Saturday, November 12, 2005

Comptroller Franchot? (probably not)

from The League: Reassembled

William Donald Schaefer is more than a Maryland political mainstay. Baltimore City councilman. Mayor of that city for nearly 16 years. Governor of the best state in the union. William Donald Schaefer is a Maryland political legend. A living legend. A legend that currently serves as state Comptroller.

And Del. Peter Franchot is going to challenge him.

Franchot, who, like Schaefer, is a Democrat, says that the Maryland legend isn't Democratic enough for one of the three most important positions in the state (the Comptroller has one of the votes on the powerful Board of Public Works). So the Delegate from Takoma Park, who has made a name for himself bashing the Ehrlich administration over the past three years, plans to put the position into the hands of the liberals.

Trust me when I say that I hope Franchot wins. A liberal Comptroller will better protect the environment, provide assistance to minority firms, and help to frame the agenda of the state, among other things. And although Schaefer has done alot for this city and this state (Camden Yards, anyone?), he is far too cozy with Ehrlich. This is the Democrat who endorsed George H.W. Bush for President and last year said people with AIDS had brought their misfortune on themselves.

But Franchot's chances are poor. Although his name recognition is impressive for a member of the House of Delegates, it doesn't rank anywhere near Schaefer's. And if Franchot makes any gains, Schaefer could easily tug the reins of his old powerful political machine and speed off to victory. Keep in mind that then-Secretary of State John Willis challenged Schaefer in the primary in 2002, Schaefer coasted to victory with 68% of the vote.

Long story short: Franchot's got quite a race ahead of himself. And things don't look too promising.

from The League: Reassembled with revisions

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