Showing posts with label Robin Ficker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robin Ficker. Show all posts
Friday, September 24, 2010
Robin Ficker's Term Limits Initiative, 2000
Robin Ficker's ballot initiative to pass term limits for county office holders may not get through the courts this year, but this is not the first time Ficker has tried to pass them and it probably won't be the last. In 2000, Ficker put Question C on the ballot, which would have limited county elected officials to two terms. Almost the entire political establishment joined forces to defeat it and the initiative failed on a 54-46% vote. We reprint one of the opponents' flyers against it below.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Craig Rice: Thank You, but Beware of Ficker
Council District 2 Democratic primary winner Craig Rice has sent a thank you message to his supporters that pays respect to his Democratic opponents. But Rice also has a warning: don't get complacent because Robin Ficker is his general election opponent. Following is Rice's email.
Thank you for your support!
Dear Friends, Family and Neighbors,
First, let me say thank you. It is because of the support of you and my fantastic campaign team that exactly one week ago at this time, we received the final election numbers confirming I had prevailed in my election. I would also like to thank Sharon Dooley, Royce Hanson, Charles Kirchman and Eddie Kuhlman for taking part in seeking the Democratic nomination. It is a tremendous sacrifice to run for office and they should be applauded for their quest and running spirited campaigns. And special thanks go out to Eddie Kuhlman, who has offered his support to ensure a victory in the general election.
But our work is not over. I face a formidable opponent whom we all know or have heard of...Robin Ficker. I am sure he will try everything from distorting the truth, to rumor and conjecture, to defeat me. I will need your help to ensure, now that I am the Democratic nominee, we prevail in November.
You can help right away by contributing to the campaign. Any amount will help to get our message out early and often. Please log onto my website www.craigrice.org and click on the donate page.
In addition, I would love to have you walk with me as I continue to crisscross District 2, continuing to talk to voters and identify ways that the council can make Montgomery County the best place to live and work. If you would be able to volunteer for door knocking or phone banking, please contact Sharon St. Pierre at Stpierre619@verizon.net or 240-938-1309.
Also, please let me know if you would like a "Craig Rice for County Council" yard sign. We will deliver it right to your door. Just let us know you'd like one at my website: www.craigrice.org.
Again, I can't thank you enough for your support, your vote and your prayers. And please don't forget I will need you again in the general election in November. I hope to see you on the campaign trail.
Warm regards,
Craig
By authority of Citizens for Craig Rice, Vivian Rice, Treasurer
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Robin Ficker's First Mailer
Ficker actually picked a worse green than is used by Martin O'Malley. Gotta love it.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Ficker Applies for Planning Board... Again!
Robin Ficker is applying for the non-Democratic opening on the Planning Board. Given what happened the last time he did this, we could be in for a show!
The Planning Board has five seats, with no more than three allowed to be held by members of one political party. In practice, that means the board has three Democrats and two Republicans. Appointments to the board are voted on by the County Council. In 2008, Ficker applied for the seat formerly held by departing Planning Board Member and Republican Alison Bryant. (The seat ultimately went to Clarksburg civic activist Amy Presley.)
The County Council interviews Planning Board candidates in open meetings. Ficker attended both his interview as well as the interviews of other candidates held on the same day. Council Member George Leventhal found Ficker's watching the interviews of his rivals to be in "bad form" and "bad taste" and tried to have him expelled. Ficker was allowed to stay but filed a complaint alleging a violation of the Open Meetings Act. The Open Meetings Compliance Board ruled against him. Now Ficker is headed back to the council to seek former Planning Board Member Jean Cryor's seat.
Additionally, Ficker is running for County Council (although he has not specified which race he will enter) and is trying to get a charter amendment imposing term limits on county offices on the ballot. So Ficker is asking a group of people against whom he has filed a complaint, which includes at least one person against whom he will be running for office, and whom he is seeking to remove from office through term limits to appoint him to a high position. FAT CHANCE! But as with many things connected to Ficker, the entertainment value should be high.
We reprint his application below. We note that he uses a home address in Boyds, which settles the residency issue from the last special election.16711 Barnesville Rd.
Boyds, Md. 20841
Tel: 301-652-1500 (24 hrs)
Dear President Floreen:
Please consider my application for the Planning Board vacancy left by Jean Cryor.
I believe I am uniquely qualified for the Planning Board at a time when the Board has suffered an experience and brain drain by the departures of Jean Cryor and Royce Hanson. Allow me to list some reasons why you should at least grant me an interview for this job.
l. B.S. Engineering, Case Institute of Technology. Many of the concepts before the Board are based in engineering and mathematics.
2. Practicing attorney in Maryland since 1973 with over 25,000 cases completed. I know there are two sides to every question and would be able to discuss legal issues before the Board. University of Pennsylvania Law School and J.D. University of Baltimore Law School.
3. M.A. Public Administration, American University. Familiarity with concepts of administration before the Board.
4. Lifelong resident of Montgomery County, graduate of its public schools and witness to its growth in every nook and cranny.
5. Licensed Real Estate Broker and familiarity with issues in this vital industry. Scored highest possible score on Real Estate Broker exam.
6.Long-time activity in Montgomery County civic affairs having collected the signatures to place over 20 charter amendments on the county ballot since 1974 including the 2008 successful question to require 9 council votes to exceed the charter property tax limit.
7. Registered with Republican party now, although was registered Independent in 2006, thus meeting the registration requirement for Ms. Cryor's vacancy.
8. Resident of the Agricultural Reserve. No Planning Board or Council members currently live there.
9. Former member of the Maryland Legislature.
10. As one who attended U.S.M.A. at West Point with the Class of 1964 and whose father-in-law was a Lieutenant General, I could easily work with the military on BRAC issues.
If you or any Members of the Council have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me at any time; for I always answer the phone. 301-652-1500.
Robin Ficker
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Ficker to Ali: "You are the Greatest"
Anti-tax activist and former Republican District 39 Senate candidate Robin Ficker crashed Delegate Saqib Ali's listening tour last week. But the former Bullets heckler did not go to harass Ali - rather, he went to encourage him!
After one event, Ficker gushed:I found Delegate Ali to be extremely well-spoken on his listening tour in Germantown. It is essential to pass his bill which mandates publication on the world wide web of legislative committee votes. Many lobbyists are paid $500,000/yr to lobby committees. That is where the action is. It is not fair that legislators could vote secretly in committee and then tell the voters something else. Go Ali! You are the greatest!
We have asked Ficker whether he intends to endorse Ali and he has not yet responded. But if Ficker truly wants to help Ali, perhaps he will consider allowing Ali to attend to District 39 constituents without butting in!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
MoCo General Election 2008: Ficker Amendment
Click on the image below for a closer view of the 2008 general election Ficker Amendment vote in Montgomery County by Congressional District, state legislative district, council district and local area.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
MPW Poll Round-Up
We’ve had four reader polls up recently that are worth looking back on. Yes, yes, we know they don’t mean a whole lot. But YOU disagree because they were incredibly popular! Several of them will appear in our top ten most-visited posts of the month. So what did you have to say?
Council President Poll
Question
Who’s right on the Council President dispute?
Answers
Berliner’s side. This was just a naked power grab: 114 votes (44%)
Floreen’s side. Elections have consequences and the other guys are crybabies: 98 votes (37.8%)
Nobody. Who gives a rat’s behind about this anyway: 47 votes (18.1%)
Total votes: 259
There’s not much to read into this except that Berliner’s supporters were quicker to come online despite certain ballot-stuffing efforts. The correct answer (because your author voted for it) is the rat’s behind. NOBODY is going to care about this in 2010 except for the Drama Queens.
Senate Challenger Poll
Question
Which potential Senate challenger has the best chance to win?
Answers
Cheryl Kagan over Jennie Forehand: 415 votes (30.3%)
Saqib Ali over Nancy King: 395 votes (28.9%)
None of the above. All three incumbents would win: 338 votes (24.7%)
Roger Manno over Mike Lenett: 221 votes (16.1%)
Total votes: 1369
This was the most-stuffed MPW poll since the infamous 2007 District 18 appointment poll, which was not set up to block multiple votes from the same IP address. Your author was convinced that MoCo Cyber-King Saqib Ali would blow away everyone, but he was barely nipped out by Cheryl Kagan. It’s easy to forget that Kagan last ran for office in 1998, back when Facebook and blogs did not exist and websites and emails played relatively minor roles in campaigns. Now Kagan has a frequently updated blog, possesses more Facebook friends than Ali(!) and even releases her website statistics to psyche out her opponent. No one has made a quicker transition to 21st Century Campaigning than MoCo’s hungriest challenger.
But the big winner here may be Delegate Roger Manno (D-19). He made no visible effort to drive his followers to the poll, and yet he held the early lead and finished with 221 votes. How many of these votes came from District 19? That’s something that Senator Mike Lenett should be thinking about.
County Council At-Large Challenger Poll
Question
Which potential County Council At-Large challenger has the best chance to win?
Answers
Hans Riemer: 244 votes (33.8%)
Robin Ficker: 120 votes (16.6%)
Ben Kramer: 77 votes (10.7%)
None of the above. All the incumbents will win: 74 votes (10.3%)
Roz Pelles: 74 votes (10.3%)
Jane de Winter: 53 votes (7.4%)
Becky Wagner: 51 votes (7.1%)
Pete Fosselman: 11 votes (1.5%)
Cary Lamari: 7 votes (1%)
Ida Ruben: 5 votes (0.7%)
Guled Kassim: 3 votes (0.4%)
Chris Paladino: 2 votes (0.3%)
Total votes: 721
Folks, the at-large race has only three declared challengers: Jane de Winter, Becky Wagner and Guled Kassim. They combined to get just 14.9% of this poll’s votes. The top three Democratic finishers are not (yet) in the race. And “all the incumbents will win” finished ahead of each of the three challengers now in the contest. This is a big, big buzz-kill.
This poll was Hans Riemer’s coming-out party. MPW was first to report the rumors of a “Draft Riemer” movement and it proved to be especially resourceful – even co-opting one of our spies! As for Ficker, you have to hand it to him: he can stuff a ballot box as well as any man half his age. Perhaps that skill will serve him well after he gets his term limits initiative on the ballot.
County Council At-Large Incumbent Poll
Question
Which County Council incumbent is most likely to lose?
Answers
Duchy Trachtenberg: 232 votes (49.7%)
Marc Elrich: 103 votes (22.1%)
Nancy Floreen: 80 votes (17.1%)
George Leventhal: 28 votes (6%)
None of the above. All the incumbents will win: 24 votes (5.1%)
Total votes: 467
The most interesting result here is that 95% of the readers expect one of the incumbents to lose. Your author believes that greatly exceeds the real probability of an incumbent loss, but we should note that an incumbent lost an at-large race in both 2002 (Blair Ewing) and 2006 (Mike Subin).
As for the ordering of incumbent loss potential, we believe the readers got this right. Way back in February, we picked Duchy Trachtenberg as the most vulnerable incumbent, followed by Marc Elrich, Nancy Floreen and the relatively safe George Leventhal. Everything that has occurred since then convinces us that both our earlier prediction and our poll-participating readers are right.
And so you have spoken. In a few months, we may run some of these questions again to see if you have changed your minds!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
What I Watched for in 2009, Part One
By Marc Korman.
At the start of 2009, I took a look at “What to Watch for in 2009.” I asked five questions and speculated as to how they might be answered during the year. In two parts, I will take a look at what has actually occurred.
1. Who is Raising Money?
I asked this question in terms of who might retire and who might challenge an incumbent.
So far, there have been no official retirement announcements. Speculation continues to swirl around Delegate Hank Heller in District 19 and Councilman Mike Knapp in District 2. There may be some announcements following the legislative session, but I probably jumped the gun by thinking more people would make their intentions clear by now.
One potential retiree I did mention was Councilman Don Praisner, who passed away earlier this year. His successor, Nancy Navarro, is a definite candidate for reelection.
As for challengers, of those I mentioned only Dana Beyer is making definitive moves to run in District 18. But there are many other challengers out raising money, primarily for the at-large Council race, District 17 senate race and in District 19. A long list of candidates has emerged based on fundraising efforts including: Cheryl Kagan, Becky Wagner, Jane DeWinter, Sam Arora, Tom DeGonia, and Hoan Dang. The January campaign finance reports will reveal or confirm many more names.
I also suggested that Councilwoman Valerie Ervin might run for an at-large seat, which would have allowed 2006 candidate Hans Riemer to run for her vacant seat. Councilwoman Ervin appears to be sitting tight, but Riemer may still jump into the at-large race.
2. What Are the Republicans Doing?
The answer is nothing. Robin Ficker ran in the County Council Special Election and was blown out. Despite Ficker’s high profile, his 35.26% of the vote was just slightly better than the Republican’s share the previous year of 33.44%. Ficker is likely to run again, but there is little evidence that his message is effective in Montgomery County beyond the 2008 Charter Amendment he championed to passage (though I still maintain that was a fluke victory).
Outside of Ficker, there is little evidence of Republican candidates around Montgomery County. They will likely field challengers in many seats, but they will primarily be non-entities in these races.
The one exception is the potential candidacy of former Governor Bob Ehrlich. He continues to flirt with the possibility of a comeback.
3. Is the County Council Doing Anything?
Yes and no. The Council has had a full plate in 2009 of budget cuts, the growth policy, and some transportation issues I will discuss in Part Two. They have also spent a lot of time discussing White Flint and Gaithersburg West/Science City, with final action deferred until next year.
But one of the dominant issues in the growth policy, how to reform Policy Area Mobility Review, was deferred until the County Executive sends his recommendations. Another important issue, school capacity, was dealt with by rejecting the Planning Board’s recommendation to increase from 105% of capacity to 110% the threshold for a facilities payment by developers. But the Council did not address the need for better capacity projections. Overall, the growth policy did not make the transformative changes the Planning Board had promoted.
The Council also spent a lot of time on its internal politics, bucking tradition and not electing the 2009 Council Vice President as the 2010 Council President. The vote demonstrates that the 5-4 split on the council, primarily premised on growth issues, is still alive and well despite the economy slowing the rate of growth.
Questions 4 and 5 will be considered in Part Two.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
ACLU Reaches Interim Agreement Allowing Free Speech in Parks
The Maryland ACLU has reached an interim agreement with Park and Planning allowing political campaigning in parks. The new agreement suspends rules requiring permits for gathering petition signatures, interviewing people or carrying signs on parkland. County Council candidate Robin Ficker and the ACLU challenged those rules after Ficker was stopped by Park Police while campaigning on July 4. We reprint the interim agreement below.
Notice 09-__
Indefinite Suspension of Enforcement of Certain Park Rules and Regulations
Date: October 20, 2009
I. Declaration of Suspended Enforcement
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (“Commission”) has suspended all administrative, civil or criminal enforcement actions or activities predicated on the provisions of certain Commission Park Rules and Regulations (the “Regulations”) enumerated as follows:
A) Chapter III, Section 3.A (2) (Permits):
No permit shall be required for the solicitation of petition signatures outside of any park structure or building; provided such solicitation does not obstruct, delay or interfere with the free movements of any other person, seek to coerce or physically disturb any other person, or hamper or impede the conduct of any authorized business or activity on any Commission property.
B) Chapter III, Section 3.A (4) (Permits):
No permit shall be required for conducting surveys, interviews or polls outside of any park structure or building for any non-commercial purpose; provided such conduct does not obstruct, delay or interfere with the free movements of any other person, seek to coerce or physically disturb any other person, or hamper or impede the conduct of any authorized business or activity on any Commission property.
C) Chapter V, Section 10 (Carrying Signs and Picketing):
No permit shall be required for carrying signs or picketing by 25 or less individuals outside of any park structure or building; provided the signs do not obstruct, delay or interfere with the free movements of any other person, seek to coerce or physically disturb any other person, or hamper or impede the conduct of any authorized business or activity on any Commission property.
Note: Attaching or posting of notices, signs, or any other objects on Commission Property is prohibited except by permit.
II. Authority.
This notice is issued jointly by the Executive Director pursuant to the authority of Commission Practice No. ____, by the Director of the Montgomery County Department of Parks, and by the Director of the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation, respectively, pursuant to the authority under the Regulations at Section 2 (B).
III. Effective Date.
This Notice is effective immediately and until further notice issued to modify, supersede or revoke it.
_________________________________
Oscar Rodriguez
Executive Director
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
_________________________________
Mary _. Bradford
Director
Montgomery County Department of Parks
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
_________________________________
Ronnie Gathers
Director
Prince George’s Department of Parks and Recreation
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
Robin Ficker's (Illegal?) Sign
Outside of his law offices on Wisconsin Ave., Robin Ficker has placed a sign in the median strip to advertise Robin Ficker Realty.
The Town of Chevy Chase has an exception in its sign ordinance to permit temporary real estate signs directing people to open houses but I didn't know that the County ordinance governing this portion of unincorporated Montgomery County allowed anyone to use the landscaped median strip to advertise their business. Perhaps Robin wrongly think that the sign qualifies as political campaigning--see the next post.
No photo because, let's face it, this post is already giving Robin more than enough attention. I wonder if I should start a pool on how soon he posts to the comments on this post. Adam and I could really clean up. Heck, it might even be more profitable than slots.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Ficker, ACLU Challenge Restrictions on Free Speech in Parks
County Council candidate and anti-tax activist Robin Ficker was threatened with arrest by Park Police for campaigning in a Montgomery County park on July 4. The Maryland ACLU has risen to his defense, and the defense of all political candidates, in an effort to protect free speech in public places.
According to the ACLU, Ficker, who was accompanied by a volunteer carrying a campaign sign, spoke to voters in the Germantown Regional Park on July 4. Ficker was told to cease his activity by Park Police, who cited an M-NCPPC rule that forbids carrying signs without a permit. M-NCPPC has another rule that requires a permit for "solicitation of contributions, signatures or moneys." The ACLU contends that the rules are unconstitutional because they broadly prohibit protected speech, lack any standards for permit issuance and grant park officials "unbridled discretion" to deny a permit. The ACLU has written to M-NCPPC asking them to stop enforcing the rules.
Like many of you, your author has repeatedly witnessed political campaigning in parks, including distribution of literature, buttons and stickers. The imposition of rules forbidding one type of speech while many other kinds have proceeded in unabated fashion for years strikes us as inexplicable and unfair. Parks are indisputably part of the public square. Robin Ficker, and any other people seeking to practice political speech, should not be denied their constitutional rights on public property.
Following is the press release from the ACLU and their letter to M-NCPPC.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Robin Ficker is Running for County Council in 2010
Following is Robin Ficker's first flyer of the 2010 election campaign. We do not yet know if he is running in a District race or At-Large, and we do not know the party registration he intends to adopt. Ficker's entry into the race guarantees that taxes will be an issue in the campaign. In 2008, every County Council incumbent except Nancy Navarro (who was not yet in office) voted to break the property tax charter limit.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Kramer and Ficker, Together Again
Former District 4 County Council candidates Ben Kramer and Robin Ficker are re-united at a new venue: Sligo Creek Golf Course. But the course is outside District 4 and Kramer’s state legislative district. That has people talking.
In our history of the Battle of Sligo Creek Golf Course, the names Ben Kramer and Robin Ficker do not appear. That’s because neither of them were involved until very recently. Kramer is a Derwood resident who represents state legislative District 19 as a Delegate. Ficker is an East County resident (if you believe him) or a Boyds resident (if you believe his property tax records). Sligo lies in state legislative District 18 (represented by Senator Rich Madaleno and Delegates Ana Sol Gutierrez, Jeff Waldstreicher and Al Carr) and County Council District 5 (represented by Valerie Ervin). Kramer was defeated by Nancy Navarro in the Council District 4 special election primary and Ficker lost to her in the general. Both men are rumored to be running for council again. Kramer’s refusal to endorse Navarro against Republican Ficker has still not been forgotten by Democratic Party loyalists. The fact that the two of them are surfacing at Sligo fuels talk of their future ambitions.
Kramer has attended two recent meetings of the Sligo golfers to much praise. One Sligo supporter wrote on Facebook, “For a second week in a row, proponents of golf at Sligo owe great thanks to Delegate Ben Kramer. Having just written a letter to Valerie Ervin offering his support and assistance in protecting the golf course, Del. Kramer again showed up in person at the golf course snack bar for our regular Tuesday meeting (BTW, no meeting Tuesday the 11th). He spoke extemporaneously and passionately on the details of his argument against the MCRA’s rationale for closing the course.” Kramer claimed to have met with Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg, who according to the golfer “may well be sympathetic to our cause if you are persuasive.”
That would be an improvement. Your author made an appointment to meet with Council Member Trachtenberg to discuss the golf course on February 13, 2008. She canceled it due to bad weather and we were never able to get her office to set another appointment. In July 2009, Trachtenberg’s office wrote the email below containing numerous factual inaccuracies (such as the supposed takeover of the course by the Revenue Authority on October 1, which is the date the Revenue Authority is due to give it up). That email made Trachtenberg look really ill-informed in the community and the staffer who wrote it should be disciplined. If Kramer can educate Trachtenberg – who was the only Council Member to endorse his District 4 candidacy – on the basic facts of the issue, perhaps he can be of service.
Just an aside: do Kramer’s District 19 constituents know about all the time he has spent working on an issue inside District 18? What would they think if they did know?
Before the Sligo golfers get too excited over Kramer’s aid, they need to contemplate a few facts. Any politician can write a letter and show up at a meeting. If Kramer really wanted to be helpful, he could try to get a bond bill passed through the General Assembly paying for part of Sligo’s capital costs. Last year, Kramer was the lead sponsor on a bond bill securing $150,000 for the Olney Theatre Center for the Arts. If Kramer is such a passionate defender of Sligo, what is stopping him from getting a commitment from the House leadership for a bond bill of similar size for Sligo? The Olney bond bill matches the amount of public funding requested by County Executive Ike Leggett to keep Sligo open.
Of course, no such thing is going to happen. The state budget is a fenced-off disaster zone with little to no money available for any kind of bond bills, much less any financing golf courses. And Kramer, who ticked off the Governor and the General Assembly leadership by voting against the slots amendment, the slots authorization bill and the millionaire tax would not be first in line for money if any was available. In any event, Kramer’s deficient record on telling the truth creates ample grounds for skepticism of anything he says.
Why is Kramer suddenly active outside his council and legislative districts? Our sources see this as preparation for a coming at-large County Council run. The fact that the course is in the district of Council Member Valerie Ervin, the most active backer of victorious former Kramer opponent Nancy Navarro, makes his cross-border advocacy all the more interesting. This has nothing to do with golf and everything to do with politics.
Robin Ficker has also suddenly become active on Sligo. We admire his energy. Who else splits time between running for office, passing anti-tax amendments, crusading against Bethesda road stands and campaigning for public golf courses? Ficker is urging the Sligo golfers to hold a protest march down Forest Glen Road and is offering road signs (one of his specialties). When a course supporter warned his colleagues not to “get in bed with Robin Ficker,” Ficker replied, “Your heart holds hate for me.” If the golfers do take Ficker’s advice and hold a march, we hope they will avoid the Intersection of Death for their own safety.
All of the above distracts from one key fact: Valerie Ervin is doing a lot of work behind the scenes on Sligo. Her office is trying to arrange a partnership involving the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs to save the course. Ervin is one of five freshman Council Members (the others being Trachtenberg, Navarro, Marc Elrich and Roger Berliner) who never voted to transfer Sligo to the Revenue Authority, an action that led to the current dispute. The freshmen had no role in causing Sligo’s problems, but together they can certainly fix them.
So Ben Kramer can write a letter a week and Robin Ficker can march to his heart’s content. In the tiny cubicles of the County Council building, the real work of preserving the course goes on.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
District 4 General Election Precinct Final
At 10:35 PM with all 45 precincts in, Nancy Navarro has 6,637 votes (63.36%), Robin Ficker has 3,423 votes (32.68%), George Gluck has 372 votes (3.55%) and write-ins accounted for 43 votes. 10,475 votes were cast and turnout was 8.78%.
Robin Ficker is perhaps the most famous Republican in Montgomery County still trying to run for office. Yet, his voting percentage was actually below little-known Mark Fennel's in the 2008 special general (33.44%). In November 2008, 35,270 District 4 residents voted for the Ficker Amendment (51.3%). But less than one-tenth of them voted for Ficker in this election. Apparently, the popularity of the anti-tax issue did not translate into personal popularity for Ficker.
Ficker's name recognition, while significant, is offset by his baggage. Check out the results of a simple Google search on his name.
Other than the heckling articles and his website, the first page of search results contained his Just Up the Pike profile and two MPW posts: our questioning his residency and our description of his history in politics. Both of those posts have received several dozen direct visits every day over the last several days. Special election voters tend to be exceptionally well informed about candidates and they may very well have considered that information in the voting booth.
District 4 General Election Results (Updated)
At 9:07 PM with 31 of 45 precincts reporting, Nancy Navarro has 4,152 votes (62.01%), Robin Ficker has 2,276 (33.99%) and George Gluck has 243 votes (3.63%). There are 25 write-in votes and 6,696 total votes. Turnout so far is 5.62%.
Last year, Don Praisner defeated Mark Fennel by 6,123-3,092 (66.22-33.44%). Turnout was 8.90%.
Update: At 9:32 PM with 37 precincts in, it's Navarro 4,885 (62.58%), Ficker 2,617 (33.53%), Gluck 277 (3.55%) and write-ins 27. Total votes are 7,806 and turnout is 6.55%. It's interesting that Robin Ficker's percentage is virtually identical to Fennel's last year. Who could think that Ficker would draw the same level of support as an unknown like Fennel?
Update 2: At 9:53 PM with 42 precincts in, it's Navarro 5,768 (62.60%), Ficker 3,078 (33.41%), Gluck 327 (3.55%) and write-ins 41. Total votes are 9,214 and turnout is 7.73%. There are only 3 precincts left to be counted.
Monday, May 18, 2009
What is at Stake on Tuesday
It is only one County Council seat in a low turnout special election, right? How much does that really mean? A lot, actually. What is at stake is the future of the Montgomery County Republican Party and the broader direction of the county as a whole.
Historically, Montgomery’s GOP has been comprised of three factions who have barely coexisted, much less worked together effectively.
1. Moderates
Montgomery has a long tradition of socially liberal and (relatively) fiscally conservative Republicans. Prominent examples include James P. Gleason, the county’s first Executive; former eight-term Congresswoman Connie Morella; former Delegate Jean Cryor (D-15); and former County Council Members Howie Denis (R-1), Betty Ann Krahnke (R-1) and Nancy Dacek (R-2).
This branch of the GOP established a niche in county politics by advocating a similar, but more modest, agenda of liberal government than the Democrats. But since Montgomery’s voters are so attuned to national politics, moderate rank-and-file Republicans were mostly driven out of the party by Newt Gingrich, Tom Delay, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Some Republicans, like Delegate Luiz Simmons (D-17) and former Senator P.J. Hogan (D-39), joined the Democratic Party. Denis and Cryor stayed in office as long as they could until they were defeated by Democrats in a very bad year for the GOP (2006).
Another factor in this branch’s decline is that (relative) fiscal conservatism has found a home in part of the Democratic Party. It’s worth noting that in 2006, Denis and Cryor appeared on the Apple Ballot while Democratic County Council Members Nancy Floreen, Phil Andrews and Marilyn Praisner did not.
2. Social Conservatives
This wing of the party has been around for awhile but has never achieved the prominence of the moderates. The two foremost social conservative organizations in the county are the anti-GLBT group Citizens for a Responsible Government and the anti-illegal-immigration group Help Save Maryland. Both groups are tiny but very loud. Neither of them will ever win a majority of county voters over to their agenda. But both have received some attention from the GOP. Witness Republican Central Committee Member Adol Owen-Williams’ cry of “Heil Hitler” after the County Council’s passage of the transgender protection law and the appearance of several elected GOP leaders at a Help Save Maryland rally.
3. Anti-Tax Activists
Say what you will about Robin Ficker, but he is no ordinary politician. He is a sincere and highly-motivated advocate of one of the core principles of modern conservatism: tax restraint. His theatrics and repeated runs for office have caused many to underestimate him but the victory of his tax-limiting charter amendment should be a wake-up call to the Democrats.
Consider the following facts:
1. In the 2008 general election, 440,774 Montgomery voters cast cards. That is the highest number of votes cast in the history of the county. The turnout rate was 79%. This was the electorate that approved the Ficker Amendment.
2. The Ficker Amendment carried the county’s precincts located in Congressional Districts 4 and 6, State Districts 14, 15, 17, 19 and 39 and Council Districts 2, 3, and 4.
3. The Ficker Amendment passed by double digits in precincts located in Darnestown, Laytonsville, Clarksburg, Damascus, Sandy Spring, Dickerson, Poolesville and Germantown. It also passed in Derwood, North Potomac, Potomac, Gaithersburg, Olney, Burtonsville, Montgomery Village and (by 58 votes) Rockville.
Nothing in Montgomery associated with the Republican Party or right-of-center politics has approached the success of the Ficker Amendment since Connie Morella was last elected in 2000.
Anti-tax activism has a chance in Montgomery County in part because of our disadvantaged fiscal relationship with the state. The county’s relatively high nominal household incomes guarantee that it will be hit disproportionately hard by the state’s income tax. But the county’s high housing costs lead to high mortgage costs and a calculation by the state’s wealth formula, which is based partly on property values, that we are “too wealthy” to receive much state aid. As a result, we are third from the bottom in state aid per capita among Maryland’s counties even though we are first in mortgage costs and gasoline prices and second in foreclosures. All of this makes it harder for the county to maintain the quality of its schools and public services, without which Montgomery is merely a high-cost place to live and create jobs.
Robin Ficker’s answer is to limit local tax increases. He would follow the example of Prince George’s County, which passed its TRIM amendment over thirty years ago and has seen a relentless decline in its schools and police service ever since. Montgomery County is not as far away from going down that road as many Democrats may think. This represents perhaps the only viable return to relevance for the Montgomery GOP.
Beating Ficker on Tuesday will be one step off that path. But making the case that good government is worth paying for is essential to preventing a rebirth of the Montgomery County GOP, a surge in single-issue anti-tax activism and a resulting decline in the county’s fortunes.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
It’s All Over But the Voting
By Sharon Dooley.
Wednesday evening the final debate of the Council District 4 campaign was held at Sherwood High School in Sandy Spring. This evening was sponsored by two local groups - Sandy Spring-Ashton Rural Preservation Consortium (SSARPC) & Greater Sandy Spring Green Space.
It was obvious that fatigue has crept in like those fogs mentioned in Carl Sandburg’s poetry …on little cat feet. None of the candidates were spouting fiery rhetoric, although Robin Ficker at times returned to his favorite lines about the voters being the ATM for the council. But, he even forgot his handwritten prop about taxes, which had to be retrieved by one of his sons who were in attendance with their mother. Ah yes, when all else fails – bring in the family to show what a man of the people the candidate might be.
Taking note of MPW recent posts, Ficker did claim to be among the residents of Council District 4 and introduced one of his sons as the actual farmer on the family farm in Boyds, (the one where the candidate no longer lives, if he is to be believed). He also benefited from a rude and noisy cheering section, which made frequent and often inappropriate outbursts; all were discouraged by the moderator.
The two other candidates in this upcoming Tuesday election were also there. George Gluck - the Green candidate - is a serious man, an engineer and grandfather who cares about such things as global warming and free trade and other progressive issues and his sincerity shone through his remarks. He also spoke of living in the Brookeville area previously and noted he had a real appreciation for the quaint town and other rural areas nearby where the residents are trying to preserve historic areas and open spaces.
Nancy Navarro, recently returned from her native country of Venezuela and the funeral of her mother, who died suddenly, seemed subdued, but did not cave under the attacks of Ficker, or the accusatory questions his supporters submitted. Living in the most diverse district council district was a theme she returned to, as she mentioned ensuring services for all residents of the county. She stuck to the issues she had identified early on in the race as the core components of her campaign – reaching out to the minority members of District 4, promoting her successes on the Board of Education and speaking of the need to bring jobs and affordable housing to the eastern portion of the county. She also mentioned the needs for safety and security for our elder residents. She spoke of painful education budget cuts and sacrifices of the union members who turned back raises that they were expecting. She plowed no new ground, nor was she expected to at this late date. Each candidate was more in safe mode – not willing to make a mistake that might provide any opening for an opponent to exploit in a last minute mailing or robo-call.
Growth was a concern on the minds of the sparse audience as questions concerning zoning and the ICC were asked as well as future development. Navarro – who touted her Sierra Club endorsement – spoke against the ICC and the fact that Council District 4 would suffer disproportionately from the devastating effects of this highway, which has been questioned by many over the years. Gluck mentioned the deforestation that has already occurred. Ficker claimed the negative environmental effects will be worsened by the shopping malls and high rises that will appear at each ICC interchange and mentioned the need to replace devastated parklands. He claimed that development dollars, which fuel politics, will be in play in this area.
None of the candidates voiced support for the plan to move the Wheaton Library to the urban center as is planned. Each mentioned the need for the new planning board member to be smart and independent; Navarro spoke also in favor of a new member who could support Smart Growth concepts.
In closing statements, Navarro repeated her themes, mentioned the schools, which are the jewel of Montgomery County and the need to protect the quality of education for our community. She spoke of the need for a council member to speak up for the neighborhoods as a voice for those locals who might not be heard on the council.
Gluck was philosophical in a benediction to his campaign, speaking of lessons learned while sometimes speaking truths before their time. He mentioned his hope for progressive issues such as verifiable voting, campaign finance reform and an instant run-off system. He quoted Mark Twain in mentioning that “Irreverence is a Champion of Liberty and its’ only sure defense.”
Ficker was rambling in his closing and mentioned that all of his campaign funds had come from District 4 residents – a statement not verified by this writer! He claimed that the council was spendthrift and irresponsible with taxpayer dollars. He repeated his frequent ATM remark and noted that his multiple petitions over the years had garnered over 2 million votes (not mentioning the costs to the taxpayers of dealing with all of the defeated petition drives during this time.) He repeated that he was a man of the people who had lived in the county his entire life and he would do a good job and not be aloof; in proof he gave out his cell phone number if any in the audience had questions.
So District 4: The horses are in the starting gates – you can stay home and let the wrong winner be selected, you can vote your party and if turnout is along registration lines, elect a Democrat, or you can confound the experts and vote for a 50 to one third party candidate. The choice is up to you. But if the Preakness were any harbinger, I’d say keep your eyes on the filly in the race – she may well gallop to the finish!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Nancy Navarro-Robin Ficker Debate on Political Pulse
The Navarro-Ficker debate will air on "Political Pulse" on Channel 16 TV on Saturday, May 16th at 6 p.m., Sunday May 17th at 6 p.m. and Monday May 18th at 7:30 p.m.
Nancy Navarro and Robin Ficker are running for Montgomery County Council in District 4.
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