ANYONE LOOKING for excitement in the primary election season can find it on the other side of the Bay Bridge. In Queen Anne's County, even the race for state's attorney and the contest in a redistricted congressional district are generating fewer sparks than the race for the reconfigured Board of County Commissioners. 

A record 23 candidates are seeking nominations for a board that will grow from three to five positions. All the interest reflects the discontent some residents obviously feel on the issue of growth and how the current board has handled recent issues like the Four Seasons development. 

Since we couldn't interview all the candidates, we are not making endorsements in these races. But we suggest the county's voters focus on one question when they go to the polls Tuesday: Are you happy with the way things have been going in your county government? 

If the answer is yes, then vote to return the incumbents to office. If you don't think that the board has done enough to stop unwanted growth, vote for the challengers. 

Published September 7, 2002, The Capital, Annapolis, Md. 
Copyright © 2002 The The Capital, Annapolis, Md.

THERE WAS nothing subtle about the message Queen Anne's County voters sent their government this week: They are not happy with the way growth has been managed.

All three incumbent county commissioners were bounced from office on Tuesday. Who would have thought that George O'Donnell -- the president of the board of commissioners, trying for a third term -- could be beaten by someone who hasn't held office before? His opponent, Richard Moser, entered the race at the last minute and only because no one else did. 

Mr. Moser is president of the Kent Island Defense League, a resourceful grass-roots organization that has been challenging the board's approval of a 1,350-unit development. Mike Koval, who defeated incumbent John McQueeney, is the KIDL's vice president. 

The discontent spread to other races. Sheriff Charles Crossley won by only 80 votes. And State's Attorney Chip Gregory lost -- he was the first incumbent in his office to even be challenged in 40 years. 

There's nothing complex about what happened. The incumbent commissioners didn't grasp the public's concerns about growth. The challengers did. And the incumbents suffered the usual fate of elected officials who lose touch with their constituents on a crucial issue.

Published September 13, 2002, The Capital, Annapolis, Md. 
Copyright © 2002 The The Capital, Annapolis, Md.