750 Turn Out To Support Judge Karen Abrams
Dyson, Bell, Dorsey, Eagan , Hoyer Endorse Keeping Sitting Judge
By Kenneth C. Rossignol
ST. MARY'S TODAY
Charlotte Hall ---   The place was packed all morning long at the Bi-Partisan Breakfast for Judge Karen Abrams with an estimated 750 people showing up to break fast and gobble down politics at this pre-election rally. 

Sen. Roy Dyson, former GOP Commissioner Frances Eagan, Congressman Steny Hoyer (D. Md. 5th) and hundreds of supporters from all walks of life in St. Mary's County came out to support the election of St. Mary's County's first female judge.
Former School Board Member Lila Ridgell Hoffmeister told the crowd that there is nothing wrong with a woman having a career.  Recent radio spots by former county commissioner Rodney Thompson preach that two judges in a family is a bad idea, a reference to Court of Special Appeals Judge James Kenney, husband of Judge Karen Abrams. 
"We have two educators in our family, as both my husband and I are teachers, and there is nothing wrong with that," said Hoffmeister, to a roar of approval of the crowd.
Thompson's slap at two judges in the same family ignores the fact that Fritz has his wife working at  a highly paid position as child support enforcement chief on his staff at the State's Attorney's Office, in a real case of nepotism. 
Former Delegate Ernie Bell was the Master of Ceremonies for the event which overwhelmed the St. Mary's Landing restaurant in Charlotte Hall.   
Good food continued to pour out of the kitchen as the staff was able to keep up with the demand of the large crowd, many eager to be out in support of Abrams in what has developed into a nasty three way race with charges being hurled back and forth between the candidates. 
California lawyer Bryan Dugan said last week that the only reason Fritz is running in the election is that he knows that he would have not been considered by the Judicial Nominating Commission due to his illegal conduct in the 1998 newspaper raid.    Thus trying to take the judicial seat away from Abrams was his only option.  
Fritz retorted that Dugan had supported him in the 2002 race for States Attorney.    On Jan. 16, 2003, the Fourth Circuit United States Court of Appeals issued a stinging rebuke of Fritz, then Sheriff Richard Voorhaar and seven deputies for their role in raiding newspaper stands on election eve 1998, calling the conduct an unconstitutional action against ST. MARY'S TODAY.