There was a time not so long ago when the Upper Eastern Shore could not have been more wired into Annapolis. In a remarkable convergence of the right people being at the right place at the right time, the 36th District in the nineteen eighties had what might be called the “crab pack,” of state leaders all watching over the interests of Kent County. For reasons political, territorial, and sentimental, the likes of Harry Hughes, Louis Goldstein, Walter Baker, Clayton Mitchell, and Donald Schaefer, working with locals like Chestertown’s Elmer Horsey, always seemed to come through for the Upper Shore’s state funding needs.
Year after year, the Crab Pack always found the money for the projects that mattered to the district. And on the Shore itself, there was a general feeling that the 36th District was getting its fair share, despite its relatively small portion of the state’s population. The funding was so consistently forthcoming that it was easy for the Upper Shore to assume that their interests would always be protected in Annapolis. How times have changed.
There is no better example of the 36th District’s declining clout than the closing of the Upper Shore Mental Health Center last year. The hopeless effort to save Kent County’s tenth largest employer was a grim and stunning example of the Upper Shore’s current impotence in Annapolis. The collective political juice used by the district’s representatives to save the center resulted in only a courtesy delay of a few months, but the center was never removed from the state budget’s death row. In the end, the political consequences of wiping out the Mental Health Center were infinitesimal for the Governor and his team. It is hard to believe that the Crab Pack, knowing how it important this facility was to both the region and to patient families, would have rolled over on this one, no matter how dire the economic climate.
While it is important to grieve for the 36th District loss of influence, it’s doubtful we’ll be blessed with the same type of players and circumstances for many years to come. The new reality is that whoever goes to Annapolis to represent Kent County needs to be part of the winning team in November. If local voters believe that Bob Ehrlich will be voted back into office, the logical choice for the 36th District would be Rock Hall’s Jay Jacobs. If voters feel that Maryland’s executive branch and state house will remain controlled by Democrats, Art Hock would be the most effective.
To Kent County’s credit, both men running are both capable of playing an important role in Annapolis. Over the course of the 2010 election year, Mr. Hock and Mayor Jacobs have both matured into more seasoned and thoughtful politicians. Mr. Hock, perhaps the more cerebral of the two candidates, has shown increased skill and comfort with “retail” politics, the connecting with people, during the course of the campaign. Mr. Jacobs, a charismatic personality, has fine tuned his political philosophy into a much more sophisticated point of view. With very little significant policy differences between them, it is hard to disqualify one candidate over another on issues alone. In the end, it is more about relationship building in Annapolis.
While the district would like to vote for someone that can “fight” for the Upper Shore, the key element to success is how effectively a state delegate from a small part of the state can influence, in a studied manner, his colleagues and state officials to support Kent County. No matter how gifted Mr. Hock or Mr. Jacobs are on their own merits, voters will need to be strategic with their vote and hope that the best man can win the most friends in Annapolis.
Chestertownie says
“With very little significant policy differences between them…” Is that a serious commentary by someone who attended the LWV forum?
Gren Whitman says
Regarding the race for House of Delegates, I agree with your analysis of Ehrlich=Jacobs or O’Malley=Hock.
Because Democrat O’Malley is turning out to be much too much for ex-Gov. Ehrlich, you should vote for Democrat Art Hock, plus give a second vote to Democrat William Manlove (of Cecil County).
(Note: With three delegates, the 36th will have at least one GOPher delegate — Hershey — because the Queen Anne’s Dems inexplicably did not field a candidate and Hershey beat Sossi in the primary.
Did the Spy forget to endorse for State Senator? Vote for Democrat Steve Mumford, who will fit nicely in Democratic Annapolis, don’t you think?
If I’m prescient, the 36th delegation will be Senator Mumford and Delegates Hock, Manlove and Hershey.
Amazingly — I actually agree with “Chestertownie” that there’s a world of difference politically between Mr. Hock and Mr. Jacobs, Jacobs being strictly conservative. Jay’s a very nice person, though, and an excellent Rock Hall mayor. I sincerely hope he remains mayor!
Keith Thompson says
Gren,
I believe the reason why there’s no endorsement in the State Senate race is that there was not a WCTR/Chestertown election profile for that race, partly because the Spy’s focus was on races that solely focused on Kent County like the Commissioners and School Board race plus the Kent County Dist. 36 delegate seat. We did have Mumford on our “Talk Of The Towns” show (1pm Fridays replay 10am Tuesdays) and Pipkin was supposed to be on, but failed to show (I think due to a schedule conflict).
Cora says
I think your equation sounds good in theory, but in reality Jay Jacobs is very skilled at building relationships regardless of the party affiliation. As a citizen of Rock Hall, I have the pleasure of knowing Jay personally and do not find him very partisan. During the protests of the closing of the Upper Shore Mental Health Center last year, he took a leadership role and tried to work strategically with the Governor’s office and others to find a face-saving solution (especially given that the decision was made based on inaccurate data about whether or not the majority of patients were from the local community). We spoke about it many times, because it was a big concern of mine and I was impressed that he not only deeply understood the near and long term consequences of the decision but he also devoted so much of his personal time and energy lobbying against it at every opportunity. He is not at all prone to creating conflict, but he sure knows how to stand up and fight when the chips are down. No doubt his experience with that situation gave him a lot of insights on how he could improve things for Kent County by representing us in Annapolis. Just because he’s campaigning as a Republican and teaming up for the election campaign with Harris and Erlich does not mean he can’t also be effective if O’Malley wins as predicted. At a time when our nation is increasingly polarized, I find Jay Jacobs to be refreshingly people-oriented, dependable, practical, and reasonable.
Concerned Native says
I attended the Legislative Forum. Was so surprised by what I heard that I had to hit the web.
My question to Cora is whether we are we talking about the same Jay Jacobs whose website speaks in a paranoid fashion about the liberal conspiracy in Annapolis out to destroy the entire Eastern Shore economy?
I had not heard about that conspiracy. Is this a bi-partisan attitude?
Are we talking about the Jay Jacobs who has joined in with Boss Pipkin in trashing Governor O’Malley over the past four years on everything from emergency budget cuts to the very successful crab replenishment program?
Are we talking about the Jay Jacobs who actively campaigned to do nothing (and presumably supported raising taxes or firing teachers) instead of grappling with the impending school budget crisis now?
Is that conservative, bi-partisan, small government Jay? Or “let’s just keep spending ourselves into a hole” Jay?
Are we talking about the same Jay Jacobs who says he will defend the Constitution, but was the only candidate at the Legislative Forum who plans to actively campaign to amend birthright citizenship for Americans born in this country?
Let’s see, is he a Defender of the Constitution or a Taker of Rights? It was interesting that the older candidates, William Manlove and Arthur Hock, were military veterans and proud of their service and defending the Constitution.
This is one R who was sorely disappointed in what I heard from Team Pipkin at the Legislative Forum. It is a shame they scared off Mary Roe and smeared (literally) Dick Sossi.
I may be old school, but I don’t like Mr. Pipkins replacements. Mr. Hershey blew us off once he won. Jay Jacobs has neither taken the time to knock on my door for my vote or even sent me a mailer explaining his views and objectives. I found them on his website and was pretty shocked.
The Eastern Shore has suffered from 8 years of representation by bomb throwers in Annapolis. We need to break up the Pipkin Machine.
This R is crossing lines for Hock and Manlove.
MBTroup says
I read and perceive the need for R leadership that goes beyond the talking points. I think the Eastern Shore has moved past that. We need an ideas man. Hmmmmmm…..
Concerned Native says
If you have not read it, see the Cecil Whig’s endorsement of Steve Mumford for Senate over Senator Pipkin. This paper is a historically staunch R paper. Nevertheless, Pipkin’s bossy, divisive tactics seen in Kent and Queen Anne’s must be really over the top in Cecil. Senator Pipkin is a bright guy, but maybe too too big a fish for this small pond.
Here is what the Cecil Whig editorial board had to say:
“Pipkin, a Republican, has tried to bully his way into county politics for years. In 2008, for example, he fought an effort by the commissioners to have legislation passed that would give them authority to create special tax districts within the designated growth corridor as defined in the county’s comprehensive plan. Pipkin and Delegate Michael Smigiel (R-Upper Shore) opposed the legislation, setting up a divide in Annapolis with lawmakers trying to decide whether to abide by the wishes of Cecil’s local leaders or legislative leaders.
More recently, Pipkin inserted himself between county deputies and county commissioners in the former’s fight for collective bargaining rights.
“It’s one thing to be mindful of the county commissioners, it’s another to try to dominate them from Annapolis.”
lauraD says
Concerned native, thanks for quoting the Cecil Whig newspaper editorial against Pipkin and for Mumford for state Senate, The Whig and the Cecil Guardian, another printed newspaper in Cecil County, both endorsed Mumford and Bill Manlove (running against Smigiel for the Cecil County delegate seat that also represents Kent County). Both editorials cited the pugnaciousness of Smigiel/Pipkin and their unwillingness to work positively with local county officials.
The Whig editorial online only gives you a paragraph if you don’t have a paid subscription and the Guardian’s website hasn’t posted the editorial from the printed newspaper which only circulates in Cecil County. But Manlove has posted excerpts on his website, http://www.manlovefordelegate.com
Marge says
Another factor in the Cecil endorsements might be lingering resentments over Pipkin’s defeat of former Sen. Baker of Cecil Co., a Dem who was quite long in office, as I (vaguely) recall.