Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self. - Cyril Connolly
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Get out the Vote
I've been asked to be the moderator for the 40th Distric Legislative Forum this Thursday evening. It's a pretty cool gig! If you live in the 40th District, and want a chance to meet your candidates and hear their views - this is it. Lovel Lane Methodist Church, 2200 St. Paul Street. 7:00 PM.
For a handy dandy copy of the Voter's Guide provided by your firends at the League of Women Voters, you can go here.
Basically, moderating these things is like moderating the Presidential Debates, and the rules of engagement are:
* Each candidate will be allowed 3 minutes for his or her opening statements. The timekeeper will hold up a yellow card when 15 seconds remain and a red card when time has expired. The moderator will enforce the time limits. * Candidates who arrive during the question and answer period will forfeit their opening statements. * Candidate responses to questions from the floor cannot exceed 2 minutes. * Questions from the audience should be concise and not exceed one minute. * Each candidate will have one minute for closing remarks.
There are several interesting features about the race in the 40th District. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Ralph M. Hughes is retiring, and six Democratic candidates are running in the primary to replace him. One Republican, Stephen George, is the presumptive GOP nominee, and it will be interesting to see if he bothers to attend the Forum.
In Maryland, there are three delegates in the same district as every state senator. In the 40th District, two incumbent delegates have chosen not to run for re-election and instead seek Hughes' seat. They are Democrats Salima Siler Marriott, the head of the city House delegation; and Catherine Pugh, a former city councilwoman appointed to the delegate seat after the death of Tony Fulton. Both are proven vote-getters, and visible in the community.
Former city council president and mayoral candidate Lawrence Bell is also running, attempting a political comeback. The other candidates are city councilwoman Belinda K. Conaway, Tara Andrews and Timothy Mercer.
If everyone shows up - it will be an interesting evening!
ahem ....a (not quite subtle) reminder of my mail sent while you were absorbed in Butlermania last week...what does a girl do with her postal vote b4 'popping it in the post'? Forgive me if I should have addressed you as Ms Moderator...
ahem ....a (not quite subtle) reminder of my mail sent while you were absorbed in Butlermania last week...what does a girl do with her postal vote b4 'popping it in the post'? Forgive me if I should have addressed you as Ms Moderator...