Tossing their hats into the ring plenty early

Some candidates already jump-starting campaigns

Friday, Nov. 6, 2009

By JOHN WHARTON

Staff writer

Click here to enlarge this photo

Staff photos by JAY FRIESS

Arthur Shepherd joins other spectators at last month's oyster shucking contest at the St. Mary's fairgrounds as he campaigns for county commissioner.

E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

Click here to enlarge this photo

Dan Morris attends the St. Mary's oyster festival at the county fairgrounds following his early entry into next year's county commissioner race.

If it feels like the every-two-years cycle of presidential elections followed by local elections has spread out into a constant state of political campaigning, that's because it has.

Less than a half-century ago, aspirants for the White House were still pondering their potential candidacy as late as the early summer before Election Day. The arrival of wintertime primaries and caucuses irrevocably changed that timetable, just as the earlier start to the filing period has sped up the start of campaigning for local races throughout Maryland, including in Southern Maryland.

St. Mary's early filers for an election day that is still a year away include two men seeking a county commissioner post representing the Leonardtown-Hollywood area of the county. Arthur Shepherd, a manager with the St. Mary's County Department of Recreation and Parks since 1978, filed as a Democratic candidate for the job on July 6, the day the filing period began. Dan Morris, a retired lawman who more recently worked as a state's attorney investigator, joined a Republican tax-freeze slate and filed his candidacy in early October.

"I wanted to inform everyone of my intent," Shepherd, 53, said of his early entry into the field. "I thought it would be best, [to] allow the citizens some time to observe me as a candidate, and keep me accountable for the work ahead. It's time to go to work, to be effective in the job as a commissioner, and to gain the support that's needed to be elected."

Shepherd said he talked with friends, coworkers and other people who know him through his work before he decided to file, but that he made the move on his own, and quickly, once that process was completed.

"If you wait until March [of the election year], you're not pursuing it [to] the degree that's needed. I want to pursue it with strength," he said. "I want to be forthright, so when I meet with people it isn't a case of ‘are you?' or ‘aren't you?' It was just my first step of being forthright."

Morris, 59, moved to St. Mary's in 1972, and built his home in the Queen Tree neighborhood north of Hollywood in 1988 as he neared the end of a 33-year career with the Prince George's County Police Department, where he retired with the rank of corporal after serving as a detective and acting sergeant. He went to work for the Prince George's County Sheriff's Department for five years, and was about midway through another post, as an investigator for the St. Mary's state's attorney's office, when he filed in January 2002 as a Democratic candidate for sheriff. He lost the primary to a sergeant in the agency who went on to win the general election.

The experience taught Morris a lesson in timing.

"Personally, I think I filed too late. I got the whole thing started too late," he said. "Outside the law enforcement community, not a lot of people knew me. Name recognition is very important. You've got to get your name out."

Morris said his work as an investigator at the state's attorney's office, first for Democrat Walter B. Dorsey and then for Republican Richard D. Fritz, didn't afford as much visibility as a sheriff's deputy out and about for two decades.

"My public exposure wasn't that great," Morris said.

Morris also learned about the value of the supporting players through that campaign.

"I had an excellent committee," he said, "but it wasn't big enough or diverse enough."

An early start in the 2010 commissioner race helps address those issues, Morris said, and the ever-present need for a hefty war chest.

"You have to raise funds," he said. "If you feel as I do that I'm the underdog candidate, you have to get started early."

Morris does transportation and security work for a heating-and-air business, but he mused that his campaign funds are starting with proceeds from a passion for growing chrysanthemums, which previously has helped pay for his family's education and other endeavors.

"My seed money's coming from the mums," he quipped.

Being part of a slate of like-minded candidates allied with incumbent Commissioner Larry Jarboe is a shift from Morris' last bid for elected office.

"Running for sheriff is a different ballgame. The reason I'm running this time is a different reason entirely," he said, and part of it is the basic arithmetic in getting a majority vote when the county's five commissioners convene.

"You've got to have three votes to have anything done, and we want to freeze taxes," Morris said. "A bunch of us got together and decided we'd run together and freeze taxes."

Anthony B. Covington, a Charles County prosecutor, refined his thoughts about running for state's attorney into a firm decision once he learned that his boss, the incumbent, would not seek re-election next year.

Covington, a lawyer since 1991, worked 18 months as a Prince George's County prosecutor before joining the staff of Leonard C. Collins, first from 1992 to 1997 and back again from 2003 to the present.

"I was just happy doing my job, trying cases," the deputy state's attorney said, but he took the opportunity to declare his candidacy at the same time that Collins publicly stated that five terms were enough.

"When he let me know that's what he was going to do, I decided I was going to put my hat in," Covington, 48, said. "He told me shortly before he made his announcement, and I announced the same day. That seemed like the appropriate time to let folks know that I was interested in the job."

Covington made his announcement in late June and filed his candidacy in the Democratic primary in late July, which is about the same time he received an endorsement from a fellow Democrat who works as the state's top prosecutor, Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler.

Unlike most elected offices, only "a finite number of people" can run for state's attorney, Covington said; people who are licensed lawyers.

Covington said Gansler showed "guts" in giving his endorsement when he did, in a political atmosphere where most incumbents hold back and examine the field before granting their support.

"Most folks in public office wait around … until they find out who they think the frontrunner is," the candidate said, "and they jump on the bandwagon."

Hammad S. Matin, a private practice attorney who previously worked more than five years as an assistant state's attorney in Charles County, filed his candidacy for the county's top prosecutor post in early September, just about one year to the day before he'll square off against Covington and any other candidates for the job taking part in the Democratic primary.

"I wanted to give myself and my campaign as much time as possible to campaign, get out there and meet the voters," Matin said. "We have a year to get out there and do it."

The one-year timeline fits in well with forming an approach to the campaign trail, the 33-year-old candidate said.

"It gets me and my campaign and committee members to focus our efforts and focus on a game plan to get our name out there," Matin said.

The campaign has required Matin to pare down his job as Sen. Benjamin Cardin's Southern Maryland field representative, from three counties to two.

"Once I filed," Matin said, "I no longer represent the senator in Charles County, and that was through an agreement and requirement of the senator."

In Calvert County, Kimberly Mackall, 37, of Lusby has filed as a Democratic candidate for commissioner District 1, an area also including Solomons and Broomes Island, in next year's election. Mackall, an operations supervisor for an insurance company in Baltimore, said it made no sense to delay filing her candidacy once she had chosen to do so.

"I had no reason to wait," she said. "I'm a qualified candidate, and I've volunteered in the community for years. It's the next step in my service to the community."

Getting an earlier start gives Mackall an opportunity, she said, "to be able to meet my constituents and talk to them … getting a feel for their concerns and what their needs are."

She said her strategy might soon be commonplace in local politics.

"The old way of waiting to the very last minute," she said, "I'm not sure if that's still relevant today."

Nick Garrett, the 29-year-old owner of a music business, hasn't yet filed in the Democratic primary for the District 2 commissioner seat representing the Prince Frederick area, but he's already held fundraisers bringing in about $13,000 for his established "Citizens for Nick Garrett" committee.

He said he'll file his candidacy this fall, and have access to the accumulated funds that will meet half of his campaign's projected expenses over the next 12 months.

"When I announced back in March, you couldn't even file at all," he said. "If you can raise money early," he said, "that's really the main thing" behind starting a committee and holding fundraisers.

"The challenge was trying to find a way to get started," Garrett said, "without doing anything too early, but as a first-time candidate, you have to raise a lot of money."

The risk of support peaking too soon after filing early was not a concern of either Shepherd or Morris.

"I'm still excited about the possibilities and challenges ahead," Shepherd said. "Individuals have identified with me and provided support early on."

He added, "A lot of what I'm doing now has to be related to the big picture of the future of St. Mary's County. This is allowing everybody to know that I want to bring strong leadership and positive solutions to the great challenges."

Filing early, Shepherd said, has allowed him access to the voters and their concerns, and has allowed them access to the candidate.

"People can begin to make their judgments, on a candidate, his character and his decisions on the issues," he said. "The citizens actually have time to weigh in on the candidate."

The fact that the general election is still a full year away is not lost on Shepherd. "Now is the time to grow, put out a consistent message," he said. "It's going to be next summer before a good group of the citizens begin to make up their mind. Now is the time to build the support for next summer, when it counts most. It's important to build a strong team over these next months. Then when it's time to peak, we'll be ready."

Morris said there's no disadvantage to filing early, as long as the marathon's distance is understood and appreciated. "You can burn yourself out quick," he said. "You've got to pace yourself."

Morris again could speak from experience on the issue; he collapsed from heatstroke and spent a couple days in the hospital less than a month before the 2002 sheriff's primary. "You can burn out both physically and mentally," he said. "People told me that all along."

Morris put his experience to use in the 2006 election, as he worked for a year on Timothy K. Cameron's successful bid to be the county sheriff, unseating the victor in the 2002 contest.

"There's no reason you should not file as soon as you make up your mind that you're going to do it," Morris said. "If you feel that you're the underdog and you've got an uphill battle, you better file early."

And even a candidate with deep pockets takes a risk in ignoring that advice, he said.

"The only exception is if you're a multi-millionaire, because you can flood the media. And that doesn't necessarily mean you're going to win if you flood the media," Morris said.

jwharton@somdnews.com

How to find them

The two major political parties have offices, phone numbers or online links for their clubs or central committees in each of the three Southern Maryland counties

Democratic Central Committee of St. Mary's County

41161 Knight Road

Leonardtown, MD 20650

301-475-8242

kathleen@waldensierra.org

www.democratsofstmarys.org

Democratic Club of St. Mary's County

P.O. Box 631

Leonardtown, MD 20650

301-737-7978

president@democratsofstmarys.org

www.democratsofstmarys.org