I am watching with interest the recent poll that was set up to match up David Craig and Rob Wagner. I know that the poll is anything but scientific and subject to non-republican, outside tampering.

The folks who are voting for Wagner should turn in their GOP card! Remember fellow Republicans, this is the same man that voted against David Craig’s appointment in favor of a Democrat who is now Martin O’Malley’s Deputy Campaign Manager! Wagner recently commented twice in the paper that he has no use nor time for party politics. The party should show him the same courtsey this election and send a very clear message that we have no time for him. This is also the same man who has several times completlely ignored Governor Ehrlich. How many times does Wagner get to stick his finger right in the eye of our party! Wake up Harford! Don’t buy this guy’s recent attempt to call himself a conservative by his recent grandstanding on the budget. This man is using us and laughing as he goes about it.

If you are going to match up Wagner and Craig, make sure that a “D” is appropriately placed next to Wagner’s name.

One thing scares me about Craig. I seriously hope that he did this as a political move and not as a philosophical move. Just as I said, he will throw the “I did this for Harford County” line at us but you have to wonder. Does he really believe it is his job to limit people’s property rights? And selling is a property right. Maximizing profit from your family’s property is a right. I like what Glenn Spatz said in his announcement. We need to respect their decision to sell. These land owners have been around for a long time and they feel that now is the time to cash in. The real estate market is cooling a little and they want to sell now. I am not so sure the County Executive should be able to tell these families that they must wait. In some cases we could be talking a difference of millions and not thousands of dollars.

Craig will offer his own comprehensive rezoning legislation which will make “everyone” happy. I will not forget this veto but most will and it will not be a major issue in November. Let’s just call this strike one and leave it at that.

Hey Craig, I am going to give you some free advice. Veto the comprehensive rezoning, and knock Helton out 8 months before the general election. That is her only issue. She mentioned pay raises for teachers, redevelopment of commercial and industrial sites, and new economic development in the Rt. 40 corridor as part of her campaign platform. Only one of her issues is actually a voting issue, land use. No one is going to vote for Helton over her plans for economic development and re-development or teacher pay raises. Like you said, you are already doing that.

Do it now and most of the people will forget by election day. Sure there will be that 5% of us who will have a hard time voting for you but this is what you will say to us, “I did what I thought was best for Harford County, and besides, who are you going to vote for, Ann Helton?”

Now this advice flies in the face of what I have been saying and what I actually believe, but politically speaking it would be a death blow to Helton. Craig has been in office for less than a year and Helton said, “Eight years of developer-controlled government and bad land policies have left us with a mess.” It sounds like she is running against Harkins. She also sounds like a typical Helton who will do or say anything to get into an elected office.

Which reminds me, her husband is Art Helton. This may be the first time since I have lived in Harford County that Art Helton’s name will not be on a ballot somewhere in Harford County. I was really looking forward to a Heltonless election year, but Ann had to go and screw that up. Seriously people, you have to sit back and question why these people are so convinced that they deserve to serve us. I don’t get it. Another question you have to ask yourself is, “Is it really Ann who is running, or is it Art using his wife as a puppet?” Another bit of free advice to Craig, link her to her husband as much as possible.

I know many people in Darlington and let’s just say they wish they were Heltonless too.

Candidate #1: State Senator Bob Hooper District 35 (Bel Air, North Fallston, Jarrettsville, Forest Hill, Street, Whiteford, and more)

Senator Hooper has been a man dedicated to the people for as long as I can remember. I am proud of Senator Hooper and his strong convictions. He abstained from voting for the slots bill which was good enough for me. I know people who live in the Park Heights area and they do not want another addiction coming into their community. I personally wanted slots until I met with community leaders in Pimlico and Park Heights. They do not want it in their backyard. Just like most of us do not want a homeless shelter or a half-way house in our neighborhood. We all know that slots can be addictive and the city does not need another thing to be addicted to. I view Senator Hooper as one of the bright lights in Maryland politics, a real straight shooter. I hope he remains well and is able to continue to serve us. It would be a great loss to our county to lose someone like Bob Hooper.

Candidate #2: State Senator Nancy Jacobs District 34A (Joppa, Edgewood, Aberdeen, Havre de Grace, Northern Cecil County, and more)

Senator Jacobs is a staunch conservative. She is someone that you either like or you don’t. She is avidly pro-life, pro-gun, pro-death penalty, and pro-family. She may go uncontested in the upcoming election which could be very dangerous for Mr. Guthrie and Mrs. James. If a heavy hitter like Nancy is able to throw her weight around District 34A, some Dem’s heads may roll. Nancy has been invincible since her thumping of Art Helton. She has a lot of money in the bank and I honestly cannot think of any reason for someone to challenge her. A pro-choice, anti-death penalty, anti-gun candidate would get absolutely wiped because of the Cecil County vote. Nancy is sitting pretty and that is good news for the good guys.

Candidate #3: Donna Stifler: House of Delegates District 35A (North Fallston, Jarrettsville, Street, Forest Hill, and more)

I personally feel that there is a need for change in Harford County’s representation in the House of Delegates. I would prefer that Barry Glassman (who will probably be the top vote getter again) and Donna Stifler be the two representatives for the northern part of the county. I don’t care for Joanne Parrott. I have never seen her around when a camera was not present. I know she has her “old dog” supporters. You know what they say about old dogs. You can’t teach them new tricks. The old faithful will continue to vote for Parrott and Glassman. I just hope there is enough support for Stifler to knock off Parrott. I know for sure that I will be working hard behind the scenes for her. Here is one example of why I do not care for Joanne. A friend of mine asked what she thought about abortion. Now that is a question that is going to gain or lose you a vote, so just answer it. Instead she pulls a politician’s classic and says, “How do you feel about it?” Just stand up for what you believe in unless you don’t know what you believe in. That is why I support Donna Stifler. It is clear that she has convictions and strong morals. So when people ask me who I support for House of Delegates in 35A I am going to say, “Who do you support in 35A?” Just kidding. I am going to say, “I support Donna Stifler.”

Candidate #4: Dave Tritt, Sheriff

Dave Tritt is a father of eight children and is stepping into the political arena for the first time. The Aegis recently called the sheriff’s race the most important election this fall. I almost agree with them (for the first time ever). Honestly, I did not know who our sheriff was until about a year ago when Derald Guess was murdered. I was not impressed with Golding back then when he attempted to play down the tragedy by saying that gang activity was in its infancy. Come on man. A family man was just shot in the head in a gang initiation. That is not infancy. Edgewood has been a mess for a long time and I just recently found out that they do not have a juvenile holding cell. When a juvenile is picked up an officer has to wait with them until they are picked up. The southern precinct is completely inadequate for the needs of that area. I blame Golding for this. The man has been completely silent for the past three years. I really think it might be time for a change. The Harford County Deputy Sheriff’s Union recently elected Fred Visnaw as their new president. It will be very interesting to see if he is a “yes man” for the administration. I have a gut feeling that he will not be. This might be a good thing for Dave. I spoke with Dave at a County Council meeting and he was very impressive. The question that remains is whether a man from the outside can gain enough support to carry the day. I feel it is time to bring in someone from the outside to breath some new life into the office.

Candidate #5: Chris Pate: House of Delegates District 34A

Chris Pate seems to be a very nice guy. He is one of those people who reek of intelligence. The few times I have met him, I have certainly been his intellectual inferior. He is a lawyer at some big law firm downtown. He was previously a member of the Harford County Republican Central Committee but for some reason bowed out of politics for a time. If I remember correctly he was a favorite of Nancy Jacobs and David Craig to fill the vacancy left by Boutin. Apparently some other politics got in the way at the Central Committee preventing Pate from being appointed. With the support of Jacobs behind him, he is certainly a formidable foe for James. I look forward to seeing the two Havre de Grace natives duke it out this summer. As I mentioned above, if Nancy goes unopposed, watch out sister (Sister James that is).

Candidate #6: Anyone but Wagner, County Council President
COMING SOON!!

Candidate #7: Paula Mullis or Chris Biggs (Anyone but Guthrie), County Council District A
COMING SOON!!