Make a difference on September 12

Probably the most important thing most of you can do about getting good   government is getting out and voting on September 12 th . The second is being well-informed when you vote. A candidate's handshake, prepared speech and whether you "like" them simply aren't enough. If they're an incumbent, their record counts. If they're challenging or competing for an open seat, look at their organizational affiliations, accomplishments and statements. Check if and how much they receive from special interest and developer. (see www.neighborspac.org)

If all this is too much work or just beyond your limited time and energy levels, a local group who call themselves Progressive Neighbors have studied the candidates and have come up with a list of progressive candidates to recommend. They are joined by over 90 other neighbors. It is important to note that some of these endorsers, including myself, are also supporting other candidates not on their list.

Who are these neighbors? George Vlasits, a Montgomery Blair High School teacher; Wally Malakoff, a teacher and former union activist; Larry Rubin, a former civil rights worker and currently a community activist; Fran Tall, a community activist and mom; Joe Libertelli, a college administrator; Stephan Fineberg Sylvan, environmentalist and co-housing organizer; Esther Siegel, low and moderate income housing specialist; Jonathan Shurberg, activist and lawyer; Cynthia Terrell, community activist and myself. This core group also reached out to like-minded activists in the community before arriving at their endorsements.

The list of endorsed candidates was printed in my column last month and there's an ad in this issue for the candidates (see page 16). The web site is www.progressiveneighborsmd.org.

Ultimately each of us must decide who to vote for but please consider this Neighbor to Neighbor guide as you make your decisions.

Regarding my own recommendations, in the 20 th Maryland District House race, I'll vote for Aaron Klein , Heather Mizeur and T om Hucker . Newcomers Aaron and Heather represent what progressives stand for. They're credible because they've run good, well-organized campaigns. Tom has a record of being a strong advocate for working families and he's very knowledgeable about the Maryland legislature. Many folks I know want to vote for Lucinda Lessley.   I like her but feel she will split the vote and give Garreth Murray a better chance at re-election.   Ditto for Diane Nixon.

Others involved in the neighbor-to-neighbor group raised questions about endorsing Tom Hucker. His perceived alignment with incumbent Ida Rubin and friction with the Raskin and Mizeur campaigns and others in the community were too problematic for many in the group. (For the record, he's neutral when it comes to endorsing other candidates). However, the group only endorsed 2 of 3 candidates, leaving the third choice open, so you decide.

Regarding the State Senate we're very lucky someone of Jamie Raskin 's caliber entered the race. If good government is going to happen, more folks like him need to step forward. And in the more progressive 20 th District, a moderate liberal representative like Ida Ruben falls short in truly representing our interests. To me, she revealed a lot about her machine-style politics when, in their July 20 th debate, she said she knew Takoma Park residents were overwhelmingly opposed to the ICC, "but no one else in the county objected". That unguarded statement revealed a lot about her sense of governance and philosophy.  

Contrary to her statement during the debate, many elected reps have objected.   In 2002, the Montgomery County Council, by a majority vote, went on record objecting to the ICC.   Current Councilmembers, Tom Perez, Phil Andrews and Marilyn Praisner object.   Fellow State Senators Brian Frosh, Sharon Grosfeld, Leonard Teitelbaum object.   And Delegates Ana Sol Guitierrez, Karen Montgomery, Charles Barkley, Ann Kaiser, Adrienne Mandel and Hank Heller also object.

Basically, Ruben knows she's not representing us and votes the current party line. Ditto on her uninspired comments on global warming and skirting the question about whether or not she had seen Al Gore's movie, An Inconvenient Truth. Plus her old style campaign of mailing unfounded smears against Raskin, such as "he's not even a real Democrat"!  

Her spiel is all about bringing home the money, most of which actually flows from other reps she co-signs on with.   She actually gets low ratings on effectiveness.  

On the other hand, Jamie gets personal endorsements from moderate income tenants who probably won't even vote in the primary.   Patricia Powell, president of Houston Arms, a modest income apartment building in Takoma Park Jamie represented pro bono, says, "Last year when Ida Ruben turned a cold shoulder to us, Jamie Raskin answered the call."   He successfully stopped the families from being evicted just before Thanksgiving.   Ruben's   time has come and gone if we truly want better government and a caring state senator.

Regarding incumbent Sheila Hixson. She has sponsored good legislation but also some very bad legislation. Her vote for funding the ICC was a disappointment. Being in favor of slots and opposing a paper trail for electronic voting are other examples.   Her support from corporate donors and special interests and refusal to put limits on those contributions once again make me think her time is up. If nothing else, voting for the other candidates lets her know we need a more responsive and progressive representation.

The rest of the choices are pretty obvious to me. Kweisi Mfume over Cardin (Mfume does not accept corporate contributions. Cardin does). Donna Edwards over Wynn. Franchot over Schaeffer and "queen of sprawl" Owens.   Ike Leggett over Silverman (I've noticed that many of Silverman's large signs are on developer and land speculator property!). Hugh Bailey , M arc Elrich and Duchy Trachtenberg are the progressive choices for Council-at- Large.   If I cast a fourth vote it'll be for environmentalist Bill Jacobs or neighborhood activist Cary Lamari. For the Democratic central Committee in District 20, Karen Czapansky has my vote but not Jose Vazquez who is a strong Ruben supporter and has said so publicly. Valerie Ervin for District 5 Council seat (to me Hans Reimer is too close to Congressman Al Wynn, has at least 70 percent of his contributions coming from out of state and no previous involvement in local politics).

In the District 18 House Race, Ana Sol Gutierrez , James Browning and Jeff Waldstreicher all are excellent choices.  

Regarding the congressional race, I'll protest vote for Deborah Vollmer over Chris Van Hollen. She's a strong lefty and he's a nice guy but has been somewhat disappointing. I've never gotten a return phone call from his staff.

That's it! Agree, disagree but get out and vote September 12th!

For another view of the election, check out Keith Berner's election guide.   Request the guide from kberner@kberner.us.

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