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2 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • June 2014

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June 2014 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • 3

Democratic candidates for governor Q. What would your top priorities be as an elected official?

Anthony Brown: The Brown-Ulman

Administration is focused on building a better Maryland for more Marylanders. Our work must begin by ensuring economic prosperity for more Marylanders. We’ll build strong communities and a stronger middle class by: creating ladders of opportunity through investments in pre-K, career [and] technology education, school construction and affordable colleges; growing our economy; creating jobs; building the most competitive workforce; modernizing our infrastructure; developing Maryland’s business community; and supporting strong families that have access to affordable, quality health care, safe neighborhoods, and a clean environment.

Our top three priorities will be: jobs, jobs, and jobs. Under the BrownUlman Administration, we will create jobs by: 1) Leveraging Maryland’s No. 1 nationally ranked public schools to deliver a world-class education to every student in Maryland, regardless of where they live; 2) Establishing a business climate that attracts, retains, and grows businesses in our state and encourages private investment in Maryland, building on our highly-skilled, competitive workforce and outstanding and affordable colleges and universities, while at the same time foster our commitment to protecting Maryland’s workers, consumers, and environment; 3) Investing in modern, sustainable, innovative, and cost-effective infrastructure; 4) Building strong communities by strengthening families, reducing crime, and ensuring every child has a home that they can call their own.

The economic importance of Montgomery County cannot be overstated.

It is the home of federal agencies and contractors; innovators in health care and biotechnology; and international leaders in hospitality, insurance and communications. As of January of this year, the overall unemployment rate in Montgomery County was 4.4 percent compared to 6.1 percent statewide.

Doug Gansler: My top priority always will be doing what is fair and right for the people of Maryland. And when Maryland is 49th in the nation for income growth and has the second highest education achievement gap, doing what is fair and right means creating more jobs and making sure all our kids go to great schools regardless of their ZIP code. And when our bay is dying, and when we live in the ninth most violent state in the nation,

Note: Democratic gubernatorial candidates Charles Smith of Baltimore and Cindy Walsh of Baltimore did not return the voters guide questionnaire.

Anthony Brown 52, Mitchellville lieutenant governor

Doug Gansler 51, Potomac attorney general

it means taking on some tough fights to clean up the bay, and it means pushing for innovative, effective solutions to address crime.

Heather Mizeur: Grow Our Middle Class

My 10-point jobs and economy plan is based on one fundamental value: middle-class families should earn more and be taxed less. We cannot stand by while the middle class disappears. We know that when we put more money in the hands of the middle class, it goes right back into the economy — families going to the movies or buying their children new shoes and school supplies. This is how we grow our economy from the middle out.

My income tax proposal is comprehensive and revenue neutral. Ninety percent of Maryland families and seniors will benefit from over $100 million in personal income tax cuts, paid for by making our tax code more progressive and asking the wealthiest in the state to pay a bit more.

We also have to get to a place where we have a living wage in Maryland. No one who works 40 hours a week should be living in poverty. There are 350,000 children in this state with a parent that makes under $10 an hour. My plan would gradually align our minimum wage with the already existing living wage for state contractors — reaching $16.70 by 2022.

Close the Achievement Gap

Unfortunately, it still matters what your socioeconomic status is and what your race is to determine whether or not you will be successful in school.

We have the No. 2-minority achievement gap in the country, and closing it starts at the beginning — with early childhood education.

By the end of my first term, all families will have access to full day pre-K for their 4-year-olds and lower- and middle-income families will have access to half day preschool for their 3-year-olds.

But we cannot stop there. We know

Heather Mizeur 41, Takoma Park state delegate

that from zero to 5 is where we can make all the difference in eliminating the achievement gap so we must be mindful of the needs of our children from birth until they enter pre-school.

I’ll expand access and benefits in the Child Care Subsidy Program — making educational, affordable child care accessible to 19,000 more children than it is serving today, and increasing the value of the voucher so it has real purchasing power.

Our third component to addressing the achievement gap is to provide serious funding for afterschool and summer activities. As governor, I will provide funding for at least 44,000 additional students in my first term to participate in quality afterschool and summer programs.

Make Our Communities Safer

We cannot settle for “tough on crime” after the fact — we need to stop crime before it ever occurs. The current administration’s approach has doubled down on the failed war on drugs, protected unfair and ineffective mandatory minimum sentencing,

and overpopulated prisons plagued by corruption and repeat offenders. Their policies have only energized the cycle of criminality. We need a new direction that’s smart on crime.

The Mizeur-Coates approach to public safety will prioritize opportunity and risk-assessment to drive down crime at its root causes. We will replace our broken and counterproductive juvenile justice system with a statewide at-risk intervention program.

A three-pronged emphasis on rehabilitation and re-entry, pre-trial risk management, and smarter sentencing will help keep dangerous criminals in prison while disconnecting nonviolent offenders from lives of crime.

Crime prevention must also be driven by improvements in our law enforcement. By enacting universal background checks on all guns, removing firearms at domestic violence crime scenes, and encouraging local gun buy-back programs, we can keep guns from falling into the hands of criminals. By tracking, counting, and analyzing all rape kits, we can erase our backlog, improve our rape arrest rates, and bring peace and justice to victims. Our law enforcement does not have to be a one-way street — by investing in community policing, we can reconnect our police officers with community members and organizations in a united fight against crime.

See DEMS, Page 4

About this guide This guide is the product of interviews with questionnaires from candidates running in the June 24 primary election. Interviews with candidates in contested primaries were conducted by members of Southern Maryland Newspapers editorial board and the reporters assigned to cover those races. Some of the answers were edited because of limited space. Complete transcripts of those interviews are available at www.somdnews.com. Note that candidates for county commissioner District 3, sheriff, state delegate in Dist. 27C and Dist. 29C are not included in this guide, since none of the candidates has an opponent in the June 24 primary.

Answers from those candidates who returned questionnaires are posted in our online Voter’s Guide. Interviews with those candidates, among others, will be in our guide for the Nov. 4 general election, scheduled to run in late October. Also, this guide does not contain endorsements for the primary election.

To the candidates If you wish to dispute any answer attributed to you in this guide, your response must be received by The Calvert Recorder by 3 p.m. on Friday, June 13. If the newspaper agrees that an error was made, then corrections to reported answers will be limited to 25 words or less.

Responses should be emailed to Editor Rob Perry at rperry@somdnews.com, or faxed to 410535-5883. Call 410-535-1234 for more information.

4 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • June 2014

Dems Continued from Page 3 Q. What do you think of Maryland’s state budget? If you think there should be cuts, where should they be? If spending should increase, where is it needed?

Brown: Over the last seven years, we

have made tough decisions to bring Maryland through the recession while at the same time protecting our priorities. By working together, we have made tough budget cuts — totaling $9.1 billion over the last eight years; maintained our AAA bond rating; made considerable progress toward eliminating our structural deficit; and regained nearly all of the jobs lost during the recession. We also made record investments in our schools, increased operating funding by $1.5 billion (35 percent) and invested an annual average of $340 million in school construction. Since 2007, we have invested approximately $277.4 million in Montgomery County school infrastructure.

The Brown-Ulman Administration will set a new high water mark for school construction investment, reaching $500 million annually by FY2019. We will also support Montgomery County’s efforts to identify innovative ways to leverage state and local investments in order to update its school facilities.

We will make prudent investments to advance our shared priorities. In addition to our schools, we will also prioritize state resources to ensure that we continue to create new jobs, promote our universities, protect our environment, invest in critical infrastructure, reduce crime and strengthen families.

Gansler: We need to rethink how we budget in Maryland. Our budget should be crafted based on what we need to spend, not what we can spend. And we should be looking for more ways to realize savings through improved efficiency.

State audits show millions in spending waste, and a recent review of our state’s procurement shows that we are missing out on more than $100 million in savings by not improving procurement methods that have been recommended for years. As governor, I will ensure stronger fiscal performance in state government, and modernize our procurement. These changes will avoid the need to cut programs fundamental to our democratic values and may even enable us to cut taxes — a marked change from 40 new taxes levied on the people of Maryland over the last seven years.

To provide just one example of recent unnecessary waste we need look no further than Maryland’s health exchange website. Putting aside the $261 million in state and federal dollars squandered on a failed website, Maryland will spend

at least $63 million taxpayer dollars trying to fix the result of Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown’s ineffective leadership of the exchange rollout. That $63 million dollars could have fed 21,000 hungry Maryland children or covered one year of tuition, room and board for 3,292 University of Maryland students.

Money saved by avoiding inefficiencies of this kind might even allow us to increase spending on education and job creation — goals like ensuring all our kids go to great schools, expanding pre-K to help close the achievement gap, revitalizing manufacturing, tuition discounts for degrees in high-demand fields, career and technological apprenticeships, incentives for new startup companies, and more. Investing in our students and our workforce will grow our economy and in turn our tax base, enabling us to have a more robust budget that delivers for our state.

I also think fairness demands a more open budget process, one that gives the people of Maryland meaningful insight into what our spending needs are and how we are spending their money to make the state better. A more open process will ensure that our budget priorities match the people’s priorities.

Mizeur: Budgets are about priorities, and budget decisions ultimately come down to your values as a leader. I am proud of what we have accomplished during my time as vice chair of the House Appropriations Education and Economic Development Subcommittee — especially the record levels of funding for our public schools and innovative school construction financing.

My proposals for new spending come directly from my priorities. My early childhood education plan will be expensive, which is why O’MalleyBrown administration put it off for years.

But we also know that there is no greater investment in our children and in our state — Maryland would see a $5 return for every dollar it spends on early childhood education.

I would pay for it by addressing our failed war on drugs. By taxing legalized and regulated marijuana purchases, we could generate as much as $158 million annually. I would dedicate that revenue directly to early childhood education.

One of the most important goals of my administration will be reducing our prison population. My vision calls for reductions in spending in incarceration and detention as we drive down crime.

For example, we could save as much as $280 million when we stop arresting and jailing people for marijuana possession charges.

To put it simply, my vision for the budget sees an increase in spending on education offset by a reduction in spending on incarceration. I want to invest in affirmative opportunities, not

throw money at crime’s consequences.

Q. What is the most pressing environmental issue in Maryland? How would you address it?

Brown: The Chesapeake Bay is a

national treasure that has shaped Maryland’s history, culture and economy for centuries. The bay is a tourist destination, a commercial gateway and a bountiful source of aquatic life that supports our commercial seafood industry and recreational fishing. There are 110,000 miles of creeks, rivers and streams flowing into the Chesapeake, which means that nearly every Marylander comes in contact with its waterways and we all have a stake in making sure our waters are healthy, safe, and clean.

To ensure access to clean, safe water for all Marylanders, the Brown-Ulman Administration will: • Not roll back our efforts to reduce stormwater pollution. Rather, we will work to improve our stormwater management program by encouraging best practices like Prince George’s County’s innovative public-private partnership model; • Work with all stakeholders to create a transparent and anonymous pesticide databasetounderstandwhatweapplyto the land around the bay and its tributaries. We will also strengthen implementation of nutrient management plans, to control runoff throughout Maryland.

In partnership with the environmental and agricultural communities, we can achieve a healthier bay while protecting proprietary information and supporting farmers and other commercial users; • Strengthen our environmental and agricultural agencies by giving them the resources they need to improve Maryland’s environment. Through collaboration with every community, we will bring environmental justice and cleaner water to more Marylanders.

Gansler: The most pressing environmental issue in Maryland is restoring bay health, which affects the health of the natural environment in nearly every corner of the state.

Fifty years ago, you could wade into the bay and see down to your toes; today in many places you can barely see 2 feet and we often have to close our beaches to children and pregnant women. The Chesapeake Bay has gotten C’s and D’s for health for the last several years. I know we can do better. I ran for attorney general eight years ago because I wanted to fight to clean up the bay and Maryland’s other waterways, and I have made an impact, methodically auditing every bay rivershed, and holding polluters accountable.

I obtained the largest ever civil penalty paid to [the Maryland Department of the Environment] from ExxonMobil to settle a case involving the release of more than 25,000 gallons of gasoline

intoMarylandwaters.IheldChesapeake Energy accountable for a fracking fluid spill into a tributary of the Susquehanna River, which is the bay’s greatest source of fresh water. And I required West Virginia’s PPG Industries to reduce mercury emission at its plant — a significant step in ending mercury pollution in the waterways of Western Maryland. As governor, I will ensure strong enforcement of environmental protection at every agency and get our Bay back on track to full health.

I also will look for innovative ways to address this crisis. For example, let’s invest in renewable energy sources that not only add to our state’s energy portfolio but also — by design — reduce pollution and greenhouse gas impacts throughout Maryland. I have seen the damage caused by polluting power sources and have worked as attorney general to reduce them.

If we can turn polluting outputs into renewable inputs, we can transform cleaning up our water and air into a power-generating resource for the state. This effort also includes support for “green jobs” to operate these new energy sources.

Mizeur: Maryland’s environment is interconnected with every aspect of our daily lives. Clean air and water ensures the safety of our families and communities. Clean energy helps us combat climate change. A healthy Chesapeake Bay fuels local economies and tourism.

These priorities are critical to our environmental health, and Maryland’s next governor will face an array of tough decisions in the coming year: protecting Maryland from dangerous fracking, taking the next step to fight climate change and greenhouse gases (for example, opposing the liquefied natural gas plan at Cove Point), cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay, and supporting smart growth and pollution controls. You want an environmentalist governor to make these decisions — and I am the only candidate with a track record of always putting these environmental priorities first. That’s why I am proud to have the endorsement of Maryland’s Sierra Club in this race.

Our greatest natural resource is the Chesapeake Bay, and while the bay’s health has slowly improved through the years, our barely passing grade of a C is not enough. Most of Maryland’s rivers earned a D in 2013, and the Patapsco and Back rivers received an F. A clean Chesapeake Bay starts with what flows into it, and I’m committed to cleaning up our streams and waterways, reducing nutrient pollution and stormwater runoff and returning Maryland’s streams and rivers to pristine condition.

June 2014 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • 5

Republican candidates for governor Q. What would your top priorities be as an elected official?

Ron George: As governor, I will

immediately seek independent audits of state agencies beginning with [Department of Health and Mental Hygiene], [Department of Human Resources] and the new health exchange. In order to properly budget and make sure taxpayer dollars are going where they are supposed to, we must first know where waste and duplicative services can be eliminated. I successfully amended the budget to hold these agencies accountable for repeated misappropriation and will continue that work as governor.

Next, I will begin restructuring Maryland’s tax code. I am calling for an across the board 10 percent individual income tax reduction retroactive to 2014. This puts more money into the pockets of working families right away and helps small businesses to grow the economy.

I will also seek a 2 percent reduction in the corporate income tax rate bringing it to 6.25 percent in 2015 followed by .25 percent reductions in 2016 and 2017. I anticipate record tax revenue collection by 2017 as our economy expands and the private sector tax base grows with the creation of new jobs and small businesses.

Finally, I will focus on the connection between crime and education with programs such as my Baltimore Children’s Zones. This pilot program, modeled after the Harlem Children’s Zones, will increase police presence on the blocks around schools located in high-crime areas. Children deserve a safe community where they can come and go to and from school without the fear of criminal and gang influence.

You can find more details about my “10-Point Promise, A Plan for Maryland,” on my website at VoteRonGeorge.com.

Q. Why should people vote for you instead of your opponents?

George: I am the only Republi-

can candidate with a voting record opposing the O’Malley/Brown administration’s 80 tax and fee increases. As the longest serving Republican on the House Ways and Means committee, where all new taxes must be vetted before becoming law, I have led the fight against over 300 potential tax and fee hikes. However, I do not only oppose bad policy but have been

Note: Republican gubernatorial candidates David Craig of Bel Air, Larry Hogan of Annapolis and Charles Lollar of Newburg did not return a voters guide questionnaire.

Ron George 60, Arnold State delegate

successful in getting good legislation passed.

In 2008, I led the successful fight to repeal the tech services tax that was unfairly burdening our emerging technology and [research and development] industry in Maryland. I helped organize over 300 business owners from across Maryland to testify how they were being hurt by destructively high taxes. In 2013, I was successful in championing a cap on the boat excise tax.

Maryland’s maritime industry had been losing business to our neighboring states in every sector from boat maintenance and storage to painting and parts manufacturing. This cap on new boat sales helps our maritime businesses be more competitive going forward.

I was the first candidate of either party to put a plan forward, my 10-Point Promise, which outlines exactly what I will do once elected governor. Trust in government is at [an] all-time low and the only way to restore that trust is to be open and honest. I have been open and honest since day 1 of my campaign, and you can rely on me to be the most fair and transparent governor in recent Maryland history.

down to future administrations.

Instead of cutting programs or increasing spending, a great alternative is eliminating the millions of dollars of waste in each state department. Federal audits have shown Maryland agencies continually misuse federal dollars costing hundreds of millions every year. Meanwhile, the Office of Legislative Audits has uncovered millions in wasted state dollars.

Permanent, corrective action has yet to be taken in most agencies. I will turn that around and put the necessary safeguards and oversight in place to prevent future misuse of taxpayer dollars.

I am calling for full, independent audits of state agencies so we can put that oversight in the correct areas and get more money directly to the people and communities who most need it. Fixing costly agency waste will pay for our tax reductions while leaving annual surpluses. We will direct surplus tax dollars to new transportation and education initiatives.

Q. What do you think of Maryland’s state budget? If you think there should be cuts, where should they be? If spending should increase, where is it needed?

George: The state budget is cur-

cent across-the-board individual income tax reduction in my first year as governor, which will be retroactive when citizens and small businesses file their 2014 returns.

rently bloated due to a heavy reliance on bond bills (credit cards).

We have a serious structural deficit problem that is being handed

Q. What changes, if any, would you make to Maryland’s tax structure?

George: Individual Income Tax Reduction — I promise a 10 per-

Corporate Income Tax Reduction

— Lower the corporate income tax rate gradually over four years until it rests at 5.75 percent.

In order to bring manufacturing companies back to Maryland, [we need]: 1) New manufacturing firms tax reduction: New manufacturing firms in Maryland have the highest total effective tax rate in the nation (31.4 percent). I promise to cut the state property tax rate for new manufacturing firms by 50 percent, and I will line up manufacturing firms for any county that is willing to lower their local property tax rates for these new companies; 2) Manufacturing equipment tax reduction: We must get manufacturing up and running in Maryland. We have the highest manufacturing equipment tax in the nation. I will exempt manufacturing equipment from the state’s definition of property tax which will lower the total effective tax rate on new firms; Estate Tax Reduction — I worked this year with the Speaker of the House to gradually reduce it over a few years and recouple it with the federal estate tax putting us in line with most other states. It has been sent to the governor for his signature.

This legislation totally removes the state’s portion of the estate tax.

Gas Tax Reduction — Lower the gas tax to pre-O’Malley levels to take the tax burden off of workers who commute and repeal automatic increases. Lockbox all gas tax funds and direct them to road and bridge projects first.

Q. What is the most pressing environmental issue in Maryland? How would you address it?

George: The pollution of the

Chesapeake Bay and destruction of marine life around Maryland is the most pressing environmental issue we are facing. Over 75 percent of all sediment runoff into the Chesapeake is coming from the Conowingo Dam. We must dredge the silt pond that has built up there before another storm floods our waters and sets us back another 20 years in Chesapeake cleanup. Instead of passing nonsensical taxes on the rain and chickens, let’s commit to addressing the real problems facing our environment.

The federal government has directed money to help with the Everglades and Great Lakes in the past, and they ought to be helping with the Chesapeake Bay. I will aggressively seek financial assistance from the federal government for this issue.

6 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • June 2014

Republican candidates for 5th Congressional District Q. What would your top priorities be as an elected official?

Mark Arness: To reduce taxes, bring

new and better jobs to the 5th District; revoke the disaster that is Obamacare/ OMalleycare; insure DoD funding and preserve Pax River NAS and Calvert LNG Project; protect the rights of women and children both in our Nation and abroad; Preserve our 2nd Amendment rights; obtain funding to properly establish educational programs for our children rather than the ill-conceived and poorly implemented Common Core program that has been forced on our teachers, who now find themselves paying out of pocket and working overtime.

Chris Chaffee: Get the budget under control. [Create jobs], cut corporate taxes and offer incentives. This would free up money for new jobs. Protect our Second Amendment rights. This would ensure safety at home for all Americans.

Cut government spending which will in turn increase revenue. Amend the Affordable Care Act to make it really affordable. Cut NSA budget.

Tom Potter: My top priority would be to work to repeal Obamacare, lower taxes, cut wasteful spending and plug the porous borders that kill American jobs.

Q. What is the single most important institutional change you would make to improve the effectiveness of Congress as a legislative body?

Arness: We need bipartisan coopera-

tion to have effective Government. Right now the Democrats and Republicans currently in office, both in Congress and the White House, are just not talking to each other. For Pete’s sake, the President doesn’t keep the Speaker of the House in his Blackberry! They simply never speak! We need to overcome obstructionist government that doesn’t serve the needs of its constituents.

Chaffee: Term limits.

Potter: When Congress is held responsible for the laws they enact, they won’t make so many, they’ll debate them substantively and understand how important it is to think of the law of unintended consequences.

Q. What specific ideas do you have for changing U.S. immigration policy?

Arness: We need a firm but more

friendly immigration policy. I’ve heard the horror stories about mothers being torn from their US-born children and deported. That’s inhuman; it’s just not right. Nonetheless, we need to protect US jobs from illegals; especially as times are still tough and we have little extra to spare.

Chaffee: We have an immigration policy that is not being enforced in this

Since Democratic candidate incumbent Steny Hoyer is running unopposed in the primary, his answers will appear online only, at www.SoMdNews.com.

Mark Arness 50, Port Republic

Chris Chaffee 53, Prince Frederick

country. We need to secure our borders.

We must develop a plan to address illegal immigration. There is a way to convert a situation where illegals are given a chance to contribute and be legal without granting citizenship until the proper channels are followed and done over a span of time. They do contribute to our economy now, but buying food, gas, clothes, paying rent, insurance, buying cars. There is the opportunity to develop a system to collect payroll and income taxes. Corporations and churches could participate and sponsor them through the process. Corporations could receive tax breaks that would remove the medical expenses incurred by illegals and their families. This would allow them to pay their way without fear of reprisal.

There is a way to unify their Americanborn children and their refugee, or illegal parents and siblings in both an administrative and humanitarian way.

Potter: As our national guard veterans come home, many have useful skills that relate to stemming the invasion at our southern border. Dispatching those troops to the southern border to stop illegal immigration while putting an end to the violence from drug cartels with fire power superior to our border patrol agents, taking back the land ceded to the cartels and will give relief to the states who have been harmed by the federal government’s inability or unwillingness to enforce immigration laws. Helping local law enforcement, removal of “sanctuary cities” and keeping Homeland Security from acting as human traffickers would go a long way toward meaningful immigration reform. With that, requiring e-verify for all employers would be a start when it comes to the flood of illegals that take jobs from Americans looking for work after a recession caused by Democrats thoughtless, and frankly idiotic economic policies, championed by the number 2 Democrat in the House, Steny Hoyer.

Tom Potter 51, Faulkner

Q. What is the nation’s most pressing environmental problem and how would you address it?

Arness: The effects of global warming

are real and apparent. Although we just endured the harshest winter in Maryland memory since the 1890s, this is not a sign of lessening greenhouse gas effect; rather, it shows the destabilizing effect on climate that warming has overall. We need to pass legislation to protect our world before it’s too late for our children and their children.

Chaffee: Clean air and water for all Americans. I would also propose strict guidelines for fracking. This is a method of extracting natural gas, but this practice cannot come at the expense of the surrounding property owners health and safety.

Potter: The greatest environmental problem plaguing the US is not pollution but our response and reaction to it including the crony capitalism that’s gone wrong. Solyndra is the most blatant, but another example is Honeywell with CEO Dave Cote, a stimulus supporter who lobbied Congress on the use of a controversial new refrigerant.

Their refrigerant, touted as the next big thing by the EPA, is more toxic, (when exposed to a hot engine compartment after an accident) than cyanide so needless to say it’s toxic to humans and is made in China. How does that help the manufacturers of R134A refrigerant right here in the US? There are numerous examples of picking winners and losers and the loser generally is the American public.

There are stories in the news every day of EPA abuses, fines that many would say are unconstitutional because of their grievous nature where the power of the government is used to coerce citizens rather than protect the environment. The thought that CO2, the very breath that we exhale, is considered a pollutant by the EPA leaves me incredulous. Are there no people at the EPA who

can take a step back and actually think about what they propose? How can a smelt fish take precedence over the viability of entire cities and the lives of everyday Americans? So many abuses, so little time.

Q. Would you change the current system of campaign finance in federal races? How? Arness: Financing campaigns is an

ever greater point of contention as we get daily stories of elected officials abusing this system. The oversight, checks and balances are terrific already, but some crooks still find ways to get around it and pocket the funds. We need to control the impact that lobbies have on financing campaigns with stricter limits on donations and reporting requirements.

Chaffee: I would propose legislation to prevent lobbyists from contributing to a major campaign.

Potter: The idea that a lobbyist can contribute to a candidate with whom they have a working relationship is mind blowing. A congressman working on, say Dodd/Frank, should not be allowed to accept money from the securities or banking industry. The same goes for health care. Congress (or the president for that matter) should not be able to receive thousands of dollars from lobbyists like Steny Hoyer has on legislation they’re writing that benefits the lobbyists. Merck has contributed thousands of dollars to Mr. Hoyer’s campaign as and more than $6 million this election cycle alone. I would bet dollars to donuts that Merck and United Health Care are benefiting from Obamacare legislation. To me, that’s filthy.

Q. What should the standard be for the United States to get involved in a foreign crisis, such as in Syria?

Arness: For many years the US was

the de facto ‘world policeman.’ Under the current administration we have become a pusillanimous and non-credible former superpower. The former Soviets running Russia invade a sovereign nation with impunity and sneer at our President because they know his threats are feeble and empty. They’ve even used the ‘nuke’ word and threatened that soon they will be landing in Alaska on social media! How will Obama act to defend our native soil? We need See 5TH, Page 7

June 2014 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • 7

House of Delegates Dist. 27B Q. What would your top priorities be as an elected official?

Democrat

Michael A. Jackson: My top priori-

ties are creating more jobs, improving education, protecting our natural resources, enhancing public safety in our communities, continuing to strengthen domestic violence intervention and eliminating health care disparities.

LaRhonda Owens: My top priorities are education, transportation and environment.

Jacqueline Steele McCall: [My top priorities are] to create opportunities and provide training for people to earn a decent living [and t]o reduce Maryland’s infant mortality rate and increase the availability of good prenatal care.

Republican Toni Jarboe-Duley: [My priorities would be] making our government accountable to its citizens, reducing the overall size of state government [and] lowering the income taxes on small businesses and individuals.

These things will help create more private sector jobs and will encourage Marylanders to stay here instead of fleeing our state.

Q. Why should people vote for you instead of your opponents?

Democrat Jackson: I have more progressive leadership experience than both of my opponents. Having served in two elected offices with increasing responsibilities, I am able to serve a large

5th Continued from Page 6

to stop these arrogant and dangerous invaders right here, right now, before they get any more ideas. They will take a mile for every inch we give; we cannot afford to give them an inch and the current administration is just not credible. When US interests are threatened abroad, we must engage. When the interest of our allies are threatened abroad, we must engage. And when the security of Europe, where our closest allies live, and the principles of freedom and justice for all are still practiced, is threatened, then by God we need to stand up for our neighbors and draw a line beyond which no aggressor and no former Soviet KGB Chief will dare to cross. As it now stands, we have invited the restoration of the Soviet Union by

Michael A. Jackson (D), 50 Cheltenham

Toni Jarboe-Duley (R), 61 Cheltenham/Brandywine

LaRhonda Owens (D), 42 Brandywine

Philip A. Parenti (R), 53 Cheltenham *Did not return voters guide questionnaire

Jacqueline Steele McCall (D) Upper Marlboro

group of constituents. While I served as [Fraternal Order of Police] president, I successfully lobbied the Maryland General Assembly for better working conditions for employees. I also traveled across the state of Maryland for collective bargaining and binding arbitration in counties that oppose unions and in support of merit status for employees in protecting their rights. When I served as sheriff, I was responsible for the safety and welfare of over 800,000 people. I will take my successful leadership experiences and proven record of accomplishments to serve the citizens of District 27B. Constituent relations, communicating the needs and opinions of my constituents and becoming the voters’ voice in Annapolis is a prime opportunity for me to demonstrate my transferable skill set and passion for representing my county and state.

Owens: I am the most qualified candidate for the position. I possess the necessary dispute resolution and mediation skills to work collaboratively to get legislation passed. I have been working for the constituents for the last four years on the Central Committee and would like to expand my advocacy to the state level.

Steele McCall: I am an experienced,

tenacious leader and problem solver who is familiar with Maryland government and federal resources. I am open-minded and care about people.

Republican Jarboe-Duley: I have experience in both the private sector, as a small business woman, and the public sector as a former Prince George’s County employee. Having already dealt with the public on a full-time basis, as well as working in numerous offices through out county government, will give me the resources needed to enable me to get the job done.

inaction and timid, pathetic whining.

Vote Republican to restore America’s values and national credibility!

Chaffee: The United States cannot be the world’s peace keepers. We need to ensure our national security and protect the innocent. This can be done by humanitarian aid and diplomacy and sanctions most of the time. Military intervention should always be the last resort. Our country needs to have a strong military at all times.

Potter: Clear and present danger to US National interest. I think we should stay out of other country’s civil wars.

That doesn’t mean we should not influence one side or the other, but there needs to be a clear and present US national interest for us to get involved.

The President keeps drawing red lines in the sand and diminishing our standing in the world. There are times when politicians need to just not say anything; the old adage about two ears one mouth

comes to mind.

Q. What do you think of Maryland’s state budget? If you think there should be cuts, where should they be? If spending should increase, where is it needed?

Democrat Jackson: I believe all governments can be more fiscally responsible and I’m certain the state of Maryland is no exception. I won’t have a specific answer as to how we can save money until I have the opportunity to become familiar with the entire budget to answer that question because expenditures should be examined side by side rather than in isolation. There are also discussions and committee decisions I am not aware of yet that

Q. Do you agree that the U.S. should drastically cut military spending? Why or why not?

Arness: We need a strong, resilient

and ready military force as a deterrent against acts of violent aggression like the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and to deter increased terrorist activity. It would be a terrible mistake to dismantle our military forces at a time of heightened need; history has shown time and again that reduction in our standing forces opens the United States to attack, as in Pearl Harbor, the post-Vietnam drawdowns and the ‘do more with less’ stretch policy of the late 1990s, when we tried to fight wars against terror on two fronts and put the young men and women serving in uniform through the meat grinder.

No more! Keep America strong; keep America safe! Don’t let this incum-

I’m unable to weigh in forming my opinion. However, when I am able to identify allocations and amounts in terms of specific programs and agencies, and the reasoning behind why expenditures were increased, maintained or decreased, it will be a priority to determine money-saving strategies and policies.

Owens: The budget has been in compliance with Spending Affordability Guidelines; but I would be in agreement with reviewing expenditures and the process to support a decrease in taxes.

Steele McCall: The budget is a very complex matter that would require much more inspection and reflection than any candidate could address with any certainty, if they are honest.

Republican Jarboe-Duley: Every year, the state increases its budget even though our country is in a recession. These legislators, under the leadership of the current governor, Martin O’Malley, are disinterested in making the hard choices that are necessary when money is tight. An acrossthe-board reduction in the budgets would have helped our state, instead of additional taxes being levied on the backs of its citizens who are “taxed enough already.”

Q. What changes, if any, would you make to Maryland’s tax structure?

Democrat Jackson: One answer that readily comes to mind for our state’s tax structure is that of corporate taxation and See 27B, Page 8

bent remain in office to cast another vote against the security of the United States!

Chaffee: I do not feel we should drastically cut our military. Our freedom and the safety of our children and grandchildren depend on our military to keep them safe. We are protected by our men [and women] who have the courage to serve and protect. Our [country] needs our military strong and battle ready; this is the key for peace.

Potter: No. One of the few things the constitution calls the federal government to do is provide for the common defense. Peace through strength is not just a great line, but it works. As Iran, China and now Russia bulk up their military, why on God’s earth would we diminish ours? Having said that, the military needs to be more prudent with the way they spend. There are enormous amounts of waste and inefficiencies and in the military budgets.

8 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • June 2014

27B Continued from Page 7

business incentives. While we know tax structures and business incentives attract new revenue sources, there are responsibilities that accompany those privileges. Businesses must exercise corporate responsibility when they receive our tax investments by investing in our communities, in our schools and in job allocations and training programs. A broader tax base will allow more money to be used for economic stimulus rather than the steeper taxes that paralyze our economy.

Owens: I would suggest an independent study be conducted to determine how to achieve a more competitive tax structure that complements current economy, business growth and prevents wasting of tax dollars.

Steele McCall: I believe that the tax structure should be examined to see if there were any room to increase the responsibilities and lessen those of others. However, the tax structure is also a very complex matter that would require much more inspection and reflection than any candidate could address with any certainty, if they are honest.

Republican Jarboe-Duley: I would increase the amount that citizens can claim as a deduction on their Maryland income taxes. I am in favor of allowing more deductions for child care, as well as health care for all Marylanders.

I promise to be an advocate for our senior citizens. They have already contributed for many years, and now that they are on fixed incomes, it is time for us to help them be able to remain in Maryland, and live close to their children and grandchildren.

Q. What should the state’s transportation priorities be?

Democrat Jackson: My transportation priorities are improving our roads, building more Metro stations and expanding the light rail system. We must share the expenses for transportation priorities with businesses that invest in our communities. Developers and corporations must share the costs with Maryland residents if

they are to reap the benefits.

Owens: Our transportation priorities should be to ensure the Transportation Trust Fund monies are not used to satisfy other budget deficits. We should move from a traditional model of investing in infrastructure for cars and focus on transit projects like Metro, light rail, bus and pedestrian improvements.

These types of projects will create jobs, reduce air pollution [and] global warming and reduce taxpayers’ expenses.

Steele McCall: [Transportation priorities should be] to increase public transportation options in suburban and rural communities. According to the U.S. [Department of Transportation], “Less than 10 percent of federal spending for public transportation goes to rural communities.”

I would lobby for increased federal support and research federal grant opportunities.

Republican Jarboe-Duley: Our state needs to stop stealing money from its transportation budget. Our roads and highways need to be maintained at the very least. I want to improve these roads to reduce the time it takes to commute for people to go to work and make a living.

Q. What, if any, is the government’s role in helping residents get back on track in the wake of the recession? What level should the minimum wage be?

Democrat

Jackson: We have certainly experienced stressful economic hardships in the state of Maryland and at the local level in most jurisdictions. There are several ways the state government can help residents get back on the right track in wake of the recession. First, to support and promote the growth of our business community in both the short and long-term, one of the priorities we can meet is to improve our roads, build more Metro stations and expand the light rail system.

We must share the expenses for transportation priorities with the businesses that invest in our communities. So that our small businesses and our state and local governments are not overly burdened, developers and corporations must share the costs with Maryland residents if they are to reap the benefits.

Second, I’ve given a great

deal of thought to strategies that retain and attract business because the diversification of our economic base is key to growth. First, completing the Purple Line is an important project for our county as well as for our region from a business and transportation perspective. I will support the project, articulate its importance to my constituents and do my part to articulate the importance of the project to my colleagues and leaders at the county level and collaborate with them to ensure the project is completed in a timely matter.

Also, our low-income residents and their families deserve our support. We can best support our low-income residents by enabling them to better compete in the workforce. I support raising Maryland’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 in incremental steps and raising the minimum wage for tipped workers from 50 to 70 percent of the full minimum wage so that our low-income residents are able to compete with rising housing costs. I also support wage and benefit standards for service workers who work on contracts with the state and on property or land leased by the state so they are compensated fairly.

Owens: The government should play a role in rebuilding after a recession. Residents do not choose to be hungry, homeless but are victims of the broader economic problems.

The government should assist in job creation, and the provision of supportive services that meet basic human needs. The minimum wage should be a wage that affords residents may sustain themselves without needing public assistance.

Steele McCall: The government’s role should be to assist its citizens getting back on their feet and remaining there. The government should provide opportunities for training, establishing and growing small businesses.

Republican Jarboe-Duley: Government needs to stop interfering with private business. We are over regulated and government needs to step aside and promote a free market which helps all of us with additional job opportunities.

Q. Should marijuana be legal in Maryland for medicinal or recreational use?

Democrat Jackson: Marijuana should be for medicinal use in the state of Maryland.

Owens: Maryland currently has laws that create an independent commission to study and govern medical use of marijuana. I anticipate commission data will be used to make a better determination about the effective use of medical marijuana.

Steele McCall: Yes, it should be legal for medicinal purposes.

Republican Jarboe-Duley: No. Q. What is the most pressing environmental issue in Maryland?

How would you address it?

Democrat Jackson: One of the most significant environmental challenges facing Maryland at present is the continued pollution of the Chesapeake Bay. The bay and its tributaries are polluted and this detracts from the profitability of our seafood and hospitality industries. Overdevelopment of our shorelines is causing increasingly harmful erosion patterns so we must work with and promote development that does not further damage our beautiful bay, our shorelines and our tributaries.

Owens: The most pressing environmental issue is cleaning the Chesapeake Bay. The bay is a tourist destination and commercial gateway for seafood and recreational fishing. I would address the bay cleanup by improving upon legislation and strategies that trend us in a positive direction regarding clean water.

Steele McCall: Because Maryland’s waterways provide the second largest annual catch of crabs in the United States and our fish farming is central to our economy (according to E Reference Desk), many lawmakers and industry officials are working diligently upon cleaning Maryland’s waterways.

The American Lung Association gave a grade of “F” to most of our counties and cities in Maryland in relation to our ozone levels.

Republican Jarboe-Duley: Maintaining the cleanliness of the Chesapeake Bay is crucial. We need realistic legislation that truly promotes a clean bay, which is measurable.

June 2014 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • 9

Republican candidates for Senate Dist. 29 Q. What would your top priorities be as an elected official?

Larry Jarboe: Basically, holding the line

in Annapolis like I’ve done for the 16 years I’ve served in St. Mary’s County government. Being a voice of conservatism and when it’s time to say no, I will say no.

Cindy Jones: I think our top priorities are going to be very similar to the theme we ran on in the 2010 election we ran on for commissioner.Thosewillbetransparency in government, low taxes and accountability. And I’ve been very pleased with the results of this present board working together. A citizen can now go on to the county government website and take a look at the check register. That’s open, transparent government and I think that’s what the citizens are looking for. The message we had in 2010 really resonated with the citizens.

In terms of accountability, asking the tough questions to the board of education when they have some cost overruns like they currently have. And now the board of commissioners reviews and approves the MetComcapitalbudgeteveryyear,another layer of responsibility and accountability to certainly the ratepayer but also ultimately the taxpayer because we stand behind them on their loan. So we do have a fiduciary responsibility there. And also I pledge not to raise the piggyback income tax rate or property tax rate.

Steve Waugh: The way I categorize things, or the way I like to say things, jobs are the issue, taxes are the problem and spending is the cause. This is what’s going on in Maryland right now. We simply do not have the jobs. ... Everything we do has to be done with the focus of generating jobs. And in my perspective, taxes are the biggest impediment to that. ... And if we continue to crank up the spending like we did again this year, we increased it another billion dollars or so, and you’re looking at $39 billion budget, there is only one possible outcome of that.

And that is going to be increased taxes.

If jobs are the issue, and taxes are the problem and spending is the cause then you have to attack the root, and that is to attack the spending. And by that we’ve got to slow down the increase of spending so we at least get at or below the rate of inflation. We get under control and a lot of things become very possible very rapidly.

They wanted to and ended up raising the budget about 4 percent this year…

Now they did this without regard to how much tax revenue was actually coming in. Two months later they came out with theannouncementthattaxrevenueswere down $250 million. That would have been reallygoodinformationbeforetheydecided to crank up spending. This is stuff the average person does. Why can’t government do that, it’s really not complicated.

Top priority really is getting control of

The winner will face incumbent Sen. Roy Dyson (D) in the general election. Dyson is running unopposed in the primary.

Larry Jarboe 61, Mechanicsville

Cindy Jones 48, Valley Lee

spending. And the only way to do that is to set priorities … and you live within your means. I believe the top three priorities are transportation, education and public safety; I wouldn’t necessarily put those in order. If we fund those fully and first, and then say here is a list of other things we really want to do, how much money do we have and how much of that can we do, then I think you’re in a position to really control the budget.

Q. What do you think of Maryland’s state budget? If you think there should be cuts, where should they be? If spending should increase, where is it needed?

Jarboe: The Maryland state budget, a

$39 billion budget, is a big budget. We’ve had some tax increases over the years. I don’t believe in any tax increases at this pointintime.Weneedtofocusonsomeof those special programs we have out there and trim them down. For example, in the department of natural resources we hear a lot about the critical areas. The reality is DNR is responsible for the public domain and they’ve avoided working in the public domain over the years and focused on the private properties. At this point we need to go back and look at sanctuaries, like the oyster sanctuaries that have worked very well,anddoanexpansionofthatprogram.

In the critical area programs, we need to go back and say what has worked… If we, for example, took the Patuxent River and did oyster sanctuaries like they did in the St. Mary’s River… the enforcement gets easier because you don’t have to have special radars just targeting certain areas.

You’ve got the whole river as a sanctuary.

Thatactuallycreatesalotofcostsavingsin enforcement. ... The main thing is to hold the line on the budget, like the commissioners have done. We’ve held the budget to late 1990s levels. As a result we are sitting in a fairly good situation compared to other areas.

[Jarboe has not voted for the budget in a number of years.] That’s because they’ve actually done expansions beyond

Steve Waugh 50, Lusby

what I would vote on. Like this year… I’ve compromised on FDR. If we purchase the right of way than let the developers do the expansion.

Jones: I think our biggest overall problem at the state level is we are spending too much. I know there was some talk of across the board cuts and I think that might be an appropriate place to start.

You don’t want to start too deep and too fast.OneofthethingsI’maproponentofis sunset clauses in legislation. And also taking a look at the effectiveness of programs over a period of time and make sure they are doing what they were funded to do and what they promised to do. And if they didn’t they need to be either removed or they need to be changed. I really believe we have to pare down the size of government. I think the state government is trying to do too much.

Waugh: I believe it is about setting priorities and making decisions. And if we set asthetopprioritiesinthestateastransportation, education and public safety, these are the things that without them our society begins to break down. And we have to have it, we just have to. ... From a capital budget perspective, transportation is clearly the top priority. Government has been building roads sinceRomeanditseemstobeagoodidea.

I think we ought to stick with that and I thinktheprocessofallocatingfundsdown to county governments has been terribly flawed.Masstransitisagreatthingandwe would love to have a train down here, too, but right now we are getting the short end of the stick.

I would really like to see an emphasis placed on reducing the cost of college education. …. Are there ways that University of Maryland can change its business practicesorplansoritscapitalstrategiesto reduce the overall cost of the University of Maryland to the people of Maryland.

Q. What should the state’s transportation priorities be?

Jarboe: Our No. 1 priority here is the

Gov. Thomas Johnson [Memorial] Bridge.

Everybody has to come to the plate and work together on the Thomas Johnson bridge. That’s the key, to support the Navy base, everybody has to do that. Again, the light rail is moving forward, very slowly. As farastheconnectionthatgoesuptoBowie andBWI,weneedtorelookatthatandsee if we can’t develop a public/private partnership … to connect into Hughesville.

The whole relationship with Hughesville and Charlotte Hall can be a very beneficial thing, with Hughesville involving into the collegetownandwithCharlotteHallbeing the veterans and senior citizens type area with retirement. We can have the best of both worlds.

Jones: I think what the state transportationplanlacksisbalance.Ithinkaresident that lives in a Garrett County or a Washington County or a Wicomico County has an expectation of state government and transportation funding that’s equal to the person that lives in one of the populous counties. And there needs to be a balance and there needs to be a big picture view of transportation to make sure that all citizens are being served.

I think the priority is to take a look and rebalance the issues. I think the people in the rural counties are going to the [Metro] Red Line, the Purple Line, the Blue Line.

While certainly that is important, that is not the only priority, I think we need to stepbackandtakealooktofindifwecan’t rebalance the resources and have a more holistic approach to the transportation needs in the state.

I can see a need for south county, both Ridge and Scotland area, needing STS bus services as well as a route in the Tall Timbers area. The need has been documented. Really, the only problem is funding.

Public transportation, I believe, is probably our greatest need.

Waugh: The purple line should not be the only priority. What we need is to look at the investment around the state on roads, particularly in areas like St. Mary’s County. Right now, we’re getting close to, there’s going to be another BRAC. It’s going to happen. One thing they will look at is sprawl and traffic. The fact of the matter is, when they go in for this consideration you are either going to be getting better or you are going to be getting worse. No one is going to stay the same.

We need to make sure from a transportation standpoint that we are investing in the right places, using a smart methodology to build the roads and be able to maintain that over time.

10 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • June 2014

Commissioner Dist. 1 Q. What is your vision for the county in terms of development and growth?

Joe Chenelly: More than $460 mil-

lion leaves our county each year, spent by Calvert County residents on retail purchases and services in our neighboring counties. A comprehensive study in 2011 paid for by Calvert shows a substantial loss in tax revenue and employment opportunities. The county’s economy is growing stagnant because of the current first district commissioner’s strong aversion to considering altering “the way we’ve always done it.” The county needs strategic, responsible development in our town centers, specifically in Prince Frederick. The development must be mixed use, with retail, housing and recreation. I am not advocating for big box stores, and I do not want our county to ever look like neighboring cities, but we cannot allow more than half of our residents’ money to be spent elsewhere.

Gerald W. “Jerry” Clark: For many years, Calvert County has remained a rural setting by design. We should continue to strive for a rural life style in Calvert County along with slow and methodical commercial development in our major town centers and minor town centers that contain water and sewer. Until we are able to beef up the road infrastructure in our county, i.e. Route 4, Route 231, Route 2 and the Gov. Thomas Johnson Memorial Bridge, we need to move in a very cautious manner when it comes to growth in both residential and commercial development. Calvert County must grow somewhat to remain vibrant, but we also need to keep Calvert County country.

Mike Hart: Calvert County has been blessed with a rural charm and character. Previous leadership has managed growth and development in a manner consistent with the demands of our county. As we move forward, a fresh look at the functionality of our town centers is mandated. Smart growth goals need to be established to take advantage of economic development opportunities in our Town Centers that generate sustainable commercial taxes, employment opportunities and quality of life amenities for our citizens.

Q. Prior to budget adoption this month, the county was faced with a deficit in the coming year. How would you balance the budget?

Chenelly: There were some ques-

tionable, expensive deals over the past several years, but our county government already cut services quite a bit.

But more can be done to improve

Q. What are your concerns/hopes for the possible expansion of Dominion Cove Point?

Chenelly: My wife and I are raising

Joe Chenelly (R), 37 Lusby

Emad Emile Dides (D), 54 Lusby *Did not return voters guide questionnaire Gerald W. “Jerry” Clark (R), 61, incumbent Lusby

efficiency, especially in relation to how the various parts of county government work together. A more transparent, common-sense approach can go a long way. That said, expenditures are not the problem right now. We as a county must be more friendly to businesses, particularly the small business owners living and investing in Calvert County. It is business owners who create revenue, not the county.

Helping businesses operate more easily and less expensively will allow them to sustain and grow their incomes and provide the county with more revenue without having to raise taxes. In fact, a solid plan and execution will reduce taxes and increase services.

Clark: Clearly Calvert County will have some difficult financial times in the near future. Thanks to the administration’s conservative budget policy over the last decade, the future BOCC’s will have adequate resources and reserve funds to be used for onetime, essential expenses (such as replacement of a fire truck or ambulance) and make it possible to balance future annual budgets until the economy fully recovers. If I am re-elected, I will ensure that all modifications of budget involving these reserves will be highly scrutinized and weighed against reductions in other areas that would have to be made to cover these expenses.

Hart: Deficits mean we have not attained revenue goals or we have expended more than we can afford.

Calvert has managed through these cycles in the past and with forward thinking NEW leadership on the Board of County Commissioners, deficits like the one we are facing can be avoided or mitigated. Projected budget cycles need to be forecast on a three- to fiveyear timetable. Estimates in property tax and commercial tax growth need to be better calculated. Planning ahead, viewing our local economy and

Mike Hart (R), 45 Lusby

citizens needs cannot be done in a vacuum and require looking at Calvert as well as the regional economy to better forecast budget needs.

Q. What would you have done differently as a commissioner in the most recent term?

Chenelly: I learned in the Marine

Corps to always be professional and respectful to others. I would have been more open, listening, considering citizens’ opinions and more proactive in keeping residents informed, especially about the Dominion proposal in Lusby and development plans in Prince Frederick. I can offer our citizens a great deal through open communications. Our citizens should not be surprised when something new begins in this county.

Clark: As a member of the current board, I feel that this group has worked very well together in maintaining the quality of life that the citizens of Calvert County expect. Despite declining revenues and unfunded state level mandates, this board has been able to fund our fine school system over and above the “Maintenance of Effort” state requirement three out of four years. We have also increased revenues to the public safety sector of the community and improved recreational facilities for our youth while achieving our highest credit rating in the history of Calvert County.

Hart: Communication with all of our citizens and stakeholders needed to be more focused and widespread on a variety of issues. Some of those include the expansion at Cove Point, the third reactor at Calvert Cliffs, traffic and transit concerns and public safety issues. All of our citizens expect and are owed thorough, thoughtful and timely information on county issues that affect them and the lives of their children.

our five children less than two miles from Dominion’s site, so this issue is much more than just about money to me. Nothing is more important to me than the safety of the people of Calvert County. That’s what you deserve from your elected officials. I am concerned about infrastructure improvements, ensuring our first responders are provided adequate resources and training, and that our citizens, especially in the surrounding area, have the full truth. Addressing the citizens’ questions and concerns must be a priority for the commissioner representing the first district.

Clark: I support the project 100 percent and am very pleased to see that the permitting process is progressing to allow for the construction of this export facility. I believe that it will be an asset to our community on many levels for years to come.

Hart: The expansion of the LNG plant in Lusby is another opportunity to grow and expand our commercial tax base, which is sorely needed. Aside from the obvious economic benefits that the expansion will bring, growing small businesses to offer support services to the plant must be a priority.

As a member of the Board of County Commissioners, I will work to help fill the vacant Patuxent Business Park with those new small businesses that will be that right arm to the Dominion complex. New businesses will hire, expend capital dollars in our economy and further expand our, at present, relatively flat commercial tax base.

Q. In your future role, how do you wish to preserve or improve upon the level of transparency upheld by past commissioners?

Chenelly: I pledge to improve trans-

parency, just as I have fought to do over the past two years on the Board of Education, bringing to light deceitful practices in our school system. Talk of the Dominion proposal began in the county government more than three years ago, but it was only recently that the public was informed and allowed a voice. We all are in this together, and I will be sure the citizens have all the information I have. No secrets or hiding.

Clark: The ability to use modern websites and social media sites has increased the BOCC’s ability to keep the citizens more informed on the issues of the day. I believe that with more information communicated to See DIST. 1, Page 11

June 2014 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • 11

Commissioner Dist. 2 Q. What is your vision for the county in terms of development and growth?

*Libertarian candidate Peggy J. O’Donnell will be on the general election ballot only.

Democrat

Michael J. Moore: My vision for Calvert County in terms of growth and development is to enhance commercial and residential development in the town centers which has been set aside for this purpose. We need publicprivate partnerships with developers, and we need to expand our infrastructure within the town centers.

Republican Benjamin Krause: I support responsible growth for Calvert in terms of businesses moving in. We need to bring in careers, not jobs, to Calvert, in order to keep people working and living here long term. Allowing a few larger businesses in, instead of new housing developments, while locating them in strategic areas will provide consumer convenience and save the Calvert citizen money. This savings will be brought to them in decreased tax burden, as the new entities will make up for that decrease, and personal family savings by cutting down on out of county commutes.

Pat Nutter: MyvisionforCalvertCounty is to maintain our rural character but also to continue our positive growth in the town centers. This vision requires awarenessoftheuniquegeographyofourcounty, with 17 percent of our land being in the critical area, and with steep slopes, wetlands and highly erodible soils. It requires remembering that Route 4, as the only major highway running through Calvert County, must remain a viable transportation artery. It also requires addressing the effects of our town center growth, including adequate facilities, public safety, schools and provision of county services.

Q. Prior to the budget adoption this month, the county was faced with a deficit in the coming year. How would you balance the budget?

Democrat Moore: I would try to balance the

Dist. 1 Continued from Page 10

the public, the issue of transparency should become less of a concern. We will continue to investigate new and better ways to keep all Calvert Countians well informed on all issues.

Hart: Transparency needs to start with the budget process. Aside from the mandated public hearings on the county budget several other initiatives should be enacted. A dedicated

Benjamin Krause (R), 25 Prince Frederick

Michael Moore (D), 66, Prince Frederick

budget by studying the existing budget and save where we can, and see if some of the capital projects can be prioritized. Because in my opinion, people and their salaries come first.

Republican Krause: We as a Board of County Commissioners need to prioritize our budget through a zero based budgeting system. This would force the Board to spend money wisely and where it is needed first, before discussing outside of scope and pet projects. This overhaul of the budget system would be a good start in the right direction, but by also applying pressure to some government departments such as the Department of Natural Resources, money can be raised to cut back further on budget expenditures. A few easy ways would be to allow chargeable camping at parks such as Kings Landing, and also allow for canoe and kayak rentals which would also rake in sizeable sums so that DNR will require less money from the County government.

Nutter: While faced with a deficit, the budget for the coming fiscal year is balanced without raising taxes due to necessary decisions being made.

The budget process begins as though

task force of county stakeholders (citizens, faith based community, business community and nonprofit community) to review the proposed County budget and make common sense recommendations before that budget is passed. Further, an office of County Services Oversight, acting with total independence to address citizen concerns and issues on all County services in a timely manner is sound policy for our county.

Q. Given the opportunity financially, would you rather decrease tax rates or

Pat Nutter (R), 70, incumbent Owings

we are facing a deficit, as we look at what is a critical need as opposed to what would be desirable. The long and careful process takes into account financial indicators and forecasts from prior years. The goal is to operate efficiently using current revenues. By only using fund balance for needed onetime budgetary items, such as capital projects, we have been able to attain a AAA bond rating, which saves the taxpayers millions of dollars in costs for schools, roads and other large capital projects, which use bond funds. I pledge to continue conservative fiscal management, taking appropriate decisions as required.

Q. What would you have done differently as a commissioner in the most recent term?

Democrat Moore: I would be proactive in pursuing private sector businesses, especially those businesses that match our professionally skilled citizens that have to commute out of the county. They would then have an opportunity to work locally.

Republican Krause: I would not have decreased funding to the Crisis Intervention

increase the amount of county services offered?

Chenelly: I believe reducing taxes

would help businesses thrive, creating more career opportunities in the county and raising property values.

That would increase revenue for the county and lead directly to improved county services.

Clark: If and when we begin to see county revenues increase, I believe that the combined considerations of a decrease in tax rates and an increase in the amount of county services offered need to be addressed. On the other

Shelter which provides an emergency shelter for those escaping domestic abuse situations. These last four years, I would have applied more pressure against the aggressive State government over issues that faced our county and its citizens as a whole (ie: fighting against the new gun laws, and actively fighting against SB729 which re-imagined how we elect our local officials within Calvert without giving Calvert citizens a chance to vote on the issue). More emphasis also needed to be placed on Board of Education expenditures, in that, I would have worked to shut down the storehouses which are outdated from the 1950s, and turned the saved money over to be used for student use. I also would have emphasized private contracts for cafeteria and janitorial staff, in order to save money in ways that DNR is already accomplishing at a slow rate.

Nutter: I have not made decisions lightly. After careful thought, with citizen input, and considering all facts and possible unintended consequences of which I am aware, I have acted in furtherance of my obligations, and I am comfortable with my course of actions. The county has low taxes, a superb school system, a low crime rate and an enviable quality of life. However, more work remains to be done.

Q. What are your concerns/hopes for the possible expansion of Dominion Cove Point?

Democrat Moore: The possible expansion at Dominion Cove Point could be advantageous in generating employment See DIST. 2, Page 12

hand, I do not believe that we will see any substantial increase in revenues before FY 2018.

Hart: Increasing county services to our citizens must be a citizen-driven mandate. Sensible spending and first class county services can co-exist without asking our citizens to reach into their pockets for additional tax dollars.

Raising taxes in an already over taxed state must be a last resort. Smart allocations of tax dollars to serve our children and citizens is my commitment to good, sound stewardship of county resources.

12 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • June 2014

Commissioner at large Q. What is your vision for the county in terms of development and growth?

Linda Kelley (R), 71 Owings *Did not return voters guide questionnaire

Democrat

George Owings III: In the late ’90s, the county experienced a 50 percent reduction in density as it relates to the availability of buildable land. To the detriment of the farming community, a large percentage of the projected buildout was reduced. That action, coupled with the legislative action of recent years connected with the socalled “septic bill,” has left Calvert with approximately 1,500-2,000 rooftops yet available. The four-tier system now in place has greatly restricted where housing units can be built, how many can be built and under what conditions they can be built. Add to the mix what I consider to be an antiquated TDR program, and I would say housing development has taken care of itself. From an economic development standpoint, the master plans, town center designations and adequate zoning, subject to ongoing review, are in place.

Joyce Stinnett Baki: Balanced growth is important to the well-being of the county. This would include the continued development of the existing town centers with an emphasis on small businesses. This would require the expansion of water and sewer. We need to provide workforce housing. As our population ages, we should consider over-55 developments.

Republican David Gatton: Growth is definitely a hot button issue in Calvert County. As soon as you say that word people tend to go to “big box” growth and they see

Dist. 2 Continued from Page 11

and tax revenue, however, I am only in favor of this as long as the federal and state safety regulations are adhered to and protects the citizens of Calvert County.

Republican Krause: I am elated that Calvert will be seeing so much money come in as a result, but I am concerned that too many citizens and politicians see this as a cure to our debt woes. It, in fact, is not, and we should not rely on the money from this expansion as a win all, be all solution. I am also pleased to see that this will bring about many career growth opportunities for our Calvert citizens who wish a chance to do so. However, in order to avoid any kind of environmental issues, we

Joyce Stinnett Baki (D), Lusby *age not provided

George Owings III (D), 69 Dunkirk

David Gatton (R), 50 Port Republic

Tom Hejl (R), 61 Port Republic

Steve Weems (R), incumbent, 43, St. Leonard

*Independent candidate Paul Harrison will be on the general election ballot only.

Calvert County becoming Waldorf or Prince George’s County. Any growth initiatives must start with keeping the rural nature of our county intact. While there are a couple of stores citizens have stated they would like to see here, I would like to think more of “outside the box” growth. We need to revisit our current zoning laws and regulations and find those that are obsolete and prohibiting growth in our established infrastructure and our town centers.

In an economic climate that is at best stagnant, we must find ways that will allow our hometown entrepreneurs to open the small businesses they want to put their own venture capital in and give them all the tools to do so.

Growth is coming, just look at the current master plans for our town centers and you will see it. Calvert County currently loses in the area of 400 million dollars annually in retail sales to surrounding jurisdictions. We will never be able to recoup that amount, we

don’t have the needed infrastructure but we need to explore ways to stem that flow, leading to more revenue for the county. Strategic growth can do that, growth contained to our town centers, growth allowed to our small businesses, growth approved by the citizens.

Tom Hejl: Growth and development are very important to the county for many reasons, but it must be done considering all aspects of the county and its citizens. We need to encourage our shopping centers to seek small businesses to occupy the current empty store fronts and look at ways to encourage our builders to build affordable housing for all, not just McMansions.

Steve Weems: From a population of 21,000 in 1970 to a projected current number of 92,000, I have witnessed many transitions as a lifelong county resident, including exponential growth in the ’80s and ’90s with the culmination of a moratorium, a new

school built every year, and growth continuing until the housing crisis of 2008. Moving forward, I am in favor of methodical, agile growth policies which will enhance all segments of our community.

as a county government must hold Dominion to current environmental laws and protections without leeway.

Nutter: My concerns for the Dominion Cove Point expansion are commuter frustration and inconvenience during the construction phase of the project. My hope is that following thorough review and acceptance, the county will gain employment opportunities for its local citizens as well as significant tax dollars that can benefit the county citizens.

of ensuring that every public meeting is videotaped and available to the public. Although I believe this is successful, it is my opinion that more can be done. With social media playing such a big role in how citizens obtain information about the world around them, I would push for an extension of this site and the county government Facebook page to include elements where Commissioners have open access to public comment and can provide their personal insights and notes on situations at a moment’s notice. This would make commissioners more accessible to the public and accountable for their stances, issues, and statements.

Nutter: I firmly believe that it is my moral obligation to maintain transparency to the highest level. For example, for the first time, budget work sessions were done in the commissioners’ open session and televised.

would you rather decrease tax rates or increase the amount of county services offered?

Q. In your future role, how do you wish to preserve or improve upon the level of transparency upheld by past commissioners?

Democrat Moore: I would look to preserve and enhance the level of transparency that is currently in place.

Republican Krause: Currently, the Calvert County government website does a good job

Q. Given the opportunity financially,

Q. Prior to the budget adoption this month, the county was faced with a deficit in the coming year. How would you balance the budget?

Democrat Owings: The county is in sound financial shape, theoretically speaking, as evidenced by the bond ratings we boast. However, from a practical view, any time one operates from a reserve reduction position, there is room for improvement. We have, from what I know, been borrowing to spend for the past few years to balance the budget. Calvert has one of the highest per capita incomes found anywhere, See AT-LARGE, Page 13

Democrat Moore: As we all know, county taxes tend to be inconsistent, and with the state passing down unfunded mandates, a decision will have to be made on a yearly basis.

Republican Krause: In order to preserve the economic prosperity of the Calvert citizen, decreasing tax rates should be priority when available. Calvert County has an abundance of services for its people, but this is at the expense of hiked taxes on the families of Calvert. This is unacceptable, when the county overspends as is, and seems unaccountable for its deficit despite high taxation.

Nutter: I would like to decrease the tax rate. However, the need for adequate public safety and for top-notch education must take precedence in consideration.

At-large Continued from Page 12

which equates to a larger income tax than other jurisdictions. Our revenue stream from all other sources should more than meet our needs. Simply put, to balance the budget a hard-line, hard look approach needs to be exercised, and go from there.

Stinnett Baki: When I am elected, I will work on a line item budget that would allow us to see where cuts could be made without destroying the integrity of Calvert County.

Republican Gatton: Calvert County has been faced with a beginning deficit in the budget process for the last few years and it is expected to grow for the next 3 or 4 years. Currently, because we have flat revenues and increasing demands, the only way that the budget can be cut is by slashing expenditures, which cannot be sustained. If we continue this course, programs that are depended on by our citizens will suffer. We must look at how we are preparing our budget, build from the bottom up, and seek out ways to decrease our expenditures without takingrevenuefromneededprograms.This can be done with looking for new, up-todate technologies, which will allow us to operate more efficiently. We need to look closely at all of our expenditures to find wasted money or duplicated expenditures. We are going to continue to see unfunded mandates coming from the state level so we must get ahead of those expenditures by investing in strategic economic development, which will increase our revenue. All of those things must be put into place now we cannot wait any longer. We cannot continue to put all of our financial health in the hands of large utilities. While utilities are not a bad thing, they should never be the basis for a comprehensive budget plan.

Hejl: Balancing the budget is extremely important in an effort to maintain our current bond ratings.

One must be tedious and scrutinize all spending to see if cuts are warranted that will not effect services. With the Dominion expansion we can look at minimal use of the rainy day fund to get through the next few lean years.

Weems: Continue analyzing revenue sources, continue making conservative property and income tax estimates, and fund capital project pay-go with fund balance.

Q. What would you have done differently as a commissioner in the most recent term?

Democrat Owings: Differently or otherwise, I would like to see those in business

and those going into business receive incentives on occasion. In what form and/or manner is something for future discussion, however. Small business is what runs this country, state and this county. Regardless, it is more difficult to “satisfy all the people all the time” when dealing with a myriad of issues than most people understand. Those in office and those seeking office do understand, and the hope is they give their very best on any given issue, large or small. To be overly critical here about what I would have done differently serves no useful purpose.

Stinnett Baki: One of the most important things a commissioner can do is listen to the constituents. That said, I do not have the facts they were given to make their decisions this term, so I don’t know on what they based their decisions.

Republican Gatton: The first thing I would have done would have been to start a review of our current zoning regulations and our inspections and permitting process. We continue to operate under obsolete and archaic zoning regulations that hinder our citizens, our builders and our small businesses.

We do not need more regulations; we already have enough coming down from the federal and state levels. We need to work with our inspections and permits department to make sure the process flows faster and smoother.

No one should have to wait several months or in some cases over a year for a permit to be approved if they are providing the correct information.

Next I would have lobbied the state for two things. Whatever it takes we must remove their involvement with the Patuxent Business Park in Lusby. How we are still connected to them with this property is beyond belief to me. No state agency should ever be allowed to tell us what to do with county property, it doesn’t make sense. Whatever the buyout is we must do it now instead of letting the property continue to sit unused and unoccupied, practically stealing tax revenue from our county.

I also would have lobbied the state to pass the bill introduced by Del. Mark Fisher to phase out the personal property taxes for small business owners. If private citizens had to pay taxes every year on something they purchased for their residences, we would have a revolt on our hands but for some reason we ask our small businesses to do that and not blink an eye. These small businesses are the backbone of our community; we need to make it easier for them to stay in business.

Hejl: I would have been more inclined to have provided county employees with the steps they are

June 2014 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • 13 structure to the area and the additionentitled to per county policy.

Weems: As a sitting member of the al tax dollars will be an asset as well.

Weems: If the Federal Energy Regucurrent board, it is difficult to pinpoint any given vote which I was a latory Commission grants approval, party to which will or will not adversely the focus should be making certain affect an individual or group with an residents in close proximity are heard, unintended consequence. The current Dominion holds up its end of the fiscal climate sometimes forced deci- arrangement, and the community in sions in an environment still recover- Lusby is satisfied to the best of Domining from the worst recession my gen- ion’s ability. eration has ever experienced.

Q. What are your concerns/hopes for the possible expansion of Dominion Cove Point?

Democrat

My concerns revolve around safety and the environment.

My hopes and prayers are rooted in those who are the experts at all levels and in all disciplines associated with the project. We know of the economic impact and, I’m sure, can find uses for the windfall. However, we must not let that aspect be the driving force; rather, hold those in charge responsible.

Stinnett Baki: I live less than a quarter mile from the Dominion Cove Point plant. They have been a good neighbor in the past. The jobs will be a bonus to the county. It will be important that they keep their promises and continue to protect the environment.

Republican Gatton: The very first concern that must be addressed is the safety of the citizens who live in that area. These are valid concerns by the citizens and assuming that the project goes forward, our commissioners should be at the forefront in seeing that the issues are heard and resolved to the best of our ability. Dominion must be held accountable to make sure that the best technologies are used to provide that safety and that our environment is not damaged. Both our land and our Chesapeake Bay must be protected, whatever the cost may be. If the project is approved, our first responders must be given the absolute best training and equipment available to handle any situation that will arise at that site. Dominion and our commissioners must work together to ensure these things will happen; our working relationship must be one of transparency and trust and always with the welfare of the citizens and environment at the forefront. I would hope that Dominion would continue to be a willing partner and involved in enhancing our county as they have in the past and be involved with our schools, offering scholarships and internships for our students.

Hejl: I believe expansion will occur.

Dominion has been a good neighbor to the community for over 30 years and I don’t see that changing with the expansion. In fact, I believe Dominion will provide some much needed infraOwings:

Q. In your future role, how do you wish to preserve or improve upon the level of transparency upheld by past commissioners?

Democrat Owings: Any and all government business should be conducted in full view of any concerned citizen, save two. Personal matters are to remain closed to the public, as are matters concerning real estate covered by law.

Stinnett Baki: My policy will be to have an open door to the public. By law, personnel matters and property negotiations meet the standard to be heard in private.

Republican Gatton: In the past I do not believe our commissioners operated with a very good track record of transparency. In the past year steps have been taken to remedy that and this must be continued. Greater opportunities for public involvement must be explored and initiated. Anything that does not involve employee matters or would disclose proprietary information must be made available to the public. It is their tax dollars that fund the vast majority of our budget; they should be given every opportunity to be involved.

Hejl: I believe the commissioners have been mostly transparent on issues involving the county, but if I see where there is a need for further transparency I will seek to ensure that occurs.

Weems: I would like to continue and preserve the current board’s level of transparency and tone. I view our role as an agency relationship on a macro level consisting of care, obedience, loyalty, disclosure, accountability, and confidentiality.

Q. Given the opportunity financially, would you rather decrease tax rates or increase the amount of county services offered?

Democrat Owings: Once a tax is established, it is done so with purpose. For all intents and purposes, the tax has been earmarked for a new service or an increase in an existing service. Assuming the question is referring to existing taxes, you cannot increase county services with that money, as it is already

See AT-LARGE, Page 14

14 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • June 2014

Board of Education Q. The last board made the difficult decision of redistricting that involved three schools and 166 kids. It is uncertain if another redistricting will happen within the next few years. How will you handle that situation if it happens?

Dawn Balinski: If residential devel-

opment in the Town of Chesapeake Beach continues unchecked, Beach Elementary School will again exceed acceptable enrollment levels — requiring a second round of redistricting that may impact as many as seven elementary schools. I will continue to press for more collaboration between the Chesapeake Beach Town Council and the Board of County Commissioners in order to better control and predict growth and to develop a methodology for more equitable sharing of infrastructure costs. I will also support the continued loosening of the transfers procedures at Beach Elementary to reduce enrollment.

Eugene Karol: It is highly probable that redistricting may be necessary in the future because of the unequal distribution of growth in the county. All of the currently overcrowded schools are in northern Calvert County while most of the other schools are below capacity.

Any redistricting should involve parental and staff advisement, be transparent, and [be] done with the clear understanding that the Board of Education is legally responsible for making the final decision. Everyone involved must appreciate, respect, and anticipate the emotions present in any redistricting.

Bill Phalen: Redistricting is one of the most difficult duties of a Board of Education member. I know because as a board member I was involved in 10 redistricting processes — five elementary schools, three middle schools and two high schools.

The “standard” procedure for han-

Pamela L. Cousins Dunkirk *Did not return voters guide questionnaire Billy Saunders Prince Frederick *Did not return voters guide questionnaire

Dawn Balinski, 59, incumbent Lusby

Eugene M. Karol, 80, incumbent Port Republic

dling redistricting has been to form a committee that includes representatives from affected schools and groups, including parents, county employees involved in population and zoning, school transportation department, and student services. That group is charged with coming up with 3 “feasible” redistricting plans that are then taken to one or more public hearings. In almost every case the Board of Education then chooses a plan, after making some changes as a result of the hearing(s). This is a proven process and I see no reason for making a change.

Q. Including raises for teachers in the school system’s and county’s budgets is always a topic of concern. How do you believe that issue should be handled in the future? Will you or will you not vote for giving teachers raises?

Balinski: Due to financial constraints

at the County level, the development of the 2014-2015 budget was very difficult, forcing the Board of Education to have to choose between the lesser

At-large Continued from Page 13

in use. Any reduction to the current tax rate would obviously affect existing services, which of course zeroes out any consideration of expanded services.

Having said all that, suffice it to say that county services, government services if you will, are people driven. If the public demand for services is there — i.e., fire and rescue, police, public parks and the like — they must be paid for in some manner. To the best of my knowledge, the three options: live within our means, borrow or tax what is necessary to maintain what we have or increase/add what we want.

William J. “Bill” Phalen, Huntingtown *Age not provided

of two evils: no salary increase versus having to lay off teachers in order to fund a pay raise (thereby increasing workload for teachers due to larger class sizes). We chose to avoid layoffs, feeling it was in the best interest of the entire system. Going forward, it is absolutely imperative that our teachers and administrators receive annual pay raises and I will vote for these increases as I did for the average 5 percent raise the teachers received in the 2013-2014 fiscal year.

Karol: Since salaries and wages represent 85 percent or more of the school system budget, the Board of Education must plan in ways to keep teachers’ salaries competitive, otherwise the System will be unable to recruit and keep high-quality staff. I would support giving raises to the staff provided that funding is available.

Phalen: As a Board of Education member I consistently voted for teacher raises. The raises I voted for resulted in salaries being increased by 76 percent in 17 years. However, I will not

Stinnett Baki: I would keep tax rates steady. There has not been a property tax increase in years. The fluctuations over the past few years were a result in the real estate decline. With increased population there is an increase on county services. Resources to provide the necessary services have been strained.

Just as families need to balance their own budgets, we need to hold steady on our spending.

Republican Gatton: I would like to see both of these options explored. No one would argue with a tax decrease but the fact is that Calvert County still has one of the lowest tax rates in the state and they have not been increased since the 1980s. If the financial opportunity was large enough we could have a moderate tax decrease and still provide needed services. Calvert County does very well at providing needed services but I’m sure more would like to be seen. After mak-

vote for salary increases that will end up adversely affecting the education of our children. For a number of years the Board of Education and the Board of County Commissioners agreed on a formula for the annual budget adjustment. That agreement consistently provided funds for salary increases for our employees. During that time there was little or no budget controversy.

I believe that the two boards should attempt to come up with a similar formula.

Q. Maryland has the best school systems in the country and Calvert County is one of the best public school systems in the state. What factors do you believe contribute to this?

Balinski: Calvert County decided

decades ago to aggressively compete for the best teachers by offering some of the highest salaries in the state. We regularly rank in the top 3 (of 24 counties) for teacher salaries and therefore See BOE, Page 15

ing sure our infrastructure is sound, making sure our existing parks have been brought up to par with surrounding counties so that parents do not have to worry about their children being hurt while playing sports, I would like to see funding spread across the board for other services. There would be many hands out for increased funding and our commissioners must set the priorities for that funding to make sure citizen tax dollars are being used appropriately.

Hejl: Both are in my eyes attainable, but if I had to choose one I would like to see a tax decrease to put more money in our citizens pockets to spend as they see fit.

Weems: I alluded to the immense financial pressures in an environment where declining revenue streams are the norm. If I am ever blessed with the polar opposite, I would seek consensus to do both.

June 2014 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • 15

BOE Continued from Page 14

have a strong force of highly qualified teachers in our schools. CCPS also made the commitment to try to keep class sizes as small as possible, especially in the younger grades, to allow for more individualized instruction. These two factors have led to a culture of high expectations for our students, set by teachers and many of our parents, that I believe is responsible for the impressive performance of our school system.

Karol: The foundation for educational excellence is always built on competent and dedicated teachers. Competent administrators can make it easier for good teachers to attain their maximum effectiveness, but no system can be really good without quality teachers.

Phalen: The reasons contributing to Calvert County’s improvement over the years are many and varied. The following are some of those reasons. Certainly, providing competitive salaries had much to do with our improvement. With adequate funding we were able to hire, retain, and promote the best employees. It was not done overnight, but [by] steady increases over an extended period of time.

We have had Board of Education members whose concern was with improving education, by setting goals for the system such as reducing class size. We also have had a series of excellent superintendents. We have parents and other community members who have worked diligently to help the school system improve. We have had Boards of County Commissioners who have provided the funding without interference in running the system. We need to also keep in mind, that the State Legislature provided a large amount of funds to get the job done.

Q. What, if anything, do you think the school system is lacking, either in programs, administration, etc.?

Balinski: My wish list if we only

had the funding: each classroom would be a 1-to-1 environment (one device per student) and there would be more IT staff to support the increased use of technology and the surge in digital learning initiatives; we would provide full day pre-Kindergarten to all county residents; we would offer a Middle College program on CSM’s cam-

pus so that more kids could graduate with college credit; we would have an International Baccalaureate program as well as more AP courses; we would build a central Alternative Education facility for those kids who need a nontraditional classroom experience; we would partner with the County Health Department to offer inschool mental health counseling; we would increase our partnerships with local businesses to provide hands-on work internships for students; and we would have enough buses to eliminate the 3-tier (staggered start time) system enabling a later start time for high school students.

Karol: While the system is obviously among the State’s best, we must always critically review our curriculum, and update our technology in order to make sure that our graduates are prepared for college and career readiness.

Phalen: The system is in need of funding to provide salary increases for our employees. The last several years the increases from the Commissioners and the State have only been enough to pay for increases outside the control of anyone in the county. This year is a perfect example. Although the Board of County Commissioners provided a significant amount of money, it was virtually all taken by the increase in the cost of health insurance and growth in costs in other areas.

Q. There is a debate between whether Common Core State Standards is an appropriate change for students. What is your opinion of CCSS? Do you think the school system is implementing them in the school system effectively? Why or why not?

Balinski: The new state stan-

dards are generally more rigorous and require more critical thinking from students. I do believe that, if implemented correctly, they will improve the future success of our graduates so I am in favor of continuing to move in that direction. However, timing is critical.

Every school district in Maryland has protested the implementation timeline for both the new curriculum and the new assessments.

For the past 2-3 years, CCPS has focused on professional development for teachers and on transitioning to the new curriculum.

This past year was the first where a large majority of our classes were based on the new standards.

I have asked for an in-depth recap of how it went for our students

and whether the teachers felt they were adequately prepared and supported. Administrators will be busy this summer addressing any problem areas. Parents need to know that this year we were in the odd predicament of having to teach to new standards yet still testing on the former ones (MSAs and HSAs) — so test scores may very well drop. The new assessments won’t be fully implemented until next year — and even then, we will need several years of testing to be able to validate the quality of the test itself.

Karol: The Common Core State Standards as developed by the National State Governors’ Association are an attempt to keep American schools among the leaders worldwide. Each state has been free to implement the standards in their own way and Maryland is currently in the process. I support the goals and their implementation as long as local autonomy is preserved. The Common Core standards are intended to ensure that our children are college and career ready. These standards will also assure that all children in the country will be receiving the same curriculum in order to be successful. However, before implementation teachers must have sufficient time in order to develop the standards in a reasonable time frame.

Phalen: CCSS is a state mandate and it is counter productive to spend time trying to oppose it. I would like to see the system spend time in individual schools explaining CCSS and how we are implementing it. It is my belief that the biggest obstacle to implementing CCSS is one of understanding what the program is and how we are specifically implementing it.

Q. What do you think are the biggest issues currently facing CCPS? What will you do to solve them?

Balinski: The biggest issues we

are facing are the smooth implementation of the new state standards with the associated assessments and the budget. Once we take stock of how the year went for our students and teachers under the new standards, we will know what areas will need to be addressed to prepare for next year.

Since it has been our practice to hire the very best teachers, we are hopeful that the changes will not have adversely affected the high quality of teaching and that our system will experience fewer problems with the implementa-

tion than other districts in Maryland. As for next year’s budget, even with no pay raises and no net increase in staffing, we are still having to ask for $1.1M more than the County is willing to give us, due primarily to large increases in our health care costs. The Board just voted to go forward with the higher budget request in the hopes that the County will help us avoid layoffs by granting the additional $1.1M. We have instituted a Health Care workgroup made up of Union representatives, administrators, teachers and support staff to study ways to streamline our health insurance offerings and to hopefully reduce the cost burden to both the employees and the school system.

Karol: CCPS, as most Maryland school systems, face funding challenges that are significant and can only be solved if citizens are insistent that public education is a top societal priority. School systems must examine their spending to ensure they are getting the most from every tax dollar.

Curricula must be subject to constant evaluation and modification to keep it relevant to the demands of today’s work environment and we must never lose sight of the fact that public education serves all children regardless of economic status, ethnicity, race, or intellects. In addition, technology must be integrated into the instructional program and frequently updated.

Phalen: See response to Questions 4 and 5 above.

Q. How do you think administration should handle student suspensions? How involved should parents be?

Balinski: In the last year, our

Board revised all policies and procedures that govern discipline in order to eliminate any zero tolerance guidance, to encourage more common sense age-appropriate decisions and to reduce out-ofschool suspensions as much as possible. Especially in the younger years, discipline should be geared toward creating a “teachable moment” — something that out-of-school suspension many times does not provide. Parental involvement in all aspects of a student’s educational experience is critical, and especially so in the case of behavioral problems. Early notification of parents when an infraction occurs and open communication between all parties See BOE, Page 16

16 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • June 2014

Maryland attorney general Q. What are the top issues in your race?

Democrat

Jon S. Cardin: Keeping Maryland two steps ahead of the next-generation threats facing Maryland families. Additionally, making sure our children are safe from online bullying, and making sure no one isstalked,bullied,orharassedonline.With themostrecentsecuritybreechattheUniversity of Maryland, it is becoming even moreclearthatonlineprivacyandsecurity must be a major focus of Maryland’s next Attorney General.

From my experience on the election law subcommittee, it is clear to me that making sure everyone has fair and open access to the polls is of the utmost importance. We need an Attorney general who willmakesuretherighttovoteisprotected for all Marylanders.

EnsuringthatMarylandconsumersare protected in this rapidly changing world is of the utmost importance. You should be able to buy your family a safe new car, lead-free toys, and be able to participate in the market without worrying if your information is safe.

Q. What would your top priorities be as an elected official?

Democrat Cardin: My top four priorities for the Attorney General’s office are: consumer protection, public safety, civil rights, and environmental protection.

ProtectingtherightsofallMarylanders, especially the most vulnerable among us is one of my top priorities. Every citizen shouldbeabletobrowsetheinternetsafely, not have their credit card information stolen, and be able to buy a safe car for their family.

I have also consistently blocked statewide voter suppression efforts and will continue to do so as Attorney General, ensuringthateveryMarylanderhasaccess to their most basic right, the right to vote.

Lastly, as Attorney General, I will make sure that the regulations put in place to protect the Chesapeake are doing just that, protecting the Bay. These regulations must be followed, but the same laws must also effectively protect our Bay. Q. Why should people vote for you instead

BOE Continued from Page 15

is important in ensuring that the best solution is found for the welfare and safety of all students.

Karol: Suspensions should be based on a code of conduct known to students, parents, and educa-

Aisha Braveboy (D), 39 Hometown: Mitchellville *Did not return voters guide questionnaire Jon S. Cardin (D), 44 Owings Mills Brian E. Frosh (D), 67 Somerset *Did not return voters guide questionnaire Jeffrey N. Pritzker (R), 65 Phoenix

**See essay after questions of your opponents?

Democrat Cardin: I have great respect for both of my opponents. They’re great legislators, great lawyers, and both are extremely qualified.Ihavespentmyentirecareertrying to make people whole. As chairman of the subcommittee on election law, I have fought to protect voting rights and get money out of politics. As a lawyer, I have sued schools who looked the other way while kids were being beaten in the head with a battery, and energy companies that were trying to install explosive pipelines under people’s backyards. I have spent more than a decade going after sexual predators, con-artists, bigots, and polluters. If you look at my record, you’ll see that I have consistently voted to increase on public safety, consumer protection, civil rights, and the integrity of our environment. That’s the job of the Attorney General: to go after bad guys, to make sure the government is doing its job, and to do so with passion, energy, and conviction.

That’swhoIam,andthat’swhyIthinkI’m the best person for this job.

Q. What changes have you made/would you make while in office?

Democrat Cardin: I will make sure that the Attorney General’s office is streamlined to reduce duplication of efforts and save money for Marylanders. Additionally, making sure that my office is accessible to all Marylanders is of the utmost

tors. The rights of those subject to possible suspension must be observed and parents must be informed of the potential for a suspension and be permitted the right of appeal.

Phalen: One of the most difficult jobs in any school system is that of an administrator. When a student does not follow the accepted practices, the administrator steps in. In the vast majority of cases,

importance. I will also make a labor relations task force in the AG’s office to help act as a mediation resource for labor unions instead of going straight to litigation. Lastly, I will upgrade the Environmental Crimes Unit to their own division within the AG’s office. It is imperative that we protect our most important resource, the environment.

an Independent Attorney General for more years than any of us can remember.

My goal is to be an Attorney General for thepeopleoftheStateofMaryland,notfor the Annapolis power structure.

If elected, I will immediately initiate an investigation regarding the Maryland “Healthcare Roll-out”, which has been an unmitigated disaster. The procurement process should be fully investigated, particularly the hiring of a North Dakota firm, which firm lacked sufficient expertise and was forced to bring in another company to attempt to develop the Maryland website (unsuccessfully). The citizens of Maryland deserve an explanation as to why the company wasn’t fired prior to the Roll-Out date, and further deserve the return of taxpayer money (approaching $100,000,000), which has been wasted.

The “rain tax” issue should be investigated, and an explanation given as to how the Federal EPA has the authority to force an additional tax on the citizens of the State of Maryland. Interestingly enough, the Attorney General for the State of Virginia successfully fought the imposition of this tax.

Maryland is a state of great natural beauty and resources. Why are residents fleeing the state, and why do businesses refuse to locate here? As Attorney General, I will organize a task force to begin to examine the unduly burdensome rules, regulations, and requirements placed upon businesses, which do not substantially serve a useful purpose. The Office of Attorney General will make known the results of this task force and will recommend repeal of those laws, rules and regulations which are unduly burdensome. I consider this to be a top priority,

if Maryland is to regain its stature as a business-friendly State.

I would also suggest that taxes not be hidden from Maryland citizens. I would request that every gas pump contain a placard indicating the amount of Maryland taxes that are being paid for each gallon of gasoline. When one crosses the border into Virginia, an immediate decrease in gas prices occurs.. The gas is not cheaper — their taxes are lower.

I am requesting that citizens of the State of Maryland, be they Republican, Democrat, or Independent to vote for me because I am not a politician. I am an attorney with almost forty (40) years of experience, and can bring a common sense approach to the issues that the State faces. I am also Independent, and will remain Independent, and will remain Independent, of the Annapolis power structure. It’s time for Maryland to have an Independent Attorney General - not a “rubber stamp” for the Annapolis power structure..

If I am fortunate enough to be elected to serve as Maryland’s next Attorney General, I will be lawyer for the citizens of the State of Maryland. I will greatly expand mediation efforts for consumer/ business disputes, in the hope that the parties can mediate their differences without the expense of attorneys. As earlier stated, I will appoint a task force to begin reviewing COMAR, the Maryland Code, Licensing, Rules and Regulations, and will recommend the repeal of those regulations which overburden business, and serve little useful purpose in the protection of the public. The Office will have an open door to businesses, and particularly, the healthcare industry, and will endeavor to learn of the effects of over regulation, in the hope that progress can be made to restore Maryland’s reputation as a business-friendly state.

It is indeed shameful that Maryland, with its proximity to Washington, D.C., and with a beautiful metropolis located on a protected Inner Harbor, is not the home of numerous Fortune 500 companies. A dynamic Attorney General, and hopefully other changes in the political atmosphere, will help restore Maryland’s greatness.

that person did not see what happened and must determine by talking to those involved. For the most part the action that the student(s) was involved in was not a “crime” and the administrator is not a lawyer. However, they need to talk to the student involved and others with knowledge about the incident and then make a decision about what they perceive happened. Once that determination

has been made, the administrator needs to recommend the action deemed appropriate, up to and including suspension. That is the point at which the parent needs to be notified. If the parent does not agree with the decision there are a number of levels of appeal.

What is generally not made public is the fact that the vast majority of cases are satisfactorily handled in this manner.

**Republican

Jeffrey N. Pritzker: Maryland has lacked

June 2014 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • 17

Election board announces voter information for upcoming primary For the 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election, voters can vote in person or by absentee ballot. To vote in person, voters can vote before Election Day at a designated early voting center in their county of residence or on Election Day at the polling place for their residence.

Early voting centers will be open for voting from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Thursday, June 12, through and including Thursday, June 19, according to a press release from the Maryland State Board of Elections. There is at least one early voting center in each county, and voters should vote at a designated early voting center in their county of residence. Addresses, driving directions and photographs of all of the early voting centers are available at www.elections.maryland.gov/voting/early_voting.html.

Voters who prefer to vote on Election Day can vote on Tuesday, June 24. On Election Day, polling places will be open for voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

To avoid delays, voters should try to vote between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Where to vote During early voting, voters should vote at a designated early voting center in their county of residence. There is at least one early voting center in every county and 17 additional early voting centers for the 2014 elections. Centers are located at accessible facilities with adequate parking and within a convenient driving distance for most voters in the county. Information about early voting centers and early voting in general is available at www.elections. maryland.gov/voting/early_voting.html.

On Election Day, voters should vote at their assigned polling place. Voters can find their assigned precinct by looking at the voter notification card they received from their local board of elections or by clicking the Find your Polling Place link at www. elections.maryland.gov. Voters who have moved, but have not updated their address with their local board, should search for the polling place for their

new address or contact their local board of elections.

It is important for voters to vote in the polling place for their new address because only those contests for which voters are eligible to vote will be counted.

How to vote All voters in Maryland use the same voting system. For early voting and polling place voting, voters use a touchscreen voting system. Instructions will be available to help voters familiarize themselves with the ballot and how to vote.

Voters may also ask an election judge to explain how to vote on the voting system, but a voter must vote alone, unless the voter is unable to do so because of disability, inability to write or inability to read the ballot.

For absentee and provisional voting, voters are issued a paper ballot. Absentee voters who choose to receive their ballot electronically print their own paper ballot to mark by hand. Voters fill in the ovals next to the candidates or ballot question responses for which they want to vote.

At the local board of elections, the ballot is fed into an optical scan voting unit which reads and tabulates the selections made by voters.

All provisional ballots and absentee ballots are reviewed in a public meeting after the election and counted or rejected according to state law and regulation.

How to obtain an absentee ballot Voters may request to receive their absentee ballot by mail, electronically or by fax. Go to www. elections.maryland.gov/voting/absentee.html to request an absentee ballot. The deadline to request a mailed or faxed absentee ballot is Tuesday, June 17. The deadline to request an electronic absentee ballot is Friday, June 20. Voters who request an electronic absentee ballot will be notified by email that their ballot is ready for download, then instructed to

enter unique identifying information before printing their ballot, voting instructions and return envelope template. Those who miss the above deadlines but still want to vote by absentee ballot must apply in person at a local board of elections before 8 p.m. on Election Day. Go to www.elections.maryland.gov/ voting/absentee.html for more information.

Voted absentee ballots may be delivered to a local board of elections by 8 p.m. on Election Day or mailed on or before Election Day and received by a local board by Monday, July 7. All absentee ballots are reviewed, regardless of whether or not the absentee ballots will impact the outcome of an election.

Provisional ballots A provisional ballot is a safeguard to ensure that individuals who believe they are registered and eligible to vote are able to vote. Voters required to vote by provisional ballot will be asked to complete a provisional ballot application, and then issued a paper ballot. It is important that voters complete the entire provisional ballot application because the information on the application is used to determine whether the provisional ballot will be counted, according to the state board of elections.

All provisional ballot applications are reviewed, regardless of whether or not the provisional ballots impact the outcome of an election. A provisional ballot will only be counted after the local board of elections has reviewed the provisional ballot application and determined that the individual is in fact registered and eligible to vote the provisional ballot. A provisional ballot is not an alternative to the electronic voting system. Additional information about provisional voting is available at www.elections.maryland.gov/voting/provisional_voting.html.

Voters can go to www.elections.maryland.gov/ elections/2014/index.html for more 2014 election information or contact their local board of elections or the state board of elections at 1-800-222-VOTE (8683).

How to contact The Calvert Recorder editorial staff Editor Rob Perry 410-535-1234, Ext. 208 rperry@somdnews.com

County Government Sarah Fleischman 410-535-1234, Ext. 206 sfleischman@somdnews.com

Managing Editor Meghan Cady 410-535-1234, Ext. 202 mcady@somdnews.com

Education Sara Newman 410-535-1234, Ext. 205 snewman@somdnews.com

Sports Editor Andy States 410-535-1234, Ext. 207 astates@somdnews.com

Police/Fire/Courts/ Ches. Beach/North Beach councils Andrea Frazier 410-535-1234, Ext. 204 afrazier@somdnews.com

18 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • June 2014

Polling locations Election District/Precinct District 1 1/1 Solomons Rescue Squad 13150 H.G. Trueman Rd. Solomons, MD 20688 Dist. 29-C 1/2 Southern Middle School 9615 H.G. Trueman Rd. Lusby, MD 20657 Dist. 29-C 1/3 St. Leonard Elementary 5370 St. Leonard Rd. St. Leonard, MD 20685 Dist. 27-C 1/4 Mutual Elementary School 1455 Ball Rd. Port Republic, MD 20676 Dist. 27-C 1/5 Patuxent Elementary School 35 Appeal Ln. Lusby, MD 20657 Dist. 29-C 1/6 Patuxent High School 12485 Rousby Hall Road Lusby, MD 20657 Dist. 29-C 1/7 Mill Creek Middle School 12200 Margaret Taylor Rd. and Southern Connector Blvd.

Lusby, MD 20657 Dist. 29-C District 2 2/1 St. Leonard Fire Department 200 Calvert Beach Rd. St. Leonard, MD 20685 Dist. 27-C 2/2 Calvert Fairgrounds Building Fair Drive/Route 231 Prince Frederick, MD 20678 Dist. 27-C 2/3 Huntingtown High School 4125 N. Solomons Island Rd. Huntingtown, MD 20639 Dist. 27-B 2/4 Calvert Middle School 655 Chesapeake Blvd.

Prince Frederick, MD 20678 Dist. 27-C

2/5 Plum Point Elementary School 1245 Plum Point Rd. Huntingtown, MD 20639 Dist. 27-C 2/6 Huntingtown Elementary School 4345 Huntingtown Rd. Huntingtown, MD 20639 Dist. 27-B 2/7 Northern Middle School 2954 Chaneyville Rd. Owings, MD 20736 Dist. 27-B 2/8 Calvert Pines Senior Center 450 W. Dares Beach Rd. Prince Frederick, MD 20678 Dist. 27-C District 3 3/1 North Beach Fire Dept.

8536 Bayside Rd. Chesapeake Beach, MD 20732 Dist. 27-C 3/2 Beach Elementary School 7900 Old Bayside Rd. Chesapeake Beach, MD 20732 Dist. 27-C 3/3 Sunderland Elementary School 150 Clyde Jones Rd. Sunderland, MD 20689 Dist. 27-B 3/4 Windy Hill Elementary School 9550 Boyds Turn Rd. Owings, MD 20736 Dist. 27-C 3/5 Windy Hill Middle School 9560 Boyds Turn Rd. Owings, MD 20736 Dist. 27-B 3/6 Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Dept.

3170 West Ward Road Dunkirk, MD 20754 Dist. 27-B 3/7 Mt. Harmony Elementary School 900 West Mount Harmony Road Owings, MD 20736 Dist. 27-B 3/8 Northeast Community Center 4075 Gordon Stinnett Ave Chesapeake Beach, MD 20732 Dist. 27-C

Who’s on the ballot in the primary?

Governor/lieutenant governor Democratic Anthony Brown/Ken Ulman Doug Gansler/Jolene Ivey Ralph Jaffe/Freda Jaffe Heather Mizeur/Delman Coates Charles U. Smith/Clarence Tucker Cindy A. Walsh/Mary Elizabeth WingatePennacchia Republican David R. Craig/Jeannie Haddaway Ron George/Shelley Aloi Larry Hogan/Boyd Rutherford Charles Lollar/Ken Timmerman Comptroller Democratic Peter Franchot* Republican William H. Campbell Attorney general Democratic Aisha Braveboy Jon S. Cardin Brian E. Frosh Republican Jeffrey N. Pritzker Representative in Congress, 5th District Democratic Steny Hoyer* Republican Mark Kenneth Arness Chris Chaffee Tom Potter State senator, District 27 Democratic Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr.* Republican Jesse Allen Peed State senator, District 29 Democratic Roy Dyson* Republican Larry Jarboe Cindy Jones Steve Waugh State delegate, District 27B Democratic Michael A. Jackson LaRhonda R. Owens Jacqueline Steele McCall Republican Toni Jarboe-Duley Philip A. Parenti

State delegate, District 27C Democratic Sue Kullen Republican Mark Fisher* State delegate, District 29C Democratic Len Zuza Republican Anthony J. O’Donnell* County commissioner District 1 Democratic Emad Emile Dides Republican Joe Chenelly Gerald W. “Jerry” Clark* Mike Hart County commissioner District 2 Democratic Michael J. Moore Republican Benjamin Lee Krause Pat Nutter* County commissioner District 3 Democratic Kelly McConkey Republican Evan Slaughenhoupt* County commissioner At-Large Democratic Joyce Stinnett Baki George W. Owings III Republican David Gatton Tom Hejl Linda L. Kelley Steve Weems Treasurer Nova Tracy Soper, Republican State’s attorney Laura Martin, Republican Clerk of the Court Kathy P. Smith, Democrat Register of Wills

Judges of orphans court Democratic Thomas Michael Pelagatti Republican Leslie Downs Theodore Philip LeBlanc Sheriff Democratic Craig W. Kontra Republican Mike Evans* Democratic central committee (vote for no more than 9) Greg Brown Maria Buehler Eloise Evans Nicholas Ferrante Thomas J.L. Hausmann John R. McGuffin Milissa Ann Miller Hagner R. Mister Marcus Justin Paul Cheryl Place Tricia V. Powell Duwane P. Rager Cliff Savoy Monica Lee Silbas Beth E. Swoap Abby Ybarra Republican central committee (vote for no more than 9) Mike Blasey Ella Ennis Michael S. Fine Benjamin Lee Krause Frank McCabe Gregory W. Ostrander Robert “Rob” Reed Carolyn A. Rice Richard A. Romer Sarah Elisabeth Rosier David C. Weigel Justin McDonald Wood

Republican

Board of education At Large Dawn C. Balinski* Pamela L. Cousins Eugene “Gene” Karol*

Mark S. Lynch

William J. “Bill” Phalen

Democratic Margaret Phipps

Billy Saunders * — incumbent Source: Calvert County Board of Elections

June 2014 • CALVERT RECORDER Guide for Voters • 19

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