Howard County Democrats picked up three open seats in the state House of Delegates in yesterday's voting, evening the score after Republicans controlled the county delegation for the last four years.
The six House seats from Howard will be split between the two parties, posing the prospect of continued partisan wrangling. But Robert Flanagan, a Republican and Howard delegation chairman who was re-elected yesterday in District 14B, said he hoped the shift in power wouldn't mean hard times ahead for the delegation.
"I hope we can work together as a team," he said. "We will do a lot better for the county if we do."
Among the Democrats picking up House seats yesterday was Elizabeth Bobo, who was bounced from her Howard County executive's seat in 1990.
She defeated her GOP opponent, Charlie Scott, a 21-year-old college student, taking 59 percent of the vote in her House district, 12B.
In her acceptance speech, Ms. Bobo urged Democrats to stick to gether in the General Assembly and set realistic goals and a clear agenda before going to Annapolis.
Mr. Scott, a political unknown until he ran for office this year, said he was not surprised by his loss but was happy with the 40 percent of the vote he received.
Democratic County Councilwoman Shane Pendergrass also was sent to Annapolis, as was Democrat Frank Turner, a college professor. He ran neck and neck in the returns with Michael Grasso for the second open seat in House district 13A.
With all precincts reporting, Mr. Turner appeared to squeak in with 24 percent, over Mr. Grasso's 23 percent. But absentee ballots could affect the result.
Ms. Pendergrass took the most votes in that race, 27 percent.
The district race was among the most closely contested and bitterely fought among the four key house races in Howard County.
The GOP candidates, Mr. Grasso, a professor at the University of Maryland, and Kenneth Miller, an employee of an Elkridge
manufacturer, campaigned on the need for welfare reform and lower taxes.
Ms. Pendergrass said she was hopeful that Mr. Turner would win a seat because she held some bitterness toward Mr. Grasso for what she called "negative campaigning."
An Independent candidate in the race, Columbia lawyer Arthur Reynolds, took 9 percent of the vote.
In another hard-fought House race, two longtime GOP incumbents, Mr. Flanagan, a lawyer, and Robert H. Kittleman, an engineer, survived spirited challenges from Democrats in District The mostly rural district includes the west county and Ellicott City. The Republicans had sounded themes of fiscal conservatism in their campaigns and support for gubernatorial candidate Ellen Sauerbrey.
With 97 percent of the precincts reporting, Mr. Flanagan, took 32 percent and Mr. Kittleman took 31 percent. Their Democratic challengers, Andrew D. Levy, a lawyer, and Carolyn H. Willis, a former county administrator, each took 19 percent of the vote.
"There's no question that when you look at the numbers it's a brick through the window from the GOP," said Mr. Levy last night. "I don't think the results were a rejection of anything I stood for or said as it was just a part of the Republican wave we're seeing this year."
Mr. Levy, had been particularly harsh on the incumbents, charging they were lazy and ineffective legislators and that the county desperately needed Democrats to gain access to General Assembly power brokers.
In District 13B, which includes North Laurel and northern Prince George's County precincts, incumbent Republican John S. Morgan narrowly defeated Democrat John A. Jr. Giannetti, a businessman and law school graduate making his first bid for public office.
Mr. Morgan won with 51 percent of the vote; Mr. Giannetti received 49 percent. Neither candidate was available for comment last night.
Mr. Giannetti had characterized Mr. Morgan, an engineer first elected in 1990, as an aloof legislator out of touch with constituent needs.
Mr. Morgan had campaigned on his experience as a legislator and tailored his platform to appeal to his conservative district.
A fifth House race involving Howard County voters was the intense battle for District 12A's two seats. That district includes six Elkridge precincts, and the Catonsville and Arbutus areas of Baltimore County.
In that race Democrat Kenneth H. Masters, the House Majority Leader, lost the fight for his political life and placed fourth, tallying 22 percent of the vote.
Democrat newcomer James E. Malone Jr., a 37-year-old fire marshal, won a seat with 26 percent of the vote. He ran on the themes of change and constituent service.
Republican candidate Don Drehoff, 34, a department manager with MCI, whom GOP party leaders had expected to win, lost to Mr. Malone.
GOP candidate Donald E. Murphy, 34, a leasing agent for a business park near Security Square, won a seat with 27 percent of the vote. He had stumped hard on tougher sanctions for criminals and welfare reform.