When Anne Arundel County had a conservative Republican as its county executive, business owners would explain their contributions to his campaign by saying they supported his pro-development philosophies.
But voters in November elected a moderate Democrat backed by unions and environmentalists. Some of the same business owners are now giving to the new executive, and a few no longer are claiming philosophical reasons.
Asked about their change of colors, some are candid: They write checks to buy access and influence policy.
Others say they give to both sides to avoid the "fate of De Francis."
Horse racing magnate Joseph A. De Francis donated at least $200,000 to Gov. Parris N. Glendening's opponent in November, only to see Ellen R. Sauerbrey lose and Glendening later push for legislation that might end De Francis' monopoly on racing in Maryland.
Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens says both motives for donating money are wrongheaded. She says she doesn't know or care who gives to her campaign and is open to meeting with developers who wrote checks only to the campaign of her opponent, John G. Gary.
"I have tried to spend a lot of time meeting with the business community because they were concerned that I was anti-growth, which I am not," Owens said. "I try to meet with absolutely everyone I can, even though this drives my staff crazy sometimes."
Veterans of Anne Arundel politics say the transition from Gary's Republican administration to Owens' Democratic one is a rare window through which one can watch a maxim of Maryland politics at work.
"There is an old expression: Get into politics or get out of business," said O. James Lighthizer, who was Arundel's Democratic county executive from 1982 to 1990 before becoming the state's secretary of transportation.
"Most companies that are regulated by government or do business with government tend to contribute to campaigns to gain the ear of the ultimate decision makers, who depend on contributions to win re-election," Lighthizer said.
The Owens campaign held a fund-raising cocktail party Nov. 20 at the south county farmhouse of Stuart Chaney, a cousin of Owens' campaign treasurer, William F. Chaney. About 320 people paid $200 each to attend.
One goal of the event was to help pay off the roughly $50,000 that Owens' husband, attorney David M. Sheehan, lent to the campaign, said Sheehan, who also was his wife's campaign manager.
The reception was a success, bringing in about $52,000, not including the $8,000 cost of putting on the event, Sheehan said.
Pub Date: 3/11/99