ST. MARY'S TODAY
LEONARDTOWN --- “I feel really very good about it. I am really honored,” said former Senator J. Frank Raley.
“How many votes I got?” he asked from his Raley, Watts & Associates office in California. An 80-year young Raley was commenting on the write-ins in which voters had put his name for at least two public offices in St. Mary's County.
And, if votes in the write-in lists could run into thousands to best the number of votes a mostly self-nominated winner gets, there might have
been quite a few surprises in St. Mary's County, with the probability of Judge Karen Abrams and Judge Michael Stamm losing their black robes and either one of them becoming the states attorney in place of Richard Fritz.
But as machines get faster and more sophisticated, election board officials are getting less meticulous, ST. MARY'S TODAY learned on Monday afternoon. "In the past we used to have a very careful tally of the exact number of write-in votes," said Linda Knott.
"We no longer do it," Knott revealed
The Write-in Detail By Ballot at one place also reads "Demented Kenny" with reference to Kenny Dement (R. Piney Point) who had an easy win against his Democratic challenger Alfreda Mathis.
Christy Chesser could have posed a formidable challenge to Fritz and might have avoided the public limelight she seems to hate. But according to some local observers, though Chesser might have got Judge Abrams support she "chickened out" and went for a comparatively easier job.
It's not just Donald Duck and Marilyn Monroe who are popular among voters, some legends in their lifetime others who passed away but served the community above self-interests when they were alive, are still people's choice for elected office, a write-in list obtained from St. Mary's Board of elections revealed.
Those whose who continue to be loved by the community include Jennifer Schaefer and defeated comptroller
William Donald Schaefer, former senator and states attorney Walter B. Dorsey-1, former senator J. Frank Raley, Charles Ridgell, Roger Staiger, John Kolb, Zach Messite, Patty Smith and Alan Smith.
The longest list of different kinds of write-ins were against the States Attorney office on which Richard Fritz got elected unopposed and Commissioner District 4 seat which returned Dan Raley (D. Great Mills)
unopposed. There were at least 25 different types of write-ins for the States Attorney office and 14 different write-ins. The write-ins against the two
included "Anyone But Fritz" and "Anyone Other Than Mr. Raley."
The write-ins for Commissioner District 4 were, Luis Mejis 1, (Deceased) Larry Millison, "Abstain," Alan Smith, Grant Cutler, Joe Brannon, J. Frank Raley, Shawn Woodburn, Jeff Harmon, Ron Baker, Donald Johnson, John Kolb and Jennifer Schaefer.
The write-ins for Commissioner District 1 included "Anyone Else," and Roger Staiger.
House of delegates 29A the write-ins include Zach Messite, Charles Richly Raley Sr., and Clare Whitbeck. The write-ins for the sheriff's office include St. Mary’s sheriff’s deputy Kevin Daryl Somerville II and his dad former sheriff, Daryl Somerville. The younger, Kevin Somerville, almost beat defeated Sheriff David Zylak in the Democratic primaries. Zylak had conceded the outcome of his contest against Kevin Somerville was “too close for comfort.”
The write-ins for board of education District 1 included Tony Holmes, Nancy Luiginbill, James Madison, Charles Ridgell, "Abstain," Roger Staiger, Gary Lee Weaver Sr., Rand Eller, and J.J. Sharp.
The write-ins for board of education District Three include Charles Ridgell, Brandi Ubanks, J. Frank Raley, "No Confidence," and Nancy Balta.
The write-ins on the governor's seat were Roger Staiger and Mickey Mouse and that for Attorney General were Donald Duck and Stuart Simms.
The write-ins for the Judge of Orphans Court were James Johnston 1, Charles Ridgell V, John Mattingly 1, James A. Smith, Jeff Harmon, Alan G. Smith, Patty Smith, Thomas Shorts, Becky Tice.
The write-ins for the state senator's seat were Annie Baker, Eric Barkhmer, Bob Bauman and Benedict Duke.
The Judge of Circuit Circuit 7 too had some interesting write-ins: They were: local lawyer and Dan Raley (D. Great Mills) son-in-law Christopher Longmore, Jay Gatton 1, George Sparling V, John Thomas, Shane Mattingly III, S. Mattingly, Mickey Mouse, James A. Smith, Jennifer Schaefer 1 and John Kolb.
The write-ins for the register of wills office include Tony Holmes, Charles Ridgell, Abstain, Curtis Dennis, Patty Smith, Valerie Smith, Jennifer Schaefer 1, Roxanne Mejai and Jessica Balta.
The write-ins for the treasurer's office include Tony Norris. M Shiela Homes, Veronic Johnson 1, Abstain, Dennis Hubscher 1, Shawn Woodson, Curtis Dennis, Doris Bean, Patty Smith, Jennifer Schaefer 1, Qaiser
Waraich, Nina Guy, Mickey Mouse, and George Walls. In particular, the name Qaiser Waraich is apparently of a naturalized American from military-run Pakistan.
The write-ins for the Congress seat include Peter Kunert VI, Robert Brookins, Pamela McDaniel, "Sponge Bob Square Pants," Alan Smith 1, "Labro Parish," Keith Kehan 1, Buddy Guy, William Joseph Trusty Jr. and John Kolb.
The writes-in for states attorney's office were: Mattingly Jr., George
Sparling III, Christopher Longmore, Christy Chesser 1, Michael Stamm, Alan Cecil, Daffy Duck, John Thomas, Douglas Gansler, Walter B. Dorsey 1, "Anyone Else," Undecided, John Woodburn, "A. Democrat," Marilyn Monroe, Ernest Bell, Gary Lee Weaver, Sam Baldwin 1, "Anyone But Fritz,"
John P.S. Pugh, Stephen Butler, Karen Abrams, Mike Harris, A. Shane Mattingly, and "No Confidence."
The write-ins for the comptroller included Donald Schaefer 1, John Quade, Bob Auerbach, William Donald Schaefer and Robert Swan.
Former Senator Raley, who has the reputation of touching sand and turning it into gold, said he is cautious about politics but does participate in it “a little bit.” He said that his name being mentioned for public office even after he was out of politics for long was a double honor.
The former senator said Maryland had traditionally been a blue state, but more than that it has always been a pragmatic state. "Theodore McKelden was a Republican but was elected governor of Maryland for two terms. Spiro Agnew, who later became vice president of the United States, was likewise a Republican," former Senator Raley said. He said Ehrlich invited his political downfall by playing party politics and unnecessarily vetoing the correct moves of the Democrats.
J. Frank Raley was in politics as a Democrat, so was his late father, grandfather and great grandfather.
