Monogrammed custom shirts, Lincoln Town Cars -- and now flip-flop shower sandals.
They're important symbols in Baltimore County politics as the race for county executive enters its final weeks.
Democrat Charles A. Dutch Ruppersberger III is using the "flip-flops" to attack Republican incumbent Roger B. Hayden, just as Mr. Hayden's troops used the fancy shirts and car to attack the man he defeated in 1990, Dennis F. Rasmussen.
Mr. Ruppersberger waved a pair of the sandals over his head to the cheers of hundreds at his October fund-raiser. There he accused Mr. Hayden of changing positions on such diverse matters as his political party and campaign promises not to close senior centers or lay off county workers.
Mr. Hayden, 49, was a lifelong Democrat until he switched parties to run for executive in 1990. He also laid off hundreds of county workers, closed senior centers and shut down libraries in 1993 after two years of recession and state aid cuts depleted the county treasury by $90 million.
Mr. Hayden and his supporters insist he did well under tremendous pressure that no one could have foreseen. Former County Executive Dale Anderson, a Democrat, praised Mr. Hayden, arguing that he kept his main promise to the voters by cutting the payroll and reducing spending increases -- regardless of political consequences.
Management issues aside, Mr. Ruppersberger is attacking Mr. Hayden's vision and ability to lead an urbanizing county of 700,000 through tough economic times and growing social problems.
Unlike Mr. Rasmussen, who virtually ignored his critics, Mr. Hayden has counterattacked, charging Mr. Ruppersberger with being a do-nothing, rubber-stamp councilman and a big-spending Democrat in disguise.
"I feel good," Mr. Hayden said at a small fund-raiser at a Towson restaurant Oct. 17. "I have a comfortable feeling that we're going to win. We've done our homework. You give your best answers . . . and move forward from there."
A Republican candidate for executive would expect to get help from a Republican gubernatorial candidate from the same county. But Mr. Hayden was an early ally of U.S. Rep. Helen Delich Bentley, who lost to north county Del. Ellen R. Sauerbrey in the GOP primary.
Mr. Hayden was left "backing the wrong horse," in Mrs. Sauerbrey's words, and he has not moved to ally himself with her campaign.
Although he now lives in Baldwin, the incumbent has his roots in the county's blue-collar Eastside. He grew up in Edgemere and graduated from Sparrows Point High School.
In 22 years at Eastern Stainless Steel, he worked his way up from mail boy to the top management ranks before moving on to George's Transfer, a northern county trucking firm, in 1986. He served 12 years on the county school board, including seven as chairman. But he never sought elective office until he switched parties and launched what most thought was a long shot bid for county executive in 1990.
Mr. Ruppersberger, 48, grew up in North Baltimore and was a high school athlete at City College before his family moved to Timonium. He spent summers as an Ocean City lifeguard and seasonal police officer while earning a law degree from the University of Baltimore.
He worked as a county prosecutor for nine years until 1983. Two years later, he was appointed to fill a vacancy on the council and has been elected to the seat twice.
The challenger is confident, and by many traditional measures -- endorsements, television ads and organization -- he seems to be ahead.
"We're really doing just what we did in the primary," he said, referring to his easy victory over three opponents. "All we're doing is talking about his record. . . . Roger came out negative -- he started negative."
Mr. Hayden has raised more money than his Democratic challenger over the past four years, but he's spent much of that $700,000 on routine things such as campaign office rentals and salaries that past incumbents have charged to the county.
His television ads are scheduled to hit the air today, but he's looking for money to buy more time. The same goes for Mr. Ruppersberger, who raised more than $550,000 but recently sent out an appeal for $50,000 to buy last-minute ads.
Whoever wins, the results are expected to be much closer than in 1990, when Mr. Rasmussen outspent Mr. Hayden by a 10-to-1 margin but lost by more than 46,000 votes in a wave of anti-incumbent sentiment that swept the county.
There are several important differences this time around.
* The taxpayer anger of 1990, sparked by large state property assessment increases, is missing this year. Many voters seem apathetic about the race. Given Democrats' 2 1/2 -to-1 voter registration edge, that could work for Mr. Ruppersberger.
* Mr. Hayden has a record to defend. In 1990, he was an unknown and won an easy upset victory on a wave of anti-Rasmussen sentiment.
* Mr. Ruppersberger benefited from the exposure from a lively four-way Democratic primary, while Mr. Hayden faced only token opposition.
* Angry about layoffs, cutbacks and flat pay, county workers, their families and their unions are behind Mr. Ruppersberger. Last time, many backed Mr. Hayden.
* Mr. Ruppersberger is a centrist Democrat and has strong ties to Republicans from his north county district -- including Mrs. Sauerbrey. He has a "Republicans for Ruppersberger" group in his corner, led by seasoned GOP business leaders.
The Democrat also has been endorsed by state Sen. American Joe Miedusiewski, popular with conservative Democrats in the county's eastern and southwestern precincts.
Still, Mr. Hayden retains popularity in those areas, too. Dundalk Democrat Donald C. Mason, who is retiring from the County Council, supports the executive and made a television ad for him.
Despite bickering over the years, most of the north county anti-tax advocates who backed him four years ago still support the executive. They include Harold Lloyd, head of Property Taxpayers United, and his Ruxton ally, John D. O'Neill of the Maryland Taxpayers Association.
"Dutch is not a fiscal conservative," Mr. O'Neill said.
One exception among the anti-tax crowd is David Boyd, a retired Towson State University professor who started the 1990 tax protest but has left the movement. "I like Ruppersberger," he said. "I made a mistake backing Roger Hayden."
Mr. Ruppersberger has some critics in his home north county, including Dr. Richard McQuaid, a retired chemist and community activist who has campaigned against new development and the loss of farmland.
"I am not very thrilled with him [Mr. Ruppersberger] being county executive," Mr. McQuaid said, charging that the councilman has become too accommodating to developers.
Now, as in 1990, the main issue is the incumbent's performance in office. But Mr. Ruppersberger and his backers have gone beyond that to talk about Mr. Hayden's overall ability to lead the county.
"He's a crisis manager . . . not a chief executive officer. He's middle management. He hasn't looked at the long-term consequences" of his cuts, said Gerard R. Patnode Jr., a leader of the Republicans for Ruppersberger group who ran for the House of Delegates in 1982.
"The ability to take a vision and turn it into reality is a very special skill," he added.
But Michael J. McCarthy, president of Riparius Corp., a large real estate development, construction and engineering firm, said Mr. Hayden has what it takes. "I think absolutely the guy is CEO material," he said, citing Mr. Hayden's courage in restructuring county government to position it for a leaner future.
The fact that Mr. Hayden was willing to endure politically damaging layoffs only reinforces the image of courage, Mr. McCarthy said. "He was setting up a long-term vision of government . . . for 10 to 20 years. That's really his vision and his courage," he said.