Given how opaque the central committee process can seem to those who are not on the committee, I thought I would share with you why I chose to vote for Al Carr in last night's election. First, I just want to point out that the sole purpose of the central committee is not to fill vacancies. We are Montgomery County's Democratic Party and we work year in and year out to keep the local party strong to ensure that Democrats keep getting elected to pass and support progressive policies. If you are not already involved in our precinct organization and other activities and would like to be, please contact me.
That said, last night our major task was to nominate an individual to fill Delegate Jane Lawton's seat. This was a task none of us wanted, but the rules dictated that we address it last night all the same. I think we can all agree that there were many good candidates and each would have brought admirable qualities to the job of delegate. I am optimistic that those who did not win will stay as engaged and active as they always have been. For me, who to vote for was not an easy decision and I did not know for certain which candidate I would pick until the ballot was in my hand. This was after attending a portion of the D18 Forum on Sunday (I had to leave early to study for law school exams), meeting for an interview with each candidate on Saturday, hearing the candidates' answer a few questions before we voted, and reading a flood of emails and blog postings about the candidates. I also spoke to a few of the candidates and their supporters on the phone, though not as many as I expected. I know for many of my colleagues, even more work was done in coming to their individual decisions.
Al Carr did not get my vote for any one, specific reason. In fact, many of the reasons I supported him were not qualities unique to him. Al Carr, in my view, offered the best package of the qualities I was looking for. These include progressive values, knowledge of the district and the issues it faces, a history of local community engagement both politically and civically, a willingness to engage in the hard work required of a delegate as shown by his past experience, and the support of many members of the community including people I know and respect.
Just as all the candidates had attractive qualities, none were perfect either. During last night's process, I asked a question about the Purple Line and the gas tax. None of the five candidates gave the answer I would have liked. But Al Carr gave an answer offering a realistic alternative to the gas tax that showed he was knowledgeable about the issues and had thought about them before. With the General Session starting next month, this demonstrated to me that Al Carr could hit the ground running for District 18. Normally, candidates for office have a year long election to learn their communities and the issues facing them. With an appointment, this is not the case so I felt the district would be best served by picking someone who already had that ability. That belief and the qualities listed above convinced me to cast my vote for Al Carr.
Many will poke holes in my specific reasons for supporting Al Carr. Others will say that Al Carr was the pick of this powerful politician, or that powerful politician, and that is why he won (if this were the case, all of these powerful people forgot to call me to try and sway my vote). Others will simply express outrage at the entire appointment process, as opposed to a special election. I cannot, nor do I want, to stop people from expressing their views. All I can say is that for me, my decision was made by myself, sitting in the central committee offices, listening to the candidates and trying to come to the best decision I could. Time will tell if my decision was the right one, but for now I wish Delegate-elect Al Carr good luck in his new position and hope he serves his constituents well.
Thank you,
Marc Korman
District 16
Montgomery County
Democratic Central Committee
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Marc Korman on "Why I Voted for Al Carr"
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Another Blogger Bites the Dust
By Marc Korman.
Back in December of 2007, David Lublin asked me if I wanted to start writing for his blog Maryland Politics Watch. I eagerly agreed and for about two and a half years have churned out regular entries. Unfortunately, that time is coming to a close.
Since Lublin invited me aboard shortly after he posted an email I sent called “Why I Voted for Al Carr” until about three months ago (when I started studying for the bar exam) I tried to treat my contributions to MPW as a regular column. I would send an entry to Adam or David by Sunday night each week and if I were going to be late or not get one in, I would let them know.
I tried to write fact-based entries that had a heavy dose of my own opinions, but with support to back them up. Of the approximately 120 entries I wrote, I am most proud of the fact-rich ones like my recent piece on term limits. I am a little less proud of some of the more rumor and insiderish pieces, though they were always the easiest to write and got the best readership.
I never had the vast collection of spies Adam had, but I did have a small band of friends and sources to bounce ideas off of, spot typos, and fact check with. Chief among them is my wife, Rebecca, who would usually proofread before I emailed my entry off.
I am calling it quits because I am about to start a new job and have many competing commitments. As I said, I viewed writing for MPW as a serious responsibility and do not want to continue it in a haphazard way. MPW will still be the first website I check in the morning. Of course, many of my competing commitments are still related to local politics and our community so I will still be involved and hope that each of you who have gotten to know me as a result of MPW will continue to hear from me in those other capacities.
Many of you probably view me as a “blogger” and I have gotten used to assuring friends that what they tell me is off the record. But when I characterize my role it is as a political activist and loyal Democrat. One of the last truly great Republicans, Teddy Roosevelt, said “the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.” I viewed this blog as an extension of my activities, another way to be in the arena of local public policy and politics, but not the sum total of my involvement.
I want to thank David Lublin for inviting me to write and both him and Adam for always posting whatever I sent in. Although they had occasional complaints, especially in the early going, they treated MPW as the open forum it is and always posted without edit. I have especially enjoyed working with Adam on a few back and forth series such as Primaries to Watch. What Adam, David, and many others who write for MPW do is important. They fill a deep void in local political and policy coverage. I hope others will join them in that pursuit.
Thank you for reading.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
MoCo Primaries to Watch, Part Two
By Marc Korman and Adam Pagnucco.
Marc and Adam are back with commentary on three more primaries that will captivate MoCo political junkies from Burtonsville to Bethesda.
7. Dana Beyer vs. District 18 Delegates
Marc:
Although still in the exploratory stage, Dana Beyer has given some early indications she is running for delegate in District 18 again. For example, she still maintains her campaign website. Beyer ran in 2006 and started to run in the 2005 and 2007 District 18 central committee appointment process (ultimately won by Jane Lawton and Al Carr), before pulling out. Beyer has made her mark as a candidate, Duchy Trachtenberg staffer, and activist with a particular focus on transgender rights. She is a relentless campaigner who does not mind telling people what she thinks. At the least, first termer Waldstreicher and appointee Carr will need to work hard to keep their seats. Full disclosure, I have donated to the District 18 slate and Al Carr, who I voted for in the 2007 appointment process.
Adam:
Dana Beyer is one of Montgomery County’s great characters. She is smart, opinionated, tough and more than willing to duke it out with the forces of evil. She never took down her campaign website after finishing fifth in the 2006 primary and even kept up a campaign ad in the Forest Glen Metro station for a year afterwards. But Dana is running uphill. While she has a lot of support from national GLBT activists, she has much less from prominent people inside the district. When the District 18 incumbents held their slate fundraiser last year, the vast majority of the district’s movers and shakers signed up as co-sponsors. (Disclosure: I am the Treasurer of the District 18 Democratic Team.)
6. Congresswoman Donna Edwards vs. Delegate Herman Taylor (Rumored)
Marc:
Rumor has it that Herman Taylor is going to run against Donna Edwards, though similar rumors existed in 2006 when Al Wynn was still in the race. Anything can happen, but Taylor will really have to distinguish himself to get primary voters to turn on Donna Edwards, who they have rallied around for two elections as they sought to knock off the longtime incumbent Wynn (Edwards ran in a third election, the Special Election to replace Wynn, but was nominated by central committees and not in a primary). There have been a few below the radar complaints about Edwards locally, but most of the flack she has received has been from business and pro-Israel interests with little sway in the progressive district. If Taylor officially announces and raises the hundreds of thousands needed to even compete, this race may move up.
Adam:
Donna Edwards body-slammed political boss-man Al Wynn last year. If Herman Taylor is foolish enough to challenge her, she will eat him alive. Glenn Ivey, the current Prince George’s County State’s Attorney, would be a far more formidable candidate if he decided to run for this office.
5. County Council At-Large
Marc:
Adam did a great job presenting the broad array of candidates lined up to run for the at-large County Council seats earlier this year. How vulnerable the current at-large incumbents are is a matter of debate, but with so many candidates at least rumored to run there will be some excitement. Jane DeWinter and Gulled Kassim have already started their campaigns and many of the other candidates Adam wrote about are ready to go too. This will be an expensive free for all, even if the incumbents come out on top.
Adam:
Incumbent Marc Elrich has no money. Incumbent Duchy Trachtenberg has no money and few friends. Elrich can raise some money, although he is always handicapped by his refusal to take developer contributions. That is one reason why his legions of true believers will never desert him. Some believe that Trachtenberg will be able to raise huge amounts of out-of-state money because her former Chief of Staff was just elected President of the National Organization for Women. We believe that will help her, but only to a point. Why should a NOW activist in South Dakota care who is on the Montgomery County Council? And it’s probably too late for Trachtenberg to regain some of the friends she has lost since 2006, especially in the labor community.
Now let’s look at the challengers. Marc is right that DeWinter and Kassim are in. We believe Becky Wagner will run and she will be a strong candidate. We have seen no sign that Hans Riemer is getting in. Ben Kramer looks like he may be running, but he has a habit of entering campaigns late so there is no way to be sure. Here’s the hot new rumor: multiple spies are reporting that Roz Pelles, the AFL-CIO’s Director of Civil Rights, is thinking about getting in. Pelles is African-American, has great labor cred and has worked on campaigns for Marc Elrich (in 1990) and Valerie Ervin (in 2004). She is also the nicest person in politics you will ever meet. But she is 60 years old and has never run in an election herself. Is she ready for the at-large meat grinder?
One more thing: the poor state of the economy will make it hard for everyone to raise money. That may push at least some candidates into slates.
We’ll have the Final Four tomorrow!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Ben Kramer’s Record in Annapolis, Part One
Delegate Ben Kramer (D-19) has compiled a significant record in Annapolis over the last three years. In this series, we examine his votes on six subject areas – budget and taxation, slots, labor issues, environmental issues, GLBT rights and crime. We also tap into our spy network to evaluate his reputation in the General Assembly. Is his record suitable for a County Council Member? That’s up to District 4 voters to decide.
Budget and Taxation
Kramer voted for the special session budget but against the special session tax package. He was one of 18 House Democrats to vote against the tax bill, joining Montgomery County legislators Kathleen Dumais (D-15), Brian Feldman (D-15) and Luiz Simmons (D-17). Kramer also voted against the millionaire tax. He was one of 13 House Democrats to do so, joining Charles Barkley (D-39), Al Carr (D-18), Kathleen Dumais (D-15), Brian Feldman (D-15), Bill Frick (D-16), Ana Sol Gutierrez (D-18), Craig Rice (D-15), Luiz Simmons (D-17) and Jeff Waldstreicher (D-18).
Slots
In 2006, Kramer was asked about slots by the Gazette:Do you support slot machines for Maryland? Why or why not?
Kramer went on to vote against both the slots amendment and the authorizing bill during the special session. Last year, he said the following to the Montgomery Sentinel:
Slot machines are not a preferred source for raising revenue. However, the state will be facing a projected budget deficit of approximately 4 billion dollars in the next 2-3 years. If funding is not available to provide for the needs of those individuals who do not have the financial resources to pay for necessities (food, health care, housing, etc.), then I would be willing to consider slots at certain Maryland race tracks.Kramer voted against the referendum during the special session and said he has some difficulty understanding why many voted for the referendum last year and now claim they oppose it. “I question their rationale,” he said.
Kramer later told me he was referring to the 1997 Glendening income tax cut, a major contributor to the structural deficits that have been plaguing the state ever since.
Kramer said he would like to see, as an alternative to slots, a repeal of a tax cut that was disapproved.
Labor Issues
Progressive Maryland gave Kramer a 92% score in 2007 and a 63% score in 2008. On the positive side, Kramer voted in favor of living wage, re-enfranchising former felons, health care coverage expansion, extending children’s health insurance under their parents’ coverage for four years, flexible leave for employees to take care of sick family members, and foreclosure prevention. But Progressive Maryland’s major problem with Kramer was his vote against progressive income tax reform, which it called, “the most significant pro-working families tax reform in recent Maryland history.” Kramer’s opposition to progressive taxation accounted for the precipitous drop in his score in 2008. In fact, his 2008 score was the lowest of any Montgomery County state legislator other than his sister, District 14 Senator Rona Kramer, who scored 46%.
In Part Two, we’ll examine Kramer’s record on environmental issues, GLBT rights and crime.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Discrimination Alleged by Democrats
"Beyer drops bid to replace Maryland delegate: Activist blames ‘trans phobia’ for withdrawal" was printed in today's Washington Blade:
Interestingly, this article had no quote from either of the district's two most prominent openly gay elected officials, Sen. Rich Madaleno and Kensington Mayor Pete Fosselman. Mayor Fosselman backed Al Carr, a Kensington councilman, very strongly from the start. Sen. Madaleno issued a public letter in support for Al Carr before the Central Committee voted.“It was clear to me that I wasn’t going to be selected,” she told the Blade. “I work in political circles. Word gets around. It’s not hard to discern.”
Beyer said she was “not really free to say” what she learned or was told to indicate the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee would not choose her to replace Lawton.
But some observers said Beyer, who works for Montgomery County Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg and helped pass a measure last month that bars discrimination against transgender people, was hindered by her distinction as a transgender woman.
“I think it’s hard to deny that there isn’t at least some component of trans phobia in this situation,” said Scott Davenport, president of Equality Montgomery County.
Davenport said the Central Committee has a “very clear” preference for candidates that are “least likely to make waves.” If appointed, Beyer would have been the nation’s first transgender state lawmaker.
“I don’t believe this is 100 percent about trans phobia,” he said, “but I do believe this is about lack of political courage.”
Milton Minneman, a Central Committee spokesperson, said the organization was not concerned that Beyer is transgender.
“The Central Committee as a whole is certainly supportive of any gender designation and has no biases against anybody who is GLBT,” he said. “We have no reason why someone who is GLBT should not be elected to any body or government.” . . .
Beyer, who last week told the Blade that her distinction as a transgender woman “isn’t an issue and it shouldn’t be an issue” in the race, said she still faced an uphill battle.
“Being the first at anything is difficult,” she said. “This is a recurrent motif in American politics.”
Beyer said she was highly qualified for the seat because she’s a retired physician and has policy experience, but “the fact that I have an unusual gender history still ranks high in people’s minds.”
“When people finally accept me as an older female physician with political skills and leadership skills, then I will have accomplished my goal,” she said. “That day is obviously not today, but it might not be too far in the future.”
Beyer noted that she still considers herself eligible for Maryland’s next legislative election in 2010.
“You really can’t plan that far ahead because life can change drastically in a second,” she said. “So it’s hard to be precise on this, but it’s not a stretch to say I’m not going anywhere and I will stay in the mix.”
