Maryland’s September 10 Primary:
In Their Own Words
You may think us a bit corny for getting so excited at primary election time. But right now we get democracy at its purest.
It’s not quite a return to town-hall governing of yesteryear. But it’s a time when citizens of all sorts of political values and views, armed with fortitude and ideas, bid for your support and your votes for elective office.
That’s why we have enjoyed meeting with many of our would-be leaders and why, in this issue, we have invited them to use our pages to introduce themselves to you.
At this juncture, we focused on county and General Assembly races because we find them the most intriguing and also because you have plenty of opportunity to read about statewide and congressional races elsewhere.
We asked candidates to tell you about their qualifications to lead and their “vision” of how government should operate. We wanted them to talk about their views on growth and development because these are the issues with which we are most concerned as the paper committed to Chesapeake Bay.
Who are these people? we wanted to know. What are they going to do for us? To us? What makes them think we should vote for them?
We found their responses fascinating and informative. We saw candidates so appealing that we wish we could vote for several. (In some races you can: In many Anne Arundel County legislative districts, you can vote for three; in the Calvert County commissioners’ race, you can vote for five!)
Of course, we also saw some things that alarmed us, especially the righteous few who think that their beliefs should be the law of the land.
And we were disappointed that not all candidates accepted our invitation. At election time, newspapers are emissaries of voters, and we found it hard to understand that some candidates were too indifferent to take us up on the opportunity to speak with 40,000-plus readers who vote the Chesapeake Bay.
We’ve heard it said many times that politicians run their campaigns like they would run their elective offices. If they can’t find time to communicate now, what will they be like when they’re secure in their jobs?
So read what they have to say — and don’t forget to vote September 10 lest our mobile tank of stinging nettles (suitable for punishing nonvoters) arrives at your home.
