Silverman Takes Aim at Phantom Foe

But even though Duncan is the hometown candidate, Leggett is mum on whom he plans to support.

"I am staying neutral at this time," said Leggett, a former chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party. "I am going to make some statement later on. I may endorse someone later on."

Leggett went on to call Duncan "a close friend." But some of Leggett's most loyal supporters are O'Malley backers because of Duncan's record on growth and development issues and his support of the proposed intercounty connector.

Silverman, however, is a fervent Duncan backer.

"I am at a loss to understand why Montgomery County officials and elected officials are not supporting Duncan," Silverman said in an interview.

Silverman even took a jab at O'Malley by equating him with former Democratic Gov. William Donald Schaefer, who some local officials say favored Baltimore over Montgomery in the distribution of state funds.

"We already had one governor from Baltimore City and it didn't work out for Montgomery County," Silverman said, referring to Schaefer, who is now the state comptroller. "We shouldn't make that same mistake twice. . . . We need a governor who understands our region's needs."

Lining Up to Challenge Knapp . . .

A Democratic challenger plans to take on council member Michael Knapp in next year's primary. The race could hinge on whether northern Montgomery County Democrats think Knapp (D-Upcounty) is ineffective and too conservative on some issues.

Sharon Dooley , a longtime Democratic activist from Olney, said she is preparing to challenge Knapp. Dooley is president of the District 14 Democratic Club and state Sen. Leonard H. Teitelbaum's campaign treasurer. She also runs her own health care consulting business and teaches at Montgomery College.

Dooley claims Knapp, who got his start in politics by working for former Republican Sen. Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico, has a poor record on issues of importance to progressive Democrats.

"I think I am much more of a Democrat than he is," Dooley said. "I've worked for Democratic issues all my life."

She expects health care to be a key theme. Last year, Knapp voted against a proposal to let county workers to import prescription drugs from Canada. The council approved the legislation, but it has yet to be implemented.