Plenty of Voters, One Lone Candidate
John Rouse's account from early voting in Bowie, and take on law enforcement in Prince George's County.
Returning my weekly batch of crime novels (oh, lordy, wouldn't it be great if our own cops were as efficient as those in police thrillers? See item below.) to the Bowie Library last week, I noticed a long line of older folks. At first I thought it was a bridge tournament getting underway, then it dawned on me that it was early election polling. So I voted.
Bless the polling place staff member who confused me with my son. Our birthdays are a day apart and we have the same names. But we certainly don't share the same date of birth. I told her I was the older John Rouse. She smiled, I smiled—it was a good way to start the day. All the poll staffers were pleasant and efficient. But, hey, that's good old Bowie, right?
I also spotted my fellow Bowie Patch columnist Sam Fatzinger, with a few of her kids in tow, checking out what appeared to be half the library. And I was waiting behind her to process my own meager selection of tomes. I could have taken a nap, but the floor didn't look too inviting. But when you have your own small army of offspring like Sam and her spouse do, you need lots of books.
After voting, checking out more books and watching my far-too-youthful boss, Josh Flynn, shooting a video (very versatile guy, that Josh), I decided to wander around outside and see who was campaigning. Unsurprisingly, the only one on the scene was the omnipresent Geraldine Valentino-Smith, who I swear has a Star Trek transporter at home that dispatches her like Mr. Spock to every event in Bowie. She was standing with His Honor, Mayor Gee Fred, her hubby and her campaign manager, Steve Kuciemba, one of the nicer and certainly more personable toilers in the Pee Gee election garden, or jungle.
The mayor was probably looking for pizza and beer. Geraldine's fellow candidate for a the District 23A House of Delegates seat , Jim Hubbard, was nowhere to be seen, which was no surprise since I haven't laid eyes on him in years. Nor did I see incumbent state Sen. Doug Peters courting the voters with his versatile charm. Again, I haven't seen him in a long time either, but I know he's around because his top aide, Lori Morris, tells me so.
I have to make a confession at this point: I voted for a Republican! This was the third such occasion in my voting life, which began long before electronic balloting. I began feeling heart palpitations as my finger hovered over the name, but I did it.
The only other Republicans I have voted for were the late U.S. Sen. Charles "Mac" Mathias and Bowie's own Audrey Scott. I forget which office Scott was seeking then since about the only race she hasn't been involved in at one time or another is the Kentucky Derby. Anyway, the GOP vote was cast for a candidate in a county race, and it wasn't the county executive contest. I felt slightly feverish exiting the poll, but I recovered after listening to Geraldine gush with her breathtaking enthusiasm.
So, now I can claim I'm bi-partisan, right? Well, slightly.
My informal polling of some of the folks I knew at the polls indicated that they were all voting pretty much the same way I did (sans the Republican). But, boy, the open hostility of these folks to the current political scene was palpable. These people were fed up to their teeth, or dentures, as the case may be, with American politics in 2010. Most of that hostility was aimed at the Party of No, the GOP. I wasn't taken aback.
I don't expect any surprises in our county election results, and Congressman Steny Hoyer, as well as Gov. Martin O'Malley, will surely sweep to victory. I'd bet a large Starbucks latte, or even a super-sized Jimmy Marcos pizza with 12 toppings, on that.
Anyway, dear readers, don't forget to vote!
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Meanwhile, over at our less-than-inspiring county police department, Chief Roberto Hylton's reputation as a hothead and a rather bizarre commander of the department becomes more obvious by the day.
During an in-service training session for mid-level officers a while back, the chief stopped into the lecture at its mid-point to deliver some random remarks, then departed. One of two instructors present, a major, apologized to the class for the intrusion. Big mistake.
The second officer, a sergeant and obvious suck-up, then ran off and told the chief about the comment. The officer who apologized to his class for the interruption by the chief was immediately transferred by Hylton himself. How petty can you get?
The sergeant who caused the mayhem was then transferred by you-know-who to the internal affairs department (seemingly a nice little gift), which wasn't very wise since the fellow has absolutely no investigative background. Gee, isn't that smart—moving an unqualified individual to an office which investigates the department's officers. And then the chief puts him, of all people, in charge of the recent investigation of academy test fraud. What a brilliant move. The sergeant also, I'm told by sources who served in the academy, has a weakness for making silly and false allegations. Top notch management that, eh?
When you end up with someone totally unqualified to investigate serving in the unit that keeps its eyes on the conduct of our police officers, you can't wonder what other foolishness goes on in the county police department. Oh, wait, we know—recruits come out of training totally unprepared to do their jobs despite their perfect scores on academy tests.
We know all about that now; well maybe not all, but certainly enough to clearly realize something's noxiously amiss in Prince George's law enforcement. And poor Rushern Baker, our next county executive, is inheriting these woes. He may need a large supply of Tylenol.
Oh, dear, life in Pee Gee County continues to produce no end of tales of bad management. Be prepared for more before the end of the year. And remember, you read it here first.
Are you going out for early voting? What is your take on the state of Prince George's County's law enforcement?
Tell us in the comments.
In This article
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Sam Fatzinger
Joined Patch Monday, October 4, 2010 -
Josh Flynn
Joined Patch Saturday, October 9, 2010 -
Richard Dahms
5:30 am on Thursday, October 28, 2010
At least this is a real election unlike the City of Bowie joke elections which is administered by the Mayor's political campaign contributor. The City Clerk's 2006 campaign contribution to the mayor compromises the integrity of our city elections, violates her trust as the city's election official, and intoduces partisan politics in Bowie's non-partisan city elections.
It was the revelation of the City clerk's 2006 campaign contribution that brought to light the fact that the City does not have an independent board of elections like the County and State. Now we know why the Mayor always wins in City elections, but has lost 3 times (Castaldi, Scott and Turner) for County Council in a predominantly Bowie County Council District.
Richard
pgcoresident
9:37 am on Thursday, October 28, 2010
good for you for voting! As a registered republican, I have to say that typically voting in maryland for me is a huge waste of time, but oh well.
As for the second part of your column, it seems your gripes are with the Chief. So why call the whole department "less-than-inspiring"? It seems unfair to say the least to insult 1420 officers in an attempt to be funny. Have you ever said something positive about them?
John Rouse
9:45 am on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Yes, I have, actually. There are many excellent officers in the department, several of whom are personal friends. You're right - my primary gripe is with the brass, not the majority of the officers.
pgcoresident
10:25 am on Thursday, October 28, 2010
thanks for responding! I look forward to your next *positive* column on the dept.
Zinna
9:49 am on Thursday, October 28, 2010
I know my votes cast in the primary was more important than the general election, but I'll still do it. It's my civic duty. I've never done early voting before but I think we're going to do it on Friday. Thanks for the reminder!
Ray Rheault
10:16 am on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Zinna: Early voting (inexplicably) ends today, so head on over today!
My daughter (who works 1-2 jobs per day in Alexandria) was able to drive to the Oxon Hill library & vote yesterday. Had she needed to vote in Bowie (especially on 11/2) I doubt she could have voted without an absentee ballot.
As to another commenter: I suggest you take a look around the County & see whether you'd rather live in another incorporated or unincorporated area in PrGeoCo instead of Bowie. Mr. Robinson wins in Bowie because HE GETS OUT THE VOTE. His failed County Council elections in prior years can be attributed to many things (e.g., Castaldi got the Greenbelt vote; Audrey was a well-known moderate Republican and ex-Bowie mayor; Ms. Turner was the slate-endorsed candidate as I recall), but your constant allegations are laughable.
If you have proof of voting irregularities file a fact-based complaint. Otherwise, give it up or go ahead & keep doing your "Johnny One-Note" routine - nobody's paying any attention anymore.
Richard Dahms
12:40 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Ray,
Obviously, you are paying attention! Ingrid Turner was NOT the slate endorsed candidate in 2006. In fact, the mayor had to flip flop on the housing issue at Melford in order for him to be added to the Democratic slate in 2006.
Given I have been here in Bowie longer than Rouse and Robinson, its unlikely that I am going to move anytime soon. As PT Barnum would say, "Fred Robinson can fool some people all the time".
Richard
Barbara Sigler
11:33 am on Thursday, October 28, 2010
John, your article was both entertaining and informative, as always. I look forward to reading them each week. Thanks!
Bowie Mike
12:01 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
I had three "protest votes" this last time around. One was a write-in for G. Fred for the county council position. It wasn't going to change the outcome, but it made me feel better. I also had another write-in vote for the register of wills. Call me a rebel!
One can look up Pam Fleming's donations. She donated in July, 2006 before the county council race in November, 2006. It wasn't a donation for a city held seat. In fact, how would Pam Fleming know in the summer of 2006 that Fred would not get elected to the county council, and the he would run again for mayor in 2007? That sure is some conspiracy that she was involved with. With that foresight, I'm going to give her a call to see if she can tell me who's going to win the next horse race at Laurel Park. Perhaps it will be Common Sense beating out Dahms Conspiracy by a furlong.
Richard Dahms
12:49 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Hi Bowie Mike,
I guess I would ask you: " where do you draw the line on election ethics?"
Wouldn't the ethical thing for City Clerk Pam Fleming to have done would have been to voluntarily withdraw herself from officiating City elections going forward while the mayor was a candidate? After all, isn't her job as the City's election administrator almost that of a Judge? Judges have to be above reproach. And would you feel the same way if it had been a Republican Mayor that the City Clerk made contributions to?
As a matter of disclosure, I have been Independent my entire adult life, except recently became a Democrat in name only to vote in the recent primary.
Richard
pgcoresident
1:33 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Mr. Dahms,
Would you expect that any election administrator to not vote? Isn't it their right? How neutral do you really expect them to be?
Bowie Mike
3:11 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
There is a difference between a judge and an election official. Rulings of law can be subjective. There are guidelines, but judges do have a bit of discretion, and bias can enter the picture when making those decisions. Why does this person get 5 years and this one gets 7? Is there as much discretion in counting votes? Is there any discretion applied when the votes from Rockledge come in? Does Pam Fleming decide that she'll only count the Robinson votes from Rockledge? Although you may disagree, one thing that the City of Bowie does well is to define process. And I have no doubt in my mind that they have a very well defined process for counting votes, and I am also very confident that those votes are verified by multiple people.
But you are saying more than there is the appearance of bias. You have already concluded that indeed there was fraud - without any proof.
G. Fred Robinson is a popular and well liked mayor. Get over it.
Steve
12:18 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Early voting is so easy - heck, voting in general has gotten so much easier for the voter themselves. The process for election officials has changed more often then I can count, but at least they're doing their utmost to make it easier and more convenient for voters. Now if we could just get the process of counting votes to be a little (lot) more efficient, and get more and more people to actually cast votes, we would have a perfect example of our democracy at work!
Oden Bowie
12:55 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Mr. Dahms is correct! This is a conspiracy of massive proportions!! It must be a Socialist plot! Sheesh! Get your facts straight sir and quit blowing wind! Your lowball rants are becoming a snooze to everybody! I pray for your tranquility fellow citizen! Paz!!
Richard Dahms
1:04 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Which facts do you contend that I need to get straight?
I realize the truth hurts, and that I am a lightening rod.
Richard
John Rouse
1:15 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
I don't appreciate one individual using this space for redundant rants..
Richard Dahms
7:04 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Mr. Rouse,
What makes your redundant rants any more important than mine? Obviously, I'm not saying my opinions are any more important than yours, but I am certainly not saying they are any less important either. Are you saying my opinions are less important than yours?
Richard
Darrell
1:19 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
I thought early voting was easy as well, tough on the candidates and their supporters, but great for our democracy. We should have two weeks to vote with the final day being the first Tuesday in November. It is great that you remove the stress of making it to the polls on that one day, what if you are sick, car breaks down, emergency at work, etc, people shouldn't lose out on participating in one of the most important parts of a democracy, voting.
John Rouse
1:24 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Well said, Darrell. I'll be there to vote when you run for office :-)
Oden Bowie
1:36 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Hey Richard, did you mean "lightning rod"? Spell check is a handy aid to the orthographically challenged!! If you are in fact such a rod, remember to stay grounded and out of the rain! The fact mangling that I refer to has been eloquently rebutted already by Bowie Mike! Watch out folks, Bowie is being corrupted by devious and underhanded "freedom hating" clerks that are out to destroy the integrity of your esteemed Mayoral office! Ha ha - funny stuff!! Thanks for the laugh Lightning Rod!!
Richard Dahms
7:11 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Thanks Oden Bowie for correcting my spelling! That's what happens when I type and run. I'll take your excellent advice and stay grounded and out of the rain :)
Richard
Zinna
2:30 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Oh dang. Thanks for letting me know. Shows you how much I pay attention. I'll be voting on Tuesday (as usual!).
John Rouse
3:20 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
And here I thought pgcoresident was a guy! Guess I was wrong - an unusual occurance :-)
pgcoresident
4:01 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
HAHAHAHA!!!!! It's that obvious huh? I have to bookmark this page for future reference.. note to self "Rouse admits he's wrong.."
John Rouse
4:16 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Well, you won't see it often :-))
Richard Dahms
7:21 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
pgcoresident,
The issue isn't an election administrator voting. You are correct that that is or her right. We don't have an independent board of elections at the City level. The City administration (Executive branch) administers the elections unlike higher levels of government. The City Clerk is responsible for administering the city elections. I feel it was completely inappropriate for City Clerk Pam Fleming to conduct city elections with the Mayor on the ballot in 2007 and 2009 after contributing to the Mayor's political campaign in 2006.
Richard
pgcoresident
9:13 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
I won't pretend to know the details of this but since campaign contributions are public information we can be reasonably sure that she wasn't trying to hide the fact. My point? Well I'd rather know an election official's political leanings, especially if they support someone enough to want to donate to a campaign. If they're allowed to do this their support becomes public. I would think that this fact alone would make a person ensure there are no irregularities because they'd be one of the first places an investigation would look. Do you disagree?
Oh and pardon any typos. I did this on my phone.
Richard Dahms
11:55 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
pgcoresident,
I would agree with you if the City had an independent Board of elections like the County and the State Boards. But the City doesn’t have one ergo my original comment to Rouse that at least this is a real election. The City Clerk’s job, as the chief election officer of the City of Bowie, is analogous to the integrity of a Judge. Judges are to be impartial ruling solely on the law leaving partisan politics aside. Imagine if you were a plaintiff in Court and you learn the Judge has a financial relationship with your defendant. Would you feel the Judge can still be impartial, or do you think the Judge should remove himself/herself from the case at hand due to the conflict of interest?
I realize this discussion is annoying Rouse (which is worth posting in and of itself), but I think this is a healthy conversation and I am excited at the possibilities and potential that Bowie Patch offers. I have been questioning the status quo in Bowie for many years. And, it really gets fun when you follow the money trail.
Richard
Bowie Mike
5:47 am on Friday, October 29, 2010
The city clerk's job is not analogous to a judge. As I have pointed out above, judges have a tremendous amount of discretion - sometimes even deciding whether or not someone goes to jail. This discretion is exercised every day. And in most cases, there is a single judge making that discretion. The city clerk is following a process that is watched by multiple sets of eyes. Votes are tallied at precincts and signed off by other people as well. The city clerk does not have such opportunities to exercise discretion as you say. And every person involved has a candidate that they favor and perhaps voted for. Should we remove every person from the process?
With regard to your comment about the money trail, the phrase "money trail" is generally used indicate that one party is paying money to the other in exchange for something else. Are you implying that Pam Fleming donated money to the Robinson campaign in exchange for trash pick-up three times a week instead of two? Scandalous!
JK
11:56 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
I normally love reading this every week but not about the Police Department. Prince George's County is experiencing record crime lows for the third year in a row yet for some reason you seen not to acknowledge the hard work of the men and women. Even more you seem to ignore the difference between the county police and the City of Bowie cops but then again that would mean saying something not so nice about Bowie. The only single place where crime (and violent crime at that) seems to be up is in Bowie. O well
Richard Dahms
6:29 am on Friday, October 29, 2010
Hi Bowie Mike,
We will have to agree to disagree about Bowie city elections and governance. The City Clerk’s role is analagous to a Judge in the fiduciary sense and not the literal “sending people to jail” sense. I disagree with your assertion that the process is watched by multiple sets of eyes. My experience has been just the opposite. The process is not as transparent as you describe and I know other city candidates who wanted to witness the vote but have been denied. My understanding is the vote is tallied in the office of City Management behind closed doors. It gets to the integrity of the city election and the integrity of the local incumbent government administration, which by the way has been incumbent for 18 years now (the City CEO and not the ceremonial mayor). How Democratic is that? I notice you didn’t answer any of the questions I posed to you in my earlier post and I have to wonder why?
Respectfully,
Richard
Bowie Mike
8:41 am on Friday, October 29, 2010
Richard, I think my position is pretty clear. Are you talking about whether or not I would feel the same way about a Republican? My position is the same. Interested in knowing who I supported? I have always voted for Robinson, contributed to his campaigns and posted signs in my yard. I am also very happy with our city from the mayor to the city manager to the city clerk to the park rangers to the people that pick up my trash to the people that process our sludge/waste. I'm not hiding anything here. I also don't work for the city, and I'm not seeking any favors from the mayor or anyone else in the city.
Sam Fatzinger
8:45 am on Friday, October 29, 2010
Hey John, I only got 60 items this time...you should see when I bring in more than three kids...can you say "truck load". Anyway next time you will know that you can go to the self check out next to the elevators. Always fun to see you around the greatest town of all!!!
John Rouse
9:38 am on Friday, October 29, 2010
Only 60? LOL, Sam! Great to see you, too..Speaking of "the greatest town of all," make sure you read my column that goes up tomorrow :-)
JConway
11:22 pm on Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Hey Johnny,
Perhpas if you allowed yourself not to have been manipulated by the likes of Steny, Wayne, Leo, and Dick you'd have seen that the GOP ran some real quality candidates in PG County. You were a puppet to their whims. Such a shame because you had the ear of the entire city, you were abused. Worse yet, you allowed yourself to be abused. Now as we drive through Bowie and PG County we see they are a shell of what it used to be. Everytime you complain about something in this city or this county, take a look in the mirror. You can't balme the GOP!
JConway
11:24 pm on Wednesday, November 3, 2010
By the way, it's a well known fact that John and Audrey had a horse run in the 1986 Kentucky Derby.