District 4 Campaign Finance Reports, Part Two (Updated)

The second and last pre-primary reports due on April 10 are now mostly online. Nancy Navarro’s filing is not online but we obtained it directly from her campaign. Following are the cumulative receipts and spending totals for the candidates for both reports, as well as items of interest.

Ben Kramer

Beginning Balance: $316.44
Contributions: $2,875
Loans: $50,000
Expenditures: $50,118.54
End Balance: $3,072.90

Kramer has consistently led all candidates in receipts by loaning himself 95% of his campaign’s funding. His spending total is close to Nancy Navarro’s, but lags because she started with more than $40,000 left over from last year.

Kramer had five individual contributors since March 24 who gave him a combined $675, three of whom are newsworthy. Hilde Alter of Rockville gave him $100. Alter is the Chief Accounting Officer of Medical Office Properties Inc., a real estate manager based in Chevy Chase that once owned a portfolio of medical office buildings. Board of Education Member Laura Berthiaume defeated incumbent Steve Abrams in large part because of help from MCEA. That did not stop her from giving $100 to Kramer, who is running against MCEA-endorsed Nancy Navarro. And Kensington Mayor Pete Fosselman, who endorsed Navarro in 2008, gave $200 to Kramer. That’s an interesting decision because the Town of Kensington is dependent on the District 5 County Council Member for constituent services. Unfortunately for Kensington residents, that Council Member is Valerie Ervin – Navarro’s strongest ally.

Kramer paid staffer Tom Smith (who used to work for Martin O’Malley and Marylanders United to Stop Slots) $4,000 this period. That makes Smith’s total take $8,000, more than what Kramer has paid former Praisner campaign manager Eric Hensal ($6,000). Kramer spent $21,030.52 this period on mailings and postage and $1,568.80 on printing and campaign materials. His biggest ad buy was a $675 purchase in Washington Jewish Week.

Cary Lamari

Beginning Balance: $0
Contributions: $4,432.24
Loans: $10,000
Expenditures: $4,260.54
End Balance: $10,171.70

Lamari led all candidates in contributions with $3,592.24 last time but only collected $840 in this period. Three contributors stand out. DiSalvatore Realty gave him $100. John DiSalvatore owns the shopping center property on the northwest corner of Georgia and Norbeck, right next to one of Ben Kramer’s properties. Dale Tibbitts, Council Member Marc Elrich’s Chief of Staff, gave him $100. And George Leventhal, one of four County Council Members who endorsed Navarro, contributed $100 to Lamari. When I asked Leventhal about that, he wrote me, “Cary Lamari asked me for a contribution and I was happy to respond. He is a dedicated and sincere advocate for Montgomery County neighborhoods.”

Lamari spent $2,361.46 on postage and $166.21 on printing and campaign materials in the most recent period. Lamari is known by many in Leisure World because of his activism on Georgia at Norbeck and on the ICC, but his total spending is likely not enough to build his name recognition in other parts of the district.

Nancy Navarro

Beginning Balance: $43,220.69
Contributions: $28,645
Loans: $0
Expenditures: $66,573.63
End Balance: $5,576.95

Navarro has received more in contributions (not including loans) than the rest of the candidates combined. Nineteen individuals and entities have given her $500 or more during this election so far. Collectively, they account for 76% of her receipts. They are:

SEIU MD/DC State Council: $3,000
BUILD-PAC of Maryland: $3,000
Mid-Atlantic Laborers Political Education Fund: $2,500
Friends of George Leventhal: $2,000
Democratic Women’s PAC of Maryland: $2,000
United Food & Commercial Workers Union: $1,000
Sheet Metal Workers Local 100: $1,000
MCGEO Local 1994: $1,000
James Soltesz, Potomac, MD: $1,000
Artery Development LLC: $750
Amalgamated Transit Union COPE Account: $500
Milagros McGuire, Bethesda, MD: $500
Hispanic Democratic Club: $500
Jeffrey Zane Slavin, Chevy Chase, MD: $500
David Weiss, Chevy Chase, MD: $500
Bethesda Center LLC, Washington, DC: $500
David D. Flanagan, McLean, VA: $500
R. William Hard, Potomac, MD: $500
Shirley Brandman, Bethesda, MD: $500

Soltesz is the CEO of Loiederman Soltesz Associates, a land development firm. Milagros McGuire and her husband, Dennis McGuire, are retirees who frequently contribute to Democratic candidates. Slavin is the President of C.J. O'Shaughnessy, Inc., a real estate firm, and is the Mayor of the Town of Somerset. Weiss is a member of the Greater Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce. His company, Monty LLC, is a Montgomery County developer. Bethesda Center LLC’s address (3299 K St. NW Ste. 700) matches The Bernstein Companies, a major metropolitan development firm. Flanagan is President of Elm Street Development, a residential developer that built Clarksburg Village. Hard is the Executive Vice-President of LCOR, a development firm. Brandman is the current President of the Board of Education.

Other contributors of interest include Board of Education Member Chris Barclay ($175), District 20 Delegate Heather Mizeur ($150), former District 5 County Council candidate Hans Riemer ($150), Verizon Communications ($125) and Board of Education Member Judith Docca ($100).

During the 2009 special election, we estimate that labor unions supplied 31% of Navarro’s funding. In the first pre-primary report, SEIU Local 500 reported a $2,500 in-kind contribution for the services of Jackie Lichter, their political director who is now working as Navarro’s deputy campaign manager. No in-kind contribution appeared on the second report. We do not know of any union contributions to any other candidate besides Navarro.

Navarro spent $23,430 on media this period, an amount that far exceeded Kramer ($965.44) and every other candidate. Almost all of it went to TruPolitics LLC, a consulting firm based in Ellicott City. She paid salaries to three staffers: campaign manager David Moon ($3,500), Ken Silverman ($1,015) and Alexis Reed ($1,000). She has advertised on both CBS Radio ($900) and Radio America ($450). She is the only candidate to rent a campaign office.

Incidentally, while the State Board of Elections (SBE) does not have Navarro’s report, it was compiled one day before the April 10 deadline. That fits with her campaign’s claims that a transmission error prevented it from getting to SBE. As a campaign treasurer myself, I can attest to the problems with its atrocious ELECTrack software. See the date report on her submission below.


During the latest period, Republican Andrew Padula received $475, Green Party candidate George Gluck collected $230 and Democrat Thomas Hardman received $80. The other candidates do not have reports listed on the State Board of Elections website. These totals are simply not enough to mount a competitive campaign. In last year’s special election, Steve Kanstoroom loaned himself $47,573.96 and finished third in the Democratic primary with 10.76% of the vote. A candidate with no money and no name recognition has no chance.

Disclosure: I am the Assistant to the General President of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Our Mid-Atlantic Regional Council gave Navarro $6,000 last year, the maximum amount allowed by the state. I have not donated any money to any District 4 candidate and am not volunteering for any of them.

Update: An informant points out that Elm Street and LCOR, two of Navarro’s contributors, specialize in projects near Metro stations. That fits with Navarro’s views on transit-oriented development.

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District 4 Candidates Respond to Help Save Maryland

Four candidates have responded to the questionnaire issued by nativist/extremist group Help Save Maryland: Democrat Thomas Hardman, Republicans Robin Ficker, Lou August and Andrew Padula and Green Party member George Gluck. Here are the candidates' statements from their completed forms.

Thomas Hardman, Democrat

I’m sick of special interest groups promoting the invasion of our sovereign nation and subversion of the rule of law. I’m sick of pandering politicians that will cave at the slightest whisper from the lawyers and Unregistered Agents of Foreign Powers that work endlessly to undermine the legacy of our Founding Fathers. I welcome and will assist every decent person who waits patiently for their turn to legally and reasonably come to the USA to become American. But for lawbreakers, I give NOTHING but endless opposition and my most vituperative expressions of OUTRAGE.

Lou August, Republican

Many of our schools have large populations of children from families of illegal immigrants. My wife is a substitute teacher in MCPS and she frequently recounts the significant behavioral issues of children she works with, many from children she suspects are illegal immigrants. Almost by definition, many of these families come from turbulent distressed backgrounds, which often has a negative impact on their children’s behavior. The result of this is a damaged learning environment for all students, even those here legally whose parents’ tax dollars support the entire system – all during a time when education is more important than ever. If we address illegal immigration issues earlier, these very significant consequential impacts will be reduced or eliminated.

The later in the “consequence chain” we address illegal immigration, the greater the humanitarian impact on the immigrant and community when enforcement is finally enacted. Our first steps need to be reducing the attractiveness of Montgomery County to illegal immigrants through methods such as enforcing E-Verify, requiring proof of legal residency to get a drivers license, and a timeline for ratcheted-down customs enforcement by county police.

Robin Ficker, Republican

We need to enforce the single-family zoning laws to protect homeowners.

Andrew Padula, Republican

There are hundreds of millions of people living in abject poverty in this hemisphere. Unfortunately we cannot offer refuge to all or even a significant part of this population without risking the very fabric of our nation. We are robbing developing nations of the core of their workforce this leaving in their void nations populated by women, children, the elderly, and infirm, who are ill equipped to fend for themselves.

There is a direct inverse proportional relationship to the rise in Mexican and Central American cartel violence and our acceptance of an ever increasing population of illegal immigrants. In itself, our misplaced intentions of kindness are in fact supporting the tragedy of human rights abuses on a mass scale. When the concept of slavery is re-introduced into our free nation through indentured servitude and sex slavery, there is a big problem afoot.

The acceptance of “illegal immigrants” also sets up a two-tiered societal structure that opposes the even handed rule of law. More importantly however is the fact that the utilization of this underground workforce inhibits the natural flow of economic development by unduly influencing the marketplace for both wages and the prices of goods. I believe that it would be a far better course of action to encourage these individuals to return to their home countries and to rebuild them from within rather than to risk a societal upheaval in the United States that may very well preclude us from ever being able to genuinely assist any more developing nations in the future.

George Gluck, Green Party

I believe that we do not so much have an “illegal immigrant” problem as much as we do an “illegal employer” problem. Enforcing existing laws which hold employers culpable for hiring illegal immigrants will result in a much lower demand for illegal workers. From a recent NPR broadcast about the present dearth of day labor openings: The other day I told my wife on the phone, “If I can just get a plane ticket – however I can find the money for that – I’m coming back to El Salvador.”

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Thomas Hardman on Access Montgomery

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District 4 Debate Shorts: The Candidates

Yesterday, we explored the candidates’ positions on the issues. Today we’ll assess each candidate individually.

Delegate Ben Kramer (D-19)


Kramer was impressive in both debates he attended (ACT/Sierra Club and Young Democrats). He is intelligent, displays a solid command of issues and, most of all, he projects an air of leadership. Even though Nancy Navarro has more experience in public office, Kramer comes across as more of an incumbent.

Kramer regularly mentions his bills in Annapolis, especially those that crack down on crime and protect seniors. On issues, he emphasizes job creation, economic growth and funding for transportation. Kramer is the only candidate who regularly mentions the need to redevelop the Wheaton Central Business District, a major plus for this author. He tries to position himself as a statesman and emphasizes his endorsement by County Executive Ike Leggett. Consider these two statements:

I want to reach out to the County Council Members to formulate a plan for Montgomery County and we should not personalize those issues.

As a state Delegate, I have proven I am thoughtful and independent. One of the things I’ve learned in Annapolis is that you get a lot further from cooperation than confrontation. You don’t take issues personally and you move on.

Kramer’s weakness is that he is almost humorless in public. Audience members respected him but did not warm up to him. In the Young Democrats debate, Kramer grumbled twice under his breath about being asked a question last. Kramer’s best moment came when he recounted his shock at the sight of his foreclosed former family home. That was good for him because it showed the audience that a wealthy man born to many advantages could still relate to the circumstances of most county residents.

Former Montgomery County Civic Federation President Cary Lamari


Lamari is an unreconstructed civic activist with a capital “A” and brings all the pluses and minuses of that pedigree. Like many dedicated activists, Lamari has a lot of experience and can speak with great detail about county functions, especially on growth policy. But he lacks the polish of a professional politician.

Lamari’s stump speech goes something like this:

Montgomery County is reaching a crossroads. We can head in one of two directions. One direction is more growth, decreased quality of life and more taxes, all getting out of control. The other direction is a strategic plan for growth and taxes.

Lamari brings back many issues to growth policy. He often says that every new unit costs $36,000 in county services, but only $8,000-16,000 is collected from developers. In his view, the county’s budgetary health and its ability to provide all manner of services to protect residents’ quality of life goes back to the amount of growth it allows. “The more we grow, the deeper we dig the hole.”

Lamari has the opposite problem from Kramer. While he often projects warmth and good humor, he does not carry the statesmanlike demeanor of the Delegate from District 19. That said, there is an inherent honesty about Lamari in that what you see of him is what you are likely to get.

Board of Education Member Nancy Navarro


I attended three District 4 debates last year and two of them played out the same way: the other candidates, led by Don Praisner, piled onto Navarro over alleged “fiscal irresponsibility” and the school system’s “unsustainable” union contracts. Navarro fended off the pressure as best she could but it was a harsh political baptism. This year, she is a much better performer. She delivers her message with clarity and class and never responds to any bait dangled by other candidates.

Navarro emphasizes job creation, smart growth and the need to reach out to District 4’s residents. She is the only candidate who regularly mentions that District 4 is a majority-minority jurisdiction. Tipping her hat to President Obama, she never fails to mention her background as a “community organizer.” Navarro points to a need to “look at taxes on developments” and “coordinate infrastructure before we go ahead with redevelopment.” She even references the salary concessions given up by the school unions, saying, “Compromise is why we were able to get our unions to give up $89 million early on.”

One issue Navarro faces is that Kramer looks like the incumbent when in fact she has almost double his experience in public office (55 months vs. 28 months). She would benefit from being more assertive. For example, she has not mentioned that she is the only candidate who has had a leadership role on multi-billion dollar budgets. This is a common problem for female candidates who risk coming across as abrasive when they try to demonstrate leadership skills in the same way that men do. We asked one of the county’s savviest female politicians about this. She said, “It’s true there is a different standard for women… The best you can do is contrast yourself with the other candidates with a big smile on your face. Be charming about it.”

Rob Goldman


Goldman is a smart, personable young lawyer from Burtonsville who is making his first run for office. At times, he seems to be attempting to persuade the audience to hire him for legal representation rather than the County Council. Consider these statements:

I intend to vigorously represent all District 4 residents.

The important thing is that you listen to your client’s or your constituent’s needs.

My goal is to diligently represent all the individuals in District 4.

Goldman regularly talks about the need for economic growth and more attention for Burtonsville. His handicap is that he has very little working knowledge of how the county operates. For example, when he called for allowing developers to have greater density in return for more affordable units in the ACT/Sierra Club debate, he seemed to have no idea that the county’s Moderately-Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) program already does that. As a result, Goldman tends to speak in generalities and seldom approaches the specifics of Kramer, Lamari, Navarro and Hardman.

But Goldman has brains, talent and speaking skills. He had one of the best lines of the Young Democrats debate when he said, “I’m an attorney and I have three-year-old twins. My days are full of conflict and my nights are full of chaos.” We certainly need fresh faces in this county and maybe Goldman can be one of them. Whatever happens in this race, Goldman should stay active in his community, pay his dues and meet more people to prepare for the future. He may be better suited for the House of Delegates than the County Council.

Michael Bigler


Left to right: Thomas Hardman, Rob Goldman, Michael Bigler.

Bigler is a nice older gentleman who reminisces about his experience in the Lions Club. He is given almost solely to generalities such as the following:

I’ll be honest with you. I don’t want to see taxes raised at all.

If there’s no infrastructure, as far as I’m concerned, there can’t be any growth.

I don’t have all the answers. I’ll look to you for the answers.

Bigler’s only specific proposal is to impose ambulance fees. He did have one great line in the Young Democrats debate. When asked what his most contentious moment was, he replied it was “when I went home and told my wife I was running for office.”

Thomas Hardman


Hardman is an Aspen Hill resident who ran as a Republican for State Delegate in 2006 and in last year’s District 4 special election (when he received 97 votes in the Republican primary). Now he is running in the Democratic primary.

Hardman believes in limiting development, cracking down on code enforcement against illegal subletting and improving use of information technology on the schools. He is a voracious reader who knows much more about county programs than Goldman or Bigler.

But Hardman’s biggest problem is that he does not believe in the Democratic Party regardless of his current voter registration. When he dropped his Republican registration last October, he wrote this concerning a discussion he had about politics with his friends:

I pointed out that having been twice rejected by the voters of my respective State and County districts, and having got passed over by them in favor of bozos and people making unkeepable promises, I wasn’t too sure I even wanted to legislate on behalf of those folks, and in fact might not think highly enough of them to do a good job, should by some incomprehensible fluke I might actually be elected…

As the most unpopular Republican in the Councilmanic District 4 Special Election primaries, I figured I might as well consider myself unacceptable to the Republicans and have since changed my voting registry to Unaffiliated. This means that if I want to get on the ballot for the next go-round, I have to collect about 2500 signatures, more or less. That would take lots of time…

I can’t register and run as a Democrat because in my opinion all of the things that most desperately need done or changed in MoCo simply cannot be done under the current Democratic Party here. It’s not that the ideas are bad or that the need is not there, it’s that the votes cannot be there, because the Democrat Party platform here cannot let the votes be there, or even have the issues considered. I can’t run as a maverick Democrat, not because nobody would vote for me -- look at the State District 19 near-total replacement of the incumbents and favorites in the last elections -- but because the Party would destroy me and anything associated with me, simply for having ideas of which the Central Committee didn’t approve.

If these really are Hardman’s views about the Democratic Party, then he should not be running in its primary.

The Republicans and George Gluck


Robin Ficker with his favorite statistics.

Robin Ficker is the most famous of the three Republicans but he is also the most one-dimensional. He is almost solely concerned with taxes. Ficker’s references to “our district” and “we” are appalling because he just moved into District 4. Add to that his unapologetic violations of election law and this statement made during the Burtonsville debate:

Ike Leggett and I got 80% of the vote for County Executive. We will work together to lift this district.

Andrew Padula is an interesting person with a long career in jazz. Lou August is a businessman and non-profit founder who is unhappy with inefficiencies in county government. George Gluck is running as a progressive environmentalist. Each of them needs more resources to have a shot at winning. The fact that only 10 people attended the sole Republican debate bodes ill for the party.

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District 4 Debate Shorts: The Issues

I attended all three District 4 candidate debates last week (much to the consternation of the missus). We summarize these events in two posts, one covering the issues and another looking at the candidates.


From left: Lou August, Michael Bigler, Robin Ficker, George Gluck, Rob Goldman, Thomas Hardman, County Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg (representing Ben Kramer), Cary Lamari and Nancy Navarro in Burtonsville.

The three debates were held in Burtonsville, Wheaton and Downtown Silver Spring. The Burtonsville debate at Paint Branch High School included every candidate and drew about 50 people. The Action Committee for Transit/Sierra Club debate in Wheaton drew roughly 85 people. The Montgomery County Young Democrats debate at Silver Spring’s AFI Theater included just the Democrats and attracted over 70 people. The latter debate was outside the district, had no time limits on the candidates and allowed a couple long-winded questions from the audience, all of which hindered its usefulness. Delegate Ben Kramer (D-19) missed the Burtonsville debate because the House had scheduled votes that night.

We have very little material from Republicans Robin Ficker, Andrew Padula and Lou August and Green Party candidate George Gluck. They attended the Burtonsville debate but were prevented from debating the Democrats at the ACT/Sierra event and were not invited to the Young Democrats debate. Based on one nine-person event, we simply do not have enough notes to define their positions on par with the Democrats.

Two issues held the most prominence in the debates I attended: growth and transportation.

Growth

Delegate Ben Kramer (D-19) stated, “One of the things we need on the eastern side of the county is good jobs.” He characterizes the redevelopment of Silver Spring as a success and stated more than once that he would like to see redevelopment of the Wheaton Central Business District (CBD). He supports smart growth and defines it as bringing together business and residences at the same transit hubs. “That’s what the future of Montgomery County is all about.” He also said, “We should ensure that affordable housing has a critical role in how we design and build out our communities.”

Former Montgomery County Civic Federation President Cary Lamari repeatedly criticized the county’s growth policy. “What growth policy? We’re subject to special interest influence… If you’re a developer, you know where to send your money and your project will be built.” He said, “According to Park and Planning, every new unit built in the county costs $36,000 to service. But we only collect $8,000-16,000 in impact taxes. We’ve got to require developers to pay their fair share.” Lamari wants a tenants’ bill of rights, community land trusts and an end to developer buyouts of Moderately-Priced Dwelling Units (MPDUs). He says, “We’ve grown beyond our ability to sustain our growth.”

Board of Education Member Nancy Navarro says there is no vision and no interconnectedness in the county’s plan for growth. She says the county needs a “holistic approach.” “I don’t think that we have a comprehensive vision of how to develop this county as a whole. We do it piecemeal. We have to have a comprehensive vision first. I don’t think we have arrived there.” Since District 4 has no transit hubs and a preponderance of affordable housing, “we must coordinate infrastructure before we go ahead with redevelopment.” She stated, “We have to ensure that if we provide more density, we have to get more affordable housing.”

Thomas Hardman says the county’s growth policy is “ill-thought, hopscotch and haphazard… Aspen Hill is pretty dense when we have 20 people living in a basement.” He defines smart growth as mixed-use high density at transit hubs. “Rockville is a textbook case of how not to do a downtown. There’s no place for the poor, no place for the workers.” Hardman says the MPDU program “seems like a failure… the last thing you want to do is concentrate poverty in one area.”

Rob Goldman, the only Burtonsville resident, favors better infrastructure and transit. “Look where we are in Burtonsville. We’ve been ignored… District 4 needs someone to promote growth.”

Michael Bigler says, “If there’s no infrastructure, as far as I’m concerned, there can’t be any growth… We have to stop building until there’s more infrastructure in place.”


From left: Michael Bigler, Rob Goldman and Thomas Hardman in Wheaton.

Transportation

Kramer said, “As a state legislator, I have strongly supported funding for the Purple Line and the CCT.” He favors County Council Member Marc Elrich’s BRT system, has consistently supported bills to limit raids on the Transportation Trust Fund and supports devoting a portion of the retail sales tax to transportation. He stated that opening the first phase of the ICC prior to its completion is a “huge mistake” and is “ill-conceived” because it would cause spillover onto Norbeck Road which is “already gridlocked.” “We should be looking at light rail up the US-29 corridor and BRT in the interior.”

Lamari stated, “The root problem of congestion is poor decisions in the past. When you grow beyond your ability of growing, you wind up with congestion.” He also favors Elrich’s BRT plan. He says the CCT is the “most-needed project in the county today” and “The ICC is the most destructive project today.”

Navarro emphasized the Purple Line, saying, “I testified for the Purple Line because I noticed a lot of working class people were not present to express their views on mass transit.”

Hardman wants to “right-size” bus lines, install BRT to Olney or Brookesville and plan for light rail up US-29 in 20 years. He also wants to plan for light rail on MD28/198 over the long term. “There are far more jobs in Montgomery County than there is affordable housing.”

Goldman said, “I support light rail going down Route 29.” Transit should also go north towards Howard County. He wants to replace diesel buses with compressed natural gas buses

Bigler stated, “Instead of building the ICC, why didn’t we think about light rail 20 years ago? Then we wouldn’t be having the arguments we are today.”

All candidates support the Purple Line. We are posting their Action Committee for Transit questionnaires throughout the election.

One note for the readers: if transportation is your primary issue, the big player is the state. It is the state, not the County Council, that controls improvements on state roads like Georgia Avenue, New Hampshire Avenue and US-29 as well as large transit projects like the CCT and the Purple Line. Don't forget to raise these issues with the State Senate and House of Delegates candidates when they run next year.

Other issues that were covered by the debates include:

Gang Violence

Lamari wants more activities for kids, more parental responsibility, mentor programs, more recreational facilities. Navarro mentioned educational facilities officers – cops who work in school buildings to keep kids out of gangs. “In Montgomery County, we’re resource-rich but lack coordination.” Hardman says after-school programs will only be effective 10-20 years from now and favors more gang-focused police officers. Goldman favors mentor programs. Bigler said, “We cannot allow these people to be in our schools.” Republican Andrew Padula stated, “If you want to deal with gang violence, you’ve got to come up with more than Peter Pannish solutions.” He wants a crackdown on “hardcore criminals.” Republican Robin Ficker said, “A lot of this violence is drug-driven. Our young people are not kept busy enough.” Ficker recommended starting police boxing leagues. “If they want to fight, then they can fight!” Kramer was not present at the Burtonsville event when the question was asked.

MCPS and the Budget

Ficker said that it was “improper” to give school employees “30% raises over three years.) He mentioned that there were 1,100 administrators earning six-figure salaries and asked, “why are there 1,400 credit cards for 200 schools?” “We have to keep an eye on the school budget so that homeowners can’t be used as ATMs.” Lamari criticized waste, including mailing of MCPS brochures that spotlight school board members. Navarro, a two-term President of the Board of Education, said, “We’re not producing widgets, we’re educating children. That’s why we’re spending money on teachers and support staff.” She mentioned her role in securing $190-200 million in budget savings this year due to the elimination of cost-of-living increases and reduced administrative spending. “Certainly, we enjoy a high-quality school system and that costs money.” Goldman stated, “We need to continue to generate outstanding students.” Hardman said he has no children and admits he knows “little” about schools. “My knowledge is insufficiently complete to decide that question.” Kramer was not present at the Burtonsville event when the question was asked.


From left: Ben Kramer, Cary Lamari and Nancy Navarro in Wheaton.

Climate Protection

Kramer said, “As a member of the state legislature, I was a co-sponsor of the Greenhouse Gas Reductions Act that would cut emissions by 25% by 2020.” He also co-sponsored the 2007 Clean Cars Act. “We have to have higher standards for appliances.” Goldman wants to replace county building HVACs with more efficient systems, retrofit them for lighting and encourage more forestry programs. “We need to encourage and incentivize developers to make buildings more environmentally friendly.” Navarro supports going for “low-hanging fruit” like “opportunities to train people for green jobs, like weatherizing homes.” She wants to move toward LEED buildings and “look at taxes on developments.” Lamari said, “We have to require all new buildings to be in the LEED program. We need to encourage older buildings to go to LEED certification as well.” He praised County Council Member Roger Berliner’s bill providing home loans for energy efficiency. Hardman favors mandatory changing of incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent bulbs. Bigler wants a homeowner energy tax credit.

Liquor Stores

All candidates opposed privatization. Goldman was the only candidate who favored liquor sales on Sundays while Kramer had “no objection” to it. I could not understand Hardman’s answers on the subject. Kramer stole the question at the end by telling the Young Democrats under 21 not to drink. “Stay on your toes,” he warned. Let it not be said that Ben Kramer always tells people what they want to hear!

Speed Cameras

All candidates supported them, but all said they should not be everywhere.

If You Could Pass One Law, What Would it Be?

Goldman would reinstate Ride-On routes about to be cancelled. He wants more bus options in general. Bigler would pass the ambulance fee. Lamari wants a new growth policy. Hardman would revise the housing policy and code to crack down on illegal sublets. Kramer would try to slow down foreclosures. He said, “I was shocked when I saw my family home, where I grew up, was foreclosed and in terrible shape.” Navarro would focus on job creation and smart growth. “I heard a story of a 6-year-old who was crying on the bus because his family had been evicted and he did not know if the bus driver knew where they lived.”


From left: Lou August, Michael Bigler, Robin Ficker, George Gluck and Rob Goldman in Burtonsville.

What are the Three Most Important Issues in District 4?

Bigler: Getting to work, jobs close to our homes, schools.

Goldman: Public safety, jobs in District 4 and in the county, protecting homeowners from losing homes.

Hardman: Economy, economy, economy.

Kramer: Work with other Council Members and the Executive to “make sure this District is not overlooked,” make sure East County is getting appropriate share of HHS and school funding, redevelop Burtonsville and Wheaton CBDs

Lamari: Deal with the budget deficit, establish hierarchy of policies with growth at the top, safety net.

Navarro: Job creation and smart growth, unify the community, safety net.

That’s as much detail as we can offer from the candidates on the issues. Tomorrow we’ll look at the candidates themselves.

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Thomas Hardman's Action Committee for Transit Questionnaire

Thomas Hardman is running as a Democrat in the District 4 special election.

Action Committee for Transit Questionnaire for Candidates for County Council,
District 4

1) How do we transform the auto-oriented suburbs of District 4 into liveable
and walkable communities?

As much, if not most, of District 4 is rural or semi-rural, "walkability" is either already there as an heritage of times prior to the introduction of automobiles, or it would involve planned conversion of rural areas into developed areas. I oppose the latter, and need not concern myself with the former; "it's already there". Much of District 4 in the developed area is already well-served by transit, for example Glenmont, Aspen Hill, and Kemp Mill are well served by Metrobus and Ride-On buses, and Glenmont and Wheaton are served by MetroRail. It certainly makes sense to plan for deployment of Bus Rapid Transit or comparable light-rail alternatives (where feasible and appropriate) once the economy permits.

2) Do you support building the light rail Inner Purple Line from Bethesda to New Carrollton, as recommended by County Executive Leggett and the County Council?

Certainly.

3) All bridges over US 29 have been designed so that light rail could run in the median of the highway. There are several possible routes for a connection from White Oak to the Red Line or Purple Line. Would you support detailed study of running a light rail line that connects White Oak to the Metro system and then runs in the median of US 29 to Burtonsville, as a future project after the Purple Line and Corridor Cities Transitway?

I'd certainly support a fairly detailed preliminary study on the connection to White Oak, but clearly plans should go forward for light rail paralleling US-29.

4) What should the county do to increase transit ridership?

Economic forces seem to have done that already, at least in the summer of 2008. Upgraading existing facilities after catching up on maintenance would be a good idea.

5) County master plans have stated a policy of focusing development around mass transit stations. Much development has occurred that has poor transit access, yet the county's planning also deserves much of the credit for the emergence of Bethesda and the revival of Silver Spring as centers of activity.

A) What smart growth projects near Metro stations do you support even though they have had opposition?

None specifically, nor do I specifically oppose any. In general, I'm not a big supporter of Growth, though generally it's better to have it where there is (or will be) adequate mass transit.

B) Do you support a requirement that development described as "transit-oriented", such as the proposed Germantown and Gaithersburg West master plans, may only be constructed after rail transit access is built?

I support a requirement that they not call themselves "transit-oriented" until and unless such transit exists.

5) Do you believe that the decision by Governors Ehrlich and O'Malley to build the Intercounty Connector was wise or unwise?

It was long overdue. In any case, it's a done deal.

Thomas Hardman, Feb 28 2009

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District 4 Campaign Finance Reports (Updated)

Most of the District 4 campaign finance reports due on March 24 are finally online. Here’s what they say.

Ben Kramer

Beginning Balance: $316.44
Contributions: $2,200
Loans: $23,000
Expenditures: $21,353.78
End Balance: $4,162.66

Kramer led all candidates in receipts, primarily by loaning himself $23,000 (93% of his take). That follows past practice; he loaned himself $130,450 during his 2006 Delegate race.

Kramer had 10 individual contributors, led by former U.S. Senate candidate Josh Rales ($1,000). While Kramer promised Alison Klumpp that he would not accept money from “developers” (even though Klumpp calls him one), three of Kramer’s contributors have links to the real estate industry. Lydia Funger McClain of Potomac ($250) is the daughter of Morton Funger, a principal of development firm Ralmor Corporation. McClain is also a former part-owner of Home Properties Inc., which is seeking to redevelop part of the Falkland Chase Apartments in Silver Spring. Steven Jacobson of Rockville ($250), a principal of law firm West & Feinberg, heads the firm’s commercial leasing practice. And Rales heads up RFI Associates, which his bio describes as "one of the leading investment companies in the area, specializing in acquiring, renovating, and overseeing real estate projects." That means that contrary to Kramer’s pledge to Mrs. Klumpp, his leading outside donor is a developer. Rales is also a former Republican who contributed money to George W. Bush.

Most of Kramer’s other donors are lawyers and businessmen, such as Paul Hastings attorney Behnam Dayanim ($200), Loomis Sayles Vice-President Aileen Rappaport ($100), Sandglass Systems co-founder David Fraser-Hidalgo ($100) and former M. Stein & Company owner Jerold Samet ($100).

Kramer has two paid staffers: campaign manager Eric Hensal ($6,000) and Tom Smith ($4,000). He has paid for banners, palm cards and lapel stickers, received a voter list from MCDCC and has sent out at least one mailing. Large Kramer billboards are appearing on properties owned by his family around the district.

Cary Lamari

Beginning Balance: $0
Contributions: $3,592.24
Loans: $10,000
Expenditures: $1,726.87
End Balance: $11,865.37

Lamari led all candidates in individual contributions. His contributor list reads like a who’s-who roster of the civic movement, including prominent activists Margaret Dennis ($250), James Fary ($100), Rocky Lopes ($100), Dan Wilhelm ($100) and Stuart Rochester ($50). Other contributors include former County Council Member Blair Ewing ($100) and MCDCC Secretary Elliot Chabot ($100).

Lamari has ordered 400 signs and posted one advertisement in Leisure World News but had sent no mailings at the time of the finance report. He has no paid staff.

Nancy Navarro

Beginning Balance: $43,220.69
Contributions: $2,090
Loans: $0
Expenditures: $33,444.44
End Balance: $12,151.14

Navarro started off with a big balance left over from last year’s special election. Her biggest contributors last time were unions and businesses, including developers. This time, the majority of her contributions so far have come from fellow School Board Member Shirley Brandman ($500), MCPS staffer Nivea Berrios ($300), Identity Inc. Executive Director Candace Kattar ($250), Impact Silver Spring Executive Director Frankie Blackburn ($150) and MCDCC Member Oscar Ramirez ($100). We cannot find evidence of any business or developer contributions in this report. SEIU Local 500 reported a $2,500 in-kind contribution for the services of its Political Director, Jackie Lichter, who is Navarro’s Deputy Campaign Director. No other unions have contributed so far. (My own union, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, gave a maximum contribution to Navarro a year ago and cannot give her any more money. I have not contributed to Navarro or any other District 4 candidate.)

Navarro has spent far more money than the other candidates early on. She paid $9,775 to Campaign Director David Moon, $1,672.67 to field worker Ken Silverman and $10,825.95 to consulting firm TruBlu Politics. Navarro replenished her coffers with a fundraiser shortly after the March 24 reporting deadline.

Democrat Michael Bigler contributed $500 to his campaign. Republican Andrew Padula contributed $300 to his campaign. Green Party candidate George Gluck loaned his campaign $647.43. Democrat Thomas Hardman has received no contributions or loans and has a $25 balance. As of this writing, the State Board of Elections has not posted any filings for Democrats Rob Goldman and Chris Paladino or Republicans Robin Ficker and Lou August.

The strangest contribution was received by the Lamari campaign. Roger Asbury of 11501 Dewey Road in Silver Spring was Lamari’s biggest contributor, giving him $1,000 on 2/18/09.


A simple Google search on Asbury reveals that he is a registered child sex offender.


When we raised this issue with Lamari, he sent us the following statement:

As a result of your inquiry, I have spoken to Mr. Asbury and explained that I will be returning his contribution. I had accepted the contribution because he appreciated my help on a zoning matter dealing with his produce business. I politely explained I was returning his contribution so as to not have any connection with the perception that I endorse the crimes he has been convicted of. I adamantly oppose the abuse of children and believe crimes against women and children are among the most horrible crimes commited. He has explained to me that his crime was 13 years ago, that he was incarcerated for two years in jail and has had psychiatric treatment since his release. I wished him well and requested my campaign treasuer to refund his contribution.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to provide a factual and detailed explanation of events.

Cary Lamari

Update: Rob Goldman sent me the following affidavits stating that he has has not received contributions or made expenditures exceeding $1,000 in either of the pre-primary reporting periods. I cannot explain why the State Board of Elections does not post this information to its website.

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Thomas Hardman Announces for District 4

Thomas Hardman, who ran as a Republican in last year's District 4 special election, is announcing his candidacy this year as a Democrat. His statement follows below.

My name is Thomas Hardman, and I filed for candidacy Friday Feb 27 2009, evidently a few minutes behind Nancy Navarro, to judge from the visitors' log.

I had about 5 years on the board of the Aspen Hill Civic Association, Inc., from about 2002-2007. In about the same time frame, I was very active in the "Mid County Neighborhood Initiative", which has done quite a lot of promotion of anti-crime efforts in Aspen Hill, especially promoting the reclamation of North Gate Park, and the cleanup of a lot of local "trash woods" where overgrowth led to crime and nastiness.

I'm particularly focused on code-violation, home overcrowding, "McMansionism", tear-downs and "over-builds". I'm focused on how sensible Urban Planning can be completely obviated when code isn't enforced and everything deviates from the plan. I oppose seeing our neighborhoods being turned into something that looks a lot like an industrial park, and I oppose people buying up houses on speculation and paying their liar-loan APR mortgages by renting out single-family detached residental homes housing as many as 20 people being charged $500.00/month rent each, generating from $6000 to $10,000 to the slumlords. I've been fighting every aspect of that since Doug Duncan was County Executive.

For some years I have been seeking ways to have some influence, to demonstrate leadership, outside of the very narrow focus of these groups. So, I have run in the last two elections held in District 19/District 4 (state/county) and I am running in this one as of now.

I'm trying to step up and do the right thing, but I'm not a Party creature and so it's a struggle every step of the way.

Visit http://www.thomashardman.com as well as http://www.aspenhillnet.net/ and http://www.district4mc.org where I have done a lot of documentation about myself, Aspen Hill, and District 4.

Coming soon, the new http://www.thomashardman.NET which will be the political site, and the Facebook presence is under development.

I am a pagan tree-hugger and demand changes in policy toward "green", solar, and slow-growth/no-growth and I am on record on Channel 19/21 video from last Special Election as being for this, and furthermore my campaign was based all around expectation of economic calamity, and it wasn't even on the radar of any of my opponents. I was a Liberal Republican then, I am a Fiscally Conservative/Social Liberal Democrat now. I am GLBT tolerant and embrace the large and under-served community of the "differently abled", especially the "special needs" community in young adulthood and beyond, whether they're gifted/talented or intellectually-disabled.

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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.

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