For District 14: two incumbents, two challengers
District 14 Senate
Frank Howard (R) said he wants to be a voice that offers alternative ideas for the Democratic majority in the Maryland Senate. He offers great sincerity, and he says he’s not an ideologue. For example, Howard said he was opposed to an increase in the minimum wage but as he campaigned he said he saw how it made a difference, and now supports an increase. But even if he’s sincere, he doesn’t offer a clear alternative other than he is an alternative.
He’s running to unseat Karen Montgomery (D), who is running for her second term in the Maryland Senate; she served two terms in the House of Delegates. She is the mother of an adult child with autism, which gives her a unique perspective of how state and county regulations affect parents of special needs children. She said she would continue her fight to make school systems prove students are getting the services they need. Currently, parents have to prove their children aren’t. She understands the county’s Ag Reserve needs more economically viable businesses providing more locally sourced food. For her experience and her thoughtfulness, she earns The Gazette’s endorsement.
District 14 House
For the district’s delegate’s race, we think unequivocally Anne Kaiser, who has served as the county’s delegation chairwoman, deserves another term. She has become an important voice in Annapolis for Montgomery County.
We are impressed with the first terms of Eric Luedtke and Craig Zucker. Zucker is one of only three members from Montgomery County on the important Appropriations Committee, and Luedtke, a teacher, represents education on the Ways and Means Committee.
But with the county fully represented by Democrats at the state and county levels, we believe there’s something to the Republican bromide against one-party rule. And two of the Republicans running for state office in Montgomery are Michael Ostroff and Patricia Fenati. Ostroff, an attorney, says he has seen the frustrations of the people facing foreclosures. He wants a financial literacy requirement in our schools so graduates understand credit card interest and how to fill out a loan application. Fenati, a former IT professional who lives in Damascus, worries that the education system has low expectations, which can lead to a lifetime of underachievement. She doubts the so-called rain tax and wonders why Maryland isn’t insisting on dredging behind the Conowingo Dam.
We believe Ostroff and Fenati will bring alternative perspectives and work in a bipartisan manner to improve the district and the state, and therefore they earn The Gazette’s endorsement.
District 14 Senate
Frank Howard (R) said he wants to be a voice that offers alternative ideas for the Democratic majority in the Maryland Senate. He offers great sincerity, and he says he’s not an ideologue. For example, Howard said he was opposed to an increase in the minimum wage but as he campaigned he said he saw how it made a difference, and now supports an increase. But even if he’s sincere, he doesn’t offer a clear alternative other than he is an alternative.
He’s running to unseat Karen Montgomery (D), who is running for her second term in the Maryland Senate; she served two terms in the House of Delegates. She is the mother of an adult child with autism, which gives her a unique perspective of how state and county regulations affect parents of special needs children. She said she would continue her fight to make school systems prove students are getting the services they need. Currently, parents have to prove their children aren’t. She understands the county’s Ag Reserve needs more economically viable businesses providing more locally sourced food. For her experience and her thoughtfulness, she earns The Gazette’s endorsement.
District 14 House
For the district’s delegate’s race, we think unequivocally Anne Kaiser, who has served as the county’s delegation chairwoman, deserves another term. She has become an important voice in Annapolis for Montgomery County.
We are impressed with the first terms of Eric Luedtke and Craig Zucker. Zucker is one of only three members from Montgomery County on the important Appropriations Committee, and Luedtke, a teacher, represents education on the Ways and Means Committee.
But with the county fully represented by Democrats at the state and county levels, we believe there’s something to the Republican bromide against one-party rule. And two of the Republicans running for state office in Montgomery are Michael Ostroff and Patricia Fenati. Ostroff, an attorney, says he has seen the frustrations of the people facing foreclosures. He wants a financial literacy requirement in our schools so graduates understand credit card interest and how to fill out a loan application. Fenati, a former IT professional who lives in Damascus, worries that the education system has low expectations, which can lead to a lifetime of underachievement. She doubts the so-called rain tax and wonders why Maryland isn’t insisting on dredging behind the Conowingo Dam.
We believe Ostroff and Fenati will bring alternative perspectives and work in a bipartisan manner to improve the district and the state, and therefore they earn The Gazette’s endorsement.