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
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Alan Banov Replies to Karen Czapanskiy
Monday, December 10, 2007
Karen Czapanskiy Supports Roz
Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee (MCDCC) Member Karen Czapanskiy asked me to post this letter to the other members of the MCDCC:
Tomorrow night we face another tough decision. District 18 has produced a group of terrific candidates, but only one can be named to Jane's seat. I've decided to vote for Roz Pelles.
Roz has a long and distinguished career in national and county politics. She has made a name for herself on issues of justice and fairness for people of color, for women, for members of unions, for new residents and new citizens. Her list of accomplishments is daunting and enough for two careers for most people. She demonstrated her capacity to listen to many views and to express her own views with clarity, wit and compassion during the forum on Tuesday. She inspires listeners to open their hearts and minds to claims of social justice. She's a class act who would bring amazing talents and knowledge to the state legislature. I hope we will jump at the chance to send her there.
I am joined in my high opinion of Roz by many other folks whose opinions we should value. Most notably, the Lawton family identified her, among all the candidates in this very strong field, as the person most worthy of filling the seat Jane filled so well.
All of us have heard from many people in the district, and we share an appropriate concern that our decision should reflect the wishes of those in the district. We've heard the most about Al Carr, a terrific candidate who has much to offer. We should honor those who've contacted us and give their opinions our full consideration. We should keep in mind, however, that the community has had less than 2 weeks to absorb the awful news about Jane's passing and to decide what to say to us about the vacancy. Many of those we've heard from probably heard about our process because they are connected to the party or a candidate who entered the race early. While many good people in any district are connected in those ways, many good people in any district are not. If there were more time for them to learn about our process and contact us, we would probably hear a great deal more about Roz. Indeed, the emails we have been receiving today is showing exactly such an upswell in support. I hope, therefore, that we put the comments we've received in their appropriate context.
