Pick your poison

By Doug Miller
Posted: January 8, 2010

Deja vu this morning while reading of the struggles of Republicans in Frederick and Washington (my old home) counties to agree on a successor to Del. Richard Weldon Jr., who is resigning his seat to become executive assistant to Frederick Mayor Randy McClement.

When such vacancies occur, the central committee of the party to which the resigning legislator belonged at the time of his election (Weldon was elected as a Republican but later became an independent) chooses his replacement. The governor has to sign off on the choice, but that’s ordinarily just a formality.

Since Weldon’s district straddles the border between the two counties, however, Republican leaders in both get a say in whose name winds up on the governor’s desk. The Washington and Frederick committees could not come to a consensus, and will submit two names.

Same thing happened in these parts 20 years ago, when Del. Sue Buswell gave up her House seat to become executive director of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education. At the time, Howard shared that district with Prince George’s County, and their two Democratic central committees split over who should succeed her.

Howard’s Democrats wanted Althea “Tee” O’Connor, an aide to then-County Executive (now delegate) Liz Bobo. The Prince George’s people wanted former Laurel Mayor Bob DiPietro.

Gov. William Donald Schaefer predictably chose DiPietro, an old friend.

As reluctant as local Democratic leaders might have been in 1989 to surrender their power to appoint Buswell’s successor, though, Schaefer, at least, was one of their own. The Republicans of Frederick and Washington counties must certainly be loathe to let Martin O’Malley make their choice for them.

But that’s how it will happen. Looks like the GOP still has some self-destructing to do.

Comment on this entry • No responses