From the New Harford Democratic Club:
MONTHLY MEETING MINUTES
Minutes of the November 4, 2015 meeting
Meeting called to order by President Steve Johnson a 7:01 p.m.
President Johnson led the members in the pledge to the flag.
President Johnson asked members to introduce themselves.
Treasurer’s report from George Harrison. He stated the operating account currently contains $12, 574.74. He noted that the club paid out $517.74 to cover costs of mailers for candidates endorsed by the club for the Aberdeen election.
Johnson noted that the club had authorized up to $1,000. Treasurer’s report approved by the members
Johnson asked for approval of the October meeting’s minutes that had been emailed to the membership. Approved by the members present.
President Johnson noted that the election resulted in two of the council members endorsed by the club being approved, with a third winning by one vote, but subject to additional tally of the absentee ballots.(It was later determined that the fourth spot on the ballot resulted in a tie with a winner yet to be determined.) Unfortunately, the club’s choice for Mayor, Michael Bennett failed to win re-election, by 50 votes.
Johnson said the loss by Mayor Bennett to a right wing candidate was disappointing considering that the Aberdeen area is a stronghold for the Democratic Party. He noted that Bennett had achieved a great deal of success during his tenure and stated that it was unfortunate for the city that he would no longer be able to lead the community to a better future.
Johnson then led a discussion of the election results and what had gone wrong and what could be done better in the future.
Board member Art Helton stated that he saw much of the problem was that the central committee made calls to the electorate supporting all democrats running without regard to quality of the candidates. This effort compares to the club’s effort to support Democrats who were running for re-election. He said the calls should have been made to encourage voter turnout without promoting individual candidates. As a result, voters were given the message that all the Democratic candidates had equal standing.
George Harrison stated he agreed with Mr. Helton, and noted that central committees do not take sides in primaries, but promote turnout by Democrats. It is up to the clubs to make choices. This led directly to the loss of the mayor’s race.
Johnson said the club had interviewed the candidates to look to support those who likely make an effort, who knew what the issues were and had ideas of what they would once elected. Some of the candidates, he said, did not meet those specifications, yet were promoted by the central committee as equal to the others. That undercut the better candidates.
The spirited discussion that ensured focused on doing a better job in communicating with other Democrats and have everyone work together.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:35p
Lol
Its really quite simple. You lost the election because the favorite candidate won.
It isn’t because of smoke and mirror made up excuses.
“Art Helton stated that he saw much of the problem was that the central committee made calls to the electorate supporting all democrats running without regard to quality of the candidates. ” WOW Art they took a page right out of your book.
Mike Bennett didn’t lose any election because of a Central Committee or errant phone calls. Bennett lost because the PEOPLE of Aberdeen wanted change. I disagree that was a loss quite frankly. What is so difficult to understand about transparency and that it exposes incompetent decisions? If not incompetent, then certainly decisions that voters no longer approve of by a former mayor who’s time has come and gone. Aberdeen now moves forward. Bennett lost and we move on. End of this chapter of the story. Now, let’s hope the new Mayor cleans out the crony clan Bennett embedded in the city.
Not sure how you say the people of Aberdeen wanted change. The vast majority of voters voted against Mr. McGrady. McGrady only won because Michael Bennett and Marla Posey-Moss split the vote.
What is with you people? He won because no one else got the votes.
What’s your all’s complex? Alzheimer’s?
Is it realizing you might be in a retirement community in 4 years from now and you are butt hurt a democrat didn’t win? God damn.
You really believe that Moss and Bennett splitting the ticket was an accident? Look where Moss got her money and support. It was the smart conservatives that derailed Bennett’s train.
Of course Art and Steve would blame it on someone other than their puppet. The similarity between these two guys and the stooge who occupies our people’s house is astounding. Aberdeen had enough of the marionette mayor.
NHDC is a continuing joke. Any ticket with Barbara Kramer on it has no chance of ever winning. As for Aberdeen being a stronghold for Democrats; I’m certain that many Democrats crossed the line when they saw the slate offered up by the club. And everyone knows that neither Johnson nor Helton live in the city yet they continue the lie of voting. Think about it; Your club leadership lies about where they live and expects you to believe anything they say. I do however have to give them credit for one thing. They helped get rid of the worse Mayor since Bill Cooper.
Kreamer wasn’t on NHDC’s ticket. They didn’t endorse her. Central Committee’s the one who put her name out there. That’s NHDC’s point.
You folks from the circle jerk NHDC are certainly fun to watch and if back peddling ever becomes an Olympic sport you will finally win something.
I’m not from NHDC but I got the postcard with their endorsements. Just straightening out your facts for you.
Maybe try to gerrymander just Aberdeen into Montgomery county in the next 4 years.
#idiots
Democrat candidate’s lost because the majority vote went to the Republican candidate. Really? End of story.
Doesn’t matter if he won by 1 vote or 100,000.
Not a majority. A plurality. The majority voted for someone else.
What’s up man? Republican candidate got the majority vote = win.
Oh, okay. You are right and I was wrong.
No, you were correct. Majority means a majority of the vote (50% + 1 vote). Mayor McGrady got a plurality – yes, more votes than the other candidates, but not a majority (only 34% of the vote). Again, far more voters voted against Mr. McGrady than voted for him.
Municipal elections are non-partisan as well as the issues that those elected to office have to deal with. There is no indication of what party the candidates belong to on the ballot. It’s just a simple fact that Patrick McGrady won the election with a PLURALITY of the votes, NOT a MAJORITY (but that’s how many elections are won when more than two candidates are vying for the same seat). If you want to get picky and state that more votes were cast AGAINST McGrady than for him, then feel free to do so, but the fact remains that Bennett had an even LARGER amount of votes cast against him!
P.S. All the negative comments regarding the NHDC and their “leadership” are absolutely true. Art Helton lives, resides, sleeps (or what ever you want to label it as) at 3069 Harmony Church Road in Darlington (clearly NOT within the City of Aberdeen) but he and his “lovely” wife Ann certainly voted in the City election. What a “F”ed up person, leading a “F”ed up organization (NHDC) with his protégé Steve Johnson following him so closely that he’s consistently sniffing up Art’s farts (and that there, is the only benefit that the rest of us receive from that relationship!) 🙂
The demtards lost many seats in the county elections the same way the “shoe in” candidate Anthony Brown, a black man in a State where demtards outnumber republicans two to one lost. People are getting tired of the demtard agenda.
Apparently Jesse Bane is calling the shots in the Dem Party.
The town election is non-partisan. Political affiliation has nothing to do with it or at least it is not supposed to. I think that there should have been a debate, that may have swayed votes one way or the other, may have had the same results, but at least the issues and answers would have been on the table.
Conservative principles will always win.