Prospecting in Clarksburg

Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 26, 2006

Maryland First Lady Kendel S. Ehrlich has taken an interest in the controversy over building violations in Clarksburg.

At the Ehrlichs' request, Amy Presley , a leader of the Clarksburg Town Center Advisory Committee, met the first lady Friday over coffee at the governor's mansion in Annapolis.

"She was intrigued about what was going on in Clarksburg," Presley said. "She talked to me about a lot of things."

But was Kendel Ehrlich just interested in Montgomery County's' planning woes? Or was she trying to persuade Presley, a Republican, to run for a local or state office?

"It was more along the lines of, 'What else do you want to do for Montgomery County?' " Presley recalled.

Presley, who has been mentioned as a possible GOP candidate for County Council, said she won't have an answer to that question until her group completes its mediation with the Clarksburg developers.

"Hopefully this will be wrapping up in a good way, and then I will consider whether there is something else I should or could do for the county," Presley said.

Pressing the Case for Payback

Speaking of Presley, the Clarksburg residents are stepping up their pressure to persuade the County Council to reimburse them for legal fees and out-of-pocket expenses.

Last week, the council put off a decision on whether up to a half-million in tax dollars should be used to reimburse the group for current and future legal bills as well as office supplies, cell phone bills, parking, mileage and the hiring of experts.

Earlier this week, more than a dozen residents wrote to council members backing Presley's argument that she and the other Clarksburg residents should be repaid because they exposed failings in government.

The lobbying strategy is likely to be more successful than Presley's initial attempt to win sympathy from the council.

The buzz in Rockville is that Presley wore a full-length mink coat when she showed up at a meeting with the council to discuss the issue. The coat turned off some council members, who questioned whether it was the best outfit to wear while pleading for tax dollars.

Presley counters that, even if she were wealthy -- which she says she isn't -- her income shouldn't be a factor in the debate.

"That would imply because you have money, you should spend your money for a service that the county should provide," said Presley.

Besides, she noted, the mink is a hand-me-down.

"It cost me nothing, unlike this fight."

And Then There Were Two . . .

The discussions between District 19 Dels. Adrienne A. Mandel and Carol S. Petzold, both Democrats, over who should run for the state Senate have broken off, and both plan to run for the seat.

For weeks, Mandel and Petzold have been trying to agree on which of them would be a better candidate to replace retiring Sen. Leonard H. Teitelbaum (D). District 19 includes parts of Aspen Hill, Colesville and Olney.

The discussions apparently got testy, with neither Mandel nor Petzold willing to concede much ground.

"Each one of us believes we can best serve the district," Mandel said.

Mandel, who was elected to the House in 1994, said she's running for Senate so she can better serve her constituents. Petzold, elected in 1986, counters that she has more experience.

The delegates will be running against John Mahoney , a lawyer and former chairman of the Maryland Young Democrats, and Mike Lenett , a lawyer and Democratic activist.

Mandel and Petzold's decisions to give up their House seats means Del. Henry B. Heller (D), who so far has remained neutral in the Senate race, will be the only incumbent delegate seeking reelection in District 19.

But Roger P. Manno , a Silver Spring lawyer, and Alec Stone , a consultant who lives in Kemp Mill, are already running to replace Mandel and Petzold.

. . . For a Four-Ring Circus

With four candidates vying for the Senate seat in District 19, the political theatrics appear to have begun.

Mike Jones , a Democratic candidate for County Council, said he got polled on the race over the weekend.

Jones, who is backing Mahoney, said a caller asked him if he had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Petzold and Mandel.

The caller, according to Jones, then asked if he would support a "Catholic, male, unknown candidate who is former president of the Young Democrats" -- an apparent reference to Mahoney.

Jones said the pollster asked him if he had an opinion on a "unknown Jewish man who is an attorney" -- an apparent reference to Lenett.

Jones was appalled.

"Maybe in 1960, when John F. Kennedy ran for president, it mattered if someone was Catholic, but in this day and age it shouldn't be a factor," Jones said.

Mandel, Mahoney and Petzold all said they didn't sponsor the poll. Lenett said he's conducting several different surveys but none that use "religious identifiers."

In GOP, Presidential Picks

Montgomery County Republicans are already looking ahead to the 2008 presidential race.

At the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee convention on Saturday, activists held a straw poll on their choices for president in 2008.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Virginia Sen. George Allen tied for first place, each receiving 38 votes. Former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani came in second with 31 votes. Arizona Sen. John McCain got 21 votes, while Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won 13 votes.

But some Montgomery Republicans apparently have Bush fatigue. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush received 10 votes, two fewer than Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

Challengers Lead in Money Race

Some Montgomery County state legislators are lagging behind their opponents in the race for dollars, according to campaign finance reports.

In District 39, which includes North Potomac, Germantown and Montgomery Village, challenger Saqib Ali has raised $63,000 for his campaign to be the Democratic nominee for the state House. That's twice as much as the three incumbents in the district have raised, combined, in the past year.

Del. Charles E. Barkley (D) raised $12,240 in 2005 and reports $27,530.78 in the bank. Del. Nancy J. King (D) took in $8,015 and has $8,985 in the bank. Del. Joan F. Stern raised $9,510, with $22,000 in the bank.

A separate account for the District 39 slate -- which consists of Barkley, King and Stern -- has a cash balance of $20,000.

But Ali, 30, a software engineer, says his fundraising is all the more impressive because he didn't start until September and doesn't accept money from political action committees.

Meanwhile, in District 17, which includes Rockville and Gaithersburg, Ryan Spiegel reports raising about $30,000 for his campaign for the Democratic nomination for the state House.

Spiegel, a lawyer, has about $5,000 more in the bank than one of his potential opponents, Del. Michael R. Gordon (D). The incumbents are barred from fundraising until the General Assembly session concludes in April.

Raskin, Backers Make It Official

Jamin "Jamie" Raskin , an American University law professor, has formally announced that he is challenging District 20 Sen. Ida G. Ruben in this year's Democratic primary.

Ruben has represented District 20, which includes parts of Silver Spring and Takoma Park, since 1987. But Raskin is widely expected to give Ruben her most serious challenge in years.

Even though Ruben, who represented District 20 in the House of Delegates between 1975 and 1987, has been a fixture in county politics for three decades, several longtime activists are lining up behind Raskin.

"I think the time has finally come when it's someone else's turn," said Dorothy Davidson , who has been active in county politics for four decades, including working tirelessly on behalf of Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D) in his past two races.

Former council member Esther Gelman and State's Attorney Douglas F. Gansler are also supporting Raskin.