Another same old, same old commissioner's race

by David Grand
June 7, 2006

Never thought I'd be writing a column titled that way about the upcoming  race. In fact, I'd already written one forecasting how I saw it shaping up and picking the winners in the five commissioner districts. That'll teach me to "jump the gun."

Needless to say, I was flabbergasted when I heard that those "Seven Dwarfs" masquerading as judges on the Maryland Court of Appeals, had not only upset the apple cart but smashed it to pieces, by reversing Judge Michael Galloway's order.

I can only assume, that Grumpy and Dopey were the ones who persuaded Doc, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy and Happy to vote their way. Had Snow White been there, I'm sure she would've condemned that asinine decision, much as most Carrollians have, especially those living in South Carroll who got a royal shafting.

What is equally disturbing, is that it need not have been left up to that court to decide how the election would be conducted, if an appeal of Judge Galloway's order hadn't being made by Joe Getty and Jim Harris, for whatever reasons, other than to throw a "monkey wrench" into the election process.

But no doubt they're now as red-face as a puppy caught in his own mess at  the way it boomeranged on 'em, when both Option 1 (which they wanted the court to approve), as opposed to the breakdown of districts under Option 2 (that Judge Galloway blessed) went down the drain. You'd think they'd be ashamed to show their faces in public.

However, no matter how disheartening that decision was, not only to the public-at-large but to those who had already entered the race or were considering it, it's water over the dam and there's not a damned thing that can be done about it.

The repercussions I'd expect would be, first, that many voters, to show their anger, will stay at home rather than going to the polls on election day; and, second, that those who do turnout will vent their wrath at the state delegation (who created the whole mess to begin with) for the high-handed manner in which they virtually ignored the map that the redistricting committee recommended be adopted.

Now, even though my heart isn't in it, I'll go ahead and predict the winners of the three seats (which is as easy to do as shooting fish in a barrel): the incumbents will gallop across the finish line "going away," by as many lengths as Barbaro did in the Kentucky Derby, with Doug Howard and Chris Bouchat a distant 4th and 5th.

The only way that order of finish could change, would be if Dana Dembrow entered he race, who became a household name, and a hero to many in South Carroll, for the good fight he fought for Option 2.

Well, that's all I have to say about that unexpected (and unwanted) turn of events. For to say anything more would be superfluous and a waste of my time and your's.

So, now I'm gonna have breakfast, which I put off until I finished this column, for fear I might throw up on the keyboard.