CAMPAIGN JUICE: Brown & Gansler Launch TV Ads, Hucker v Barclay, Kagan v Simmons, D13 & Analysis of MoCo Exec Race

Below Maryland Juice has a few quick updates regarding campaigns of interest to politicos:

JUICE #1: GUBERNATORIAL AD WARS BEGIN // WATCH ANTHONY BROWN & DOUG GANSLER'S FIRST TV SPOTS - Begun the ad wars have. Gubernatorial candidates Anthony Brown and Doug Gansler are beginning to unload their multi-million dollars war chests on the television airwaves. Below you can see their first ads in the race for Maryland Governor:





HEADLINE UPDATE: Notably, these early ads are soft and fluffy. But I fully expect the tone of future ads to take a downward spiral, based on the headlines of recent press releases I've been receiving. See a few examples below:

• DOUG GANSLER:  Lt. Gov. Brown Says, “Leadership is About Inspiring People to Achieve Goals” – Really?

• HEATHER MIZEUR:  Mizeur Questions Gansler’s Commitment to Middle Class Families

• ANTHONY BROWN:  Doug Gansler yet to explain why he refuses to support funding full-day Pre-K for all Maryland children

JUICE #2: TOM HUCKER VS. CHRIS BARCLAY // DUELING UNION ENDORSEMENTS IN MOCO COUNCIL DISTRICT 5 - With the filing deadline closed, the race for Montgomery County Council District 5 is beginning to take shape. Board of Education President Chris Barclay received an endorsement from MoCo's teachers union, while Delegate Tom Hucker received the support of the MoCo government employees union. Check out the MCEA Tweet and MCGEO press release excerpt below:

PRESS RELEASE

UFCW LOCAL 1994 MCGEO ENDORSES TOM HUCKER IN BID 

FOR VACANT DISTRICT 5 COUNTY COUNCIL SEAT

Praises his work as state delegate advocating for women, children, and working families

Silver Spring, MD. - Today, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1994 MCGEO announced its enthusiastic support of Tom Hucker for the vacant seat in the Montgomery County Council District 5 race. Key to the endorsement, said Local 1994 President Gino Renne, was “Tom’s tireless work to protect and fight for legislation that protects our most vulnerable residents – our working moms, our children, our seniors....” MCGEO plans to make the District 5 race its top priority this election season, and will launch a robust political program including weekend door knocking and phone banks.

JUICE #3: ENDORSEMENTS IN DISTRICT 17 SENATE RACE BETWEEN CHERYL KAGAN AND LUIZ SIMMONS - Two new endorsements have been announced in the District 17 State Senate slugfest between Delegate Luiz Simmons and former Delegate Cheryl Kagan. Kagan received the support of retiring D17 Senator Jennie Forehand, while Simmons was endorsed by the MoCo government employees union MCGEO. See press release excerpts below:

PRESS RELEASE

Statement by Senator Jennie M. Forehand

My friends and supporters have been asking me which Senate candidate I believe should represent District 17. I am proud to announce my enthusiastic endorsement of my former colleague, Cheryl Kagan, who will best reflect my views and priorities in the State Senate.

... I am delighted to endorse Cheryl Kagan for State Senate. Cheryl is the clear choice, and I look forward to campaigning together toward victory in the June 24th Democratic primary. I strongly urge my friends and neighbors in Rockville and Gaithersburg to join me in supporting Cheryl.

PRESS RELEASE

Montgomery County Public Employees Endorse Simmons for State Senate

Simmons is UFCW 1994 MCGEO First Legislative Endorsement of 2014 Political Cycle

Rockville, MD – Today, Del. Luiz Simmons received the endorsement of UFCW 1994 MCGEO, the Montgomery County Public Employees, in his run to be the next State Senator for District 17.  The support of Simmons is MCGEO’s first legislative endorsement of the 2014 political cycle.  MCGEO represents 8,000 public employees in Montgomery County and beyond.

Gino Renne, President of UFCW 1994 MCGEO released the following statement praising Simmons for his hard work on behalf of Maryland working families, “Delegate Simmons has proven himself time and again to be a strong advocate for working families in Montgomery County and beyond.  I am confident that as a state senator, Luiz will continue to fight and address the problems plaguing our poor and middle class....”

JUICE #4: POLITICAL CHESS IN DISTRICT 13 DELEGATE RACE - David Lublin, who has rebooted the Maryland Politics Watch blog at www.theseventhstate.com, has an interesting write-up about the political chess match in District 13's Delegate race (excerpt below):

SEVENTH STATE: Long story short, a husband and wife both filed for delegate as did an uncle and his niece. The wife, School Board Member Janet Siddiqui, withdrew at the last minute to refile for School Board but her husband, Nayab Siddiqui, stayed in the race.

Both Vanessa Atterbeary, formerly a candidate in District 18, and her uncle, incumbent Del. Frank Turner filed and neither dropped out. Del. Guy Guzzone, who is running for Senate, originally planned to form a slate with incumbent Del. Shane Pendergrass, Del. Frank Turner, and Janet Siddiqui.

Now, Guzzone, Pendergrass, and Turner have decided to put Vanessa Atterbeary on their ticket as its third candidate for delegate after a series of interviews with the prospective candidates. Nayab Siddiqui and Vanessa Atterbeary both had inside knowledge that someone was going to drop out–or else why on earth would they have filed? And now Team 13 has added the niece of an incumbent delegate to the slate....

JUICE #5: MY THOUGHTS ON THE RACE FOR MONTGOMERY COUNTY EXECUTIVE - There are a few months left to go until the June Democratic Primary for Montgomery County Executive. After the January campaign finance filings, incumbent Exec Ike Leggett had a sizeable cash advantage over challengers Doug Duncan and Phil Andrews:

• County Executive Ike Leggett (incumbent) = $971,159.00
• Former County Executive Doug Duncan = $330,120.86
• Councilmember Phil Andrews = $118,805.41

Between the power of incumbency and the heft of his war chest, Leggett may be sitting in a decent spot right now. But it is worth noting that even after the campaign finance reports came out, Duncan picked up endorsements from the MoCo police and firefighters unions. Meanwhile, a few major groups have yet to weigh in on the race, and Duncan may have decent residual name id from his previous terms as County Executive.

On the financial front, history also demonstrates that money is not decisive in these races. When Leggett first won in 2006, he was heavily outspent by rival candidate Steve Silverman ($770,000 to $1.9 million according to The Gazette). Even still, there is likely a threshold amount of spending a countywide candidate needs to meet in order to get their basic message out. Perhaps recognizing these challenges, in recent campaign debates Duncan has attempted to draw sharp contrasts with his rivals (Leggett especially) by criticizing their records on school construction funding and other issues.

DUNCAN JABS: In the latest bout of sparring, Duncan has taken to attacking Leggett for the stalled opening of the Silver Spring Transit Center. Though I can't speak for the rest of the parts of the county, I've spoken to lots of voters in the downtown Silver Spring area, and it is true that they frequently raise the Transit Center as an issue of concern. For those interested in further details on the Silver Spring Transit Center delays, the Action Committee for Transit has a chronology of news coverage at its website. In any case, the key question at hand is whether this and other issues like school funding will come to define the race, and whether any blame will be pinned on Leggett. Perhaps that's why Duncan held a press conference this week to raise questions about county officials' roles in the Transit Center controversy (excerpt below):

PRESS RELEASE 

Duncan Urges Completion of Silver Spring Transit Center;

Calls on County to Provide Answers, Plan of Action

SILVER SPRING, Maryland – Standing on the site of the long-delayed Silver Spring Transit Center, Democratic candidate for County Executive, Doug Duncan, today called on Montgomery County officials to stop making excuses, offer up a plan of action, and move swiftly to complete a critically important transportation hub that serves thousands of Washington area commuters. Duncan, who, as County Executive, oversaw the successful revitalization of downtown Silver Spring[1], said taxpayers deserve to know when the transit center will open – and how much more it will cost to complete it.... The Silver Spring Transit Center is currently two and a half years overdue and tens of millions over budget....

Duncan called on the County Executive and County Council to promptly give the public answers to these questions. "It’s time for answers.  Silver Spring residents and community leaders fought too long and hard for a vibrant downtown to have to wait for this mess to be cleaned up, before they have access to the state-of-the-art transit center they were expecting," said Duncan. "This failure on the part of the County government to get the job done here leaves pedestrians at risk, commuters frustrated and hurts the economic vitality of Silver Spring.  The people of Montgomery County deserve better."

LEGGETT HITS BACK: Patrick Lacefield, a spokesperson for Ike Leggett, responded in turn with the following statement:

PATRICK LACEFIELD: This is nothing more than the previous County Executive playing politics by seeking publicity for his campaign. If he had been following this issue, he would know that we are awaiting warmer temperatures to resume the remaining work on the private contractor’s faulty concrete work. All other things being equal, the facility could be completed, turned over to WMATA and opened by the summer. The detailed plan to fix it is embodied in the KCE Report made public last year and discussed by the Council. The cost for the concrete overlay is estimated at $2 million, costs which the County will ensure would be borne by the private parties at fault for construction, design and inspection flaws, not by County taxpayers.

The County continues to work with WMATA and the designer about the possible need to further strengthen interior beams and girders, as was discussed with the County Council last November.  Again, the County would work to ensure that any additional costs for fixing flaws would be borne by the private parties responsible.

It is heartening that the former County Executive is interested in the safety of the facility since previously he had expressed the view that he would simply have covered over the faulty workmanship and moved on, notwithstanding the more profound safety flaws that were discovered by KCE, with findings endorsed by three independent engineers. The County Executive has stated that he will turn over to WMATA a structure that is both safe and durable and that he will not let politics get in the way of safety, period.

The interesting thing about Duncan raising the Transit Center controversy is that he worked for one of the parties involved in its construction. The Washington Post's Bill Turque reported on the connection yesterday (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: Duncan has worked as a consultant for Foulger-Pratt, the general contractor on the project. KCE held the firm responsible for the absence of reinforcing steel in two critical 10-foot-by-40-foot slabs in the center of the bus roadway. Foulger was also accountable for unacceptably thin concrete covering in some portions of the building, KCE said. Duncan said that contractors and engineers “did not perform as expected,” but declined to criticize Foulger directly.

THE PHIL ANDREWS EXPERIMENT: While Doug Duncan and Ike Leggett take turns punching each other, Councilmember Phil Andrews is embarking upon an interesting political experiment. He is essentially testing whether a candidate can win a countywide race in MoCo almost entirely by door-knocking. It seems clear at this point that Andrews will be outspent (heavily perhaps?), but in his literature (scanned below) he claims that he's knocked 17,000 doors in the last year or so. By comparison, there were 104,979 votes cast in the 2006 Democratic Primary when Leggett received 64,382 votes to Steve Silverman's 37,279. Notably, my wife reports that some of her co-workers (who are not plugged in to local politics) report having spoken to Phil Andrews personally when he canvassed their neighborhoods. In any case, you can read Andrews' literature below (click on the images to expand them):

JUICE: Gansler & Simmons Mail, AG Polls, Attack Ads for Gov, Miller Aide for Delegate, Hucker & Barclay for MoCo Council 5

Below Maryland Juice provides a round-up of news of interest to politicos:

JUICE #1: DEL. LUIZ SIMMONS DIRECT MAIL INCLUDES DOUG GANSLER // PLUS: TEAMSTERS ENDORSE SIMMONS FOR D17 SENATE - Maryland Juice caught the following mail piece from Del. Luiz Simmons on Twitter, which includes a testimonial from Attorney General Doug Gansler:

UPDATE: A source close to Simmons clarifies that this was a legislative mailing paid for with personal funds, but the piece carries an authority line to stay in compliance with Maryland law:

Lastly, we received the following press release from Simmons today, noting the endorsement of the Teamsters:

PRESS RELEASE

Del. Luiz Simmons Endorsed by Teamsters Joint Council #55 for State Senate

Rockville, MD – Following the endorsement of Teamsters Local 730 the Teamsters Joint Council #55 have endorsed Del. Luiz Simmons for State Senate in District 17.

Ritchie Brooks, President of Teamsters Local 730 released the following statement: "Luiz Simmons is our choice for State Senate in D17. The hard working men and women of the Maryland Teamsters are proud to support his candidacy and we have beeN proud to support him in the House of Delegates. Delegate Simmons shares our values, and understands the important work we do in his community and all across Maryland. We know we can count on Luiz Simmons to be a voice for working families in the Senate.”

JUICE #2: POLLING RESULTS IN THE ATTORNEY GENERAL RACE // PLUS: MOCO FIREFIGHTERS UNION ENDORSES BRIAN FROSH - Maryland Juice previously wrote about a Baltimore Sun poll on the Attorney General race, which showed the following status of the race:

• Undecided - 69%
• Jon Cardin - 18%
• Brian Frosh - 6%
• Aisha Braveboy - 4%
• Bill Frick - 3%

But The Washington Post also polled the Attorney General race and came up with a different set of results from voters who lean Democratic:

• No Opinion - 40%
• Jon Cardin - 22%
• Aisha Braveboy - 12%
• Brian Frosh - 5%
• Bill Frick - 4%

2-SECOND ANALYSIS: For a race like this, Maryland Juice urges a healthy dose of skepticism that early poll results are yet meaningful. I call this the Joe Lieberman effect; if you'll recall, Lieberman briefly weighed a Presidential bid after serving as a Vice Presidential candidate to Al Gore, and for a time he was leading in the polls. This is almost certainly owing to higher name id, but as we know, these things start to change once unknown candidates start spending money on media. In the Attorney General race, we have not yet gotten to that point in the campaign. Meanwhile, Maryland Juice received the following press release from the MoCo firefighters union, announcing their endorsement of Brian Frosh (excerpt below):

PRESS RELEASE

Montgomery County Career Fire Fighters Association (IAFF) Local 1664

Endorse Democratic Attorney General Candidate Brian Frosh 

Union President Jeff Buddle hails Frosh’s experience and leadership

Bethesda, MD- Today, Brian Frosh, Democratic candidate for Maryland Attorney General, received the endorsement of the Montgomery County Career Fire Fighters Association (IAFF) Local 1664, representing approximately 1200 career fire fighters in Montgomery County.

“Brian Frosh has a record on public safety that stands above the rest. We are confident that he will continue to make the safety and security of Maryland communities a top priority as our next Attorney General,” said Jeffrey Buddle, Union President, IAFF Local 1664. "He is a proven leader and will bring the right combination of experience and leadership to the Attorney General’s office. We wholeheartedly support Brian Frosh in the Democratic primary for Maryland Attorney General...."

JUICE #3: DUELING ATTACK VIDEOS FROM ANTHONY BROWN & DOUG GANSLER - In the last month, gubernatorial candidates Anthony Brown & Doug Gansler released YouTube videos criticizing each other. You can watch the attack videos below:

BROWN ATTACKS GANSLER

  GANSLER ATTACKS BROWN  


JUICE #4: PAT MURRAY, FORMER AIDE TO SENATE PRESIDENT MIKE MILLER, FILES FOR D34A DELEGATE RACE - Center Maryland's Josh Kurtz reported last week that Pat Murray, a former aide to Senate President Mike Miller and Speaker Mike Busch, has filed for District 34A Delegate (excerpt below):

CENTER MARYLAND: Patrick Murray, a former top aide to both Senate President Mike Miller (D) and House Speaker Mike Busch (D) and one of the most respected strategists in Maryland politics, will run for a seat in the House of Delegates this year. Murray, currently the director of State Affairs for Johns Hopkins University, filed papers Friday afternoon to become a candidate in District 34A in Harford County, the community where he grew up....

Already running on the Democratic side are Harford County Councilwoman Mary Ann Lisanti; retired teacher Marla Posey-Moss, who was a Democratic nominee in 2010 but finished third in the general election; and businessman and civic activist Steve Johnson.

Even though he’s joining the campaign late, Murray doesn’t appear to be at any kind of financial disadvantage in the Democratic primary. According to their January campaign finance reports, Johnson had less than $1,100 in his campaign account, Posey-Moss had $500 on hand, and Lisanti had no money at all. Even Glass, the lone incumbent in the race, reported just $3,100 in the bank...

JUICE #5: DEL. TOM HUCKER & SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT CHRIS BARCLAY TO SEEK VALERIE ERVIN'S COUNCIL SEAT // PLUS: EVAN GLASS RELEASES LIST OF SUPPORTERS - The Democratic Primary race for Montgomery County Council District 5 is now taking shape with announcements for Valerie Ervin's seat from Delegate Tom Hucker and Board of Education President Chris Barclay. Barclay filed for County Council yesterday and has a website up:

This weekend, The Washington Post's Bill Turque reported that Del. Tom Hucker also planned to launch a campaign for County Council (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: Del. Tom Hucker (D-Montgomery), confirming a widely expected move, said he will file Monday as a candidate in the Democratic primary for the District 5 Montgomery County Council seat.... His announcement came with an endorsement from House Speaker Michael E. Busch: “I I am confident he will be a strong and effective advocate for the people of his district and all of Montgomery County,” he said in a statement.

Hucker enters the race with a significant financial edge: nearly $147,000 in cash on-hand from prior fundraising for state House campaigns, according to the most recent finance report.... Barclay can keep his school board seat while running for County Council....

Hucker's website now also announces his Council campaign:

Lastly, Evan Glass, another District 5 Council candidate, sent us a press release announcing support from over 70 community leaders. Some interesting names on his list include:

• Takoma Park Mayor Bruce Williams
• Takoma Park Councilmember Seth Grimes
• Candidate for Clerk of Circuit Court Alan Bowser
• Former D20 Delegate Candidate Aaron Klein
• Former Legislative Director for Heather Mizeur Patrick Metz
• Board of Education At Large Candidate Jill Ortman-Fouse

You can see the full release below:

Evan Glass - Supporters List for County Council District 5

JUICE #6: CONTESTED RACES FOR ALL MOCO BOARD OF EDUCATION RACES // PLUS: ONLY MOCO COUNCILMEMBER RUNNING UNOPPOSED - There are still eight hours left until the candidate filing deadline, but already all of Montgomery County's Board of Education races are contested. Notably, in all of the District races for school board there are only two candidates, and the top two candidates in the Non-Partisan Primary will advance to the General Election ballot.

Board of Education At Large (open seat):

• Edward Amatetti
• Shebra Evans
• Merry Eisner Heidorn
• Jill Ortman-Fouse

Board of Education District 1:

• Judy Docca (incumbent)
• Kristin Trible

Board of Education District 3:

• Laurie Halverson
• Pat O'Neill (incumbent)

Board of Education District 5:

• Mike Durso (incumbent)
• Larry Edmonds

At the County Council level, there are contested races for every position except for one. So far District 4 Councilmember Nancy Navarro is running unopposed.

MoCo Councilmember Valerie Ervin Resigning to Run Center for Working Families // Who'll Run for D5 Council & What Next?

PUTTING AN END TO THE RUMORS: In the last few weeks, Maryland Juice has heard numerous rumors about Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin. In one story she found an Italian lover and was moving out of the United States. In another version, Ervin was planning on taking a job with SEIU. And in yet another round of speculation about Councilmember Ervin, she had decided to run for County Executive in 2014. Indeed, this speculation was fueled in some ways by the Councilmember herself, as a few days ago we started to see things like an email blast from Ervin with the subject line, "The Best Is Yet to Come." Then last week, Councilmember Ervin put out a press release stating "Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin to Announce Future Plans." Indeed, talk of a potential departure of Valerie Ervin from the County Council has been the talk of the town as I attended various political events this past week.

But as it turns out, all of those rumors were false. Below Maryland Juice discusses the actual big news from Valerie Ervin, as well as speculation and commentary from a few potential candidates who may seek her seat. We also talk a bit about how this vacancy will be handled, and what the political world looks like going forward. But first, the big news:

Councilmember Valerie Ervin at an October 2013 press conference in support of a minimum wage increase

JUICE #1: VALERIE ERVIN TO VACATE COUNCIL SEAT TO HEAD CENTER FOR WORKING FAMILIES - Today, Councilmember Ervin announced she would be resigning from her District 5 County Council in January 2014, to serve as Executive Director of the Center for Working Families. Indeed, many months ago, Maryland Juice had been hearing murmurs that organizers related to the New York-based Working Families Party were looking to setup shop in the DC Metro region. The placeholder website for the new Center for Working Families states:

The Center for Working Families is a national 501(c)3 policy and issue campaign organization that engages in issue advocacy and public education for policy campaigns at the state and local level. The Center for Working Families is non-partisan and does not endorse candidates or political parties.

The Center incubates and develops compelling issue campaigns, provides resources and technical assistance to state policy campaigns, and injects our values into the national political discourse.

Additionally, the job description for Ervin's new position notes that the Executive Director will be working out of Washington, DC or New York. In any case, you can find out about Ervin's announcement about the big change in her video and press release below (which also includes a timeline for her departure):

PRESS RELEASE

  Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin to Serve as Advocate for Working Families Throughout the Nation
  She Will Become Executive Director of the Center for Working Families in January
ROCKVILLE, Md., December 10, 2013—Councilmember Valerie Ervin announced today that, after nearly a decade as an elected leader in Montgomery County, she will expand her work on policy issues that impact working people by becoming executive director of the Center for Working Families. At the announcement, Councilmember Ervin was joined by Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin; County Executive Isiah Leggett; Council President Craig Rice, Councilmember Nancy Navarro; Mayor of Somerset Jeffrey Slavin; Metropolitan D.C. Council AFL-CIO President Joslyn Williams; president of SEIU Florida State Council and executive vice president of 1199 SEIU Monica Russo; and community leaders who thanked Ervin for her service to the County and congratulated her on her new position.

Ervin has long been an advocate for those who have no voice in the political process.  She is best known for her work on issues including: raising the minimum wage; increasing child care subsidies for working parents; ensuring that prevailing wages are paid on construction projects; providing contract protections for service workers; expanding summer food and universal breakfast programs for children; and creating the first county-wide food recovery network in the nation.  As chair of the Council’s Education Committee, and as a former member of the County Board of Education, she has focused on major initiatives to close the achievement gap.  Councilmember Ervin has also been a strong advocate for marriage equality.

Rice discussed Ervin’s commitment to public service and said, “Councilmember Ervin has been an ardent champion for working families and children in Montgomery County throughout her tenure on the Council.  She should be commended for her leadership and advocacy for food recovery as sustainability, education equality, and workers rights.  I want to thank her for making a positive impact and enhancing the lives of our residents.”

Navarro, a longtime friend and colleague said, “Councilmember Ervin has a stellar public service record, and Montgomery County residents are better off because of her vision, dedication and tenacity.  Her contributions have made a permanent impact on the fabric of our communities.”

The Center for Working Families is a non-profit organization based in New York that seeks a more just world—one where jobs that pay a living wage are plentiful, health care is affordable, access to educational opportunities are abundant and retirements are secure.

"Becoming executive director of the Center for Working Families is a once in a lifetime opportunity," said Ervin.  "I was both surprised and honored to be asked to pursue these issues at the national level.  After careful reflection and deliberation with my family, friends and supporters, I believe that leading this organization will enable me to have a greater impact on the issues I care about most."

Ervin talked about her years as an elected leader and said, “I started my political career as a concerned mom who cared about the welfare of all of the children in our community, and this will never change. As I transition to a broader platform, my experiences in this community will serve me well.

“I appreciate the relationships that I have developed with many of you through the years and with elected leaders throughout the Washington Metropolitan Region. I also want to thank my colleagues on the County Council.”

Councilmember Ervin was elected to the Board of Education in 2004 and to the Council in 2006 and 2010.  She served as Council president from 2010 to 2011.  Councilmember Ervin will tender her letter of resignation on Jan. 3, 2014.  Later in January, the Council will appoint her successor, who will serve until the Council’s current term ends on Dec. 1, 2014.  Until Jan. 3, Ervin will wrap up projects she is working on for the residents of District 5.  Her staff will remain in place.  

“It has been a tremendous privilege to serve the residents of District 5,” said Councilmember Ervin. “Thank you for allowing me to make a difference and for your ongoing support and friendship.  Together we have accomplished great things, and I know that the best is still to come.”

NOTE: Attached to this release is a summary of Ervin’s accomplishments as a Councilmember.  The same can also be found at the following:
http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/mem/Ervin_v/ValerieErvinRecord.pdf

###

In a column today, Center Maryland's Josh Kurtz zeroed in on the entry of the Working Families Party in local politics:

JOSH KURTZ (VIA CENTER MARYLAND): Montgomery County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D) is set to announce today that she will resign in early January to become executive director of the Center for Working Families, a national 501(c)3 issue advocacy and education organization affiliated with the politically ascendant Working Families Party.

It’s big news, of course, for Ervin’s own promising political career – and for Montgomery County politics. Already there is buzz that state Del. Tom Hucker (D) may choose to seek Ervin’s Council seat.

But perhaps more significantly, it’s further evidence that the progressive and tactically effective WFP, which has close ties to important labor unions and was a major player in Bill de Blasio’s insurgent victory in the New York City mayoral election this fall, is about to make major inroads into Maryland. This should have a significant impact on the looming debate in Annapolis over raising the minimum wage, on the 2014 elections, and on the future political discourse in Maryland – particularly in its largest jurisdictions....

She will, roughly speaking, be an equal to Dan Cantor, the veteran labor organizer who founded WFP in the late 1990’s and remains in charge of the organization today. WFP is a 501(c)4 – typically referred to as a social welfare organization, but equipped to engage in partisan political battles.... Raise Maryland, a coalition that was formed to fight for a higher minimum wage in the state, is, not surprisingly, substantially backed by 1199 – and the Working Families Party..... 

Valerie Ervin will have a lot of say over this – and over the direction of an organization that is poised to have a huge influence over a variety of political and policy debates over the next few years. For Ervin, it’s a chance to work several of her pet issues on a bigger stage. But the job is likely to keep her politically viable in Maryland down the line, if that’s what she wants....

Meanwhile, The Washington Post's Bill Turque provided some context on the resignation through commentary from Ervin (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: “Politicians see these jobs as jobs for life. I don’t think that bodes well for democracy at the end of the day,” said Ervin, a former organizer for the United Food and Commercial Workers union who spent two years as an elected member of the Montgomery Board of Education before winning the council seat in 2006.

She left the door wide open for an eventual return to public office, however, including a possible spot in state government if Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown wins the Maryland governorship next year. Ervin has been an early and enthusiastic supporter of Brown and running mate Ken Ulman.

“If the opportunity presented itself? Absolutely,” she said, adding that she would commute to New York and remain a Montgomery County resident....

A WINNING RECORD FOR UNDERDOG & DARK HORSE POLITICAL CANDIDATES: Though Ervin's announcement today is going to be creating ripples through Montgomery County politics over the coming weeks and months, the big move is no surprise to Maryland Juice. One aspect that has gone unmentioned in the coverage of Ervin so far, is that in terms of electoral politics, the District 5 Councilmember has been one of the better prognosticators in Montgomery County politics. Ervin was perhaps the first elected official to endorse Jamie Raskin in his upstart bid for the State Senate in 2006, and she also bucked parochial politics to back Martin O'Malley over Doug Duncan that same year. Ervin also provided early support to Nancy Navarro for Board of Education and then later for County Council. She was also one of the earliest endorsers of her former election opponent Hans Riemer when he won a Council seat in 2010, and two years later backed newcomer Jarrett Smith in a successful bid for a seat on the Takoma Park City Council. (Full disclosure: Valerie Ervin endorsed the author of this article in the District 20 House race; the author was also involved in a number of the races listed above). Most recently, Ervin was perhaps the first elected Montgomery County endorser of Anthony Brown's gubernatorial campaign.


JUICE #2: POSSIBLE CANDIDATES FOR THE JUNE 2014 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR DISTRICT 5 COUNTY COUNCIL - In the days leading up to Ervin's announcement, Maryland Juice began hearing about potential candidates who might seek the District 5 Council seat in the upcoming Democratic Primary. Note that this race is going to get interesting, because I'm friends with or friendly with a few of these possible candidates, and I suspect the same may be true for others. Here are a few notes on how the race might shape up going forward:

CASEY ANDERSON: Sources indicate that Montgomery County Planning Board member Casey Anderson is weighing a run for the District 5 Council seat. He was formerly a board member of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association and a staff member at the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. Anderson has been involved with recent transit and smart growth issues on the Planning Board and might be able to meet the fundraising thresholds for what is expected to be an expensive Council race.

CHRIS BARCLAY: Over the weekend, MoCo Board of Education President Chris Barclay told Maryland Juice he is strongly weighing a run for the D5 Council seat. Barclay has served on the school board since 2006, and his BOE district overlaps with much of Ervin's Council district. Notably, Council District 5 was altered in the last round of redistricting, and now contains sizeable numbers of African American voters. Meanwhile Barclay might be of one of two African American candidates eyeing the D5 seat.

EVAN GLASS: The first candidate to announce for Ervin's Council seat was Evan Glass, the Chair of the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board and a former CNN producer. Glass held a well-attended campaign kickoff for the D5 seat this past weekend (before it was known Ervin was retiring) and has been reaching out to residents through his role as a civic association leader. Glass is also on the Board of Equality Maryland and would be the only openly gay Councilmember to be elected in Montgomery County.

TOM HUCKER: One of the three Delegates from House District 20, Tom Hucker tells Maryland Juice that supporters have reached out to him in recent days and encouraged him to run for the District 5 Council seat. The D20 Delegate formerly served as the head of Progressive Maryland. Hucker's House District overlaps with much of Ervin's Council district, and if he gets in the race, it is expected that he would have strong support from organized labor. Hucker will also be able to spend whatever he's raised for his Delegate seat thus far on the Council race, and may start with a leg up on fundraising.

TERRILL NORTH: Currently an announced candidate for an at-large County Council seat, Terrill North currently works at the defense contracting firm Alion Science and Technology Corporation. North also has an active political life and serves on the Boards of the ACLU of Maryland, Impact Silver Spring, and Progressive Neighbors. It is unclear what his next move may be, as North may decide to stay in the at-large race, or drop into the District 5 seat, now that there will be a vacancy. As the second potential African American candidate that might enter the race, North may have an opportunity to capitalize on the demographics of the newly redrawn D5.

Ronnie Galvin as caretaker?

JUICE #3: A POTENTIAL CARETAKER APPOINTMENT FOR THE LAST YEAR OF VALERIE ERVIN'S COUNCIL TERM? - As rumors of Ervin's departure began to spread this week, Maryland Juice began hearing a lot of talk about a possible "caretaker" appointment for the District 5 Council seat. After all, with the next Primary and General Elections not to be concluded until late 2014, there is a full year left in Ervin's term. When she vacates her seat in January, her remaining eight council colleagues will appoint a replacement, and a few (though not all) of them are suggesting they are inclined to appoint someone who will not run in the June 2014 Democratic Primary.

Obviously the Councilmembers will be free to vote how they want, but I'm beginning to hear from a few people who are interested in applying for a caretaker appointment. The early buzz, however, is that there is support within some circles for Ronnie Galvin, the head of local community group Impact Silver Spring, to serve as a one-year Councilmember.  Impact Silver Spring's website notes the following mission (excerpt below):

IMPACT SILVER SPRING: IMPACT Silver Spring was founded in 1999 during the revitalization of downtown Silver Spring. The concept of IMPACT Silver Spring was born when these founders developed a community-wide leadership program, bringing people together across lines of difference for relationship- and skill-building....

Our Mission: To build and sustain community-based networks that support people who are creating social, economic, and civic momentum that contributes to inclusive local economies and vibrant communities.

Given how quickly the candidate fields are shaping and shifting, Maryland Juice will report back soon on the possible appointees for the District 5 Council seat -- but I'll have to do some poking around first!

In the meantime, the concept of a caretaker appointment was quickly embraced by D5 Council candidate Evan Glass. Moments after Ervin announced her retirement, he sent out the following press release calling for a caretaker appointment:

PRESS RELEASE

Statement on Councilmember Valerie Ervin

Silver Spring, MD – Evan Glass, a candidate for the Montgomery County Council’s 5th District, released the following statement today in response to Councilmember Valerie Ervin’s announcement that she will be resigning from the Montgomery County Council.

“I want to thank Councilmember Valerie Ervin for her service and dedication to the residents of Montgomery County,” Glass said. “For over a decade Councilmember Ervin has been a tireless champion for Montgomery County’s diverse communities, exhibited by her steadfast leadership on issues ranging from raising the minimum wage to creating a county-wide network of food services for those who are hungry to her fierce advocacy in support of marriage equality. If a society is judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members, Valerie Ervin has provided Montgomery County with a level of compassion that should make our society proud.”

“For the last seven years I have worked with Councilmember Ervin to make the greater Silver Spring - Takoma Park community a wonderful place to live, work and play. We teamed up to create the King Street Community Garden, the first community garden built as a public-private partnership, and she provided the community and I with unending support to improve pedestrian safety measures, assist struggling small businesses and to establish the South Silver Spring Street Festival. As president of both the South Silver Spring Neighborhood Association and Indian Spring Citizens Association I knew that I could always count on Councilmember Ervin and her staff to provide guidance and assistance to our community.” 

With Councilmember Ervin announcing her intention to resign from the County Council in the coming weeks, her departure will trigger a replacement process, one in which the remaining eight members of the Council have 30 days to select a successor. Selecting an appointee who would then run for the same office in June only negates the peoples’ vote and weakens our democratic system.

Evan Glass said, “Montgomery County residents expect a fair election in the upcoming primary in June 2014. It is imperative that we don’t weaken our democratic system by selecting an individual who would only use the appointment as a platform to run in the June primary. The only way to ensure that the residents of District 5 truly have a voice in the process is by having the Council appoint a caretaker who would serve out the remainder of the term and agree not to run in the June primary. The caretaker should publicly pledge not to run for the seat in the June primary, otherwise it would create a breach of progressive, good governmental values. The integrity of our county, one with high moral standards and a fair election system, should not be compromised.” 

To learn more about Evan Glass and his campaign visit www.EvanGlass.com

###

MORE ON THE BATTLE FOR THE DISTRICT 5 MOCO COUNCIL SEAT SOON!

SCANNED DOCS: Students Produce "Young Apple Ballot" for MoCo School Board Races // PLUS: Read Candidate Literature

MoCo students advocate for a styrofoam ban at a recent youth town hall meeting.

MOCO STUDENTS GET POLITICAL OVER THE ENVIRONMENT: Maryland Juice picked up a number of pieces of literature at a Montgomery County Board of Education debate last night. But the most interesting flyer I grabbed was a "Young Apple Ballot" endorsement card produced by a group called "The Young Activist Club." The student-led movement has been trying for years to persuade Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to eliminate environmentally unfriendly styrofoam trays from use in school cafeterias. Specifically, they have been trying to get permission to launch a pilot program at Piney Branch Elementary School (which happens to be about four blocks from my house). After their efforts were rejected the last few years, the young activists-in-training are now getting political. Below you can read a scan of their new endorsement card, along with some background information from their website (excerpt below):

YOUNG ACTIVIST CLUB: We want to replace the wasteful and toxic polystyrene lunch trays at Piney Branch Elementary School with 350 durable lunch trays and a tray washer (also called a ware washer).   Once the ware washer is installed, we want to track the costs and benefits of moving away from disposables and toward reusables.   We want this project to be a test or pilot for the county school district and then, if successful, a model for other schools anywhere in the country.

Money Raised to Date:  We have raised $10,115 to pay for a rebuilt dish washer and durable reusable trays to replace the disposable polystyrene lunch trays.

Status:  Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) administrators have denied our request to proceed with a pilot project.  In a December 23rd, 2010 memo to the MCPS Board of Education, then School Superintendent Jerry Weast cited cost reasons for his opposition to the project.  His staff continue to insist we need a $27,000 new ware washer, that installation costs are a whopping $12,000 (not true), and that two staff are needed to operate a ware washer in Maryland (also not true).... We will continue to appeal the decision and to present evidence justifying the merits of our pilot project which will save MCPS money during its operation, not cost money.  We are now asking new Superintendent Joshua Staff to meet with us so we can discuss the benefits of our project and seek his support to move forward.

Their website also contains a voter guide for this year's Board of Education races:

Board of Ed Candidates Who Support Healthy Schools and Our Dishwasher Project:

Annita Seckinger - District 4
Fred Evans - District 2
Rebecca Smondrowski - District 2
Morris Panner - At Large

Current Board of Ed Members Seeking Re-Election Who DO NOT Support Our Project:

Christopher Barclay - District 4
Philip Kauffman - At Large

Don't Forget to Vote!

Below you can see the literature they were handing out at the school board debate:
"Young Apple Ballot" from Moco Students Activists

BOARD OF EDUCATION CANDIDATE LITERATURE: Maryland Juice also picked up a few pieces of literature that the school board candidates were handing out. Unfortunately, I did not see pieces from all of the candidates. Note that all Montgomery County voters will get to vote for candidates in all three school board races:

• DISTRICT 2:  Fred Evans vs. Rebecca Smondrowski
• DISTRICT 4: Chris Barclay vs. Annita Seckinger
• AT-LARGE: Phil Kauffman vs. Morris Panner

DEBATE SCHEDULE: Montgomery County Board of Education Candidates to Face Off // Fred Evans vs. Rebecca Smondrowski

UPDATE: Two readers inform us that there are two additional school board candidates debates. One on WED 10/10 and another on MON 10/29.  

10/10 DEBATE: School Board Candidates Forum on Public Safety, October 10 - 7 p.m.
Long Branch Community Center, 2nd floor Social Hall
8700 Piney Branch Road, Silver Spring, MD

10/29 DEBATE: League of Women Voters of Montgomery County and the American Association of University Women are holding a School Board debate for all the candidates on Monday, October 29 at 6pm at Wheaton Library.

In Montgomery County, there are only a few hotly contested races on the ballot this November, and much of the attention has been focused on the 6th Congressional District battle between Democrat John Delaney and GOP Rep. Roscoe Bartlett. Meanwhile, the numerous referenda are attracting time and resources from local Dems -- (eg: police union rights, gambling, redistricting, the Dream Act and marriage equality).

But the real sleeper race is the Board of Education District 2 contest between former principal Fred Evans and MoCo politico Rebecca Smondrowski. Over the next two weeks, MoCo voters will have two opportunities to watch the school board candidates square off (details below):

DEBATE #1: OCT. 19 LEISURE WORLD DEMOCRATIC CLUB EVENT - Montgomery County's Leisure World community has long been a hotbed of Democratic Party activity, given that the thousands of retirees residing there have reliably high voter turnout. They are hosting a school board forum on Friday, October 19th (details below):

We in Leisure World have scheduled a Candidates Forum for the 6 candidates for the Montgomery County Board of Education. It will be held on Friday, October 19, 2012, from 2pm to 4pm. It is sponsored by the Democratic Club of Leisure World but since the Board of Education election is non-partisan, our Candidates Forum will be non-partisan too.

We have received acceptances from all 6 candidates, and we plan to have an in-depth conversation with all the candidates, in front of as many potential voters as possible. We won't have rigid time limits for answers, and won't have every candidate answer every question. Instead, each candidate will be given the opportunity to answer the questions he or she is most interested in, and to have a roughly equal amount of time to talk.

We've prepared a handout to help explain the MoCo Board of Education election, and I'll attach a copy of that handout to this email.

Leisure World is a gated community, where you need an invitation to enter, so if anyone would like to attend this event they can contact me (Paul M. Bessel at besselpaulm@comcast.net ) and I'll be happy to invite you so long as we have enough room.

Leisure World Debate Info: Montgomery County Board of Education

DEBATE #2: OCT. 24 PROGRESSIVE NEIGHBORS EVENT - Progressive Neighbors is a grassroots group of Montgomery County liberals, and on Wednesday, October 24th, they too are hosting a school board candidates debate (details below):

Save the Date: School Board Candidates Forum - Wednesday, October 24

WHAT: Montgomery County Education Forum, Progressive Neighbors, Takoma Park Presbyterian Church, and the African-American Democratic Club of Montgomery County invite you to join us for a community forum to hear from and ask questions of candidates for the Montgomery County Board of Education.

WHEN: Wednesday, October 24, 2012, 6:45 to 9:00 pm

WHERE: Takoma Park Presbyterian Church, Assembly Hall –
310 Tulip Ave (at Maple Ave), Takoma Park, MD 20912*

WHO:
District 2: Rebecca Smondrowski, Fred Evans
District 4: Christopher Barclay, Annita Seckinger
At-Large: Phil Kauffman, Morris Panner
Moderators: Del. Bonnie Cullison, Sharon Dooley, Marva Deskins

Please forward this to friends, family, neighbors, listserves, and share it on Facebook.  For more information, please contact Terrill North at terrillnorth@hotmail.com.

*Ample street parking and walkable from Takoma Park Metro.

PHOTO ALBUM: White House Hispanic Summit in MoCo Draws Officials From Across MD // Ken Ulman, Rushern Baker & More

This past weekend, Montgomery County played host to a White House Hispanic Community Action Summit. Notably, the event took place the day after President Obama announced a halt to the the deportation of Dream Act students. Numerous Democratic officials from across the State participated in the discussion, including candidates for statewide office in 2014. Below, Maryland Juice re-prints a few photos from the event, along with an excerpt from a WTOP article about the event:

WTOP: ...The meeting, held at Montgomery Blair High School in Montgomery County, focused on the achievement gap, small business owners and the DREAM Act....

More than two dozen Obama administration officials, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, state senators and delegates, Montgomery County officials and Montgomery County school board members also attended the meeting to hear the voice of the community.

Nancy Navarro, the first Latino woman ever elected to the Montgomery County City Council, was one of the officials there to hear what the community had to say....

"This Administration has made incredible progress on a range of issues important to the Latino community, and recognizes that there is still very important work left to complete," Navarro said to the crowd.

View the full photo gallery on MoCo Councilmember Nancy Navarro's Facebook page:

MoCo Councilmember Nancy Navarro, PG Exec Rushern Baker, HoCo Exec Ken Ulman

Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown & MoCo Exec Ike Leggett

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, Councilmember Nancy Navarro, MoCo BOE President Shirley Brandman, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown

Rep. Chris Van Hollen & MoCo Councilmember Nancy Navarro

Audience at the White House Hispanic Summit at Blair High School, Silver Spring, MD

MoCo Councilmember Nancy Navarro & HoCo Exec Ken Ulman, MoCo BOE Member Chris Barclay at right