good intentions, bad spelling: valerie ervin, takoma park and the ICC

A hastily erected street sign for a new development of two-million-dollar houses on Noorwood - ahem, Norwood Road in Cloverly.

When's a good time to admit a mistake? Ideally, it should be before anything's put in the ground, like this misspelled street sign near Blake High School. For the controversial InterCounty Connector, the call was raised with little time to spare.

Two weeks before the controversial InterCounty Connector was scheduled to begin construction, the State Highway Administration finds itself in court this week defending the project against accusations that they didn't consider the environmental damage it would cause. This is just a week after the Montgomery County Council demanded more precautions for water quality and public health - and a month after the Prince George's Council rejected the road altogether.

For some opponents of the highway, which would connect Gaithersburg and Laurel, the lawsuit and increased political scrutiny might be enough to kill the project once again - if not an effective stalling tactic. In Takoma Park, the ICC has become a symbol of what some Parkies regard as another mistake: electing Valerie Ervin to County Councilwoman.

so much more AFTER THE JUMP . . .

A bill for dim sum at Oriental East in the Blair Park Shops in Sliver - I mean, Silver Spring.

The Takoma Voice's aptly-named Granola Park blog laments that Councilwoman Ervin's unwillingness to take a stand on the ICC destroys her "progressive" cred in a community made famous for its liberal politics. But Ervin, who represents Takoma Park and Silver Spring below Randolph Road (well south of the ICC), expressed her full support for the road in a JUTP interview last March.

"We could be finding a cure for cancer if we're able to connect FDA to Johns Hopkins to biotech corridors in Shady Grove," Ervin said. An exaggeration, yes, but at the least a genuine response. Nonetheless, it was her suggestions of a moratorium in the Downcounty that won over Takoma Park voters during election season last summer.

Takoma Park is, after all, where three years ago a Subway sandwich shop and other chain stores was vandalized with anarchist slogans. While that's a very extreme form of the community's political slant, Takoma Park's more general intolerance to growth - and anyone who espouses it - comes through in its activists' writings.

"I want her [Ervin] to be on our side," insists betrayed Parkie activist Keith Berner, the subject of the Granola Park post. Berner also urges that Ervin "join the 'good guys'" opposed to the InterCounty Connector. That "us versus them" mentality is divisive. Valerie Ervin's campaign last year took advantage of it to get elected in Takoma Park - and her new constituents may use it to have their promises kept.

Takoma Park's "quirky" character - vintage shops and a thriving artist community - is largely powered by an affluent consumer base who can afford these goods (and willingly pay the taxes that support government subsidies - like the city's rent controls). Will Takoma Park residents recognize that and not penalize its elected officials for trying to support economic growth (and whatever drives it) - or will the "quirky" politics that made "Parkie" a dirty word prevail?

Special thanks to guest blogger Adam Pagnucco for catching the Granola Park post. Read more!

drew powell: forget the brakes, look for balance in growth

Part THREE of our series on activist Drew Powell and Silver Spring marketing director Susan Hoffmann, both running for mayor of Rockville. read part ONE | read part TWO

Now that Drew Powell - former head of the Neighbors for a Better Montgomery - has thrown his hat into the Rockville mayor's race, he's facing a level of scrutiny he escaped as an advocate of slow growth at a time when most figured Montgomery County was headed that way already.

Over stuffed sandwiches at Potbelly a few weeks ago, Powell explained to me how NeighborsPAC works - and what he really thinks about Big Development.

For nearly a year, Just Up The Pike's been talking about "Where Are The Brakes?," a thirteen-page manifesto drafted by Powell's fellow Neighbor Jim Humphreys. First written after the 2002 County elections, "Where Are The Brakes?" encourages a level of distrust between citizens and the development community.

"Be careful not to tip your whole hand," when talking with developers, the pamphlet warns. "Developers will try to pump you for any negative reaction to their projects so that they can prepare responses to your concerns for inclusion in their plan presentations."

much, much more AFTER THE JUMP . . .


pictured: a new subdivision off of Musgrove Road in Calverton.
Other passages are even harsher:

"Beware the wolf in sheep's clothing! There is evidence that neighborhood associations in several areas of the county have been co-opted by development interests."

Powell tries to explain the reasoning behind the wariness towards the business community. "Jim Humphreys is my friend, but I don't agree with everything he says," states Powell. "He wrote 'Where Are The Brakes?' . . . you have to understand the context under which that document was written."

A look at NeighborsPAC's website reveals a special page devoted to "Where's The Land?," a presentation done by local land-use firm Rodgers Consulting for developers at the International Builders Show in Las Vegas three years ago.

Nothing more than a crude PowerPoint that encourages developers to - among other things - utilize "creative design" and "context-sensitive infill" as tools for getting projects approved. Its main points include "respect and understand your neighbors' issues" and insists that "trust and credibility are everything."

As examples of quality development, it holds up Rodgers' own Wyndcrest and Bancroft, two communities in Ashton that residents have declared the standard for all new construction. While these don't sound like the tactics of a greedy developer, comments towards the end of the Rodgers presentation had the Neighbors' red flags up. "Control elections," the presentation says.

"Build coalitions. Use [candidate forums] as an opportunity to get across YOUR agenda. This is your bottom line: you need X of Y votes."

"It's not a level playing field," Powell laments. "These big attorneys are getting paid $500-700 an hour by developers to further their interests . . . Jim Humphreys isn't getting paid. He's doing this at the expense of every other thing in his life."

Powell pauses. "I can't say this strongly enough," he says. "I do not have anything against developers," Powell insists. "If I were a developer, I'd be trying to maximize my profits any way I could. My issue is with the elected officials who choose to take more than half their contributions from one industry. In this case, our industry is development."

The Rodgers presentation was a turning point in the mission of NeighborsPAC, transforming it from little more than a citizens' group to a full-fledged army waging war against the sea of "overdevelopment."

"We do have bridges and roads that are crumbling," Powell says. "There's infrastructure that needs to be replaced . . . taxpayers pay for all this crumbling infrastructure. In addition to those costs, we don't need to subsidize infrastructure for new construction."

"As much as I care about the people who will come," he continues, "I care more about the people who are already here. That's my first priority."

And for Powell, the work of companies like Rodgers Consulting only puts a harder strain on the people who are already here.

"The 'who pays' part is the key," Powell says, "if neighbors have to hold the bag for development. The average infrastructure (roads, sewers, schools) cost for a new house is $36,000, but the impact fees a developer is required to pay for it is only $7,000. While next year's Annual Growth Policy - to be decided this fall - could dramatically increase those fees, a gap in funding would still remain - and it would go to taxpayers.

pictured: various stages of the Rockville Town Center.

As mayor of Rockville, Drew Powell would be forced to tackle the "who pays?" issue in a big way as the ongoing Town Center redevelopment threatens to drain the city's funds. In our previous post about Powell, he explains how city residents are being taxed for everything in the new Town Square.

"We have to be careful as we move ahead," he says. "Development has to be supported by current or budgeted infrastructure."

The key to Rockville's success, he says, is to encourage some new growth while keeping what makes the city so great. "I'd like to preserve Rockville's hometown character while moving it ahead," he explains. "I don't think the citizens of Rockville want to live in Bethesda."

That statement seems to sum up Powell's ideal for citizen input: that an elected official should respect what his constituents don't want in their community. (Whether Rockville doesn't want to become Bethesda JUTP will not try to figure out.)

"I think everybody's a NIMBY," Powell says as we stand before the new Rockville Town Square - the Bethesdafication, if you will, of Rockville. "Everyone's against something in their neighborhood. And everyone has the right to weigh in on what they feel is appropriate in their neighborhood. That's the issue . . . is trying to achieve a balance."

top photo courtesy of Drew Powell; all other photos taken by Dan Reed. Read more!

let the gloating begin

I just called Governor Ehrlich's office. (The number is 410-974-3901.) "Governor Ehrlich's office," the woman on the other end said. "How may I help you?" "I doubt I can speak to the governor," I said, "but can you give him this message for me?" "Sure," the woman responds.

"I am so goddamned happy he lost the election. Let me tell you -"

"Thank you," the woman said. Then she hung up. Read more!

just up the pike turns 100!

And what better way to ring in the hundredth post than with these spectacular election day results! It feels like Christmas!

While the election has not been settled nationally (thanks a lot, Virginia and Montana), here in Maryland, the people have spoken, and Bob Ehrlich and Michael Steele are back out on the street.

Ehrlich has done enough damage over the past four years. He dismantled Glendening's Office of Smart Growth; he ignored our state's transportation priorities and forced the approval of a two-billion-dollar highway; and he disrespected the people of a state whose beliefs are not in line with his.

Steele didn't do anything in office, but this election season he disrespected minorities, trying to swindle them into voting for him and assuming a cute puppy could cause us to ignore his conservative ideology and connections to President Bush. This man is little more than a false front, and now everyone can see it.

It's time for Maryland to pick up where it left off with Glendening and continue its tradition of progressive government. We've strayed too far from our goals over the past four years. Read more!

all is right with the world

Reading the election returns on the Post's website I feel a surge of hope the likes of which I haven't felt in a while. I was too young in 2000; my friends and I all wanted Bush because our parents told us Bill Clinton did a "bad thing" and Gore was no better. In 2002, I took National, State and Local Government, and our teacher encouraged us to get involved and, on election night, my heart sunk as I saw Bob Ehrlich's victory celebration. In 2004, I was too demoralized to get involved in my high school's Young Democrats after I saw Howard Dean's disastrous speech on CNN; when Bush won a second term I succumbed to the realization that he was, in fact, Our President.

But tonight is different. I am listening to O'Malley's March, and I am hopeful. Perhaps we will get Maryland back on track soon. Read more!

the election takes a new turn . . .

Voting at Galway was fast and orderly. In the voting booth, I looked at this list of names for County Executive - Chuck Floyd, Ike Leggett, Robin Ficker - and I was unimpressed.

I knew my mother was voting for Ficker. Earlier today, she told me that Robin Ficker had represented my step-dad about fifteen years ago. I was pretty amused, but still unsure.

I clicked "Write-In" and typed: D-A-N-space-R-E-E-D. I know it's late in the game, but I am announcing my entry into the race for Montgomery County Executive. Read more!

falling on deaf ears . . .

This is my reason for voting:

"Is there anything important happening in the world today?" my roommate asked as I clicked through the Post's website just now.

"Well, it's Election Day," I said.

He smirked. "Other than that. Besides, it's only the midterm election."

"It's a very important election."

"If you say so," he muttered.

"It's a very important election," I repeated. "We're voting for Congressmen and Senators. If the House and Senate are taken over by the Democrats, Bush could have a very hard time the next two years." He was still unimpressed. "And we're voting for Governor, too."

My roommate simply shook his head. "There's a lot more to it," he said, explaining how "fucked-up" the system was, how the incumbents always win, and how even if someone new is elected, he "usually doesn't do anything different than the last guy."

When he left, I shook my head. There are too many presumably intelligent people who fall back on that defeatist bullshit whenever asked about voting. How can you tell if this system is messed up if you've never taken part in it?

UPDATE: I was surprised to hear my roommate went out and voted this morning. "You can't complain if you don't vote," he said.

My bad. I guess the electorate - or at least, the electorate in my room - deserves more credit than I'm willing to give. Read more!

it's election day!

The U-Md. campus is littered with "Vote!" signs, though the school newspaper is noting that there will be a record low turnout at the polling place in the Stamp Union. I plan to vote myself this afternoon - back home, at old Galway Elementary School.

My favorite campaign sign "ensemble" is at the corner of Cherry Hill Road and Route 1 in College Park, in front of the IHOP. There's a big Ben Cardin sign in the ground. Stuck to the front of it are several Michael Steele signs. And, stuck on top of one Steele sign is a Robin Ficker/Property Tax Relief sign.

Nevermind that this is Prince George's County . . . oh, well.

I will tell you what I told all of my friends today: "Go vote for all the right people!" Read more!

ike leggett has a big house

Will Montgomery County get an Executive Mansion, such as this Burtonsville home that Just Up The Pike presumes may belong to one Isiah "Ike" Leggett?

As part of the Post's continuing series on Ike Leggett (titled Ike Leggett Is Ridiculously Nice; He Is Also Black), readers yesterday were treated by a look at Leggett's personal life, including his mini-manse "just off Columbia Pike and a tennis ball's throw from Howard County":

. . . the house has a seldom-seen feel. Boxes in the kitchen wait to be taken to the trash; a couple of tropical plants in the living room yellow with neglect.

Despite all that, it certainly beats the hell out of Doug Duncan's hovel (well, relative hovel) in Rockville.

I only wish we had all these creepy aerial-photo websites four years ago. It would've saved me a lot of frustration . . . Read more!

at least chevy chase is closer than . . .

Grosvenor-Strathmore, where Steele held a Purple Line press conference earlier the other day:

"This is where they told me to come . . . I'm not trying to draw any distinction between inner and outer. I'm focused on the Purple Line." - Michael Steele on a failed Purple Line media event

Doesn't anyone know where the Purple Line goes? Anyone running for elected office, at least?

UPDATE: Video! (thanks to MoCoPolitics for the heads-up.) You can see the B.S. falling from Steele's mouth as he's grilled by the press . . .

Read more!

like chevy chase would let that happen

[Ben Cardin] appeared surprised during the exchange on NewsChannel 8 when Steele quizzed him about the start and end points of Metro's proposed Purple Line . . . Cardin started to answer, sputtering, incorrectly, "Chevy Chase" before stopping abruptly and snapping, "I'm not going to answer your question."

Up until now, Cardin's been running a good campaign . . . is he really letting the people who nearly killed the Purple Line trample him like this?

You've got some serious explaining to do, Benny boy. You can't just barnstorm through College Park and then refuse to admit you haven't figured out where the Purple Line is going to go. Read more!

say it isn't so, WaPo!

Democrat Martin O'Malley, is a smart, adroit politician who has compiled a creditable record as mayor of Baltimore for the past seven years . . . Our choice is Mr. Ehrlich.

You're kidding me, right? I just assumed all your Republican endorsements were flukes . . . what happened to the Liberal Media!? Read more!

does this make leggett a republican?

pictured: Maple Lawn, a new development in Howard County.

Last night, I had a dream about Ike Leggett, and he blew me off again. But should I be surprised? I mean, he must know what I think of him.

The Post has definitely sided with the slow-growth crowd this election year. They're endorsing the Republican candidates for County Executive in both Howard and Anne Arundel counties which, notably, do have more conservative politics than Montgomery. However, their defense for Christopher Merdon of Howard and John Leopold from Anne Arundel should sound pretty familiar:

The two candidates for [Anne Arundel] county executive promise to avoid the mistakes that resulted in a sprawl of development that has overtaxed roads and schools and made many residents resentful . . .

[Mr. Merdon] recognizes that past battles over growth, including a rezoning that he opposed, has made residents distrustful of government . . .

And here's what the Post said about old Ike:

[Ike Leggett] is the right choice for a county facing a demographic makeover, the prospect of tightening budgets and the strain of impassioned debates over growth, development and traffic . . .

I don't know too much about the political situation in Howard County, but it sounds a lot like Montgomery County's, except they don't have a Clarksburg. Which is a shame, because it didn't give them a reason to go on a NIMBY rampage like we have. Read more!

it's the thought that counts

A NOTE FROM DAN:I like to make sure the long pieces I write are as good as possible, so I took down the Fairland View piece from Tuesday because I didn't feel comfortable with it. Look out for a more coherent form of it later on.

" . . . there's a discrepancy between where these people believe growth should occur and where the trends and projections are expected." - Jason K. Sartori, Consultant

No matter how many groundbreakings Bobby Haircut has for the ICC, the tide may be turning on suburban, auto-oriented development in Maryland. The Post reports on Reality Check Plus, a series of "envisioning sessions" over the summer where a cross-section of "business, civic and elected leaders" throughout the state were given the task of deciding where new growth should take place.

And despite the attitudes of a few cranky stay-at-home parents and a possible NIMBY County Executive, it turns out that Marylanders, or at least the ones who participated in both the statewide and the Washington-area version of Reality Check, support sustainable, denser development near transit and existing job centers.

It is a contrast, though, to the slow-growth 'mandate' MoCo voters supposedly sent last month. So do people want smart growth or not? I mean, people like Bethesda Row (pictured). But, of course, talk about building another Bethesda Row somewhere else and you'll hear "overdevelopment!" and "traffic!"

Either way, it's the thought that counts. Thanks, Maryland, for having the right idea. Read more!

how many groundbreakings does it take . . .

for Ehrlich to make a point?

"We’ll look forward to three or four more [groundbreakings] before Nov. 7." - Rick Abbruzzese, spokesman for Martin O'Malley

pictured: the ICC at Route 29. Read more!

ike leggett is black (did you know?)

Now that the primary elections have been neatly wrapped up and are now behind us, the Post wanted to remind Montgomery County Democrats that we just nominated a black guy, also known as Ike Leggett, for County Executive. In addition, they wanted to congratulate us for not paying attention to race when we went to the polls because, obviously, we're still the all-white bedroom community we were in the 1950's and it really is a wonder we could muster up support for a black candidate.

I'm not saying racism doesn't exist in Montgomery County. Racist graffiti has appeared on buildings from Poolesville to Burtonsville to the tony Kentlands. As a person of half-Black and half-Indian descent, I've encountered racism in a much subtler form in Montgomery County. It's difficult to escape prejudice, but I would like to think that in a community as diverse as ours - "44.5 percent minority," as the Post says - there is no need to congratulate ourselves for putting people of color in leadership positions.

Race was never an issue in this election. (NeighborsPAC was too busy distracting voters with the "evils of developers.") Why, then, does the Post have to make it one? They've already been doing it with the Senate elections, as MoCo Politics has pointed out. Although I have serious problems with Ike Leggett's policy, I still consider him to be an experienced politician and, according to the people of Montgomery County, he is the best man for the job.

Pity votes don't belong in the County government. We understand that. Why doesn't anyone else? Read more!

the green line and developer green

Pictured: State Sen. Giannetti's proposal for extending the Green Line to BWI.

It's a couple of days old, but according to the Post, developers who throw money at Governor Ehrlich might earn the neighborhoods they build in some swanky transportation improvements - such as, in the case of Kingdon Gould III, developer of the Konterra "mini-city" between Calverton and Laurel, a proposed Green Line extension to Konterra and beyond.

The Green Line extension is no more news than the InterCounty Connector, but the fact that Bobby Haircut actually gives a care about what some might term "Smart Growth" (i.e., building infrastructure to go along with new development) so long as he profits from it . . . actually, that's not news either. That's just politics. (Also "just politics" is the defection of state Sen. John Giannetti, the biggest proponent of the Green Line extension, to the Republican party after losing in the Democratic primary.)

Dammit, it's so hard to just say "I'd really like the Green Line to go past Greenbelt." I spoke to Giannetti last spring and he explicitly said the Green Line would follow I-95 north of Greenbelt. That means a potential stop in Calverton at Powder Mill Road. (I'm sure you know how happy that makes Just Up The Pike.) The folks at Howard County Blog take the Green Line extension idea even further. It's a little far-fetched, but certainly worth a look.

Nonetheless, I can't help but think that we could finish other, less controversial transit projects - such as the Green Line extension and the Corridor Cities Transitway, which is so non-controversial it's almost been forgotten - in the time it will take to just get the Purple Line approved. The economic, social and mobility benefits of the Purple Line, however vast they are, aren't worth much in the face of politics. Read more!

barack obama comes to college park

above: A number of Maryland legislators, including Montgomery County Executive-elect Ike Leggett and County Councilwoman Marilyn Praisner (towards the left) showed up for Ben Cardin's rally at the University of Maryland this morning.

"I've met Michael Steele. I've shaken his hand. He's got that 'local news anchor' feel . . . seems like an affable guy. I'll even bet he likes puppies, but that's not what this election's about." - Senator Barack Obama

In a show of support that he's likely repeating across the country, Sen. Barack Obama came down to the University of Maryland in College Park today to speak at a rally for Senate candidate Ben Cardin. While most of the vitriol by the speakers - Barbara Mikulski, Kweisi Mfume, Cardin and Obama, and Paul Sarbanes - was directed at President Bush, quite a few jabs were taken at Michael Steele's now-infamous "puppy" ad. The Post has more on how the Democrats are criticizing it.

It was an inspiring rally. Despite the swell of support around Ben Cardin, it feels like Mfume's still smarting from his loss in the primaries earlier this month. Nonetheless, it was all smiles and promises of universal health care as Obama, the man everyone says could be president one day, worked the crowd of a couple hundred students and faculty.

This is the second visit from a political luminary this week. On Monday, Hillary Clinton spoke at the conference center on campus to a packed, slightly tipsy crowd. I did not go because I couldn't shell out $75 for a student ticket (think of how many concerts at the 9:30 Club you could see for that much!) but I'm sure it was quite a scene. Despite the early hour of this morning's rally (being in college, 9 a.m. remains an un-Godly hour), the crowd was more than riled up by the end. I was this close to slipping into Terp Football Game mode and yelling "Buck Fush" or something similar. Read more!

a newfound interest in prince george's

"We may just sort of muddle along for four years" - Steve Silverman

Is Steve Silverman (pictured, left) suffering from sour grapes? In what appears to be the only post-election piece on the former County Executive candidate, Silverman says he is "disappointed" to have lost because Ike Leggett's promise to slow growth could mean less funding for schools and roads from the developer impact tax.

Surely, we must have other means of running the County than off of taxes. I mean, there are property taxes, income taxes, sales taxes - a gas tax! We'll be fine without Mr. Evil Developer setting aside land for a school or something sinister like that.

But, honestly, I'm growing less and less worried about Montgomery County's return to the Stagnant Nineties with each day. Over here in College Park, Just Up The Pike's headquarters during the school year, new developments, like the recently-completed University View apartment building (pictured, background), are being rammed through a rather skittish City Council nearly every day.

In neighboring Hyattsville, construction is underway on University Town Center, a Downtown Silver Spring-esque development that will have street names such as America Boulevard and Freedom Way. There's even a "Rethink College Park" blog, whose editors I had the chance to meet on Wednesday, devoted to the revitalization of the city.

Yes, if there is any anti-growth sentiment in College Park, it either moved to Montgomery County to join the Neighbors or, in the case of the liquor store in front of the View, is holding out for all its worth. Nonetheless, I believe Hyattsville/College Park will easily become the new Silver Spring. Take my word for it! Our new NIMBY government might be a good thing - for Prince George's County. Read more!

the teachers vs. neighborspac (a guest blog)

Just Up The Pike is still busy combing the Post for stories that have the words "Montgomery County" in them, but until then, Adam Pagnucco is back with another guest piece. The responses to his guest blog on the Teachers Union were pretty staggering, so this week, he breaks down the County elections a little further.



The Teachers vs. Neighborspac

The reaction to my earlier guest blog (Teachers Union: the 800 lb. Gorilla of MoCo Politics) contained some agreement and some disagreement. Critics of my analysis question the relevance of the Apple Ballot, arguing that the county’s voters made their decisions on another basis, namely growth. I thought this comment was worthy of further examination.

Local politicians have two elementary tasks: A) develop and refine their message, and B) amplify it. Message content is the product of the politician’s beliefs and his or her opinion of the positions of the constituents. Message amplification is a logistical issue: the candidates need to spread their message to the greatest number of voters. In the 2006 primary election, amplification was a critical determinant of electoral success.

Message amplification is affected by the way in which voters obtain political information. “Passive consumption” involves television coverage, newspaper articles, campaign literature and advertisements. These sources are easily available, quickly consumed, and require no sacrifice or time adjustments by voters. “Active consumption” involves attendance at campaign events, writing letters and emails, and actual meetings with candidates and surrogates – sometimes at the voters’ initiative. These activities require considerably more time and effort for voters, and so they are far less frequently used than passive consumption.

In national races, passive consumption is often enough to allow voters to make relatively informed decisions. The current U.S. Senate race in Virginia is one example. Voters can read many newspaper articles and view frequent television coverage to form their opinions of George Allen and Jim Webb. They do not have to actually hear each candidate speak in person to learn their positions on, for example, the war in Iraq. Each candidate can additionally draw on a party apparatus and many surrogates to press his case for election.

In local races, passive consumption is less practical. Television coverage of the Montgomery County Executive race was scanty and perfunct. The print media was better, but Washington Post voters had to dig into the Metro section to read about the executive candidates. Television and print coverage of the county council and statehouse races was very sparse. The candidates’ literature and websites were hardly more informative. Every one of the Democratic candidates say that they support education, oppose traffic congestion, support diversity and will work on behalf of their constituents. No candidate proclaims their support for unfettered development. As a result, passive consumption – the preferred information receipt mechanism of most voters – is not sufficient to allow them to differentiate between local candidates. The sole useful source of passive consumption may be the Apple Ballot, which comes from a trusted source (the Teachers) and is delivered just outside the voting precinct.

As for active consumption, I practiced it during this election cycle. I met eleven candidates running for county office and almost every statehouse candidate in my district. I attended one debate, three campaign coffees, and several community events where candidates appeared. By September 12th, I felt I had learned enough to cast an informed vote. But how many voters actually apply this much energy to determining their choice in local races? A few thousand in the entire county? If this is the case, then where did the tens of thousands of votes necessary to elect winning at-large council candidates come from?

Faced with the limited usefulness of passive consumption and the infrequent practice of active consumption, the candidates must work very hard to reach out to voters. One aspect of this is fund-raising; an often-detested job that most candidates regard as a necessary evil. Another aspect is endorsements – especially from organizations that can deploy volunteers. Many candidates regard election-day volunteers as a more valuable resource than dollars since enthusiastic bodies are much more scarce than money. I personally witnessed a half-dozen candidates show up at my precinct to lobby last-minute voters. Two sent their wives.

The critical advantage of the Teachers Union in the 2006 Democratic primary relates to its epic ability to mobilize large numbers of election-day volunteers. I saw at least four carriers of the Teachers’ “Apple Ballot” at my voting precinct. This projects to over 800 “Apple” volunteers across the county if the union’s efforts were evenly spread. I have not heard of either Neighbors for a Better Montgomery (a group favoring development restrictions) or the Washington Post endorsement staff fielding a similar number of volunteers across the county. And of course, the Teachers’ mobilization capacity was substantially aided by the closing of the public schools on primary day. Distribution of the Apple Ballot may have been the most effective information consumption technique of the entire campaign, passive or active, by any organization or candidate.

The Apple volunteers were able to sway the opinions of many of the last-minute voters in my precinct by appealing to them to consider the opinions of “teachers” – not the “Teachers Union.” In my thirteen hours outside my precinct, I saw over a hundred voters read the Apple, occasionally while sitting on a bench outside the door and away from the electioneers, before heading into the voting building. The fact that the union’s endorsees won 27 of 30 contested races at the state and county levels testifies to the success of its efforts.

Four years ago, two of the Teachers’ endorsees were losing at-large candidates Blair Ewing and Marc Elrich. So far this year, none of the Teachers’ county-level endorsees have lost, including the phoenix-like Elrich. In fact, the Teachers’ at-large county council candidates (George Leventhal, Elrich and Duchy Trachtenberg) finished first, second and third, while two incumbents the Teachers did not endorse, Nancy Floreen and Mike Subin, finished fourth and fifth. Not being foolish, the Teachers declined to endorse the opponents of council members Phil Andrews (District 3) and Marilyn Praisner (District 4), each of whom was sure to crush their opposition.

As my critics argue, growth was certainly a big issue in this race. It had a significant impact on the County Executive contest, in which MCEA made no endorsement. And it was also a factor in the county council races, as any observer of one of the candidate debates would conclude. But compare the electoral record of the Teachers with that of Neighbors for a Better Montgomery (aka Neighborspac), a citizens organization arguing for limits on development. MCEA endorsed five candidates in contested county council primaries: Mike Knapp (District 2), Valerie Ervin (District 5), and Leventhal, Trachtenberg and Elrich (at-large). All of those candidates won. (The fate of Republican Howard Denis, who represents District 1 and was endorsed by both the Teachers and Neighborspac, will be decided in the general election.)

Neighborspac endorsed nine candidates in contested county primaries: Of those, six won. The group’s at-large candidates finished second, third, seventh and eleventh, while MCEA’s picks finished first, second and third. Neighborspac took more risks than the Teachers, choosing to oppose four incumbents, three of whom won despite the group’s opposition. (Subin, a target of both the Teachers and Neighborspac, was the only defeated incumbent.) MCEA was more conservative, choosing to endorse three rather than four at-large council candidates, leaving room for one of its non-endorsed incumbents to win. And while the Teachers clearly disliked Andrews and Praisner (criticizing them as “fiscal conservatives”), they did not support their opponents.

Neighborspac and MCEA faced off against each other on incumbent at-large council member and 2006 council president George Leventhal. Neighborspac criticized Leventhal for accepting 43% of his campaign contributions from developers, a charge the council member disputed. The group even depicted Leventhal as a puppet dancing on developer-controlled strings in its infamous “County Council Can-Can” internet animation.

The Teachers rallied to Leventhal’s defense. In endorsing him, MCEA wrote, “He championed the ‘Montgomery Cares’ program, which makes health care accessible for poor, uninsured county residents. George is seen as one of the more reliable pro-labor members of the council, consistently supporting negotiated contracts and the revenue proposals necessary to fund them.”

MCEA won this clash as Leventhal finished first in the at-large race. Additionally, MCEA endorsee and incumbent Mike Knapp (District 2) defeated Neighborspac endorsee and challenger Sharon Dooley by nearly 30 points. If growth was the dominant issue in the election and Neighborspac the most influential group, how can the victories of Leventhal and Knapp be explained? Overall, MCEA’s 5-0 record compares favorably to Neighborspac’s 6-3 record.

Neighborspac has two of the three elements required for a successful citizens’ pressure group: a research-backed policy agenda and political allies. It lacks the third element: a large number of volunteers, particularly election-day volunteers. The group should consider developing an election-day “Neighbors Ballot,” assuming it can round up 800+ volunteers to distribute it. Until Neighborspac assembles this kind of volunteer network, it will not match the power of the Teachers Union. Still, with a council lineup including at least five endorsees in addition to new County Executive Ike Leggett, Neighborpac is poised for success in obtaining at least some of its goals.

The Teachers, with a so-far perfect electoral record in this year’s county council contests, a professional and experienced leadership, and an army of election-day volunteers, should score many of their legislative wins by heftier margins than a mere five votes. Their power will soon be put to the test as their current contract expires next summer.

- Adam Pagnucco, Silver Spring Read more!