July 11, 2002
Registered voters in Potomac will go to the polls on Sept. 10 and Nov. 5 to select a governor, a representative in Congress, a county executive, members of County Council and the Board of Education, and delegates and a senator in the Maryland General Assembly.
July 1 marked the filing deadline for all candidates except those for the General Assembly. The filing deadline for candidates running for the General Assembly was extended until July 8 because of complications to redistricting.
Significant decisions will happen at the primary level for Democrats, Republicans and Independents in county-level races.
<ro>County Council
<bt>In the race to decide the four at-large members of the County Council race, eight Democrats will vie in the primary for the four slots on the ballot in November.
Three of those are current councilmembers, Blair Ewing, Steven Silverman and Michael Subin. Challengers include Vince Renzi of Potomac, Nancy Floreen of Garrett Park, Mark Elrich of Takoma Park, George L. Leventhal also of Takoma Park and Ann Somerset of Gaithersburg.
Only two Republicans filed to run for County Council at large, so there will be no contest in that primary; Scott Dyer of Bethesda and Joe Dollar of Silver Spring will appear on the ballot in November.
Potomac residents will vote for County Council at large and County Council District 1. The incumbent, Republican Howard Denis, will not face any opposition in the primary. Duchy Trachtenberg of Rockville will not face any opposition in the Democratic primary. Voters in Potomac, Bethesda, Chevy Chase and parts of Rockville will choose between the two in the November general election.
<ro>Board of Education
<bt>While the Board of Education also has at-large and district members, it works differently than for County Council. While candidates for Board of Education in a given district must live inside the boundaries of the district, all voters in the county will vote for the at-large member and a member from each district.
Members of the Board of Education serve staggered terms; this year voters will choose one at-large member, and the members of districts 1, 3 and 5. Each race with more than two candidates will be listed on the primary ballot; voters will choose one in each district and the top two vote-getters will go on to the general election in November.
The Board of Education is a nonpartisan body, and candidates do not declare any party affiliation. Any registered voter will be able to vote for the Board of Education in the primary, even those registered as Independents.
Five candidates will seek a place on the November ballot to replace incumbent Steve Abrams. They are Charles Haughey of Rockville, Robert Holden of Gaithersburg, Michael Anthony Enriquez Ibanez of Montgomery Village, Tommy Le of Kensington and Henry Lee of Rockville.
In District 1, two of three candidates will go on to the November ballot. Those three are Tom Neumark of Germantown, Gabe Romero of Gaithersburg and Joseph Sladki of Laytonsville.
There are also three candidates for District 3, including incumbent Patricia O’Neill of Bethesda. The two challengers are Eric Marx of Chevy Chase and Kevin Schuyler of Bethesda.
Only two candidates have filed for District 2 Board of Education, incumbent Reginald Felton, incumbent, of Silver Spring and challenger Robyn Anne Traywick of Olney. Both will appear on the November ballot.
<ro>House of Delegates
<bt>Most of Potomac is in General Assembly District 15, and each district is represented by three members of the House of Delegates.
Only one of Potomac’s current three delegates from District 15 is seeking reelection, Republican Jean Cryor. Richard La Vay (R) has filed to run for state senate in District 14, where he actually lives. And the third sitting delegate, Mark K. Shriver (D), is seeking the hotly contested Democratic nomination for Congress to run against incumbent Republican Connie Morella.
Three Democrats and three Republicans will appear on the ballot in November.
Just three Republicans have filed to run, so there will be no contest in the Republican primary. They are Cryor, Mary Kane and Bill Askinazi, all of Potomac.
Four Democrats have filed, so the September primary will eliminate one and the remaining three will appear on the ballot in November. Kathleen M. Dumais of Bethesda, Brian J. Feldman of Potomac, Jinhee K. Wilde of Potomac and John Young of Potomac will vie for the three Democratic slots on the November ballot.
Bethesda and parts of Potomac along the Potomac River west of Potomac Village are in District 16. The three Democratic incumbents are seeking reelection: William Bronrott, Marilyn Goldwater and Susan Lee. Two Democratic challengers have also joined the race, Charles Chester and Karen Kuker-Kihl, so the September primary will eliminate two of the five, with three Democrats appearing on the November ballot.
Only one Republican, Daniel Farhan Zubairi, has filed to run for Delegate in District 16, so the Republican primary will be uncontested. One independent, John Horan Latham, has filed to appear on the November ballot.
<ro>State Senate
<bt>Each District is represented in the General Assembly by three delegates and one senator.
Only one candidate for senate has filed to run in each of Districts 15 and 16 in each party; the incumbent is seeking reelection in both. The September primaries will be uncontested.
Sen. Jean Roesser (R) of Potomac will seek reelection in District 15, challenged in November by Democrat Rob Garagiola of Germantown.
Sen. Brian Frosh (D) of Bethesda will seek reelection in District 15, challenged by Republican Tom Devor of Bethesda.