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2007 News
2006
Press Releases & Other Stories of Interest
December 21,
2006: Bay Weekly's Bad Santa Gift List
(Editorial: Bay Weekly)
November 30,
2006: These shoes were made for stumping
(Washington Post)
November 29,
2006: Voters Did Know Hale (Letter to the
Editor - Southern Maryland News)
November 24,
2006: Hale to take time away from
politics (Southern Maryland News)
November 22,
2006: Parties ponder election lessons
(Southern Maryland News)
November 15,
2006: Voters have decided (Southern
Maryland News)
November 10,
2006: Hale No! Kullen keeps her job (Southern
Maryland News)
November 10,
2006: GOP dreams land with a thud ...
(Southern Maryland News)
November 8,
2005: Kullen Beats Hale in 27B (Southern
Maryland News)
November 8,
2006: Incumbents Fend off GOP
(Washington Post)
November 2,
2006: ... Personal Touch Still Counts
(Washington Post)
October 29,
2006: So Many Candidates, So Little
Time ... (Washington Post)
October 20,
2006: Play Ball (Gazette.net)
October 15,
2006: Letter to the Editor: A Voice for Disabled
People (Washington Post)
October 12,
2006: Neck & Neck toward the House of
Delegates (Bay Weekly)
Oct 11,
2006: Letter to the Editor: Hale is not the
person ... (The Calvert Recorder)
Oct 6, 2006:
Hale, Kullen begin battle in earnest. (The Calvert Recorder)
Oct 5, 2006:
Teachers and NRA Back Delegate Kullen.
(Washington Post)
Oct 4, 2006:
Letter to the Editor - "Teacher Thanks Delegate
Kullen." (Calvert Independent)
Oct 1, 2006:
Letter to the Editor - "Delegate Kullen over
Hale." (Washington Post)
Sept 23,
2006: "Spotlight is on Calvert's Hard Run
House Race." (Washington Post)
Sept 22,
2006: "She is a rising star in the
House of Delegates." (Southern Maryland News.com)
Sept 8,
2006: This Could Bode Well (Gazette.net)
Sept 8,
2006: Democrats take last chance to meet
voters (Calvert Recorder)
Sept 1, 2006: Kullen Opposes Bay Crossing in
Calvert County (Gazette.net)
August 25,
2006: Governor Erhlich Appoints
Kullen to Board (Baltimore Sun 8/25/06)
August 23,
2006: Kullen and Others Support Stu Sims for
Attorney General (SoMdNews.com).
August, 2006:
Calvert Education Association Newsletter:
Friend of Education Nominee
August 17,
2006: Progressive Maryland, "Re-elect
these Champions of Working Families"
August 9,
2006: Kullen, Hoyer & Others Attend
25th Cancer Gala (SoMdNews.com)
August 3,
2006: Senator Dyson sends letter of
concern to the state (Southern Maryland On-line)
July 14, 2006:
Maryland League of Conservation Voters
Scorecard and related story in the Bay Weekly
July 12, 2006:
Caught in Time's Currents: In the Twilight of Life ... (Washington
Post - Metro Section)
July 6, 2006:
Fireworks Signal Explosive Election Season
(Editorial: Bay Weekly)
June 29, 2006:
Miller Boosts Kullen in Campaign
Kick-off (Washington Post)
June 14, 2006:
Letter to the Editor: Kullen vs. Hale
(Southern Maryland Newspapers)
June 9, 2006:
One Man's War to Save the Patuxent River
(Southern Maryland Newspapers)
June 9, 2006:
Kullen, Hoyer Shuffle
Campaign Staff (Southern Maryland Newspapers)
May 26, 2006:
Kullen Gives Citizenship Awards -
Calverton School. (Southern Maryland Newspapers)
May 24, 2006:
Kullen Leaning on Labor for Support
in Tough Campaign. (Southern Maryland Newspapers).
May 18, 2006:
Mirant opens doors for tour of Chalk Point to
Delegate Kullen. (Patuxent Riverkeeper, June).
March 13,
2006: Kullen Introduces Bill to Clean up the Patuxent
River Watershed (Press release)
February,
2006: WalkAmerica Selects Delegate Kullen
as Honorary Chair for Southern Maryland.
January 22,
2006:
Thank
You for Medicare Seminar: Letter to the Editor. The Washington
Post
January 12,
2006: Fair Share Health Care
Vote: Letter to the Editor(s).
January 9,
2006: Tobacco Barn Preservation
Press Conference: Congressman Hoyer / Delegate Kullen
January 6,
2006:
Legislative Line-Up: Know Your Official. Calvert Recorder
GO TO:
2005
Press Releases & Other Stories of Interest
GO TO:
2004
Press Releases & Other Stories of Interest
Bay Weekly's Bad Santa Gift
List
December 21 - 28, 2006 - Bay Weekly - The Best of the
Bay
Back
by popular demand, here are some of the presents we
recommend for our pals in politics.
For
Gov.-elect Martin O’Malley: A $20,000 home-recording
studio with microphones, mixer and Fender Stratocaster
guitar for the governor’s mansion — in hopes that he
will make his music, and his home, in Annapolis rather
than living in Baltimore and wasting taxpayer’s gas
money on the commute.
For
Gov. Robert Ehrlich: Nine roundtrip Southwest Airlines
plane tickets from BWI to Manchester, N.H. — so that he
can play in GOP presidential politics in the nation’s
first primary state and possibly be selected as a
conservative presidential aspirant’s moderate running
mate.
For
Senate President Mike Miller: Wheels, a megaphone and
battering ram on his customized rocking chair — so that
if he follows through with his plan to retire after this
term, he can continue to throw his weight around in
Maryland politics.
For
Lt. Gov. Michael Steele: A job, any job, after
sacrificing his to a Democratic administration, getting
shellacked in his campaign for the Senate and then
passed over for Republican National Chairman.
For
Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold: A real
environmentalist somewhere high up in his administration
to remind him often of all those lofty campaign promises
about managing unwise growth.
For
Delegate Sue Kullen: A Barcalounger, a pitcher of
mojitos and a mystery novel now that she doesn’t have to
run for her political life after being elected Calvert
County’s first female representative in the General
Assembly.
For
Del. Anthony O’Donnell of Calvert County: Sheet music to
sing Kumbaya in the House chamber after promising to
shed his bulldog tactics for collegiality now that he
has been promoted to House minority leader.
For
narrowly reelected Del. Don Dwyer: A laminated wallet
card displaying the words of Matthew 7:1 “Judge not,
that ye be not judged” — in hopes that he will temper
his crusades in Annapolis after winning his seat by 25
votes.
These Shoes Were Made for
Stumping
Delegate-Elect Credits Door-to-Door Visits
November 30, 2006 - The Washington Post -
Southern Maryland Extra
By
Dan Morse
Washington Post Staff
Writer
 |
|
Delegate
Sue Kullen estimates she put 500 miles on her $12.99 sandals in her
successful campaign against David Hale.
|
It was arguably the
biggest Democratic
win in Calvert
County this month,
and for those trying
to figure out how it
happened, here are
two places to look:
Sue Kullen's
sandals and David
Hale's son's T-ball
games.
The contest in
question: Who would
represent Calvert in
the Maryland House
of Delegates.
Kullen, the
Democrat, collected
57 percent of the
votes, thanks in
part to putting an
estimated 500 miles
on a pair of $12.99
sandals she bought
at Target. She had
never run for office
before, having been
appointed to the
assembly seat two
years ago, after it
was vacated.
Hale, known by his
ubiquitous "Hale
Yes" campaign signs,
was a visible
fixture in the
county, having
served as president
of the Board of
Commissioners since
2000. He was seen by
many as a rising
star in the
Republican Party.
In interviews this
week, both Kullen
and Hale said she
knocked on many more
doors and campaigned
harder.
"Sue ran a better
campaign," said
Hale, estimating
that in
door-knocking alone
Kullen probably
spent 10 times more
hours than he did on
the trail. "She ran
a good grass-roots,
one-on-one with
voters campaign."
But as Hale, 42,
prepared to preside
at one of his last
county commissioners
meetings on Tuesday,
he said he had no
regrets about how he
ran his campaign. To
have done it
differently, he
said, would meant
substantial cutbacks
at his job (he is
president of a
computer consulting
business), or on
time with his
family. "I was
unwilling to do
either," he said.
In the hours he
could have been
campaigning, he
said, he was instead
taking his
5-year-old son,
Sean, to his first
day of kindergarten,
going to Sean's
twice-weekly T-ball
games and practices,
or reading to his
3-year-old daughter,
Lauren. Some of
these things, he
said, you only get
one chance in life
to do.
Kullen's
march to Election
Day began two years
ago, after she was
appointed to the
seat vacated by
former delegate
George W. Owings III
(D) when he was
chosen by Gov.
Robert L. Ehrlich
Jr. (R) to head the
Maryland Department
of Veterans Affairs.
During fall 2004,
she started knocking
on doors,
introducing herself
to voters as their
new representative,
leaving them her
contact information,
inviting them to
call if they had any
problems. Her first
shoes for this trek
were a pair with
wooden heels. "I'd
just go home and
soak my feet," she
said.
By summer 2005,
Kullen had started
to wear the Target
sandals -- rubber
soles, suede uppers,
leather straps, open
heel, perfect
comfort. Kullen, who
works as a
disabilities
consultant, cut back
on her workload. She
and her husband,
Steve, don't have
children.
By this summer she
was knocking on more
doors and racked up
an estimated 500
miles on the
sandals. A key
message to voters:
Even though she is a
Democrat in a
conservative county,
she won't play
partisan politics.
Voter mailings sent
by the state
Republican Party
tried to paint her
as too liberal for
Calvert, said Kullen
and local political
observers.
"She didn't come out as a flaming liberal, as advertised," said Democrat Robert L. "Bobby" Swann of Solomons, a former state comptroller and former county commissioner who served with Hale. "She turned out to be a great campaigner. Sue was everywhere. . . . She came out as a moderate in the tradition of Southern Maryland Democrats."Evidence of this came when she secured the endorsement of the National Rifle Association. Neither a hunter nor a gun owner, Kullen said her brothers and father hunt, and she respects the wants of gun owners in Calvert County.
After that endorsement, Kullen said she had female supporters come up to her and say, "My husband said he'll vote for you now."
Kullen also visited about 50 churches during her campaign, staying through the services and sometimes sitting with a member of the church who knew her. And she tried to go to as many public events as possible, on one day hitting eight functions, which required three changes of clothes.
She also no doubt got the boost that all Democrats received on Nov. 7 -- with people casting votes against the war in Iraq, against President Bush and against Republicans. Hale said people told him on Election Day they had voted for him in the past but couldn't vote for a Republican this time.
Swann, the Democrat and former comptroller, credited Hale with being as good a county commissioners president as Calvert has ever had. Swann said Hale was able to get commissioners to work together, and used his organizational skills to stay on top of issues and keep the meetings moving.
His image -- as an orderly leader -- was hard to miss for Calvert residents who watched commissioner meetings on a local cable TV channel. He sat on the dais with two commissioners on either side, moving efficiently through the agenda, with his shock of blond hair neatly in place.
"I am not as boring as people may think if they only know me through watching the commissioner meetings on Channel 6," he said in response to a survey from The Washington Post this year.
He drives a 2005 Mustang convertible and was once a mountain guide on Mount Rainier in Washington state. During the campaign, Hale once told Swann that if he lost, he could concentrate on his family and securing college funds for his children.
"If I don't win," Swann recalled Hale telling him, "it won't be the end of the world."
Hale said as much in an interview this week. Because he is a competitive person, losing really stung, he acknowledged. But beyond that, he said, "There are a lot of benefits to my family life, to my company, to my clients. . . . Overall, it's a good thing."
Hale said he will miss working with other commissioners and government department heads. Among his proudest accomplishments, he said, were the funding approved for Calvert public schools and the controls put on county growth.
He said he doesn't know if he will run for office again. That depends on where life takes him in the next three years, he said, adding, "Never say never."
The Voters Did
Know David Hale
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Wednesday, November
29, 2006 - Southern Maryland News . com
: The Recorder
I take exception to your paper’s
comments in the ‘‘Our Opinion” editorial
‘‘Voters have decided” from the Nov. 15
edition. Specifically, I am offended by
your comments regarding the race between
Sue Kullen and David Hale.
It is offensive to say Kullen won this
race because ‘‘Kullen simply showed up
at every event and doorstep she possibly
could, and Hale didn’t. The voters knew
Kullen better, and she is the candidate
who won.”
The voters of Calvert County know Hale.
How many years has he been a
commissioner? How many issues of the
Calvert Recorder did we see his face in?
How many times each week do we see him
broadcast on Channel 6 leading the
commissioners’ meeting? We know David
Hale and we know him as being
non-responsive, arrogant and
condescending to the public, and to
select other elected officials, in our
county. In the past, I have sent e-mail
to all the commissioners and all the
other commissioners have responded, but
Hale did not. I don’t take his lack of
response personally; it is clear by the
election results that he is equally
non-responsive to all his constituents.
I want to be clear. I am a registered
Republican and I voted for Sue Kullen. I
voted for Sue Kullen because over the
last two years I got to know her and
over the last four years I got to know
David Hale. The citizens were clear on
Election Day; they voted for what they
knew. What is not clear is why the
Calvert Recorder continues to pander to
Hale now that he is no longer an elected
official.
Kim Williams, North Beach
Hale to take
time away from politics
Friday, November
24, 2006 - Southern Maryland News . com
: The Recorder
Erica Mitrano -
Staff Writer
After
spending two weeks incommunicado,
licking his wounds after a landslide
defeat by Delegate Sue Kullen (D)
in the race for House of Delegates,
Calvert County Board of County
Commissioners President David Hale (R)
was forced back into the public eye by a
commissioners’ meeting Tuesday, Nov. 21.
Hale said
the defeat will give him more time to
focus on his job and his family, and
that he does not yet know if he will
return to politics.
‘‘Really,
it’s going to be getting a big chunk of
my life back. I am going to focus on my
family, my kids and my business. ...
I’ll probably take the next two or three
years as Citizen Dave,” Hale said.
Hale
attributed his loss to a political
climate hostile to Republicans at the
state level, and said he would not have
done anything differently because it was
‘‘impossible” for him to have won under
the circumstances. Hale also suggested
that having a job and family could have
been an impediment to his candidacy.
‘‘Maybe at
the state level people don’t want
citizen legislators. Maybe they want
people who don’t have jobs or families.
Maybe they want people who can campaign
all day,” Hale said.
Hale has
not made the traditional phone call to
Kullen to concede the election.
‘‘I don’t
even have her phone number. I guess I
could look it up. ... But I don’t
consider it an issue,” Hale said.
For her
part, Kullen traveled to Florida to
unwind from the campaign, visiting
friends and relatives there.
She
credited her victory to her campaign
style. Kullen almost frenetically
attended public events and walked door
to door meeting voters.
Kullen’s
margin of victory was remarkable, almost
two thousand votes, for what was widely
expected to be a close race.
‘‘I was
definitely expecting a nailbiter. I
definitely thought we were going to win,
I just didn’t think it was going to be
by that much,” said Kelly DiRocco,
Kullen’s campaign manager.
While
campaigning was stressful, Kullen said
she didn’t plan to slow down now that
the election is over.
‘‘This is my speed,” she said.
She hopes to focus on education and the
environment in her upcoming term, she
said.
In education, Kullen plans to make sure
the geographical cost of education index
is implemented. The index aims to take
into account the added costs of
educating children who are more widely
dispersed, and allocate state education
dollars accordingly. The system
‘‘disproportionately benefits rural
areas” like Calvert, Kullen said.
She also plans to look at the effects of
standardized testing on Maryland
students.
‘‘Just looking at the whole high-stakes
testing and just what statewide
education is going to do to respond to
what happens when people take the test
and don’t graduate. What’s the plan B
for these students?”
Environmentally, Kullen hopes to
strengthen measures in a bill to protect
the Patuxent River.
She also supports an oyster recovery
program being run by Morgan State
University at the Estuarine Research
Center at Jefferson Patterson Park and
Museum in St. Leonard, she said.
‘‘I’m going to definitely grab onto that
coattail because it will benefit the
watermen and the environment,” Kullen
said.
Parties ponder
election lessons
Wednesday, November
22, 2006 - Southern Maryland News . com
: The Recorder
Erica Mitrano -
Staff Writer
 |
|
Delegate
Sue Kullen (D-Calvert) drapes Democratic Party poll worker Ann
Brandeo with stickers on Election Day, Nov. 7. Kullen won a race
that was considered critical to both parties, defeating Calvert
commissioners President David Hale (R).
(Photo Darwin Weigel). |
With dust
from the election settling, Republicans
and Democrats are taking a look around
at their respective positions, both
locally and in Maryland as a whole.
On both
the national and regional level, it was
a bad time to be a Republican. Democrats
narrowly took control of the U.S. Senate
and House of Representatives, a victory
which included Democrat Ben Cardin
beating out Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (R)
for Maryland’s open Senate seat. The
Democratic Mayor of Baltimore, Martin
O’Malley, will have Gov. Robert
Ehrlich’s (R) job for the next four
years. And the number of Republican
members of Southern Maryland’s
delegation to the state legislature has
dwindled from two to one, as W. Daniel
Mayer (R), a delegate from Charles
County, lost his seat to a Democrat.
But the
remaining Republican member of the
delegation, Del. Anthony O’Donnell, who
represents southern Calvert, isn’t fazed
by the loss of his Republican colleague.
‘‘Well,
you know, we only had two for the last
12 years and now we only have one. To go
from two out of 12 to one out of 12 is
not that big a difference,” O’Donnell
said.
But Hagner
Mister, a member of the county
Democratic Central Committee, thinks
O’Donnell may be hampered by his
isolation.
‘‘Well, we
have a Democratic governor coming on
board in January. And the House is
Democratic, [and] the Senate ... I think
Tony [O’Donnell] has been there. This is
his third or fourth time. He knows the
lay of the land in Annapolis and he
knows [that] when politics change the
policies will change and he won’t have a
Republican governor in Annapolis,”
Mister said.
The most
surprising result of the state
legislature races was Calvert County
Board of County Commissioners President
David Hale’s (R) loss to incumbent
Sue Kullen (D-Calvert) in the race
to represent central Calvert on the
House of Delegates. Kullen won by a 15
percent margin despite Hale’s eight
years of political experience in Calvert
County and Kullen having been appointed,
not elected, to her seat two years ago.
But
observers from both parties assigned the
credit for Kullen’s victory not to
partisan politics but to campaign
styles. Hale’s campaign focused on
advertisements while Kullen made a point
of attending public events and going
door-to-door.
‘‘Sue
Kullen demonstrated that simple hard
work, shoeleather and skin of her hand,
shaking hands, knocking on doors,
overcame what everybody initially
assumed was a big advantage that David
Hale had because of his political
experience. ... That gives us great
comfort to know that it can be done in
Calvert County,” said Chris Reynolds,
chair of the Democratic Central
Committee of Calvert County.
Robert
Reed, a member of the county Republican
Central Committee, agreed.
‘‘I don’t
think Dave Hale did anything wrong. I
think in these circumstances that Sue
Kullen did everything or more things
right. ... I think she came off a better
people person than Commissioner Hale,”
Reed said.
Kullen
herself attributes her success to the
frenetic pace of her campaign.
‘‘I know
the secret to my success was hard work.
I knocked on an awful lot of doors and
spoke to an awful lot of people,” Kullen
said.
While
races for state and federal level
positions followed the national trend,
Republicans did well in county races.
Republican
sheriff Mike Evans was re-elected
... < Read the entire November 22
article on-line:
SoMdNews.com >
Voters have decided
Wednesday, November
15, 2006 - Southern Maryland News . com
: The Recorder
Elections tell who the voters want to
represent them, sure, but they can also
tell you what the public wants.
Many times, especially at the local
level, voters choose someone because
they know who she is, or know her
family. They may not know much about the
candidate’s position, but they know the
person.
We feel this was the outcome in
Delegate Sue Kullen’s race against
GOP candidate David Hale, currently the
commissioners president, soon to be out
of elected office.
Both Kullen and Hale were strong,
intelligent candidates. Both had broadly
appealing, moderate platforms stressing
education, transportation, fiscal
responsibility and the environment.
During the campaign, and especially the
last few months, Kullen simply showed up
at every event and doorstep she possibly
could, and Hale didn’t. The voters knew
Kullen better, and she is the candidate
who won.
In the county commissioner positions...
< Read the entire November 15th
editorial on-line:
SoMdNews.com >
Hale no! Kullen
keeps her delegate job
Friday, November
10, 2006 - Southern Maryland News . com
: The Recorder
By
Alan Brody
Staff Writer
 |
|
Victorious
Delegate Sue Kullen (D-Calvert) reacts Tuesday night to news
that she has kept her delegate seat, beating a challenge by current
Calvert County Board of County Commissioners President David Hale
(R) 7,512 votes to 5,629, 57 percent to 43 percent. Kullen was at
the Democratic party post-election shindig at the Prince Frederick
Volunteer Fire Dept. Staff Photo
by Darwin Weigel |
Southern Maryland was supposed to hold
promise in Republicans’ quest to gain
ground in Annapolis.
Two
county commissioner presidents were
thought to pose significant threats to
incumbent Democrats in a region that
boasts a recent conservative voting
streak.
Like in other places across the state
and nation, the GOP’s hopes went
belly-up.
‘‘It was a huge national wave. Maryland
is not immune ... to what’s going on in
America,” said Kevin Igoe, a GOP
strategist based in Owings. ‘‘This is a
blue state, that yesterday was even
bluer because of the national political
environment.”
Calvert County’s most promising
Republican met that reality as
commissioners President David F. Hale
fell to Delegate Sue Kullen in a
surprisingly easy victory, 7,512 votes
to 5,629, a 57 percent to 43 percent
margin.
The incumbent was at or near the top of
the GOP’s hit list after she was tapped
in 2004 as a political unknown to
succeed former delegate George W. Owings
III. A trademark grassroots campaigner,
Kullen (D-Calvert) of Port Republic said
the victory was an affirmation of what
she has accomplished in two years.
‘‘I think the bottom line is hard work
pays off. I knew it was a targeted seat.
I knew I had two years to hit the ground
running, to do a good job and to make a
good impression,” she said.
Hale did not return calls seeking
comment.
The Senate District ... < Read the
entire November 10 story on-line:
SoMdNews.com >
GOP dreams land
with a thud in Southern Maryland
Friday, November
10, 2006 - Southern Maryland News . com
: The Recorder
By
Alan Brody
Staff Writer
Southern
Maryland was supposed to hold promise in
Republicans’ quest to gain ground in
Annapolis. Two county commissioner
presidents were thought to pose
significant threats to incumbent
Democrats in a region that boasts a
recent conservative voting streak.
As in
other places across the state and
nation, the GOP’s hopes went belly-up on
Tuesday.
... (text removed for space - see the
entire story by linking to to SoMdNews
below)
Several Republicans said their
legislative candidates could not
overcome a distaste for the national
party.
‘‘It was a huge national wave. Maryland
is not immune ... to what’s going on in
America,” said Kevin Igoe, a GOP
strategist based in Owings. ‘‘This is a
blue state, that [on Election Day] was
even bluer because of the national
political environment.”
Calvert’s most promising Republican met
that reality as commissioners’ President
David F. Hale fell to Delegate Sue
Kullen in a surprisingly easy
victory.
The incumbent was at or near the top of
the GOP’s hit list after she was tapped
in 2004 as a political unknown to
succeed former delegate George W. Owings
III. A trademark grassroots campaigner,
Kullen (D-Calvert) said the victory was
an affirmation of what she has
accomplished in two years.
‘‘I think the bottom line is hard work
pays off. I knew it was a targeted seat.
I knew I had two years to hit the ground
running, to do a good job and to make a
good impression,” she said.
Hale did not return calls seeking
comment.
There was more bad news for Republicans
... < Read the entire story on-line:
SoMdNews.com >
Kullen beats Hale in 27B
Wednesday, November
8, 2006 - Southern Maryland News . com :
The Recorder
By
Alan Brody
Staff Writer
Del. Sue Kullen held off a tenacious
challenge from Calvert County
Commissioners’ President David F. Hale
in Tuesday’s election, keeping a
contested legislative seat in Democratic
hands for another four years.
Precinct tallies had Kullen (D-Calvert)
receiving nearly 2,000 more votes than
Hale (R) — 6,336 to 4,637. About 2,200
absentee votes must be counted on
Thursday and the final result will be
certified on Nov. 17, following
tabulations of provisional, overseas and
military ballots.
Kullen, 46, who was appointed to the
seat in 2004 after former delegate
George W. Owings III became state
veterans affairs secretary, ran a
vigorous shoe-leather campaign that
aimed to reach voters one at a time. The
former director of the Arc of Southern
Maryland was a surprise choice to
replace Owings because of her lack of
political experience.
Conversely, Hale, 42, has been in the
public eye as commissioner for the past
eight years — six as president. He has
also chaired the Tri-County Council for
Southern Maryland executive board for
two years and served on the board of
directors for the Maryland Association
of Counties for three years.
Republicans saw Kullen as one of the
state’s most vulnerable incumbents, but
she has built a political support base
through her visibility at community
functions, from business grand openings
to eagle scout pinnings.
Despite the competitive nature of the
race, it lacked the drama or acrimony
that marked other closely contested
campaigns.
Both candidates held to their pledge to
run clean campaigns. Only one negative
ad directed at Kullen, paid for by the
House Republican Slate Committee,
appeared in voters’ mailboxes.
Meanwhile, incumbent Del. Anthony J.
O’Donnell ... < Read the entire story
on-line:
SoMdNews.com >
Incumbents
Fend Off GOP in Key Races
Wednesday, November
8, 2006 - The Washington Post -
Washington Post
Staff Writer
Wednesday, November
8, 2006; Page A43
... in
Calvert County, Del. Sue Kullen
(D) held on to her District 27B seat
with a commanding lead over
Republican David Hale, president of
the Board of County Commissioners.
All votes had been counted in the
three counties last night.
... In Calvert, Kullen foiled
another potential GOP pickup,
retaining her District 27B seat. She
withstood what was expected to be a
strong challenge from Hale in the
GOP-leaning county.
Kullen won 57 percent of the vote to
Hale's 43 percent. Hale, 42, entered
the race with considerable name
recognition and fundraising prowess.
Republicans believed Kullen, 46,
would be vulnerable, but she ran a
strong grass-roots campaign and
frequently stumped with popular
Democrats such as House Minority
Whip Steny H. Hoyer.
< Balance of the story
has been removed for space: Read the entire story
on-line at the
Washington Post
Wednesday Edition >
To Voters, Personal Touch
Still Counts
In Calvert, GOP Tries Taking Democratic Seat
Thursday, November 2, 2006 - The Washington Post -
Southern Maryland Extra
Washington Post Staff
Writer
I n
Calvert County, the
ballot is full of
hard-fought contests
on both the state
and local levels.
Democrat Sue
Kullen is
fighting to keep the
seat in the Maryland
House of Delegates
to which she was
appointed two years
ago to fill a
vacancy. Her
Republican opponent,
Calvert
Commissioners
President David F.
Hale, had brought
considerable name
recognition and
fundraising ability
to the race after
two terms on the
county board.
The contest in the
northern Calvert
district has been
watched by political
leaders from both
parties. The seat is
among three or four
statewide held by
Democrats that
Republicans believe
are vulnerable.
...
< Balance of the story
has been removed for space: Read the entire story
on-line at the
Washington Post Southern Maryland Extra >
So Many Candidates,
So Little Time to Score at Calvert Forum
Sunday, October 29, 2006 - The Washington Post -
Southern Maryland Extra
Washington Post Staff
Writer
Sunday, October 29, 2006; Page SM03
With Election Day
nearing, Calvert County voters,
candidates and their supporters
packed the Huntingtown High School
auditorium Thursday night for what
was billed as the county's last and
biggest candidate forum.
More
than 40 candidates, vying for an
array of state and county offices,
waited patiently as the moderator
called them to the stage in groups
and then grilled them on local
issues.
The
League of Women Voters of Calvert
County, which organized the event,
strictly enforced a one-minute limit
on all answers and introductions.
But with so many candidates -- all
looking to score rhetorical points
with potential voters -- the event
lasted almost four hours.
"It's
an important service for the
community," said Robert Kelly, a
Huntingtown voter and assistant Boy
Scout master who had boys from Troop
903 help out at the forum. "The only
way to understand and really know
the candidates is to see them in
person -- how they act, how they
talk, how confident they are.
Otherwise they're just another name
in the paper."
In
some races, the questions submitted
by audience members on cards given
to the moderator illuminated clear
differences between candidates. In
the competition for the northern
Calvert state delegate seat, for
example, the styles of Republican
David F. Hale and Democrat Sue
Kullen contrasted sharply.
Kullen, who was appointed to the
seat two years ago, often answered
questions with explanations of her
approaches to legislation.
When
asked about whether retirees should
be exempted from certain taxes,
Kullen talked about the need to
balance the state budget and to
weigh the needs of various
constituents such as military
families, teachers and retirees. By
comparison, Hale responded, "No
caveats, no qualifications. Yes, I
would support that."
"I
think sometimes candidates hide
behind the complexity of issues,"
Hale said after the forum. "I'm not
saying that's what Sue was doing,
but the short answer is my style.
There's a way even when the issue is
complex to give clean, clear
answers."
Kullen
described her approach as
collaborative. "I don't pretend I
have all the answers," she said.
"I want to work with communities to
work toward an answer and seek
input."
Although both have been campaigning
for months, the forum last week was
their first and perhaps only
encounter in public. Both described
their contest as generally cordial.
"We
say hi every time we see each
other," Hale said. "I can't speak
for the state committees, but we
haven't gone negative."
Kullen, however, noted a direct
mailing sent by the Republican House
Slate Committee displaying pictures
of children and claiming that Kullen
"failed our children" and "voted to
hurt these kids."
...
< Balance of the story
has been removed for space: Read the entire story
on-line at the
Washington Post Southern Maryland Extra >
Play Ball
Friday, October 20, 2006 - Gazette.net
With
the World Series set to begin Saturday, Sue Kullen’s
latest campaign flier is quite timely.
The
ad cover features a No. 27B baseball uni (representing
her district) hanging from a locker with the nameplate
‘‘Sue Kullen, Rookie of the Year.” Inside, Kullen is
pictured leaning on a Louisville Slugger touting her
.889 legislative batting record — 16 of 18 bills passed
as a freshman lawmaker.
Of
course, it’ll take more than clever ads to defeat David
Hale, who as head of the Calvert County Commissioners
has gained visibility and developed a strong resume.
Activists on both sides of the aisle said it could be
one of the closest legislative races to be decided next
month.
—
Alan Brody
A Voice for
Disabled People
Sunday October 15, 2006
- Letter to the Editor - Washington
Post
The Southern Maryland Council of the
Blind is a local chapter of the
American Council of the Blind, which
is the nation's leading advocacy
organization for persons who are
blind or visually impaired. The
Southern Maryland Council of the
Blind seldom endorses candidates for
public office, but this year the
council is endorsing candidates who
have demonstrated a commitment to
addressing the needs of elderly
people and people with disabilities.
During the 2005 General Assembly, a
bill was introduced that would have
dismantled the program of blindness
rehabilitation administered by the
Division of Rehabilitation Services.
When the bill was heard before the
House Committee on Health and
Government Operations, Del. Sue
Kullen (D-Calvert) was there to
ask the tough questions that helped
defeat this ill-conceived
legislation.
For too many years, the elderly and
people with disabilities in Calvert
County lacked a stalwart
representative in the House of
Delegates. Through her work with the
Association for Retarded Citizens,
Sue Kullen has firsthand knowledge
of the challenges faced by people
with disabilities and their
families. We at SMCB believe that
our community needs a "voice" in
Annapolis and Sue Kullen will give
us that voice.
The Southern Maryland Council of the
Blind would ask that those voting on
Nov. 7 consider the needs of our
community and cast their votes for
Del. Sue Kullen.
Robert A. Kerr
President, Southern Maryland Council of the Blind
Mechanicsville
Neck and Neck toward the
House of Delegates
Thursday, October 12, 2006 (The Bay Weekly)
By
Sandra Olivetti Martin, Bay Weekly Editor, and Bay
Weekly Staff
You
could excuse Del. Sue Kullen for looking a tad weary
when she arrived at a Democratic Party picnic at King’s
Landing Park in Calvert County Sunday.
She’d been to at least seven events in the last day,
among them community parties, a biker get-together and a
farmers’ market stop-by. She’d just raced north after
fulfilling a promise to cook for the Optimist Club at a
Solomons event that wasn’t even in her district, 27B.
Oh,
and in between she’d baked one of her devilish Tommy
Bahama pina colada cakes, adorned with
can’t-blow-out-candles, which she presented on the
occasion of the 25th birthday of her campaign manager,
Kelly DiRocco.
"Kids can’t eat it; it’s chock full of rum," she joked.
In
the heavily watched, close-by-all-accounts delegate’s
race between Kullen and Calvert County Commission
president David Hale, you might not know at first blush
who’s the challenger. Especially if you ate too much of
Kullen’s cake.
Two
years ago, Kullen was appointed to her seat when
long-time delegate George Owings, a Democrat, was picked
by Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich to head his Department
of Veterans Affairs.
Ehrlich was not only dabbing bipartisan paint on his
administration. Removing the popular Owings was a
calculated opportunity to open up a seat for Maryland’s
rising GOP. No one potentially filled the bill as well
as the youthful and ambitious Hale, who campaigns under
the slogan Hale Yes.
Thus, this Calvert County district — which stretches
from the Anne Arundel County line down to Port Republic,
omitting only Dunkirk — became highly prized turf in the
Republicans’ 14-Five strategy. As Republicans see it, if
they wrest away 14 House seats and five Senate seats
from Democratic control, they would be able to avoid
Democratic veto overrides in the event of a second
Ehrlich administration.
So
Kullen, a trailblazer for Calvert County’s gender
politics, became a marked woman forced into permanent
campaign mode.
< ...
abridged ... >
. . .
some Republicans were put off by Dominions aggressive
expansion. Among them is Donna Wilson, who was so
impressed by Kullen’s insistence on environmental
safeguards that she sponsored a fundraiser last month on
Kullen’s behalf. For Wilson, attitudes toward the big
energy company crystallized the difference between the
two candidates.
Gene
Pitrof, a lawyer in Calvert County and a Democrat, said
that he, too, was distressed by what he regarded as the
Hale-led commission’s uncritical support of Dominion’s
expansion.
Pitrof, who slipped Kullen a check at the picnic Sunday,
acknowledged that in Hale, Kullen has a tough
challenger. But in two years on the job, he said, Kullen
has showed him more than the ability to move fast and
make friends.
"She’s got a head on her shoulders,"
Pitrof said.
Read the entire story at
Bay Weekly
/ Photo Credit: Bill Lambrecht
Hale is not the person we should have representing
Calvert
Wednesday, October 11, 2006 (The Calvert Recorder)
I was
not
surprised to read in one of our local papers recently
that David Hale had received large sums of money, oh
forgive me, contributions, from people and business
interests from well outside Calvert County.
As
the article stated ‘‘Three Virginia residents — Gary
Sypolt, Paul Koonce and Thomas F. Farrell — all high
ranking officials with Dominion, the owners and
operators of Cove Point Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
Plant in Lusby, have each made contributions of $1,000.
When asked if the contributions might have had something
to do with Hale’s support for Dominion’s controversial
expansion plans for Cove Point, Hale admitted, ‘‘I’m
sure it does. There’s the board’s willingness to support
the expansion and me personally getting in front of what
seemed like a hostile audience and supporting it.”
Now
that quote of Mr. Hale’s did surprise me. If Mr. Hale
was referring to the hearing at Solomons Holiday Inn
with the Department of Natural Resources to take public
comments before DNR rubber stamped the construction
permits, yes, he was there. Yes, there was a hostile
audience, consisting of scientists, agricultural
preservation specialists, members of CAPE (Concerned
About Plant Expansion), farmers, Calvert County citizens
and taxpayers. Most of these people were Mr. Hale’s
constituents. Constituents, who all save one, were and
still are opposed to this debacle. This environmental
nightmare is now a done deal, with land on farms that
are supposed to be in agricultural preservation for life
taken by eminent domain, two rivers and 600 streams
crossed including the Patuxent and beautiful St.
Leonard’s Creek in our county, 50 tons of nitrogen
expelled from the new gas turbines into the air over our
Bay and county, and more than 200 foreign owned liquid
natural gas (LNG) ships a year traveling up and down the
bay with their explosive cargo and fouled bilge water.
None of this matters to Mr. Hale as long as we get the
tax contributions from Dominion. On Mr. Hale’s Web site
under the heading ‘‘Protecting Our Environment,” he
states ‘‘I also believe that we must be careful of
taking ‘action for action’s sake’ and masking a lack of
true environmental protection through the use of window
dressing actions. I believe that getting people to
change their lawn mowers from gas to electric or
changing old gas cans to new ones represent exactly this
type of action. ”
I
guess it’s fine to allow silt and construction debris to
turn our rivers and streams brown as long as we stop
using our gas mowers. Brilliant!
< ...
abridged ... >
I’m sure
his constituents from Virginia have no problems with
this nasty behavior. Look at the way their politicians
act. Is this the way we want to be represented in the
state legislature? We here in Calvert County can do
better than that, and we don’t have to look very far or
go outside the county for support. We can elect Kullen,
so she can continue the fine, hard work she has been
doing quietly for the last two years. She has earned our
trust and our votes come Nov. 7.
Please vote for Kullen. Take a minute to look at her
record on her Web site, www.kullenforcalvert.com. Check
out the legislation and endorsements tabs. It is
impressive reading. Kullen is the best person for the
job.
David Hale for delegate? I say Hale No!
Wm.
Conway, Owings
Read the entire Letter to the Editor at
Southern Maryland News
Closely watched race shifts to high gear
Friday, Oct. 6, 2006
By Alan Brody, Staff
Writer
Calvert County commissioners President David F. Hale has
begun to dip into his substantial campaign war chest,
launching a pair of cable television advertisements and
placing several ads in local newspapers, as he sharpens
his challenge of Del. Sue Kullen.
< ...
abridged ... >
Kullen
said she is campaigning to everyone, not just targeted
Democratic voter lists.
‘‘I
promise people all along that I don’t play partisan
politics,” she said. ‘‘I’m a proud Democrat, but I’m
hoping that people see beyond labels to pick the best
person to represent them.”
Read the
entire story at
Southern Maryland News
Teachers,
NRA Back Kullen
Thursday,
October 5, 2006 (Washington Post
Southern Maryland Section)
Del. Sue Kullen (D-Calvert)
announced several endorsements this
week of her candidacy to keep the
House of Delegates seat to which she
was appointed two years ago.
She is being challenged by Calvert
County Commissioners President
David F. Hale (R) in District
27B, which includes most of northern
Calvert.
Organizations backing Kullen are the
Maryland League of Conservation
Voters, the Maryland State Teachers
Association, the Calvert Education
Association, the Maryland Nurses
Association, the National Rifle
Association, and the Maryland and
D.C. AFL-CIO United Healthcare
Workers.
Kullen has adopted an issues
platform she calls "e-squared" for
education and the environment. "I am
pleased that my voting record in my
two years in office has earned the
support of the Maryland and Calvert
Teachers associations and the
Maryland League of Conservation
Voters," she said in a statement
announcing the endorsements.
Washington Post -
Southern Maryland Section
Visit
Delegate Kullen's Endorsement
Page
Letter to the Editor:
Teacher thanks Delegate Sue Kullen
I
recently had the pleasure of conversing with
District 27B Delegate Sue Kullen (D) when she came
to visit Plum Point Middle School and talk to my
eighth graders about Maryland’s Government and some
issues facing us today.
It
is refreshing to know that young people matter to
politicians, and that they feel it is important to
listen to all people, whether young or old, Democrat
or Republican. That is, indeed, what I have seen
Delegate Sue Kullen doing since she took office. I
have seen her at every community function listening,
listening, listening. It is wonderful to know that
our thoughts and ideas matter to her. Delegate Sue
Kullen took time in class to explain her role in
Maryland Government and how bills get passed.
Students asked very important questions about how
they could become involved in the legislative
process and what today’s’ youth could do to help our
society.
Delegate Sue Kullen was sincere and thoughtful in
her answers, and it made me proud to teach such
caring and intelligent young people. Thank you
Delegate Sue Kullen for coming to our school.
Merry Ellen Fallica, Plum Point Middle School
Letter to the Editor
Sunday,
October 1, 2006 (Washington Post Southern Maryland
Section)
David F.
Hale's latest campaign ad appeared in the local papers
this week. After reading it, I was nauseated.
Don't
believe him, folks. Mr. Hale is not the "regular person,
just like you" touted in his ad. He doesn't care about
the same things you do. David Hale, president of the
Calvert County Board of Commissioners (R-Owings), who is
leaving the board to run for state delegate, cares about
one thing only -- and that's David Hale. These ads and
his campaign for state delegate in Calvert County are a
huge sham.
He was a
political novice who elevated himself to president of
the Board of County Commissioners by selling out his
colleague and mentor. During his time as presiding
officer of the board, he took a stand on an issue or
made a decision only when he was forced by a tie vote.
His style is not to embrace the issues and work for
solutions, but rather he tries to make the issue
disappear as quickly as possible to stop bothering him.
If
successful in this run for higher office, Hale would
become a part of the Annapolis network that makes a good
appearance but sells out his constituents for his own
good. Look at the contributors to his war chest. Regular
guy? I don't think so.
Sue Kullen
(D) is clearly the better choice in this race. She is a
seasoned member of the General Assembly and is gaining
seniority. She has a strong working relationship with
the Southern Maryland delegation. Her focus is on you --
citizens of Calvert County. She pursues solutions to
issues important to you, your family and your neighbors.
Sue has run an honest and grass-roots campaign by
visiting neighborhoods and knocking on doors. She came
to my house.
Did David
Hale knock on your door? Unlikely. He's too busy trying
to be a "regular person."
Mary
Watson
Sunday, September 24, 2006
-- Kullen-Hale Contest Seen as Key by GOP
 Since
her appointment two years ago to
fill a vacancy in the House of
Delegates, Democrat Sue Kullen
says she has felt like a marked
woman.
Republicans eager to narrow the
Democratic majority in the
legislature set their sights on her
northern Calvert County seat early
on, forcing her into a constant
campaigning mode.
Meanwhile, her opponent, Calvert
Commissioners President David F.
Hale (R-Owings), has assembled an
impressive campaign drawing on his
strong name recognition after two
terms on the Board of County
Commissioners, most of that time as
its leader. Since the Sept. 12
primary, Hale has begun his election
effort in earnest, preparing
television commercials, sending out
mailings and placing ads in
newspapers.
The result, leaders from both
political parties say, will be one
of the hardest-fought, most-watched
and possibly closest races on
Maryland's Nov. 7 ballot.
One reason the seat is important is
that it is the only legislative
district entirely within the bounds
of Calvert County. And in the
context of statewide party strategy,
it is among the three or four seats
held by Democrats who Republicans
believe are vulnerable. If
Republicans gain a few seats in
November's voting, party leaders
say, they could weaken the
Democrats' hold on the General
Assembly
Kullen was appointed to the seat in 2004 after Ehrlich
chose former delegate George W. Owings III (D) to run
the state Department of Veterans Affairs
Kullen, the first woman to represent
Calvert in the General Assembly, had
never served in or run for public
office. She emerged as the surprise,
compromise candidate for the
appointment after members of the
county's Democratic Central
Committee deadlocked on candidates
with more political experience, such
as Mister, former county
commissioner Barbara A. Stinnett and
Thomas M. Pelagatti,
a former judge of the county
Orphans' Court.
Owings had been reelected without
opposition in 2002, and Democrats
had wanted his replacement to be a
strong candidate.
"I knew with only two years [before
the next election], I had to hit the
ground running," Kullen said. "I had
to be productive and prove to folks
back home that I could do it."
Kullen, 46, of Port Republic, has
lived in Calvert since 1982 and
works as a consultant with disabled
people and agencies serving them.
Pointing to the passage of 16 of the
18 bills she sponsored in the past
year, she said she has worked almost
nonstop while the General Assembly
is in session. She served on the
health and government operations
committee, as vice chairman of the
Southern Maryland delegation and on
the board of the women's caucus.
She
said her main focus, if reelected,
will be on education and the
environment. One of her bills that
won approval was a measure to reduce
nitrogen and phosphorus in the
Patuxent River, but legislators
tacked on major amendments, limiting
some of its significant enforcement
provisions.
"I was
pleased with how hard we worked for
that bill even though it was amended
to the point that we couldn't
accomplish [everything] we wanted,"
she said. "And next session, we're
going to go back and build an even
bigger coalition to get a stronger
version passed."
Kullen
declined to disclose her fundraising
goal or her campaign strategy, other
than to describe it as a grass-roots
effort. "We're knocking on doors,
going to community events," she
said. "It's very effective but takes
a lot of time."
( Read the entire story
at the
Washington Post by William Wan; Washington Post
Staff Writer )
 |
|
Delegate Sue
Kullen
(D-Calvert) talks with Ralph Parran of
Prince Frederick at the Prince Frederick Elks Lodge polling place
during the Primary Election on September 12.
Photo by Theodore
McGinley |
Friday, Sept. 22, 2006 -- Dyson, McKay
race closely watched
(abridged) ... In Calvert, Delegate Sue Kullen
(D) will attempt to stave off a challenge from county commissioners’
President David Hale (R). A Democrat has held that seat for years,
but Hale has collected an impressive sum of money and touts a strong
resume and name recognition as head of a growing and affluent county.
(Maryland Senator Thomas "Mac")
Middleton believes that race will come down to ‘‘who works the hardest,
who gets their message out,” since their positions are viewed as
similar.
Kullen, who was tapped in 2004 to succeed
then Del. George W. Owings III, is a vigorous campaigner whose profile
has increased steadily since her appointment.
‘‘She works relentlessly,” Middleton
said. ‘‘She is a hard-working individual and a rising star in the House
of Delegates.”
For the entire story, visit
Southern Maryland News.com
— Alan Brody, Staff Writer
Politics Doesn't Really
Mean Bygones are Bygones
September 8, 2006 --
This could bode well
Who says bipartisanship can’t exist in
Annapolis?
Heads turned a couple weeks ago when
looie hopeful Kristen Cox, flanked by a cadre of Republicans,
encountered Sue Kullen at North Beach’s Bayfest and the two embraced.
We could almost hear David Hale, the GOP
Calvert County Commissioner prez who’s challenging Kullen, grimace at
the sight of the Dem he is trying to oust exchanging warm pleasantries
with Bob Ehrlich’s potential No. 2.
Turns out there’s some history: Cox was a
lobbyist for the National Federation of the Blind, while Kullen was a
longtime disabilities advocate with the ARC of Southern Maryland
Sometimes, friendship simply trumps
election-year politics.
— Alan Brody (Gazette.net)
Democrats take
last chance to meet voters
Friday, Sept. 8, 2006
An influx of Democratic Party faithful
turned a Calvert County Democratic Club event Wednesday evening from
cramped to claustrophobic. Almost 50 people R.S.V.P.ed for the rally
held at DiGiovanni’s Dock of the Bay restaurant on Solomons Island — but
at least a dozen more actually showed up.
|
 |
|
Staff Photo by Darwin Weigel
From left, Del. James Proctor
(D-Prince George’s, Calvert), county commissioner candidate
Barbara Stinnett (D) and Delegate Sue Kullen
(D-Calvert) chat Wednesday, Sept. 6, at a Democratic Club
meeting at DiGiovanni’s Dock of the Bay on Solomons Island.
|
The $25 a plate fundraiser let Calvert
residents meet candidates ranging from Wilson Parran, member of the
Calvert County Board of County Commissioners to Thomas V. Mike Miller
Jr., president of the state Senate, before sitting down to enjoy a
chicken dinner prepared by the restaurant.
‘‘We’ve got quite a turnout. This is the
enthusiasm we’re carrying into the election,” said Sgt. Larry Titus,
president of the Democratic Club and the Maryland State Police school
liaison for Calvert County. ‘‘We’re looking to take over.”
Titus added that they would have chosen a
bigger venue if they’d known how many guests they would have.
A ‘‘snafu” caused the club to advertise
that gubernatorial candidate Mayor Martin O’Malley would be attending.
Instead, the O’Malley campaign sent Peter O’Malley, the candidate’s
brother, to represent him.
But the guests didn’t seem to mind.
‘‘I’m here because I’m a proud Democrat.
... It’s worth the time. It’s always good to see all the Democrats
together,” said Eric Andersen of Dunkirk, who escaped the crowd by
chatting outside the restaurant.
Many of the guests were also candidates.
‘‘This is our Democratic rally before the
primary,” said Delegate Sue Kullen. ‘‘It’s going very well. A lot
of hard work, a lot of continuous door-knocking, and trying to go to as
many community events as possible." Despite the strong challenge being
mounted by Republican David Hale, currently president of the board of
commissioners, Kullen is unconcerned.
‘‘I’m running my own campaign. I have
enough to do.”
One woman described herself as a loyal
Democrat, but said, ‘‘I vote for the person, not the party.”
She declined to give her name for
publication, saying, ‘‘no, no, my husband will kill me” for not voting a
straight party line.
By Erica Mitrano
Delegate Sue
Kullen Opposes Chesapeake
Bay Crossing in Calvert County
September 1, 2006 --
Bridge report leaves some unsatisfied - Panel
makes no recommendation, but study is just the
starting point, Ehrlich says
Lawmakers and
transportation analysts are grumbling that a
15-month examination into the possibility of
a new Chesapeake Bay bridge yielded no
recommendations, leading some critics to
call it a political stunt.
The Bay
Crossing Task Force issued a report this
week laying out traffic forecasts,
environmental obstacles, economic
development trends and growth patterns in
four areas where a span could be built.
The 28-member
panel acknowledges the ‘‘compelling” need
for additional capacity across the Bay but
suggests more studies.
‘‘Presentations made clear that the
congestion is already a pressing issue that
must be dealt with, and further delay will
only exacerbate an already serious problem,”
the 61-page report said.
So, lawmakers
were disappointed that the panel appeared to
achieve little.
‘‘When you
form a task force, you should look at trying
to solve a problem, and I think they knew
they weren’t going to do anything from the
beginning,” said Sen. Roy P. Dyson (D-Dist.
29) of Great Mills. ‘‘All they did was cause
a lot of consternation in a lot of
communities and said, ‘Sorry, we didn’t mean
anything by it.’”
During public
meetings on the ideas, an overwhelming
number of citizens and local officials
opposed a bridge in their neighborhood.
‘‘Everyone
agrees we need more capacity across the
Bay,” said Mahlon G. ‘‘Lon” Anderson, public
affairs director for AAA Mid-Atlantic and a
task force member. ‘‘No one wants it in
their back yard.”
Sen. E.J.
Pipkin, an opponent of a third span between
the Upper Shore and the current bridge, said
the lack of recommendations is a missed
opportunity to make progress on a
much-needed project.
. . . ‘‘We cannot
put this book in a drawer and let it collect
dust,” said Del. Mary Ann Love (D-Dist. 32)
of Glen Burnie. ‘‘I think that whomever is
[governor], it has to be a work in progress.
Now that the door is open, we have to move
it forward.”
But some
lawmakers, like Delegate Sue Kullen
(D-Dist. 27B) of Port Republic, want no part
of a new bridge.
‘‘There’s the
same negative attitude in every community.
It’s not the best use of resources,” she
said, urging mass transit opportunities be
explored. ‘‘Everyone’s going to suffer from
it.”
Read the entire
story at:
The
Gazette Copyright © 2006
Governor
Ehrlich
Appoints Kullen to Wellmobile Board
Baltimore Sun: Friday,
August 25, 2006
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich
Jr. has appointed TV reporter Richard Gelfman and
Delegate Sue Kullen, a Calvert County Democrat,
to the state's Wellmobile Advisory Board. The
governor also reappointed Dr. Eric Baugh, senior
vice president for medical affairs and network
management at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, and
Dr. Bernard Kaplioff, chief executive of the Prince
George's Sentinel, to the board.
The Wellmobile Board assists the University of
Maryland School of Nursing in overseeing and raising
funds for the Wellmobile program. Established in
1994 with public, private and philanthropic backing,
the organization operates four full-service mobile
health clinics that travel across the state.
Delegate Kullen
and many others from the
Southern Maryland Delegation Support Stu Sims as the
next Attorney General
Southern
Maryland News Online: August 23, 2006
 |
|
Stuart O. Simms talks at the Waldorf Hampton
Inn on Monday. Among supporters for his
Democratic candidacy for Maryland attorney
general are Delegate Sue Kullen,
(Calvert County)
left, U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer and Del. John
Bohanan (St. Mary's). Staff Photo by Gary Smith |
Attorney general hopeful
Stuart O. Simms may be running a distant third in
the battle for campaign dollars, but he’s scoring
big points in the pursuit of endorsements.
The former Baltimore
city state’s attorney secured on Monday the bl |
