Where Was George?

The question that people are asking after receiving an email newsletter from Council President Valerie Ervin that is signed by all county councilmembers except George Leventhal:

Dear Friends of Montgomery County:

As the Council gears up for its busy fall schedule, we want to update you on some key issues the Council will be addressing. We also want to share with you our perspective on the Council's recent actions.

Issues we will consider this fall range from the curfew bill proposed by the County Executive to the post-Census redrawing of Councilmember district lines. We will also take up several land use master plans that are vital to strengthening our economy and improving our quality of life.

Our agenda so far this year has focused on the severe budget challenges that the County, like governments across the nation, has continued to face. The Council acted unanimously on issue after issue and approved a $4.4 billion County budget for Fiscal Year 2012. We listened closely to the comments we received from thousands of concerned County service recipients and taxpayers, we consulted extensively with our employee representatives, and ultimately we spoke with one voice on how best to close the huge gap between projected expenditures and resources.

The Council started with three priorities: to protect our core services - education, public safety, and assistance for our most needy residents; treat our taxpayers fairly; and provide equity among our employees. In a series of 9-0 votes on controversial issues, we did just that. Even though the overall approved budget was actually smaller than the budget approved three years ago, we targeted the reductions carefully. For MCPS and Montgomery College, we focused on areas that do not affect the classroom. For some core services, we felt that the reductions proposed by the County Executive cut too deeply, and so we restored limited funds to Police, Fire and Rescue, Health and Human Services, Libraries, and other key operations.

One of our top goals was to protect our hard-working employees and their families from layoffs. Another top goal was to ensure fair treatment for the employees of all County agencies. We felt that the County Executive's recommended changes to health and retirement benefits for County Government employees were too large, and so we made them more equitable.

Another essential goal was to protect classroom instruction in our world-class school system while ensuring that scarce resources are available for all our critical priorities. The $2.1 billion budget we approved for Montgomery County Public Schools will help create a stable future for our schools and all County agencies. The tax supported budget that we approved for the school system was an increase over the last fiscal year.

In June, despite these budget challenges, the three major bond rating agencies reaffirmed the County's critical AAA bond rating, but the continued turmoil in financial markets makes clear that our challenges are far from over.

We are proud of the way the Council came together to act unanimously on this year's difficult budget. We are deeply committed to progressive values, and all of us care deeply about the concerns of our taxpayers, service recipients, and employees in this economy. We will continue to do the best job we can for the County's one million residents.

Sincerely,

Valerie Ervin

Council President

Roger Berliner

Council Vice President

Phil Andrews

Councilmember

Marc Elrich

Councilmember

Nancy Floreen

Councilmember

Nancy Navarro

Councilmember

Craig Rice

Councilmember

Hans Riemer

Councilmember

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Unions Attack Valerie Ervin

This went out in the mail a few weeks ago but still seemed worth mentioning. For reporting on this issue, see Robert McCartney's article in the Washington Post. For an alternative point of view, see the anti-union and pro-Ervin editorial in the Washington Post. Ironically, the editorial's use of terms such as "union bosses" undercuts their own complaint about the "tenor of public comments" made by union leaders.

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Valerie Ervin on Political Pulse

MoCo County Council President Valerie Ervin (and Council-Member from District 5) will be on the "Political Pulse" TV Show on:

Thurs, December 23rd at 9:00 p.m.

Fri-Sun, December 24th-26th at 6:00 p.m.

and Tues, December 28th at 9:30 p.m.

Topics that will be discussed include MoCo budget issues and her views on what the MoCo State Delegates and Senators should do on important issues that they will be facing in Annapolis during the 2011 Legislative Session (like the possible shift of some of the teachers pension expenditures to the counties and Maintenance of Effort education funding).

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Valerie Ervin for County Council, 2006

Incoming County Council President Valerie Ervin has enjoyed one of the more rapid rises to prominence in MoCo history. In 2002, she became Council Member George Leventhal's Chief of Staff. In 2004, she was elected to the school board. In 2006, she was elected to the council's District 5 seat. In 2008, she became Chair of the council's Education Committee. This year, she had no Democratic primary opponent. She is now about to be President and many people are predicting greatness for Ervin. We'll see what the future holds! Here is one of her mailers from 2006.

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Valerie Ervin's General Election Mailer

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Valerie Ervin: Fired Up

Council Member Valerie Ervin, who had no primary opponent, has sent the following email to her supporters concerning the general election.

Fired Up for Four More Years as Your Councilmember‏

Friends,

I want to express my heartfelt thanks to you, your family and your friends for supporting me in the 2010 Democratic Primary Election. I am honored to have the opportunity to serve my community as a member of the Montgomery County Council as we continue our work on important issues like education, public safety, the environment and improving the lives of working families.

We have accomplished great things by working together throughout the last four years; however, there is still more work to do. In a leadership role on the County Council, I am committed to working with all of my colleagues to enhance the quality of life in Montgomery County.

I am also excited that many of the candidates I endorsed early in the campaign season ran successful races. Hans Riemer and Craig Rice will be joining me on the County Council, and Roger Manno will be a new State Senator. All share my progressive values, and I look forward to working closely with each of them.

While I was fortunate to run unopposed in the 2010 Primary Election, I face a Republican challenger in November. Please remember to vote for me on November 2. I need your support so we can continue the work we started four years ago.

Also, please let me know if you would like a Valerie Ervin yard sign or if you would like to make a campaign contribution. Any way you can help would make a difference.

Request your lawn sign and sign up to volunteer: http://valerieervin.com/volunteer/.

Donate $5, $10, $25 or more online! You can contribute here: http://valerieervin.com/contribute/.
Thanks so much for all you have done and thank you in advance for your support in the future.

Valerie Ervin
Montgomery County Council Vice President

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East County Apple Mailer

This mailer was produced not by MCEA, but by Council Members Nancy Navarro and Valerie Ervin and at-large candidate Hans Riemer, all of whom have endorsed each other and all of whom are on the Apple Ballot.

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Heard a Good Rumor?

There are MANY rumors floating around in the County Council races right now. Let’s be irresponsible and review a couple of them, shall we?

1. The Rockville consensus is that Craig Rice should and will win the Council District 2 seat. No one believes Sharon Dooley has a shot, and no one in either the council building or the Executive Branch wants to see combative former Planning Board Chair Royce Hanson get in. As a result, lots of people are wooing Rice and hoping to earn his vote later. Ike Leggett, for example, gave Rice $3,000.

2. The at-large incumbents loathe Hans Riemer and are picking up their whisper campaign against him. More than one person who has publicly supported him has told your author that they have been pressured by one or more incumbents to retract that support. There has been an intense effort to discredit Riemer and plant derogatory allegations about him in the media. One such allegation is that he has never worked for AARP. Your author knows that is a lie because Riemer would answer the phone at AARP when called there by yours truly.

3. A civic activist who despises Council President Nancy Floreen has started an illegal, anonymous anti-Floreen website and has begun erecting illegally-placed road signs calling for her defeat. The activist is known to be a supporter of Council Member Marc Elrich. Elrich denies responsibility for fomenting the anti-Floreen effort, but his pleas are not entirely believed. Rumors are spreading that the activist is planning an attack mailer against Floreen. This is beginning to stress the incumbents’ four-way mutual non-aggression pact.

4. Council Member George Leventhal has taken an increasingly hard line against challenger Becky Wagner in the at-large candidate forums. Leventhal is suspected by many of tacitly supporting Wagner a year ago, a charge he denies, and some are now accusing him of throwing Wagner under the bus as part of the incumbents’ deal.

5. Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg is so upset about the growing circulation of stories about her mishandling money while she was Treasurer of Maryland NOW that she is vowing to locate their source. Perhaps she should blame the Gazette, which originally reported on the issue. Our informants are wondering whether distraction over this matter explains why Trachtenberg, who is sitting on over $200,000 in the bank, has apparently not yet sent out mail.

6. More than one council incumbent has recently butted heads with Council Vice-President Valerie Ervin, who will likely become President this December. That is EXTREMELY unwise as Ervin will be determining committee assignments, including chairmanships. Ervin is a tough cookie who will not tolerate mischief and will break heads if she has to.

7. We’ll finish with something positive. Yes, we know such things bore you, but you received plenty of dirt above, so deal with it. The County Council and the county’s statehouse delegation are often criticized for not talking to each other, but that could change for the better. One example is that Council Member Roger Berliner, who has significant expertise on energy policy, and Delegate Brian Feldman (D-15), who sits on the House committee that oversees electric utilities, are collaborating on legislation to establish performance standards for Pepco. We don’t care what they come up with, but the very fact that they are working together may be a sign of good things to come.

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Women for Kyle

As Josh Kurtz reported this morning, former national NARAL President Kate Michelman is headlining an event for District 16 House candidate Kyle Lierman. This is a slap for Ariana Kelly, who was once Executive Director of NARAL in Maryland. Also in attendance will be Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg (who endorsed Lierman early) and Council Member Valerie Ervin. The notice appears below.

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Police Picket Ervin Fundraiser (Update)

Last night, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35 picketed Council Member Valerie Ervin's fundraiser in Downtown Silver Spring. It's one thing for the police to picket Nancy Navarro or Nancy Floreen, but it's quite another for them to picket a twenty-five year veteran of the labor movement like Ervin. Still, Ervin supported furloughs along with the rest of the council.




Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg, who has changed her position to reject all county employee union support, prepares to cross the picket line.

Update: We hear other politicians crossed the picket line too. Trachtenberg is the only one for whom we have a photograph.

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Consequences of the Budget, Part Five

Budgets have political consequences. This one was no exception. Here are a few things that stand out.

1. Dominance of the Bond Rating Agencies
In our very first blog post, we labeled MCEA the “800-pound gorilla of MoCo.” No more. Now the county has three 800-pound gorillas: Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch. When the rating agencies began issuing warnings on the county’s AAA bond rating, the County Executive and the council immediately moved to increase the size of the energy tax hike, grab more money from furloughs and the school system and boost next year’s reserve from 5% to 6% of the general fund. One aggrieved labor leader compared the county to a third world country having to deal with the IMF. For years and years, the Post, taxpayer groups, conservatives and others have howled in the wind about fiscal discipline while the council regularly approved budget increases in the upper single digits (or more). The rating agencies have successfully bullied the elected officials into spending restraint – at least, for now.

2. The Unexpected
There were a number of surprises this year. First, Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg flipped her vote to yes on the ambulance fee, allowing it to pass 5-4. In explaining her change of mind to the Gazette, she said, “We no longer have the luxury of leaving insurance money on the table.” Well, if the ambulance fee was nothing more than insurance money, why not support it last year or the year before? The volunteer fire fighters are now vowing to unseat everyone who supported the fee, adding to Trachtenberg’s LONG list of enemies.

Second, long-time business allies Nancy Floreen and George Leventhal supported the energy tax against loud outcries from their friends. Floreen told them, “At this point we have to raise this revenue… We have no choice.” Leventhal said, “We’re in a box. We need the revenue... We’re faced with a lot of really hard choices.” All the Council Members wound up favoring an increase of some kind, though they disagreed on the amount and the final hike was a compromise.

Third, former Board of Education members Ervin and Navarro turned a lot of heads by taking on both the school system and the school unions. Ervin was out front early in supporting school furloughs and voted with Navarro and Trachtenberg in favor of them in the Management and Fiscal Policy Committee. That quickly became the position of the entire council. School officials and school union leaders were sorely disappointed with both women, whom they expected to defend them. One such official accused them of “hypocrisy” by pointing out the contrast between rhetorical statements about protecting kids and demands for teacher furloughs. Another official said that both women had “alienated” some in the school unions. This level of rage coming from the schools proves once and for all that neither Ervin nor Navarro can ever be characterized as servants of Jerry Weast or labor.

3. Sticking Together
The council was under intense pressure from all sides during the crisis. But rather than pull them apart, it actually pushed them together. Your author has heard multiple stories of Council Members who were barely on speaking terms with each other now being bosom buddies! None of them felt they had many choices, and all were battered and hardened by the abusive emails they received. (The ones containing grammatical errors that were sent by teachers provoked some gallows humor about the need to invest more in teacher training.) At the end, the Council Members had no one but each other. This may not last, but it was a unique moment during this term.

One benefit to this is that it becomes harder for endorsing organizations to differentiate between the incumbents. Labor is displeased with furloughs, but every Council Member supported them. Business is displeased with the energy tax hike, but every Council Member except Phil Andrews voted for it. (Andrews wanted an even steeper levy on business customers.) Every Council Member voted for the budget except Andrews and Knapp. Andrews voted against it because of the ambulance tax, while Knapp is displeased over “one-time solutions.” Unless an endorsing organization thinks it can take out seven or more incumbents, there’s not a lot to work with here.

One outraged observer sputtered, “A majority of this council is determined to appear united and unanimous out of a perceived need for incumbents to circle the wagons for the September primaries. That means that the majority will follow the minority to achieve the goal of unanimity. It is about them and their careers, not the taxpayers.” That’s fine, but what are you going to do about it?

4. Common Interest
The Council Members are not the only ones with common interest. The business community was hammered by the energy tax. County employees received no raises and some were furloughed. Non-profits and immigrants will endure large grant and service cuts. The smart growth community is constantly defending the Ride On system from route eliminations and schedule cuts. This is all going to continue.

The common enemy that all of these groups have is not the County Executive or the County Council: it’s the lack of economic growth. In our “Population, Jobs and Commutes in the Washington Region” series, we demonstrated that Montgomery County has lagged behind Fairfax and much of the rest of the region in population, employment and real wage growth for decades. That hurts the business community by limiting profits. It hurts county employees by limiting the tax base. It hurts the non-profits, the poor and the immigrant community by limiting services. And it hurts the pursuit of smart growth by limiting revenues necessary to build transit projects. Whether they know it or not, their interests are all intertwined. In the end, just like the politicians, all these groups have is each other. Only if these communities work together in pursuit of economic revitalization will MoCo’s long, slow fall come to an end.

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Valerie Ervin Endorses District 18 Democratic Team

Council Member Valerie Ervin issued this statement in endorsing the District 18 Democratic Team of Senator Rich Madaleno and Delegates Ana Sol Gutierrez, Jeff Waldstreicher and Al Carr:

As the Vice President of the Montgomery County Council and the member who represents this community, I know how important it is to work with elected leaders who get up every day to fight in Annapolis on our behalf. They advocate for those who have no voice and they understand the issues that are important to all of us here in the district.

That is why I enthusiastically endorse the District 18 Democratic Team of Senator Madaleno and Delegates Carr, Sol Gutierrez and Waldstreicher. Together, they have provided the unwavering leadership to create jobs and educational opportunities for working families in Montgomery County.

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Is Pete Fosselman Running Against Valerie Ervin?

Yesterday, our spies came out of the woodwork to report that Kensington Mayor Pete Fosselman, who is currently a candidate for Planning Board Chair, is considering a run against Council Member Valerie Ervin for the District 5 seat. We emailed Fosselman for comment and he has not yet responded. However, the noise is so loud on this that we are convinced that something is going on.

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Valerie Ervin: Hans is the Only One

Charles Duffy of Political Pulse landed a nice scoop in his interview with Council Member Valerie Ervin. And we have the video to prove it!



Duffy noted the fact that Ervin had endorsed at-large County Council challenger Hans Riemer and asked her which at-large incumbent she was not going to endorse. Remember, all four are running again and if Ervin is supporting one challenger, by implication, she must want at least one incumbent gone. Ervin responded:

I am not going to endorse any other incumbent candidate or any other candidate. What I did for Hans was to say to Hans I believe in you. I think that other elected officials like myself need to encourage and get behind younger candidates. I’m not going to serve for fifty years. I mean, I think that the party needs a pipeline of new, talented people wanting to serve the community. And so that’s why I did it.

As an added bonus, Ervin compared Riemer to other progressive candidates she has endorsed, including Congresswoman Donna Edwards, Council Member Nancy Navarro and District 20 Senator Jamie Raskin – all of whom won.

This is obviously good for Riemer. Ervin’s endorsement is valuable, and it is even more valuable now that it is exclusive. But this is risky for Ervin herself.

That is because at least three – and possibly all four – at-large incumbents are going to return. Those who do are going to remember this with an evil eye and a sharpened blade. Moreover, the coalition of five who supported Nancy Navarro in last year’s District 4 race and installed Nancy Floreen as Council President may find it difficult if not impossible to all work together in this year’s election. So who benefits the most from all this? Riemer? Marc Elrich? Or Duchy Trachtenberg?

We’ll see.

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Valerie Ervin on "Political Pulse" on Ch. 16 TV

Valerie Ervin, who represents District 5 on the Montgomery County Council (District 5 consists of Takoma Park, Wheaton, Kensington and parts of Silver Spring) will be on the "Political Pulse" TV Show on:

Thurs, March 18th at 9:00 p.m.
Fri-Sun, March 19th-21st at 6:00 p.m. and
Tues, March 23rd, at 9:30 p.m.

Topics that will be discussed include Council Member Ervin's views on:

-County Executive Ike Leggett's just released proposed budget which seeks to close the $780 million County budget deficit;

-Government employee unions in the current budget environment;

-Which mass transit project she would want built if funds are available to build only one of the three MD mass transit project proposals that are being considered;

-How Montgomery County can retain jobs already here and attract new jobs;

-Whether there is a rift developing between the Eastern and Western parts of the County on certain issues; and

-Her endorsement of a challenger in the County Council At-Large race.

Political Pulse is on Channel 16 TV in Montgomery County.

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A Great Tree Has Fallen

By Council Member Valerie Ervin.

Trees are an ancient symbol of life. In many parts of the world trees provide shade and shelter, nourishment from their fruit and a center for community life.

As a frequent visitor to MPW I have never posted any comments before today. I have read the very eloquent and moving recollections of Harry Sanders and his life and wanted to add my voice to so many others who are mourning the loss of this quiet giant.

Harry brought me and so many others along with him in his enthusiastic advocacy of an idea that so many thought was just a pipe dream. What I admired most about Harry was that he understood that the success of the Purple Line was connected to organizing transit riders. They are among the many thousands of people who don’t own cars and who must ride transit everyday out of necessity. Harry understood this.

Harry played an enormous role in connecting Montgomery County politicians, transit advocates, transit riders and other activists with the same folks in neighboring Prince Georges County. Building this coalition and watching it grow was an important element in the recent successes that Harry played a major role in organizing.

I learned so much from him. I learned that you must be passionate about an idea that you believe in and never let it go. I learned that true leadership is not loud or obnoxious, it is not mean or indignant, it is about building trust and community and sometimes you learn that it is the journey that is what is important.

I never got the chance to tell Harry how much I admired him. There is a poem that I love written by Maya Angelou called When Great Trees Fall. These are my favorite lines…

When great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.

Thank you Harry.

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How to Show Momentum, Part One

Political campaigns are processes of milestones. In presidential campaigns, those milestones consist of poll releases, big endorsements, financial reports, debates and state primary results, one after the other. The relative progress demonstrated by candidates is very obvious. In statewide campaigns, all of the above except sequential primary results are also a factor. But in state legislative and County Council races, there are fewer milestones. We are now in a long dry period between two of them: the January financial reports and the Apple Ballot announcement, which took place in June back in 2006. How can candidates show their momentum during a time when few objective measures of their progress are available?

Make no mistake: the appearance of momentum and strength is very important, especially for challengers, open seat candidates and anyone running in a close race. Candidates who look strong find it easier to raise money, pick up supporters and ultimately gain the county’s most important endorsement, MCEA’s Apple Ballot. Some of the county’s politicians have shown that they are true experts in the art of looking good over the last year or two. If you are a candidate and want to show your strength, here is what you should do.

1. Assemble a giant supporter list.
District 17 Senate challenger Cheryl Kagan is the undisputed queen of the supporter list. Way back in June – over a year before the primary – Kagan released a fundraising invitation containing 158 supporters. Just four months later, her list grew to 199 names. Incumbent Jennie Forehand replied with a list of 93 names, but it had three problems. First, 28 of the names were other elected officials. Incumbents are expected to endorse each other. Second, Senator Jamie Raskin (D-20) and former Montgomery College President Charlene Nunley, both of whom were on the list, said that they never gave permission for use of their names. (Nunley said she was supporting Kagan.) And third, one of the people on the list had died prior to its publication. Advantage: Kagan.

County Council District 1 incumbent Roger Berliner also made good use of this tactic. Berliner got wind of a possible challenge from East Bethesda civic leader Ilaya Hopkins last fall, so he began combing through the district asking for support. When Hopkins announced her exploratory committee, Berliner countered with a 158-name supporter list less than two weeks later. In one fell move, Berliner changed the story from Hopkins’s challenge to his own strength as an incumbent, prompting us to declare him the favorite.

Finally, at-large County Council challenger Hans Riemer’s 90-name list started his campaign with a bang. More than one incumbent was upset by it and several phone calls were placed to Riemer supporters in protest. These are signs that Riemer’s campaign is being taken seriously by friends and foes alike.

In building a supporter list, candidates should keep the following in mind. Out-of-state and out-of-district people matter less than in-district people unless they are prominent. (Donna Edwards’s name, for example, goes a long ways outside of Congressional District 4.) In-district opinion leaders may be the most valuable and most overlooked names for a list. If a candidate’s list does not include anyone inside the district, that candidate is probably unknown – a bad sign. Work your districts, people!

2. The bio video.
Nancy Navarro opened her 2009 special election campaign with this video.



District 5 incumbent Valerie Ervin, who will probably not even have a challenger, released this video last fall.



Both videos served two purposes. First, these candidates spoke directly to voters establishing their biographies and goals. Second, they also demonstrated that they were running highly professional campaigns with a range of outreach tools. Any opponent watching these videos would be impressed and perhaps a bit intimidated. Mission accomplished.

3. Guest blogs.
Here is a paraphrased account of a conversation that your author has had with many politicians.

Pagnucco: Have you ever Googled yourself?

Politician X: Not lately.

Pagnucco: If you do, you are likely to find blog posts written about you.

Politician X: Get out! (Googles himself.) Cripes, you need to take that stuff you printed about me down.

Pagnucco: Look at it this way. If a casual voter Googles you and finds blog posts, do you want them to read the rubbish that I write about you, or do you want them to read your own statements about things that you care about?

Politician X: Well, that’s an obvious question. I sure don’t want them reading the awful things you write.

Pagnucco: So give me a guest blog!

MPW does not exist to glorify politicians. (That’s why they spend campaign contributions.) But we have had a longstanding invitation for guest blogs. We do not want posts saying, “I’m great; vote for me!” We do want posts on policy initiatives favored by candidates. Some of the ones we have received have been excellent, such as the submissions from Delegates Heather Mizeur (D-20), Bill Frick (D-16) and Kirill Reznik (D-39) and County Council Member George Leventhal. But nothing beat the four-part series Delegate Saqib Ali (D-39) wrote differentiating his positions from those of Senator Nancy King (D-39). Ali caused a BIG splash with that series and probably raised himself a lot of money because of it – along with a bit of cash for King as well. So if you are a candidate who wants to write about a genuine policy issue, drop us a line.

We’ll have more in Part Two.

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Valerie Ervin's Statement of Support for Hans Riemer

Council Member Valerie Ervin gave the following statement of support for Council at-large candidate Hans Riemer at his campaign kickoff rally yesterday.

# # #

Four years ago Montgomery County had a healthy economy, a thriving business community, low unemployment, and a strong tax base. Today we are faced with the highest unemployment rate in a generation, a $600 million budget deficit, declining home values, and no relief on the horizon. Four years ago, Hans Riemer and I were opponents in the District 5 primary race for an open seat on the county council. In 2006 we didn’t have many differences of opinion on the important issues that faced our county. Today Hans and I agree more than ever that the county needs new leaders with new ideas, leaders who lead by example and who are not afraid to forge a new path.

I am here to lend my support to Hans Riemer for County Council at-large. He has demonstrated his commitment to this community by his work on smart growth and transit issues, on senior issues, and on organizing young people to participate in the electoral process. The Democratic Party must renew its commitment to prepare our nation for the future. Who are the leaders of tomorrow? Here in Montgomery County we are blessed by a large and growing group of fresh, innovative, smart and exciting voices on the horizon. Many of them have lent their names in support of Hans Riemer and some of them are here today, names like Oscar Ramirez, Shirley Rivadaneira, Karla Walker, Jackie Lichter, Dan Hoffman, Adam Yalowitz and others. Hans Riemer represents a new and growing base of young people, immigrants, transit and smart growth activists, environmentalists and many disenfranchised voters who have lost faith in the status quo.

I believe that we have an opportunity to organize and galvanize more people than ever around the most important issues facing the county in this election cycle than ever before. Issues like how will we strengthen our tax base, how do we attract jobs and promote transit oriented development, how do we do all these things and at the same time prevent sprawl and promote farming and agriculture? I know that Hans is up to the challenge. Hans's experience as the director of Rock the Vote, as the Youth Coordinator for the Obama campaign, his current work at AARP and his advocacy on transit issues sets him apart as a candidate who understands issues that transcend age, race and class.

So if you feel the same energy I do, the same urgency I do, the same passion I do, the same hopefulness I do, then you will join me in supporting Hans Riemer for County Council. I’m very excited about the future.

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Riemer’s Rooters Revealed

County Council at-large candidate Hans Riemer has announced his campaign kickoff rally, which is scheduled for this Saturday at 1430 Fenwick Lane in Downtown Silver Spring at 3 PM. In the announcement, he released a list of 90 supporters including five elected officials and over one-third of the county’s Democratic Central Committee. We run the announcement below and follow with a comment.

You are Cordially Invited to the Hans Riemer for Montgomery Council (At-Large) Campaign Kickoff Rally
Saturday, February 20th at 3:00 pm

Location: 1430 Fenwick Lane, Silver Spring, MD 20910
(5 mins walk from Silver Spring metro)

Master of Ceremonies:
Delegate Heather Mizeur, Takoma Park, District 20

Featured Speakers:
Councilmember Valerie Ervin, Silver Spring, District 5
Councilmember Nancy Navarro, Colesville, District 4

Special Remarks By:
Senator Jamie Raskin, Takoma Park, District 20
Delegate Kirill Reznik, Germantown, District 39


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Event Hosts (in formation):
Please Note: Organizational affiliations are listed for identification purposes only and do not imply an endorsement from the organization.
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Hon. Darrell Anderson, Mayor, Washington Grove
Hon. Josh Wright, Takoma Park City Council
Timothy Hwang, Gaithersburg / Student Member of Board of Education

Hon. Elly Shaw-Belblidia, Germantown / Montgomery County Democratic Party leader
Hon. Shirley Rivadaneira, Germantown / Mongtomery County Democratic Party leader
Hon. Aruna Miller, Darnestown / Mongtomery County Democratic Party leader
Hon. Dan Adcock, Silver Spring / Montgomery County Democratic Party leader
Hon. Karla Walker, Silver Spring / Mongtomery County Democratic Party leader
Hon. Marc Korman, Bethesda / Mongtomery County Democratic Party leader
Hon. Beth Siniawsky, Takoma Park/ Montgomery County Democratic Party leader

Oscar Ramirez (Riemer Campaign Chair), Silver Spring / former-MCDCC member
Karen Czapanskiy (Riemer Campaign Treasurer), Takoma Park / former-MCDCC member

Casey Anderson, Silver Spring / Bike Advocate
Miti Figueredo, Silver Spring (Woodmoor) / Chief of Staff to Councilmember Nancy Navarro
Adam Yalowitz, Silver Spring / former Valerie Ervin Field Director
Alice Wilkerson, Silver Spring / Chief of Staff, Senator Jamie Raskin
Kevin Walling, Baltimore / LGBT Advocate
Patrick Metz, DC / former-Heather Mizeur Chief of Staff
Deborah Mizeur, Takoma Park
Jen Kramer, Germantown / Democratic Activist
Tufail Ahmad, Potomac / 2006 At-Large Council Candidate
Jayson Williams, Baltimore / Union Organizer
Jackie Lichter, Burtonsville / former SEIU Local 500 Political Director
Dan Hoffman, North Bethesda (White Flint) / Civic Activist
Carol Oberdorfer, Dickerson / Community & Agricultural Reserve Advocate
Dallas Lipp & Lori Plazinski, Gaithersburg / former Montgomery County for Obama leaders
Miriam Schoenbaum, Boyds / MARC & Transit Advocate
Lynn & Michael Novelli, Gaithersburg / former MD for Obama Director
Mike Hersh, Wheaton / Progressive Activist
Michael Benefiel, Kensington / Democratic Activist
Ralph Bennett, Silver Spring / former Chair, Housing Opportunities Commission
Roxanna Olivas, Bethesda / Hispanic Democratic & Small Business Advocate
Rebecca Jaramillo, Bethesda
Minh-ngoc Le, Chevy Chase / former MD Obama Organizer
Quon Kwan, Rockville / Transit & Bike Advocate
Ashwani Jain, Potomac / former Maryland Students for Obama Organizer
Neal Carter, Colesville / former President, Montgomery College Democrats
Lawrence Jacobs & Steve Snapp, Rockville / LGBT Activists
Marlana Valdez, Takoma Park / former Raskin Campaign Chair
David Guhl, Poolesville / Democratic Activist
Michael Buckley, Silver Spring / former Maryland Obama Delegate & Organizer
Cavan Wilk, Wheaton / Transit & Community Activist
Eric Robbins, Silver Spring / Community Activist & Blogger
Ken Silverman, Bethesda / former Nancy Navarro Field Director
Tom Manatos, Bethesda / Democratic Activist
Jonathan Sachs, Silver Spring / former UMD College Park Democrats President
Ethan Susseles, Bethesda / former Deputy Maryland High School Coordinator, Obama for America
Adam Scholl, Bethesda / former National High School Coordinator, Obama for America
Kathy Jentz, Silver Spring / Transit & Community Activist
Don, Tina & Jessie Slater, Silver Spring / Transit Advocates
Barbara & Eric Doran, Silver Spring; Maia Estes, former Obama Bethesda Leader
Jeff & Richelle Meer, Silver Spring
Jim Clarke, Rockville / Bike and Transit Advocate
Marian Fryer, Wheaton / Community Leader
John Carroll, Silver Spring / Transit Advocate
Paula Kowalczuk, Takoma Park / Democratic Activist
Eleanor Rice, Bethesda / Purple Line Advocate
Kenann & Corey Thompson, Takoma Park
Brett Heimov, Silver Spring (Woodmoor) / Democratic Activist
Wayne Phyillaier, Silver Spring / Bike Advocate & Blogger
Peter Gray, Silver Spring / Bike and Capital Crescent Trail Advocate
Carl Henn, Rockville / Transit Advocate
Jon & Julie Garcia, Bethesda (Burning Tree)
Sarah Lynch & Kris Wernsted / former Montgomery County for Obama Organizers
Jack Cochrane, Bethesda (Bells Mill) / Bike Advocate
Seth Grimes, Takoma Park / former Takoma Park Mayoral Candidate
Rosie Engman, Silver Spring
Michael Vaughan, Takoma Park / Democratic Organizer
Kathy Stevens, Silver Spring / Community Leader
Lew Winarsky, Silver Spring
Jonathan Prutow, White Flint / former Montgomery Obama Organizer
Pam Larson & Art Isaacs, Takoma Park / Community Activists
Cindy Terrell, Takoma Park / Progressive & Community Activist
Libi Sprow, Silver Spring.
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See you at the rally!

Hans Riemer
Montgomery County Democrat

P.S. Please email me at hans@hansriemer.com if you're interested in joining the supporters/host committee for the kickoff rally.

By Authority: Friends of Hans Riemer. Oscar Ramirez, Chair; Karen Czapanskiy, Treasurer.

Our Take:

Riemer’s list is exceptional for a challenger’s first release. Its composition reflects his strength among five key groups: smart growth and bicycle advocates, Silver Spring residents, young people, Obama supporters and progressives. Riemer is a natural favorite of all of these groups as he is an East Silver Spring resident, a board member of Action Committee for Transit and the former youth coordinator of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. One additional strength Riemer possesses that is not yet reflected in his list is his current employment by AARP and his role in opposing President George W. Bush’s social security privatization proposal. Those characteristics should play well in the county’s large and influential senior community.

The presence of County Council Member Valerie Ervin on Riemer’s list is especially notable. Ervin defeated Riemer by 24 points in the 2006 District 5 open seat primary. So why is she endorsing her former opponent right out of the gate? First, the two had few if any policy differences in 2006. Both ran as pro-job, smart growth candidates who embraced diversity and young people. Ervin’s institutional support and long record of community service gave her the victory. But from a policy perspective, the two are natural allies. Second, shortly after Ervin won the primary, she began reaching out to Riemer and his supporters (one of whom was your author) in an effort to generate a fresh start for her first term in office. Riemer’s supporters were won over by Ervin and especially her constituent service operation led by Chief of Staff Sonya Healy. Within a year, almost all of Riemer’s people became Ervin backers. So there is no lingering ill will from the last election. In fact, the table is set for cooperation between Ervin, Riemer and like-minded advocates. And just as with Nancy Navarro’s election in District 4 last year, if Riemer wins, Ervin will be seen as the power player who helped him get over the top. Navarro herself, who is also endorsing Riemer, will get a share of the credit too.

Finally, the list does not include one fact that deserves mention: Riemer’s campaign manager is former Navarro and Raskin manager David Moon. Moon is a cunning and methodical operative who finished first in our Young Guns poll last year and is thought by many to be the county’s best political consultant. Moon has strong connections to smart growth, environmental and progressive groups – all of whom will be part of Riemer’s coalition. Riemer outraised Ervin in 2006 and has more nationwide fundraising connections now because of his work for Obama, so his campaign will be professionally run and adequately financed.

Riemer is starting to suck up some of the oxygen from the other at-large challengers, but all four incumbents are running for re-election. The big question is which, if any, incumbents will see their voters peel away to Riemer. We’ll be watching.

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Where are the District County Council Challengers?

We have written extensively about the At-Large County Council race. But what about the District County Council elections?

Sadly for us but happily for the incumbents, there’s not very much to report.

At first glance, it should be easier for challengers to overthrow County Council incumbents in the county’s five districts for one simple reason: it is cheaper to run in a district than at-large. But that has not helped recent district challengers. The only two district incumbents who were thrown out in the last two cycles were Republicans unseated by Democrats: District 1’s Howard Denis, who was defeated by Roger Berliner in 2006, and District 2’s Nancy Dacek, who was defeated by Mike Knapp in 2002. All of the Democratic incumbents who were challenged won.

Here are the Democratic primary statistics for all district seats held by Democratic incumbents from the last two cycles.

2006 Cycle

District 2 (Upcounty): Incumbent Mike Knapp vs. Sharon Dooley
Vote Percentage: Knapp 63.8%, Dooley 36.2%
Contributions: Knapp $213,547, Dooley $16,339

District 3 (Rockville/Gaithersburg): Incumbent Phil Andrews vs. Bob Dorsey
Vote Percentage: Andrews 75.9%, Dorsey 24.1%
Contributions: Andrews $98,298, Dorsey $25,570

District 4 (East County): Incumbent Marilyn Praisner vs. Mike Jones
Vote Percentage: Praisner 79.9%, Jones 20.1%
Contributions: Praisner $52,326, Jones filed no reports

District 5 (Silver Spring/Takoma Park/Kensington): Open Seat

2002 Cycle

District 3: Incumbent Phil Andrews vs. Bob Dorsey
Vote Percentage: Andrews 53.6%, Dorsey 46.4%
Contributions: Andrews $75,173, Dorsey $68,072

District 4: Incumbent Marilyn Praisner vs. Steve Joseph
Vote Percentage: Praisner 80.2%, Joseph 19.8%
Contributions: Praisner $27,739, Joseph $42,942

District 5: Open Seat

Averages, District County Council Seats Held by Democratic Incumbents, 2002 and 2006

Vote Percentage: Incumbents 70.7%, Challengers 29.3%
Contributions: Incumbents $93,417, Challengers $30,585

The only competitive district race in the last two cycles was incumbent Phil Andrews’ 2002 win over Bob Dorsey in District 3, which includes Rockville and Gaithersburg. Dorsey was a Rockville City Council Member who ran as part of County Executive Doug Duncan’s End Gridlock slate. Andrews survived twelve(!) pro-Dorsey mailings and numerous negative attacks in part because he was endorsed by MCEA. (My, how times change.) None of the other challengers had any significant institutional support. The only Democratic district incumbent to lose in 1998 was District 3’s Bill Hanna, who was driven out by none other than Andrews.

The winning recipe for district incumbents is straightforward: pay attention to constituent service, earn the support of community leaders around the district, wrap up important endorsements and raise more money than the opponent(s). All of that sucks up the oxygen needed by any challenger. At-large elections are more complicated since they are four-person round robins. Lots more factors count in those contests, including incumbent-on-incumbent rivalries. Both the 2002 and 2006 races featured one open at-large seat and one defeated incumbent, producing two at-large freshmen.

Currently, the district races do not look as interesting as the at-large contest. No incumbent has a confirmed challenger yet. Here’s what we are hearing.

District 1, Incumbent Roger Berliner
East Bethesda civic leader Ilaya Hopkins is exploring a challenge. We sized up this potential race last month.

District 2, Incumbent Mike Knapp
Knapp may not run for re-election. If he does, he may face civic activist Sharon Dooley again. Dooley lost to Knapp by 28 points in 2006. If Knapp does not seek to return, Gaithersburg/Germantown Chamber of Commerce CEO Marilyn Balcombe and Dooley seem certain to run, and there may be other candidates.

District 3
We reported rumors that former Rockville Mayor Larry Giammo was a possible candidate for this seat a year ago, but have heard nothing since. Phil Andrews may run unopposed.

District 4
Delegate Ben Kramer (D-19) is still smarting from his special election loss to Nancy Navarro in the spring of 2009. Kramer never conceded the race and never endorsed Navarro against Republican Robin Ficker. He may seek to challenge Navarro again. If so, he will likely be supported by at-large incumbent Duchy Trachtenberg, who lost her chance to become Council Vice-President in 2010 and Council President in 2011 because of Navarro’s election. The last Navarro-Kramer contest was a bitter affair culminating in multiple negative mailers by Navarro against Kramer. A rematch would see no quarter given by either side.

District 5
Incumbent Valerie Ervin has no rivals on the horizon. She could very well be a kingmaker in the at-large race. Many suitors will no doubt seek her support.

If anything changes, we’ll be sure to let you know!

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