Category Archives: Casa de Maryland

MoCo’s Most Influential, Part Six

By Adam Pagnucco.

Part One of this series laid out the rules and methodology for how we determined MoCo’s most influential people. These lists were developed by adding together the nominations of 85 people who are themselves extremely knowledgeable and influential. Today, we continue the list of the most influential non-elected people in MoCo.

12. Steve Hull, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, Bethesda Magazine/Bethesda Beat – 9 votes

Source: While Bethesda Magazine / Bethesda Beat is not a political publication it has become one of the main local sources of news which means which stories are run and what information they present have influence. Just avoid the comment section!

AP: Let’s just state the obvious. Without Steve, MoCo would be close to a news desert. Steve would do just fine if all he had was Bethesda Magazine, but thank God he also runs Bethesda Beat. It is essential reading for anyone who cares about the community.

11. Josh Kurtz, Co-Founder and Editor, Maryland Matters – 10 votes

AP: As if being the best political writer in the state wasn’t enough, Josh had to go and found Maryland Matters, which is now the single best place to read about state politics. Political junkies all over the state are grateful!

10. Gustavo Torres, Founder and Executive Director, CASA – 11 votes

Source: Head of CASA only grows as a force to reckon with.

AP: From a church basement to the pinnacle of state and local politics, Gustavo is arguably the most powerful immigrant advocate in the entire Mid-Atlantic region. As CASA gets bigger along with the immigrant population, there is no end in sight to its influence.

9. Robin Ficker, Attorney, Former Delegate and Political Heckler – 12 votes

Source: His ballot measures have passed and upended things. He’s a fool of great consequence.

Source: Ficker knows how to craft winning ballot petitions and campaigns behind them. Ficker’s smarts are masked by his nutty personality, which causes people to underestimate him.

Source: Has accomplished more than some elected officials.

Source: May be obnoxious and annoying but his referendum drives influence the county.

Source: Crazy, but holds outsized influence.

AP: Ficker doesn’t get much love from my sources but one could make the case that he is actually the most influential non-elected person in the county. Who else has nearly single-handedly passed two charter amendments in the last twelve years with another possibly on the way? He has far more influence now than he ever did in his one term as a Delegate, and if his new anti-tax charter amendment passes, it will have a huge impact on county government for a loooooooong time.

7 (tied). Diana Conway, President, Women’s Democratic Club – 14 votes

Source: President of the Women’s Democratic Club, energizer bunny energy, often found walking the halls of Annapolis or e-mailing Councilmembers, throws a who’s who holiday party.

Source: Extremely connected, a force. Strong voice and everyone knows where she stands. Unafraid to go against the tide.

Source: Diana Conway is the president of the Women’s Democratic Club which was a pretty sleepy affair until Linda Kolko’s presidency and continuing through the presidency of Fran Rothstein. Now, they co-sponsor all sorts of events with “Do the Most Good,” and “J Walkers” and “Resist” and some others who I hope would forgive me for not having their names on the tip of my keyboard.

AP: Her nickname is Madam Kickass and that is the double truth, Ruth! Few people in the county can match Diana’s brains, tenacity and sheer capacity to do anything she decides to do. Her presidency of WDC is only the latest sign of her growing influence. PS – I feel sorry for the bureaucrats who have to answer her emails about artificial turf fields!

7 (tied). Rich Madaleno, Director, Montgomery County Office of Management and Budget and Former State Senator – 14 votes

Source: The budget whisperer. He plays a critical role in explaining how the county budget works to, well, everybody but especially Marc Elrich. Retains great Annapolis contacts.

Source: He’s become one of the county executive’s top defenders and surrogates while continuing to be an idea machine.

AP: The budget director is always important, but Rich’s experience at the state level and his status as a long-time (and effective!) former elected official make him even more influential than his position warrants. The budget crisis resulting from COVID-19 makes his role more critical than ever.

Part Seven will contain the much-awaited, soul-searing conclusion!

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Casa in Action Announces New Endorsements

By Adam Pagnucco.

Immigrant rights group Casa in Action has announced a second wave of endorsements.  We included their first wave in MoCo in our endorsement summary of March 9.  The full list of earlier endorsements appears here.  We reprint Casa in Action’s press release below.

*****

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

FERNANDA DURAND, CASA in Action fdurand@casainaction.org

JOSSIE FLOR SAPUNAR, CASA in Action jsapunar@casainaction.org

CASA in Action Endorses Local and State Candidates in Maryland

LANGLEY PARK, MD. (WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2018) – The Mid-Atlantic’s premier pro-immigrant electoral organization CASA in Action announced endorsements for the Maryland General Assembly and local council seats ahead of the June 26 Maryland primary. This second series of endorsements took place Sunday after the CASA in Action board interviewed and voted in favor of candidates that support a pro-immigrant agenda benefitting working families. The first series of endorsements can be found at this link.

“Amidst the xenophobia that plagues the national discourse, our community should, now more than ever, be represented by candidates that recognize that immigrant and working families strengthen the fabric of our nation,” said Gustavo Torres, President of CASA in Action. “Uplifting candidates that will champion our issues despite efforts to bring us down will ultimately help all Marylanders. This year we will fight harder than ever to elect a slate of candidates that will provide the social and economic opportunities our community desperately needs.”

Whereas some endorsements went to incumbent officials, many were in support of new leaders that are shaking up the world of politics.

Longtime local activist Krystal Oriadha has advocated for access to health care and quality education for the families that need it most.

Spurred to run for office after witnessing President Trump’s hateful rhetoric, Hamza Khan, former president of the Muslim Democratic Club of Montgomery County, fiercely supports the Maryland TRUST Act and a $15 minimum wage for the working families that call Maryland home.

After leaving a lucrative corporate job to become a computer science teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools, Samir Paul decided to further serve his community by seeking public office, where he will pursue progressive policies as delegate.

Decorated combat veteran Marlin Jenkins is a labor union attorney that relentlessly fought for workplace benefits for federal employees.

A fierce advocate who has dedicated her life to social justice, Brandy Brooks is a progressive activist and organizer determined to expand opportunities in Montgomery County.

Will Jawando is a civil rights attorney and community activist who worked on education and workforce policy at the federal level.

“Whether phone-banking, door-knocking, or registering voters, our members are excited to replicate the electoral victories we secured for our nine candidates in Virginia,” said Yaheiry Mora, Director of CASA in Action. “Many of the Maryland candidates we endorsed are mettle-tested warriors in the fight for equity and justice. Their longstanding history of activism will energize our members to help turn out the vote for candidates that will fight for working families.”

CASA in Action is spearheading a voter mobilization campaign that ensures progressive, pro-immigrant candidates are elected into office at the local, state, and national levels.

 

Endorsements

Prince George’s County – County Council Elections

District 7: Krystal Oriadha

District 9: Tamara Davis Brown

 

House of Delegates and State Senate

 

District 11 House of Delegates

Amy Blank

Shelly Hettleman

Dana Stein

 

District 14 House of Delegates

Anne Kaiser

 

District 15 House of Delegates

Kathleen Dumais

David Hidalgo Fraser

Hamza Khan

 

District 16 House of Delegates

Ariana Kelly

Marc Korman

Samir Paul

 

District 17 House of Delegates

Jim Gilchrist

 

District 18 House of Delegates

Emily Shetty

Jared Solomon

 

District 19 House of Delegates

Bonnie Cullison

Marlin Jenkins

 

District 21 House of Delegates

Mary Lehman

 

District 24 House of Delegates

LaTasha R. Ward for House of Delegates

Erek Barron for House of Delegates

 

District 25 House of Delegates

Darryl Barnes

 

District 39 House of Delegates

Shane Robinson

 

District 40 House of Delegates

Nick Mosby

 

District 43 House of Delegates

Curt Anderson

Maggie McIntosh

 

District 44B House of Delegates

Charles Sydnor

 

District 47

Malcolm Augustine for State Senate

Diana Fennell for House 47A

Jimmy Tarlau for House 47A

 

Montgomery County Council At-Large

Gabe Albornoz

Brandy Brooks

Will Jawando

Hans Riemer

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Kessler Responds to CASA’s Torres

Kessler

Rick Kessler issued the following comment in response to the strong defense of Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez’s decision to travel to El Salvador by CASA de Maryland’s Gustavo Torres .

This is a question of commitment to District 18.  It is about the choices made by one elected official who chose to be absent for two days during the recent Maryland Legislative Session to vote in the Salvadoran election when she could have voted by mail. The Legislative Session only runs for 90 days: I believe that the Session is important and that Delegates are elected to be present and participate. There were important Appropriations Committee budget hearings on those days that she could have attended and still voted in the El Salvador election by mail.I think the people of  District 18 deserve better: they have a right to expect that the priority of their elected legislators is to participate fully in the Maryland legislative process on behalf of the people who elected them.

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CASA Slams Kessler Attack

casa logoRecently, Delegate Candidate Rick Kessler (D-18) raised questions about Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez’s decision to travel to El Salvador during the session. CASA Director Gustavo Torres issued this statement in response:

I was extremely disturbed to recently learn that a candidate for state office in the 18th district has chosen to attack Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez for a trip she made to El Salvador during the past legislative session. Rick Kessler’s willingness to engage in this type of thinly-disguised race-baiting reveals that he is not the right representative for any district, let alone one as diverse as the 18th.

To recap, Delegate Sol Gutierrez missed two days of session in order to fly over a weekend to El Salvador and participate as an Official International Observer of the Salvadoran Presidential election. She traveled at the formal invitation of the Salvadoran National Assembly, an invitation that Maryland House Speaker Michael Busch not only approved but described as “an honor.” Legislators miss floor votes and committee hearings all the time due to illness, family emergencies, personal business, and to attend special events. It is hard to imagine an event more important than participating in a historic election for progressive change in a country whose past civil conflict has driven so much immigration to our region and whose leadership impacts so many close relatives of district residents. It seems an odd posture particularly for someone that is actually running for elected office and, we would assume, a believer in the importance of political participation.

I believe that the real purpose of these complaints is to surface that Delegate Sol Gutierrez remains engaged in her country of birth and to imply that this engagement somehow lowers her commitment to this country – one she is so dedicated to that she has chosen to dedicate 20 years to the unusually grueling life path of public service including, for the past 12 years, representing her home district in the Maryland House of Delegates. During the early 20th century, immigrants to the United States were frequently attacked for their continued affiliation with their country of origin and these arguments were used to support profiling, red-lining, and exclusion from political engagement. Reading the Bethesda Now piece, I was reminded once again how very far we have to go. As an organization whose very purpose is to engage immigrants in the political process, leaders like Delegate Gutierrez show that our responsibility is global, our lives cross borders, and our kids can strive to achieve extraordinary triumphs in a multicultural world.   While it is certainly true that not everyone in the 18th District has immigrated to this country, we believe that most of its residents honor diversity, celebrate immigration, and appreciate open cultural and civic engagement, here and abroad.

In closing, while it is true that CASA in Action has endorsed Delegate Sol Gutierrez as well as three additional candidates for delegate, I have not chosen to address this issue because of that support. Regardless of who you support, our community is better than the types of attacks that Mr. Kessler has chosen to engage in.

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Leventhal Slams CASA

casa logo

The Washington Post reports that dealing with negative impacts of the Purple Line on low-income people is CASA’s biggest priority and the lack of concern with these issues cost incumbent Councilmembers George Leventhal and Nancy Floreen the organization’s support:

CASA ‘s biggest priority in Montgomery at the moment is the Purple Line’s potential threat to affordable housing and minority-owned small businesses in communities such as Long Branch. In CASA’s assessment, they weren’t there with them. . . .

CASA and other groups are worried that gentrification, triggered by escalating real estate values along the route, will price Latinos out of the community.

“George’s perception is that any discussion of equity around the Purple Line undermines its chances of going forward,” Propeack said.

George responded less than tactfully:

“My impression is that they’re trying to insult me,” Leventhal said. He added: “I do think CASA sometimes loses sight of the fact that the primary beneficiaries of the Purple Line will be Latinos. It will be of enormous benefit to workers who will have greater access to jobs. I guess they think transit is bad for communities.”

This quote exhibits George’s greatest strengths and weaknesses. He is fervent in his causes and makes cogent arguments for them. At the same time, he often acts in ways that express disdain for people who disagree with him and build barriers rather than friends. This case is especially telling because of his past very close relationship with CASA and his genuine, strong support for Latinos.

Nancy also made a statement to the reporter:

Floreen said she couldn’t say what happened.

“I have no idea. These are folks with their own agenda. They’re all advocates for something or other.”

Whether you agree with her or not, Nancy is opinionated, informed, and smart as a whip. But when I read this, it sounded like the least sensible quote ever from Nancy Floreen. Of course, they have an agenda. They’re an interest group.

However, interviews are long and quotes are short, so I gave Nancy a call. Her assessment has more sang-froid than George’s:

It’s their assessment of the politics of the situation. I’ve always supported them and their interests in the past and will continue to do so in the future whether or not they endorse me.

Essentially, they’re an interest group with their own goals they will do what they will do. A smart response as it leaves doors open, doesn’t alienate, or give the story more traction.

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CASA Issues Endorsements

casa logo
CASA has been kind enough to share their complete list of endorsements around the State. An increasingly successful and powerful group, CASA advocates for Latino and immigrant rights. In 2012, CASA played a central role in the passage of the Maryland DREAM Act by the General Assembly and then it being upheld by a wide margin in the referendum that followed.

I have attempted, as usual, to highlight all of the non-incumbents in boldface. (It’s easy to make a mistake so let me know if I did.) The order of offices is federal then statewide offices. Next are endorsements for the General Assembly and county offices, which are organized by county.

You can also find the full official lists here in English and Spanish.
Puede encontrar las listas completas aquí en inglés y español.

U.S. CONGRESS
District 2       C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger III
District 3       John P. Sarbanes
District 4       Donna F. Edwards
District 5       Steny Hoyer
District 6       John K. Delaney
District 7       Elijah Cummings
District 8       Christopher Van Hollen, Jr.

STATEWIDE
Governor/Lt. Governor: Anthony Brown/Ken Ulman
Attorney General: Brian Frosh
Comptroller: Peter Franchot

BALTIMORE COUNTY

General Assembly
District 10

House: Benjamin Brooks, Adrienne A. Jones, Carin Smith

District 11
House: Shelly Hettleman, Dana M. Stein, Don Engel

District 12 (also Howard County)
House: Eric Ebersole, Rebecca P. Dongarra, Clarence Lam

District 42
Senate: Connie DeJuliis

County Council
District 4: Kenneth N. Oliver

BALTIMORE CITY

General Assembly
District 45
Senate: Nathaniel J. McFadden
House: Cory V. McCray, Cheryl Glenn, Talmadge Branch

District 46
Senate: Bill Ferguson
House: Bill Romani, Brooke Lierman, Luke Clippinger

HOWARD COUNTY

General Assembly
District 12 (also Baltimore County)
House: Eric Ebersole, Rebecca P. Dongarra, Clarence Lam

District 13
Senate: Guy Guzzone
House: Fred Turner, Vanessa Atterbeary, Shane Pendergrass

County Sheriff: John A. Newnan

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

District 14
Senate: Karen Montgomery
House: Anne R. Kaiser, Eric Luedtke, Craig J. Zucker

District 15
Senate: Brian Feldman
House: Kathleen Dumais, David Fraser-Hidalgo, Aruna Miller

District 16
Senate: Susan Lee
House: Bill Frick, Ariana Kelly, Hrant Jamgochian

District 17
Senate: Cheryl Kagan
House: Kumar P. Barve, Jim Gilchrist, Andrew Platt

District 18
Senate: Richard Madaleno
House (four endorsed for three seats): Al Carr, Natali Fani-Gonzalez, Jeff Waldstreicher, Ana Sol Gutierrez

District 19
Senate: Roger Manno
House: Ben Kramer, Marice I. Morales, Bonnie Cullison

District 20
Senate: Jamie Raskin
House: Sheila Hixson, Will Jawando, David Moon

District 39
Senate: Nancy King
House: Charles Barkley, Kirill Reznik, Shane Robinson

County Executive: Ike Leggett

County Council
At- Large: Beth Daly, Marc Elrich, Hans Riemer
District 1: Roger Berliner
District 2: Craig Rice
District 3: Ryan Spiegel
District 4: Nancy Navarro
District 5: Tom Hucker

Board of Education
At-Large: Shebra Evans
District 1: Judy Docca
District 3: Patricia O’Neill
District 5: Michael Durso

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

District 21
Senate: Jim Rosapepe
House: Barbara Frush, Joseline Peña-Melnyk, Ben Barnes

District 22
Senate: Paul G. Pinsky
House: Tawanna P. Gaines, Anne Healey, Alonzo T. Washington

District 23
Senate: Douglas J. J. Peters
House: Geraldine Valentino-Smith (23A), Marvin E. Holmes (23B), Joseph F. Vallario Jr. (23B)

District 24
Senate: Joanne C. Benson
House: Carolyn J. B. Howard, Darren M. Swain, Michael L. Vaughn

District 25
Senate: Ulysses Currie
House: Angela Angel, Darryl Barnes, Dereck Davis

District 26
Senate: Anthony C. Muse
House: David Sloan, Kris Valderrama, Jay Walker

District 47
Senate: Victor Ramirez
House: Michael Summers (47A), Jimmy Tarlau (47A), Will Campos (47B)

Countywide
County Executive: Rushern Baker
County Sheriff: Melvin C. High
State’s Attorney: Angela Alsobrooks

County Council
District 1: Mary A. Lehman
District 2: Deni Taveras
District 3: Danielle Glaros
District 4: Vince Canales
District 5: Andrea Fletcher Harrison
District 6: Derrick Leon Davis
District 7: Kito James
District 8: Obie Patterson
District 9: Mel Franklin

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