So a competitive D4 candidate will have 3,000 votes and a sure winner will cross the 4,000 mark. These are small, small numbers folks, and anything could happen.
2. The Post and the Gazette have churned out quite a few articles in the last week. Among them are reports of County Council staffers getting cozy with Don Praisner’s campaign manager, a recounting of last Saturday’s candidate forum and a discussion of the challenges of time and name recognition. Additionally, this blog has made MCDCC Vice-Chairman Alan Banov a multi-media star as he has been interviewed by the Gazette about the illegal robo-calls first reported here. Hopefully Mr. Banov will remember who launched his ride to fame when one of us runs for a state legislative appointment!
But the biggest story of the week is the Gazette’s report on two meetings at the home of MoCo Superintendent of Schools Jerry Weast attended by education union leaders a month ago. The Gazette reports, “At the first meeting, Weast said that the unions should endorse Navarro for the County Council, according to a person who talked about what happened on the condition of not being identified.” The Gazette quoted Merle Cuttita, President of SEIU Local 500, as saying that the meeting was primarily about budget issues but she added, “He let us know that she would be a good candidate for county council ... that Nancy Navarro would be a good candidate for the council.” Nancy Navarro and County Council Member Valerie Ervin attended the second meeting, but Navarro denied that any endorsement was discussed there.
My father was a special education teacher, an assistant principal, a principal, an Assistant Superintendent of Schools and a school system controller in upstate New York. He never endorsed politicians or asked his unions to support any of them. He had a sound reason for that policy. In my rural county, voters directly approved school budgets. If my father had ever gotten too close to a politician, it would have made the local paper and his budget would have been killed. So he never, ever went there.
It is perfectly natural for the Superintendent to meet with the President of the Board of Education (Navarro), a County Council Member on the Education Committee (Ervin) and the leaders of the unions to discuss the schools budget. But Jerry Weast is playing with fire if he indeed asked the unions to support Navarro. First, he will run afoul of the County Executive, who is supporting Don Praisner. Second, Navarro’s opponents will be sure to remember Weast’s political apostasy if one of them wins. Third, he is giving Navarro’s rivals a good issue and Steve Kanstoroom raised it at Wednesday night’s debate. (And check out my blog-brother Kevin Gillogly's searing rant about this, which is forthcoming.) Mr. Weast, take it from the son of a career public school administrator: stay out of politics.
3. District 4 resident Dan Reed of Just Up the Pike is the best interviewer in MoCo blogdom. He has a talent for picking up on the little things that tell you a lot about a person. Check out Rockville mayoral candidate Drew Powell’s relentless hunt for a security guard, Steve Kanstoroom’s making change for a homeless guy and former County Council candidate Hans Riemer’s pho-drenched denunciations of limousine liberals. Dan has posted interviews with Navarro, Kanstoroom and Republicans Mark Fennel and Thomas Hardman with more on the way. Do yourself a favor and bookmark Just Up the Pike.
4. Nancy Navarro and Don Praisner are getting most of the attention but Steve Kanstoroom and Pat Ryan deserve mention. Both are strong and attractive candidates. Kanstoroom is crazy-earnest and combines green eye-shades with a warm heart. He is a beloved figure among the Sandy Spring activists he is helping. Would he really wring greater efficiencies from MoCo government as he claims? I don’t know, but speaking as a fellow dirt-digging researcher, it would be fun to watch him try.
As for Ryan, he may be the true heir to Marilyn Praisner from a policy perspective. I have seen him at two debates and he espouses the Praisner position package: fiscal restraint and caution on growth. After picking up the Gazette’s endorsement, Ryan glowed with confidence at Wednesday night’s debate. If you are a District 4 voter who agreed with Marilyn Praisner’s agenda and would like to see an advocate carry it out for the long run, you should seriously consider Pat Ryan.
5. Don Praisner did not show up at Wednesday night’s debate. County Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg told the audience that he was sick and had gone to the hospital. The Gazette is reporting that Mr. Praisner will not be attending tonight’s taped debate.
6. And if you guys really need more of this, here’s the schedule for the remaining debates:
FRI 4/4: 6:00 Montgomery Community Television/LWV Televised Forum @ MCT Studios, 7548 Standish Place, Rockville, MD 20855
SUN 4/6: 3:00 Sandy Spring Forum, Sherwood Elemenatary School, 1401 Olney-Sandy Spring Road (Rte 108), Sandy Spring, MD
TUE 4/8: 7:00 LWV Debate @ Sandy Spring Friends School 16923 Norwood Rd, Sandy Spring, MD 20860
WED 4/9: 7:00 Burtonsville Debate @ Paint Branch High School, 14121 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, MD 20866
WED 4/9: 7:00 Northwood-Four Corners Forum @ North Four Corners Park Recreation Center, 211 Southwood Ave, Silver Spring, MD
THU 4/10: 2:00 Riderwood Debate @ Performance Hall of Lakeside Commons at Riderwood Village, 3150 Gracefield Rd, Silver Spring, MD
THU 4/10: 7:30 Leisureworld Debate @ Club House 1, 14901 Pennfield Circle, Silver Spring, MD
Disclosure: I am the Assistant to the General President of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Our local affiliate, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council of Carpenters, endorsed Nancy Navarro.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Illegal Robocalls in Council District 4?
MCDCC Vice-Chairman Alan Banov reported receiving a negative robocall in connection with MoCo's County Council District 4 race. This is quite curious considering that he is a District 5 resident.
Mr. Banov left the following comment on one of our recent posts:The other night I found a message on my voice mail from a robo-call to the effect that Nancy Navarro takes money from developers and if she does that, who would she listen to if she is elected. There was no "authorization" line on the message I heard, so I don't know if there was one in the beginning. Does anyone know who is sending out that message? I have no idea where Nancy Navarro is getting her money or whether the message is true or false, but I am concerned about an anonymous negative robo-call.
Mr. Banov then supplied the following partial transcription. He did not have the complete first sentence:
Disclaimer: I don't have a dog in this race (I don't live in District 4). If I did, I might or might not vote for Nancy Navarro. I haven't decided what I would do."… the upcoming County Council special election, please remember:
Maryland’s election law mandates authority lines for all campaign materials, which specifically include "oral commercial campaign advertisements." If these robocalls are going out without authority statements, they are illegal under state law.
Nancy Navarro will take campaign moneys from developers. When you get her campaign mail and phone calls, ask yourself: If Nancy takes developer money, will she represent the people or just the developers?"
This reminds me more than a bit of Al Wynn's robocalls. As I remember, they did not help him very much. But at least they were openly authorized and not anonymous.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Longtime Democratic activist Myrna Byer Passes Away
This comes from Alan Banov of MCDCC.
Sadly, I report the death of another former District 18 representative to the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee (MCDCC) --Myrna Rosen Byer of Silver Spring. She died on March 4 of cancer.
Below is the Washington Post death notice, which announces her funeral tomorrow (Friday), in the same Temple where we attended Dorothy Davidson's funeral on Monday:MYRNA R. BYER On Tuesday, March 4, 2008 MYRNA R. BYER of Silver Spring, MD. Beloved wife of the late Jeffrey Byer; beloved sister of Richard Rosen of FL; loving aunt of Mindy Kushner, Robin Coburn, Mark, David and Stephan Rosen. Funeral services will be held on Friday, March 7 at 11 a.m. at Temple Emanuel, 10101 Connecticut Ave., Kensington, MD 20895. Interment will follow Judean Memorial Gardens in Olney, MD. Family will be observing Shiva at the residence of Mrs. Byer starting Saturday 6:30 p.m. through Saturday, 9 p.m. Contributions may be made to The Byer Jewish Enrichment Fund, c/o Temple Emanuel. Arrangements by HINES-RINALDI FUNERAL HOME, INC. under Jewish Funeral Practices Committee of Greater Washington contract.
She was a Democratic activist for many years, a member of MCDCC, and its Vice-Chair. (I believe she was the last District 18 member to be an officer of MCDCC before me.)
When I was nominated to be a vice-chair of my precinct (13-40 at the time), in 1989, she "vetted" me personally, to make sure I was a good Democrat.
She left active politics about 8 years ago and devoted her energies to Temple Emanuel, our synagogue. First she was active in the choir. Eventually she became president of the congregation. She was a very sweet person. Her husband, Jeff, died a few years ago. They both owned a printing consulting company in Wheaton and had a home on the Eastern Shore, where she enjoyed boating.
Myrna, we miss you!
Alan Banov
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Senator King, Delegate Barkley Propose Changing MCDCC Membership
Senator Nancy King and Delegate Charles Barkley, both of District 39, are proposing legislation that would change the membership composition of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee (MCDCC).
Currently, MCDCC has 23 members: two elected from each of the county's eight legislative districts and seven elected at-large. Senator King and Delegate Barkley's bill, MC-802-08, would expand the committee's membership to 27, with three elected from each legislative district and three elected at-large. Senator King told the Gazette, "It’s a fairness thing more than anything. It’s to even out the playing field... With the upcounty growing like it is we need three members to help build the upcounty part of the membership."
MCDCC spokesman Milton Minneman (who has spoken on reform issues before) had this reaction:Although the Central Committee has taken no official position on the bill, they believe the discussion would be better if tabled and taken up during a summer county legislative session, committee spokesman Milton Minneman said.
Hmmm, Mr. Minneman. Now who would those "various people" be? You surely are not referring to any blog authors in this county, are you?
"We don’t think there is any reason to make the change. We know this is all a kickback because various people are concerned with the filling of the delegate and senate seats," Minneman said. "The system we’ve been under has worked for years and only in the last year or so has the issue popped up."
Of MCDCC's current at-large membership, five members are from down-county legislative districts (one from 16, one from 18, one from 19 and two from 20) and two are from up-county districts (one each from 14 and 15). Districts 17 and 39, the latter represented by King and Barkley, have no at-large members. This is the likely prompt for King and Barkley's bill.
There is another side to this issue. It is not the easiest thing in the world to find active, dedicated Democrats willing to volunteer for MCDCC. The position has no pay. Its occupants achieve little fame and fortune. The committee is constantly dogged by fanatical bloggers. And remember House Majority Leader Kumar Barve's famous joke that if committee members could not appoint themselves to be delegates, they would have to be paid to serve? Perhaps Mr. Barve was not kidding. While I understand Senator King and Delegate Barkley's position, it's important to have a way to attract the most talented, well intentioned Democrats to serve on MCDCC regardless of where they live.
But the issue addressed by this bill is a small matter relative to MCDCC's other issues. Far more important is that MCDCC members can and do appoint themselves to state office, do not adhere to formal standards in deciding vacancy selections (with Alan Banov being a prominent exception) and are not required to consider any measure of actual voter sentiment within the district in which a vacancy occurs. These are the matters that should be addressed by MCDCC itself, or failing that, state legislation.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Dorothy Davidson Died Yesterday
From Alan Banov: Sadly, Dorothy Davidson, one of the great Montgomery County Democrats, died yesterday morning after a series of illnesses.
She was a wonderful, funny, and warm person, and she was one of the best tacticians you could ever hope to have on your side. While she supported some losers, she was very successful in contributing greatly to the successes of Rep. Chris Van Hollen in winning the nomination and election in 2002. We will sorely miss Dorothy.
Her funeral will be at 11 a.m., Monday, March 3, at Temple Emanuel, 10101 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington, in District 18, where she was a Democratic stalwart for many years.
Burial will follow at King David Cemetery, and a luncheon will be held at Temple Emanuel following the burial. We all extend our sincerest condolences to her husband, David Davidson, and the rest of her family.
Update: Karen MacManus asked me to let people know that the family has requested that donations be made in lieu of flowers to either:
Hebrew Home of Greater Washington
6121 Montrose Rd
Rockville, MD 20852
or
MCPS-EF, memo “Davidson Scholarship Fund”
P.O. Box 10514
Rockville, MD 20849
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Alan Banov Replies to Karen Czapanskiy
This is in response to my friend and colleague, Karen Czapanskiy, with whom I agree more than disagree, and in further support of Al Carr.
Karen, I cannot impugn the informed conviction of any supporters of any of the candidates for the District 18 delegate seat.
In the past two factors that I have looked at, in an attempt to be democratic, in voting to fill General Assembly vacancies are:
1) How well has the candidate done in prior primaries?
and
2) How much support does the candidate have from the electorate in her/his district? (I was impressed with Jane when she brought a list of approximately (my recollection) 500 names of District 18 Democrats to us when we selected her to replace John Hurson, and other candidates similarly have brought in such lists.)
Here I do not assume that those speaking out for Al Carr at the District 18 forum Sunday night and in e-mails to the MCDCC do not know him or who his opponents are. Al has run twice before, including once in a primary, and through his campaigning throughout the district and in his public service in District 18, he has informed District 18 Democrats about his qualifications and how he would do in Annapolis.
I decided to vote for Al some time ago, but, if I hadn’t, I would be impressed that I have received endorsements from at least 28 e-mails and several paper letters from individual Democrats throughout the district. That should account for something.
Nor do I assume that our collective grief over Jane's tragic death would have any bearing on Al's support. Rather, I would assume that the District 18 Dems who are writing us know enough about all the candidates to make an intelligent choice. As a long-time resident of District 18, I know how literate our citizens are in politics, as well as how admired Al is. Even if Ms. Pelles had entered the race a week earlier, I don’t think it would have reduced Al’s hard-core support among his fellow District 18 Dems, who know him as a town councilman, Democratic Party precinct official, and District 18 Caucus board member.
Finally, in further support of Al, I think Ms. Pelles has a very good resume for the work she has been doing, but many of us who have labored in District 18 politics for years have not heard of her or seen her contributions IN THIS DISTRICT. Other than being on “the founding Board of the Montgomery County African American Democratic Club,” and its corresponding secretary, I don’t see anything on her resume or bio to indicate that she has run for any office in District 18 or has helped the County Party in District 18 or elsewhere. By contrast, through his campaigning, politicking, and legislative work IN DISTRICT 18 over the years, Al has made a strong positive impression on rank and file Dems in the District. I am certain that if an election were held today in the District, as a pop quiz, without any further campaigning or publicity, Al would easily win a majority of votes over Roz. My hunch is being confirmed by the vote in this blog, which has Al ahead with over 50% of the votes.
Alan Banov, Kensington
speaking for myself, not MCCDC
Friday, December 07, 2007
Endorsements for Al Carr Come In
Disclaimer: I have not endorsed any candidate for this vacancy. But in the interest of openness and transparency I want to post things of interest for all to see. I have been contacting candidates asking for information about them to post here. So far, only Al Carr and Dana Beyer have done so. Maybe it is because they have run for elected office before and understand the process a bit better. Maybe others have not responded here because they don't know we exist. So if you are a candidate for the District 18 vacancy please leave a message and I will post it or leave your email and I will contact you privately.
Mier Wolf endorses Al Carr
Mier Wolf is a long-time activist in Chevy Chase, a former Mayor of the town, an early supporter of Chris Van Hollen as well as the late Jane Lawton. Here is his letter to the MCDCC on behalf of Al Carr.
I urge you to approve the appointment of Al Carr to replace Jane Lawton in the House of Delegates for District 18. This request comes in the midst of our great grief over Jane's untimely death. We all have our stories about working with Jane, a legendary community servant and friend to so many people. For me, we were local government colleagues for 25 years. We worked together on numerous projects including the building of the
Since the requirement to replace Jane is upon you I wanted you to know how much I respect Al Carr and believe he should go to
It is heartbreaking for me to think that Jane will not be in
Sincerely,
Mier Wolf
James Browning was a candidate for Delegate in District 18 in 2006. He is a former Executive Director of
In particular, I believe Al is the right person to help the District and
Sincerely,
James Browning
Alan Banov has been a member of the District 18 Caucus since 1989 and a member of the Central Committee for five years. He lives in Kensington and was an active supporter of Al Carr in 2006. He is an employment lawyer in private practice in
In a phone conversation, Alan told me there are five reasons why he supports Al Carr for Delegate: 1) he has the most relevant experience; 2) he has run for Delegate in the past, which means that he knows how to campaign and that he has already won votes from District 18 Democrats; 3) he has been an effective lobbyist for municipalities in Annapolis; 4) with Jane’s passing, the County Delegation needs another Delegate who understands the issues of local municipalities; and 5) based on his temperament, contacts, and experience, Al will probably work well and effectively with the other legislators in District 18, the County, and the State.
Martha JonesActivist supporting Rollingwood incorporation
