Montgomery County was home to some old-fashioned ward politics last week when Potomac residents turned to their Democratic precinct official to vent about rising property tax assessments.
Once a staple of big-city politics, Democratic precinct officials used to be the glue that held some neighborhoods together, serving as a clearinghouse for residents concerned about everything from trash collection to summer jobs for their children.
In more recent decades, as machine-driven, patronage filled political organizations fell by the wayside, Democratic committee people's jobs have turned more routine -- registering voters and trying to turn out the vote on Election Day.
But in a sign that Montgomery County's Democratic Party remains strong, Daphne Bloomberg appears to represent the old-style precinct official.
After her neighbors in the Bedshire and Claggett Farm sections of Potomac got their assessments, which in some cases doubled, more than a dozen residents phoned Bloomberg.
"They were saying, 'Daphne, can you find out about this,' " Bloomberg recalls. "They know I know the council members and the delegation."
Bloomberg, whose assessment increased 50 percent, passed on the residents' concern to County Council member Steven A. Silverman (D-At Large).
Bloomberg, an elector who cast her vote last month for Sen. John F. Kerry in the presidential contest, said she is merely living up to the standards established by Karen Britto, chairman of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee.
Britto, Bloomberg said, has stressed that precinct officials need to be accessible to their constituents to help build the party up from the grass-roots level.
"She is really concentrating on organization," Bloomberg said. "When you have a party organization such as we do in Montgomery County, people know they can turn to me to reach the next level."
Bloomberg's efforts appear to be paying off for Democrats. In the November election, 73 percent of her precinct turned out to vote, and they supported Kerry by a ratio of 2 to 1.
One Stop for Health Services
County officials have established a one-stop information and referral line for residents who need help from the county's Department of Health and Human Services.
In an announcement Tuesday, County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D) said the number will ensure "information about heath and human services is easy to find."
The county offers 124 social service programs at 19 locations.
