We have uncovered two more efforts to jam our ballot boxes!
This email has been circulating in favor of rumored At-Large hopeful Roz Pelles, a Silver Spring resident who is the AFL-CIO’s Director of Civil Rights:Dear friends:
While we cannot tell where this email originated, it has had some effect. Pelles was a non-factor in the At-Large challengers poll yesterday afternoon, but she now ranks third behind Ben Kramer and runaway leader Hans Riemer. The only problem is that we have seen no signs that she is actually in the race.
Please go to the link below and vote for Roz Pelles in the poll. Also forward this link to all of your friends and please tell them to do the same. She would make a great council member and we really want to encourage her candidacy.
There is a poll up about potential at-large council challengers in Montgomery County.
http://maryland-politics.blogspot.com/
Thank you very much for your support.
Then there is this anti-Duchy Trachtenberg diatribe emailed by an individual named “Sligo Crick Grrl.”VOTE AGAINST COUNCILOR DUCHY TRACHTENBURG TODAY:
At least this individual appears to be a regular MPW reader! Trachtenberg currently has 58.4% of the vote in our most vulnerable At-Large incumbent poll.
http://www.maryland-politics.blogspot.com
We have voted for her in the past when she ran as a progressive D, but according to some it seems like she is moving to the centerright (maybe because of what we saw in VA with the GOP winning). The local blogs are talking about her record on some issues, please read below. One shouldn't act like a fiscal conservative to make friends with republicans!
WORKERS
On working people issues, they say the "overall record is a disappointment" They report that "When Council Members George Leventhal and Marc Elrich introduced a bill to require contracts for domestic workers Ms. Trachtenberg criticized it as providing “false promises” and said that education of workers was the answer." http://maryland-politics.blogspot.com/2009/06/duchy-trachtenbergs-labor-record.html
VOTING RIGHTS
Another story talks about "Ms. Trachtenberg did not support a proposal to allow early voting. That proposal would have aided working people with multiple jobs and long hours to vote on days other than Tuesday, including the weekend."
Meanwhile "Early voting was not opposed by any element of Maryland’s left. The League of Women Voters, Common Cause Maryland, the Maryland ACLU and Progressive Neighbors all argued in favor of the amendment. The NAACP has called for early voting in all 50 states." http://maryland-politics.blogspot.com/2009/03/early-voting-proposal-roils-district-4.html
Marc Elrich understaod this, since it says "Update: After reviewing a draft of Senator Madaleno’s proposal, Council Member Marc Elrich is supporting the bill."
Also see this weird story - http://maryland-politics.blogspot.com/2009/04/duchy-trachtenberg-walks-out.html
Yes she seems to be good on women's and glbt issues, but what about the rest??? These issues matter to me, as I like wellrounded progressive D's, especially ones that include minority and workingclass causes!!!
Please forward this to classmates, friends, family etc. and tell them to vote the poll!
Tweet ya laterz! and please make sure you are registered to vote in the Dem primary this year so we can get progressives elected!!
VOTE AGAINST COUNCILOR DUCHY TRACHTENBURG TODAY:
http://www.maryland-politics.blogspot.com
Friday, December 11, 2009
More Swarming at the Polls
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Politics of Race in the D18 Race
Apparently, the politics were not just black v. Latino v. white. The Gazette reports that Roz Pelles was pressured to drop out to prevent division in the African-American vote:
Rosalyn W. Pelles of Silver Spring, said she was being urged by some African American members of the county’s Democratic Central Committee to withdraw.I don't understand the pressure on Roz myself. Since the election took place according to a runoff system, the supporters of Roz could always go to Al or vice-versa on a second ballot. While I supported Al, I thought the race was richer for Roz's presence if only because candidates had to flesh out their position and work for support. Moreover, many people clearly thought highly of her, including the family of Del. Jane Lawton, whose sudden passing caused the vacancy.Pelles, the AFL-CIO’s national director of civil, human, and women’s rights and former executive director of the National Rainbow Coalition, said she would not drop out.
‘‘There’s a lot of concern in the community about making sure that we continue to bring people of color into the House of Delegates,” she said. ‘‘I think people wanted to maximize the opportunity to get a person of color in office.”
Pelles said the concerns were ‘‘coming from various corridors” but declined to say from whom.
‘‘I believe that it’s from the lack of looking at a bigger picture,” said her son Hugh Bailey, a former Montgomery County Council candidate. ‘‘I believe part of the pressure my mother is receiving is the age-old argument: concern about splitting the vote for a candidate of color.”
Pelles and Kensington Town Councilman Alfred C. Carr Jr., another candidate for the seat, are both African American.
Bailey equated the pressure on his mother to his own council campaign last year. Bailey was one of four African American men in a field of about 15 candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for four council seats.
‘‘I got a lot of pressure from people saying that there were too many black people in the race. ... I don’t think that the county and communities of color should be over concerned about having people of color secure the seats that they should dissuade people of color who are qualified candidates for running. It’s counter productive.”
County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin, a Pelles supporter, had also heard about pressure being placed on Pelles to drop out.
“This is indicative of a time past when a handful of African Americans could dictate what leaders were given an opportunity for political positions,“ said Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring. “Those times have passed. I don't understand the notion that we can have 'only one.' ... I applaud her courage for remaining as a candidate.“
A Short Strange Trip
If Deadheads ever were to become political junkies then they would have loved last night's gathering. Come early. Stay late. Party on. Ignore laws. The only thing missing were the $2 PB&Js. I came early -- getting to MCDCC HQs at 6:50 for the 7:30 performance. Sadly, there 15 people ahead of me. I stayed late -- making visits to two post campaign gatherings. The MoCo Democratic Party was on -- as in most of the insiders were crammed inside party HQ.
This is the view from the cheap seats.
Truckin' the classic song from the Grateful Dead, which became a national treasure in 1997, talks of a long strange trip. This trip was anything but long and, more importantly, it was legal -- well if one ignores County occupancy laws. Twelve days removed from Jane Lawton's death we gathered to select her replacement. I got the same vibe as David did that the pre-vote momentum was all Al. It showed in how many of the District 18 activists had lined up behind him, first at the forum on Sunday and those that came early to see the proceedings.
Looking at the people who came a mere 15 minutes early.
I was hoping to blog from the site but my signal was too weak even after several fruitless tries. Something for the future. I was going to tell you that the pre-vote support for Rick Kessler was stronger than I had initially suspected. I still had a first ballot win. But I had really felt that Roz Pelles was going to be the more serious challenger to eventual winner Al Carr. By mid-day yesterday my internal numbers for Rick were higher than for Roz. Both Rick and Roz were hampered by the compressed election cycle and if either had a few more weeks the results might have been different. But it was the strength of familiarity that triumphed all others. And familiarity resided with the Councilman from Kensington.
A Little Bit About the Process
The MCDCC returned to open ballots. Something resident historian and MCDCC member, Elliot Chabot, told me has happened in the past. I think opening up the voting process did two things. It allowed for tracking of votes by outsiders better. It also encouraged finding consensus as early as possible.
Each of the five candidates got five minutes for opening statements followed by the lightning round of 8 questions. (Try answering what you'd change from the special session in 45 seconds.) Closing statements were a minute. Fortunately, the candidates and the actual voters (the 23 member MCDCC) did this two nights ago in front of the District 18 Caucus. So it was more than a single night oral examination for the five aspirants.
Opening Statements
This is where a candidate gets their best time to outline their platform. Al Carr pointed out his experience as both an elected official and as a candidate in both 2005 and 2006. Fred Cooper pointed out how he had worked on issues 20 years ago in Silver Spring that just got completed in 2006. George English wanted everyone to know that the special session was a sell out to the racing industry. He also used examples of problems in Baltimore when he was running for office in downcounty MoCo. Interesting. Rick Kessler claimed the experience of working in federal and state legislatures for over 20 years. He claimed that this experience of working with a wide range of personalities is the best training. (As a former Hill staffer, I had to agree.) Roz Pelles was running to preserve the legacy of Jane Lawton and how she was the change agent among the candidates.
Foreground, right: Roz Pelles' son Malcom Pelles; Middle ground, Rick Kessler's wife, Cindy Schwartz and their son, Matty Kessler; Background: Delegate Tom Hucker (20)
What I Learn From These Forums
To me, it is insightful not so much what they say but how they say it. And in the rapid fire questions, where you are asked almost anything and have 45 seconds to master it shows how quickly one can think on one's feet. It also shows how much they know about the issues and the district.
The first two questions were what have you done for the district. It put all but Al Carr on the defensive. I thought Roz Pelles did an excellent job of pointing out that her work on women's issues and labor issues across the state and the country had a direct impact on the district.
As MCDCC member Marc Korman mentioned in his post. He asked a question on the Purple Line and Gas Tax. Forty five seconds to answer. Two candidates completely punted on the gas tax portion. They both said "it needs more study". But like Marc wrote, Al showed a knowledge of divide in LD18 on the Purple Line -- eastern half "yeah"; western half "nay, if we lose the Capital Crescent Trail" and gave the most reasoned answer.
The best question came from Lindsay Brewer, a student member, who asked about bringing students more into the election process more. All favored more student involvement. Rick Kessler and Roz Pelles both highlighted how they have done that in their work on Capitol Hill and local campaigns respectively. But Al Carr stole the show when he said "as the father of a 5 year old and 2 year old, I am well aware of young people wanting more rights."
Even this blog got mentioned during a question of support from inside District 18.
The Voting
If you were a candidate not named Al Carr, your goals were not to finish last and to make sure that Al did not get to the magic number of 12 -- absolute majority.
As the votes of the MCDCC member were announced it was clear by the middle of the alphabet that Al was going to be the winner. It was only by how much.
Just as Truckin' took almost thirty to be considered a national treasurer by the Library of Congress, many of us took about the same time to realize the treasurer we had in Jane. This short strange trip was fun. Well for winners. But for the challengers I hope they learned more about themselves and the District. That will benefit us all.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
It's a Carr-ination
Just as I was finishing my last post, Kevin called with the results. Al Carr won on the first ballot with 14 votes. Rick Kessler came in second with 6 votes, and Roz Pelles came in third with 2 votes. One committee member (White) was absent and did not vote.
Here are the votes of individual committee members:
Carr
Atlas
Banov
Britto
Chabot
Edmunds
Korman
Malloy
Miller
Ramirez
Raymond
Shaw-Belblidia
Terrell (by proxy)
Vann
Wallace
Kessler
Anderson
Fisher
Minneman
Siniawski
Vasquez
Weissberg
Pelles
Adcock
Czapanskiy
Next day's reporting at PolitickerMD.
Valerie Ervin for Roz Pelles
To: Montgomery County Central Committee
From: Valerie Ervin, Montgomery County Council District 5
Date: December 10, 2007
RE: Roz Pelles, Candidate for Delegate, District 18
Dear Central Committee Members,
It is with great sorrow and heavy hearts that we mourn the sudden passing of Delegate Jane Lawton. Jane Lawton and Roz Pelles were friends and allies. Roz entered this race for the vacant District 18 seat in the House of Delegats because she wants to honor the legacy of Jane Lawton, a great woman and a great fighter for District 18. Roz Pelles is that rare person who is a combination of her southern roots, growing up in the segregated south, her civil rights activism which began at an early age when she sat down in front of restaurants in Winston Salem, North Carolina to protest the right for black people to sit at lunch counters, her work in organized labor to promote and protect workers rights and the rights of all those who thirst for justice, and her most important job, that of raising three amazing sons. Roz has worked hard and accomplished a great deal in her life but I believe that the work that she has done has prepared her for the task at hand. Roz Pelles has all the qualifications that would make her a great delegate in the tradition of superb representation from District 18 in the House of Delegates in Annapolis. I support Roz Pelles because I believe that she is a great leader with strong values and is a person who will listen to her constituents on issues of importance and then she will lead and not follow. Roz is a woman of great moral conviction who has spent her entire life working to ensure that the promise of democracy is actualized through hard work in the community and by mentoring a new generation of young people to carry on the legacy of democracy and civil rights. Roz was the Executive Director of the National Rainbow Coalition a couple of years before Rev. Jackson made one of his most famous speeches at the Democratic National Convention in 2000. He said, “The lone arm of justice reaches neither for the political left nor the political right, but from the moral center. Vanity asks the question, is it popular? Politics asks the question, would it work? Morality asks the question, is it right? In the end, if it is morally right, politics and popularity has to adjust to the unyielding power of the moral center.” It is in this spirit that I raise my voice along with many others in this community who think that the time is right for a leader like Roz Pelles. Her appointment to the House of Delegates will be historic. She will be the first African American woman to serve in the Montgomery County Delegation.
Karen McManus for Roz Pelles
Dear Central Committee Member:
Tonight you will once again be called upon to fulfill your responsibility as a member of the Central Committee as you vote to select an individual for appointment to a state delegate seat. This time it is the seat of Delegate Jane Lawton, my delegate in District 18 and my dear friend.
Circumstances have required that this selection process be completed just 12 days after Jane’s death. For all of us who knew, worked with and loved Jane, this compressed time frame has made a difficult process that much more difficult. I thank you for your efforts and for your careful, reasoned and objective deliberations as you make this important decision.
Despite the very short time since Jane’s death, a remarkable group of qualified individuals have stepped forward to seek this appointment. Any one of them would bring honor and dedication to the position if they were selected.
However, there is one person who, in my view, stands out as the one best qualified to carry on Jane’s important work. That individual is Roz Pelles.
Roz has an extraordinary background of service to her communities-nationally and at the state, county and local levels. Although Roz is just becoming known by many, her endorsements are numerous and impressive. Adam Yalowitz, former student member of MCDCC, credits Roz with his becoming involved in politics. Steve Jones states that, though he is overworked and busy with two young children, Roz encouraged him to join the process and inspired a generation of young people.
In the letters of support on her behalf, certain phrases are repeated over and over: “consensus builder,” an “inspirational and brilliant leader,” “a listener,” “well-informed on the issues,” “caring and compassionate.” The list of her qualities goes on and on.
In addition to these fine qualifications, two significant factors have caused me to support Roz:
Jane Lawton’s family supports Roz’ succeeding Jane based upon the friendship and working relationships between Jane and Roz, the values that they shared, and the depth of talent and experience that Roz possesses. They are confident that she is the candidate best suited to carry on Jane’s important work.
Jane was greatly concerned about the decrease in women legislators from the
The appointment of Roz Pelles to this District 18 Delegate seat would be historic. Roz would be the very first African – American female delegate in the Montgomery County delegation. What a wonderful way to honor Jane and her life of public service!
Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope you will join me in supporting Roz Pelles.
Sincerely,
Karen C. McManus
Monday, December 10, 2007
Students for Roz Pelles
Esteemed Central Committee Members:
It is with heavy hearts tonight that you gather to appoint someone to fill the District 18 delegate seat. Jane Lawton, in addition to being a stellar legislator, was an incredible friend and ally for our county’s students. She worked tirelessly on our behalf, and was always there (with a smile) to lend an ear to our concerns. We knew that, with her, we were just as important as the politicos with the big mouths and the big checkbooks. She helped inspire dozens of young people; we will sorely miss her, her advocacy, her friendship, and her ever-present smile. She is truly irreplaceable.
As you choose the next person to represent District 18, we urge you to consider the candidate who will best carry on Jane’s legacy of student empowerment. That candidate is Roz Pelles.
Roz is not a politician. From her days with CORE to her behind-the-scenes role in so many recent political efforts, Roz has always been content to forgo the recognition and praise she has deserved; her reward was seeing goals actualized and change accomplished. We are thrilled that she is finally ready to take on the leadership position that she has been ready for for so long. We know she will do it with the humility and quiet dignity that we have always appreciated.
We owe so much to Roz; she opened the door to political activism for so many of us and has always been a source of support and guidance. We have benefited not only from her wisdom, but from her caring and soulful approach to politics that, in an age filled with such fear-mongering and divisiveness, is incredibly inspiring.
Roz will not give students a place at the bargaining table; she will give us a seat on the living room couch. She will pour us a cup of coffee and allow us to pour out our ideas and concerns. We know that she will treat us with the same warmth and energy that we always received from Jane.
As young activists, we are often told that we are the future, the leaders of the next generation. We see no reason to wait that long. We want to inherit a community that is safe, healthy, vibrant, and governed by legislators who will champion our issues and allow us to become active parts of the political process. We know Roz will be that legislator.
Sincerely,
Avi Edelman
Immediate Past President, Blair High School Young Democrats
Adam Yalowitz
Immediate Past Student Member, MCDCC
Lea Savard-McNicoll
Immediate Past Student Member, MCDCC
Ben Bazyluk
SGA President, Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School
Freddy Mancia
SGA President, Albert Einstein High School
Molly Martinez
SGA President, Montgomery Blair High School
Sarah Horvitz
Immediate Past Student Member, Montgomery County Board of Education
Sebastian Johnson
Past Student Member, Montgomery County Board of Education
Ben Elkind
President, Montgomery County Region (MCR), Maryland Association of Student Councils
Terence McPherson
Immediate Past President, Montgomery County Region (MCR), Maryland Association of Student Councils
Jonah Zinn
President, Albert Einstein High School Young Democrats
David Fegley and David Meyer
Presidents, Blair Students for Global Responsibility
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.
Support for Roz Pelles
Note: Sharon Dooley was a candidate for the County Council from District 2 (Upcounty) in 2006. She has been involved a range of issues in Montgomery County. Maryland Politics Watch welcomes endorsements and will post them here.
Friday, December 07, 2007
Roz Pelles on support for ENDA
Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in the current (110th) Congress from our friends at YouTube.
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
