With slightly more than a week to go before the July 1 filing deadline, Carroll Commissioner Donald I. Dell has not announced whether he will seek a fourth term.
His silence has prompted buzzing in county political circles for the past month, with candidates, Republican Party donors and other interested observers speculating about his intentions. Through it all, the one person who has seemed most nonchalant about the absence of an announcement is Dell himself.
Asked Thursday whether he is any closer to a decision, a smiling Dell replied, "Yes, I'm closer." When asked whether he is enjoying the attention paid to his pending decision, he said, "Oh, I don't spend any time thinking about that." Again, he grinned.
Dell, who would be 81 at the end of another four-year term, has never waited so long to announce his candidacy. "I've just been so darned busy, I haven't had time to get everything together," he explained.
Many have speculated that because of his age and the fact that he won the third spot in the 1998 Republican primary by a mere 35 votes, Dell might not venture another run. His delay seems unusual for an incumbent, said Donald Jansiewicz, a retired political scientist who taught at Carroll Community College and a longtime observer of county politics.
Delaying an announcement can be a tactic to attract attention, Jansiewicz said, but as an incumbent, Dell shouldn't need such a boost, and thus his waiting smacks of indecision.
"If one is an incumbent and one is confident, then filing is just a matter of course," Jansiewicz said. "[Dell] hasn't encountered a lot of encouragement, people saying, 'We really want more years out of you,' and therefore, you have to wonder if his delaying means that he's not going to file at all."
On the other hand, Dell has always maintained that he enjoys the day-to-day work of running the county.
During his 12 years as a commissioner, he rarely has backed down from public confrontation, flinging barbs at his critics as readily as they have attacked him. During his current term, Dell has supported construction of a water treatment plant at Piney Run Park over objections from South Carroll residents who say the plant would ruin the popular recreational spot. His stubbornness on the issue and abrupt dismissals of critics have earned him enemies who stand ready to work against him this election season.
Dell, a former dairy farmer, seems to thrive on such confrontations. And given his generally upbeat demeanor during the past few months and his regular presence at meet-and-greet community events, many observers say they expect to see him enter the race.
"I remain convinced that Mr. Dell will be a candidate," said Democratic commissioner candidate Neil Ridgely of Finksburg. "He is attending every breakfast and dinner meeting going."
This year's Republican primary promises fierce competition, with the other two incumbents, Julia Walsh Gouge and Robin Bartlett Frazier, Planning Commission member David L. Brauning, Union Bridge Mayor Perry L. Jones Jr., and two other candidates, Dean Minnich and Henry G. Griese IV, in the mix.
"We're in a bit of a no-lose situation," said Robert M. Wolfing, chairman of the county's Republican Central Committee. "In Carroll County, we have the luxury of contested primaries, and if one of the incumbents should either lose or decide not to run, we have an ample supply of good, quality people to fill in."
Republicans currently hold every office elected by a countywide vote.
Wolfing said he is neither concerned nor surprised that Dell hasn't announced. "He's been a commissioner for 12 years, and he's not a young man, so he has to decide if he really wants to dedicate another four years to this job," Wolfing said. "It would be a rough election for him, and I know that there's a lot to weigh in both his mind and the minds of his family."
If Dell could make it past the Sept. 10 primary, he would face tough questioning of his record, especially his support for the Piney Run plant, in the weeks before the general election Nov. 5.
Ridgely, for example, said he would like to run against a conservative slate, including Dell, because it would allow him to highlight the failures of Republican policies in the county.
Some who have supported Dell in the past say privately that they don't want to watch him suffer through such attacks.
But the man himself seems content to let his allies and potential opponents spin their wheels as he mulls over his future. When it was pointed out to him Thursday that no one seems sure what he'll do, he said, "Now that really is the truth."