Though her crusty, determined reach may not have extended to Talbot County and the Eastern Shore, former Congresswoman Helen Delich Bentley left an indelible mark on the Port of Baltimore and the 2nd Congressional District (primarily Baltimore County) she represented so conscientiously. She died Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016 at 92 of brain cancer.
Mrs. Bentley was a force of nature, mostly for good. She focused almost laser-like for most of her career on the Port of Baltimore. She was a relentless advocate of what is widely acknowledged as a critically important economic engine in Maryland.
I met Congresswoman Bentley when I served in the Maryland National Guard. I spent considerable time in Washington, DC. trying to get money to modernize our facilities and our equipment. I recall one visit to Mrs. Bentley’s office to explain our need for new fighter aircraft. I had no illusions that my visit would go smoothly. However, I didn’t anticipate when walking into the congresswoman’s inner sanctum she would instruct her dog to harass me. Though she did so humorously, I wasn’t sure that her dog understood its master’s sense of humor. I’m not sure I did. I didn’t stay long. As Congresswoman Bentley probably intended.
When she no longer served in the U.S. House of Representatives, she nonetheless remained loyal, doggedly so, to her former constituents and friends. When she sought an audience, one was quick to say yes. Her temper was legendary. So was her salty language that she learned as a young Baltimore Sun reporter covering the less than genteel Port of Baltimore in the mid-1940s.
I recall that former Congresswoman Bentley persistently and even politely seeking credit toward retirement for a former Guard officer who had served at one time in the Philippine Army. Though we knew fully well that Mrs. Bentley would not accept a bureaucratic answer and despised a “no” on principle, we could find no legal way to provide a response that would please her. However, I couldn’t avoid respecting her unsmiling stubbornness. What an ally!
Over the years, Maryland has had its share of political leaders who fit no mold but their own. They were approachable and accessible. They lived life in bold colors and explosive moods. One was the late Governor William Donald Schaefer, who served as Mayor of Baltimore before ruling the State House and then served as Comptroller of Maryland after completing his two gubernatorial terms. Despite their sometime cantankerous personalities and different political parties, Helen Delich Bentley and Governor Schaefer were good friends.
We on the Eastern Shore may recall when Mrs. Bentley sought the Republican nomination for governor 1994 against Del. Ellen R. Sauerbrey. Her name recognition made Mrs. Bentley the favorite. As has happened numerous times in elections throughout the country as well as Maryland, Mrs. Bentley paid the price for being considered a moderate Republican who spent too wildly, according to her conservative opponent. Del. Sauerbrey won the Republican primary, only to lose by 6,000 votes to Parris N. Glendening.
Locally, we saw the same thing happen to former Congressman Wayne T. Gilchrest when he lost not too many years ago in the Republican primary in our 1st Congressional District to current Congressman Andrew P. “Andy” Harris. Congressman Gilchrest, one of the best people whom I’ve known in politics, faced accusations too that he pursued policies that were insufficiently conservative. And even that he worked across the aisle with Democrats, a sinful action in the minds of unrepentant conservatives.
It’s easy to paint bleak pictures of politicians. It’s easy to condemn them, sometime deservedly so. A common criticism is that they’ve lost touch with the folks who elected them.
Mrs. Bentley never forgot her political roots. And she considered the Port of Baltimore her personal domain. I always applauded Gov. Robert Ehrlich for surprising the tough-minded, tough-acting former congresswoman by naming the Port for Helen Delich Bentley. In a political world often filled with empty and self-serving gestures, Gov. Ehrlich did the right thing by honoring Mrs. Bentley.
I won’t say that today’s political leaders in Maryland don’t measure up to Mrs. Bentley and Gov. Schaefer. That’s too facile and superficial.
I will say, however, they were obsessively devoted to their constituents. Though they sometimes abused their power in how they treated those who disagreed with them, and those who served them as staffers and advisers, they still loved public service. Their achievements were many. Their lifestyles were modest and unpretentious.
Thank you, Mrs. Bentley, for encouraging your dog to harass me. I then feared you less.
Columnist Howard Freedlander retired in 2011 as Deputy State Treasurer of the State of Maryland. Previously, he was the executive officer of the Maryland National Guard. He also served as community editor for Chesapeake Publishing, lastly at the Queen Anne’s Record-Observer. In retirement, Howard serves on the boards of several non-profits on the Eastern Shore, Annapolis and Philadelphia.
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