Of the seven candidates vying for the three seats on the Carroll County Board of Commissioners, the three Republicans have the edge; the three Democrats are in an uphill battle but with a fighting chance; and the lone independent has the role of spoiler.
"It is not impossible for Democrats to win," said Donald R. Jansiewicz, professor of political science at Carroll Community College. "All they need to do is finish third."
Of the 76,197 registered voters in the county, there are 38,247 Republicans, 29,831 Democrats and 7,841 independents. Small parties account for the other 278.
Voters cross party lines. The party label has less meaning today and plays a less important role in American politics, Jansiewicz said.
However, the GOP is so strong and so well-financed in Carroll that some Democrats seeking local office found they can do better in the Republican Party.
Kenneth Tregoning, for example, lost to incumbent Sheriff John Brown four years ago when he ran as a Democrat. Tregoning joined the Republican Party and beat the two-term sheriff handily last month in the GOP primary.
Slow-growth activist Carolyn Fairbank of Sykesville, a Democrat for 23 years, forsook her party to run as an independent in the commissioner race, believing that gave her the best chance to win Nov. 3.
"I knew the Democrats would be expending most of their effort getting Ellen Willis Miller re-elected to the legislature," Fairbank said. "I could not change to the Republican Party. It would be hypocritical for me to run as a Republican."
Fairbank, who has built a reputation in South Carroll as an advocate of strong growth controls, could be a spoiler, said Jansiewicz, who feels she will siphon votes from Democrats.
"There are more independent voters than ever, but they may not vote for an independent candidate," said Jansiewicz.
GOP 'contractors'
The Republicans -- incumbent Donald I. Dell, Robin Bartlett Frazier, a former planning commission chairman, and Julia Walsh Gouge, former two-time commissioner -- are taking nothing for granted, despite their apparent advantage. They are campaigning hard, though not together.
"The Republicans are not running as a ticket and are acting more like independent contractors," said Jansiewicz. "They are all three more interested in their own victories than [in] winning together."
If Fairbank or the Democrats -- Union Bridge Mayor Perry L. Jones Jr., Roger Larry Mann of Westminster and former Sykesville Councilwoman Maxine Carole Wooleyhand -- are to win, they must attract Republican voters.
"There's always a chance for a Democrat to sneak in," said state Sen. Larry E. Haines of Westminster, leader of the county's General Assembly delegation.
Three Republicans have governed Carroll for the last four years, a term characterized by infighting and indecision, tax increases and the demands of a population of nearly 150,000 -- double the number of people who lived here 20 years ago.
"Four years ago, there was clearly a shift from rural population to a suburban one," said Jansiewicz. "There was a clear denial of that from officials who were, in a sense, fighting the last war. The commissioners were not thinking about how to control rapidly developing suburb and guide it into the future."
Vulnerable incumbent
Dell might be the most vulnerable of the Republican candidates, because he has a record to defend, said Jansiewicz, adding, "The others don't have to defend any actions of the commissioners."
The record includes increases in both the piggyback and property taxes, among the highest in the metropolitan area. Schools are surrounded by portable classrooms in most of the county, and residents are clamoring for more police and fire protection and costly road improvements that the commissioners have not delivered.
If campaign donations help, the Republican candidates have another advantage. During the reporting period that ended Aug. 30, the three GOP candidates raised $30,548 for their campaigns, despite competing for dollars with 10 other Republican county commissioner candidates.
Frazier, a newcomer to campaigning, amassed nearly $14,000, the most of any candidate. "It is very unusual for a newcomer," Jansiewicz said. "One does not randomly end up in great shape."
Frazier has won the endorsements of Haines and Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett, a Republican.
"Robin is like a granddaughter to me," Bartlett said before the September GOP primary. "She is a good conservative, helps people and is very knowledgeable about county issues. How could I not support such a wonderful person?"
Haines said he usually does not "come out early and support one candidate [before the GOP primary], but Robin is a person of integrity, an individual of high moral principle. She is very, very close to local government."
Frazier joined the Republicans as a teen-ager and has been paying her dues to the party ever since. During the last 20 years, she has helped elect other Republicans, and it appears they are repaying those debts. She has raised more money than any commissioner candidate, mostly with what she calls "friend raisers" -- breakfasts or teas attended by people who make contributions of about $5 each.
Gouge raised about $5,500, the least of any of the Republican nominees, and won the most votes in the primary, capturing 37 of 42 precincts. Dell, seeking a third term, has about $11,000 in campaign funds.
Democratic funds
The three Democrats raised a total of $5,870. Randy M. Reese of Hampstead, a fourth Democrat in the primary, did not raise or spend any funds. Fairbank raised $1,085 for her campaign, which she did not open until after the primary.
Democrats would have "a slim chance, one-on-one," Haines said, but they might do better in an election in which multiple seats can be won.
"If the Democrats get behind only one candidate, they have a chance of winning," said Haines, who is running unopposed for a third term.
But Jansiewicz said voters do not seem to be gravitating to any Democrat. Jones, a lifelong county resident, has name recognition. He served as a Union Bridge councilman for 11 years and is in his second mayoral term. Viewed as a conservative Democrat, Jones is also popular with Republicans.
"Perry's a good man," says Woodbine resident Edward Primoff, a member of the finance committee for GOP gubernatorial candidate Ellen Sauerbrey.
Though Primoff said he supports the three Republicans equally, he added, "It's unfortunate that there are not four vacancies on the Board of County Commissioners so that Perry might fill one of them."
Democrats Mann and Wooleyhand are seen as energetic campaigners but lack Jones' name recognition. Mann's father was a two-term county commissioner, beginning in 1978.
"Public memory only goes back so far," said Jansiewicz. "In Carroll County, where a lot of people are just moving here, memory only goes back a few years."
Philip R. Miller, chairman of the Democratic Central Committee, hopes that the Mann legacy will aid the party.
"He's certainly very capable and is attracting a growing following," Miller said.
Wooleyhand, making her second try for County Commissioner, is well-known in Sykesville, where she served on the Town Council and campaigned unsuccessfully for mayor. "She has done a lot of volunteer work and has made her mark," Miller said.
Nominees with deep roots
Dell and Gouge have the deepest roots. A seventh-generation county resident, Gouge might be the best-known candidate. Her political career includes two terms as county commissioner and service in Hampstead as mayor and councilwoman. In 1994, she ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor with GOP gubernatorial candidate William S. Shepard. She also was host of a weekly interview show on the local cable network.
"She's got a great deal of experience," said supporter Jerry Barnes, Carroll state's attorney. "I had occasion to work with her long before I became state's attorney and became aware of her approach to problems. I was very impressed."
Dell received the scare of his political life last month, when he was nearly upset in the primary. After absentee ballots were counted, he won by 14 votes. For many of his supporters, it was a wake-up call. Dell admits to being a poor campaigner, but his supporters are vowing it won't happen again in the general election.
"I would hate to see all three commissioners dumped at the same time," said Romeo Valianti, who has known Dell since their Westminster High School days more than 50 years ago. "We need continuity. Voters would be better with Dell than any of the other candidates."
To those who criticize Dell, who eight years ago ran a "Keep It Country" campaign, Valianti says, "He did keep it country. He protected the environment and the farms. But nobody can stop progress."
Pub Date: 10/18/98