By Adam Pagnucco.
It’s time now for our annual political awards. Let’s get right down to it!
Biggest Winners: Incumbents
Almost every incumbent in MoCo who held county or state office and was seeking reelection to their current seat won in this cycle. The exception was Scott Joftus, an appointed incumbent school board member, who lost his election by 30 points to MCEA-backed Julie Yang. Of the other incumbents, County Executive Marc Elrich is the only one who came close to losing. That makes 2022 one of the most incumbent-friendly cycles in MoCo political history.
Most Disappointing Race: Tom Hucker
If Tom Hucker had simply stayed in his safe seat, he would be one of the key leaders on today’s county council. He would definitely be in the discussion of who might one day succeed Elrich. Instead, he embarked on a race for executive that no one thought he could win and then dropped into a council at-large race in which he finished a distant sixth. This was an unexpected end, at least for now, to a productive career in elected office.
Runner Up: Brandy Brooks
An early favorite in the council at-large race, Brooks blew up her campaign with a staff scandal and terrible financial management. All future candidates should heed the lessons of this experience.
Best Campaign (tie): Natali Fani-Gonzalez and Kristin Mink
I couldn’t decide between Natali Fani-Gonzalez and Kristin Mink, so I am picking both of them. Fani-Gonzalez is a former planning board member who ran unsuccessfully for delegate in District 18 in 2014. This time around, she would not be denied. In a solid field containing a former state delegate and an owner of a popular restaurant, Fani-Gonzalez got out front early, worked really hard, rolled up almost every big endorsement and won every precinct. She was so dominant that I called her race a blowout when it should not have been one.
Mink had to climb a steeper hill than Fani-Gonzalez. In a council district that was designed to elect a Black candidate, Mink walloped a field that was full of them. She pulled it off despite having none of the county’s most influential endorsements and blew out her rivals in fundraising to boot. She is almost guaranteed to have opposition next time but she should be much stronger as an incumbent.
Never underestimate Natali Fani-Gonzalez or Kristin Mink.
Secret Weapon Award: Scott Peterson
I remember during the spring of 2021 when I started seeing something different in County Executive Marc Elrich’s public appearances. He was a tiny bit more polished, a tiny bit better dressed and just somehow smoother. He came across less as the pony-tailed socialist from Takoma Park and more of a, well… an executive. So I started asking around and was told, “Well, there is this new guy. Scott Peterson.”
Peterson is a communications specialist who has worked for Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon, Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker and Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. He is new to MoCo but is becoming one of the top county-level comms pros in the state – maybe THE top guy. He is accessible, cordial, savvy and fact-based. I never feel like he spins me. He just faithfully transmits the message of his administration. I am sometimes a tough critic of his boss but – so far, anyway – he has never taken it personally. If David Blair had defeated Elrich, my first personnel recommendation would have been, “You should keep this Peterson fellow and get the most out of him.” Scott won’t be such a secret now because I am blowing his cover so I will say this: if you need a PR guy, you should hire Scott Peterson.
Best News Article: Restorative Injustice, The Intercept
There were other articles about the implosion of Brandy Brooks’s county council campaign, such as this one by the Washington Post’s Rebecca Tan. But Restorative Injustice by the left-leaning Intercept took us inside the campaign with excellent source work and primary documents in a way that’s extremely rare in local coverage. However you wind up feeling about Brooks and the staffer who accused her of harassment, this is a compelling must-read.
Mascot of the Year: Nimbee
Bane of developers, enemy of housing and the ultimate fan-bee of Elrich, Nimbee is determined to keep everyone out of his hive. Someday we will be watching him stir up a buzz on reality TV.
Strangest Endorsement: Washington Post for Will Jawando
In endorsing Council Member Will Jawando in the primary, the Washington Post editorial board wrote:
Our endorsement of Mr. Jawando comes with a reservation. We admire his advocacy for racial equity, his support of libraries and his dedication to public service. However, his tendency to listen to the loudest voices has resulted in ill-advised stands, such as his campaign against school resource officers and his support for rent control legislation that would stifle the production of sorely needed housing.
It’s unusual for an endorsement to include such criticism. Why didn’t the Post just endorse someone else? As for Jawando, he did not need them to win as he put together a strong reelection campaign.
Scandal of the Year: Planning Board
This one is no contest. But for all the tumult, consider this: the only allegation that has so far been proven is that former Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson was drinking in his office after hours, a fact to which he admitted and was docked a month’s pay. Fellow Planning Board Member Partap Verma made a host of shocking allegations at a state legislative hearing, but was contradicted by Park and Planning’s inspector general. Then Verma told Bethesda Beat that he was “on the same page” as the inspector general. Could it be that this whole scandal turns out to be about nothing more than a few cocktails?
Wildest Performance: Ben Kramer
It’s not every day that you see a lawmaker blow up his own legislation. But that’s what Senator Ben Kramer did when he appeared before the council to defend his power grab bills. That said, he points a mean finger.
Hero of the Year: Liza Smith
The Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee rebel is shaking the cage of one of the county’s crustiest oligarchies. Her proposal to require central committee members to resign before appointing themselves to office just might win in the end. Even if it does not, Smith deserves recognition for placing democratic principles above political ambition. We need more people like her in public life.
Best Hires: New Council Chiefs of Staff
A new council means new chief of staff hires and there have been some great ones. Here are the ones I know.
Tommy Heyboer (now works for Natali Fani-Gonzalez): Hans Riemer’s former deputy chief of staff and my former co-worker in Riemer’s office. Tommy was ready for a promotion from day one.
Aaron Kraut (now works for Dawn Luedtke): A former journalist, staffer for Andrew Friedson and communications and policy staffer for David Blair’s executive campaign. Don’t let his low-key temperament fool you – Aaron is a savvy guy who knows the whole county and will serve Luedtke well.
Sharon Ledner (now works for Sidney Katz): Served on Craig Rice’s staff for all of his three terms and was one of the nicest people I knew when I worked at the council.
Lisa Mandel-Trupp (now works for Marilyn Balcombe): Lisa started her council career in 1998 and served as chief of staff to Phil Andrews and Sidney Katz. No matter what happens inside the council building going forward, Lisa has already seen it – probably many times!
Cecily Thorne (now works for Kate Stewart): A competent and professional chief of staff for Will Jawando. She should mesh well with her new boss.
Chris Wilhelm (now works for Kristin Mink): An MCPS teacher, Wilhelm ran a strong race for council at-large in 2018 and ran Sunil Dasgupta’s school board campaign in 2020. Chris is a genuinely good guy who can agree to disagree with folks on some things but can also be a valuable partner on issues of agreement.
Criticize the council members all you like, but at the staff level, these people and their colleagues are a strong group overall.
Comeback of the Year: Aruna Miller
Four years ago, Aruna Miller lost a tough race for Congress to David Trone. Today, she is the number two official in state government. This is one of the all-time great political comebacks in Maryland history. And if Wes Moore turns out to be a good governor, Miller will share the credit.
Runner-Up: Jeff Zyontz
Retired super-staffer comes back to serve the county in its time of need as temporary chair of the planning board. Zyontz gets bonus points for funniest answer to an interview question.
Gold Watch Awards: Joy “The Fixer” Nurmi, Susan Kenedy and Jane Redicker
Joy Nurmi, known as “The Fixer,” has worked for four different county council members plus former County Executive Ike Leggett and also worked at the Gazette over the last three decades. Susan Kenedy was the county council’s top video producer and did a bang-up job for David Blair’s county executive campaign. Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce President Jane Redicker has been a staunch advocate for Silver Spring for a long time. None of them are truly replaceable. They are leaving all of us little people behind but we will still miss them!
Award Retirement: Jamie Raskin
Every year, Guitar Player Magazine gives out an award for Best Overall Guitarist. But the magazine stopped giving the award to three guitarists – Steve Morse, Steve Howe and Eric Johnson – who won the award five times and were retired to the magazine’s Gallery of Greats. That’s what I am now doing for Congressman Jamie Raskin.
Raskin, who I once named MoCo’s Hero, probably deserves to get the Politician of the Year award every year. Who else from Montgomery County has done more to defend the U.S. Constitution from the Trumpian horde of authoritarians who want to stomp it into the dust? The whole country now understands just how special Jamie is, a fact that was once known primarily to us back home. From now on, this honor will be named the Jamie Raskin Politician of the Year Award.
Congratulations to all of our award winners and happy 2023!