Mattingly Files for Re-Election
LEONARDTOWN ---  St. Mary's Commissioner Tommy Mattingly (D. Leonardtown) isn't taking anything for granted in the next election and he has filed for office seeking a third term as commissioner representing the Leonardtown and Hollywood election districts.  All commissioners run for election county-wide but four of them must reside in districts while the commissioner president can live anywhere in St. Mary's County.   In 1998, Mattingly won easily over Michael Snavely, a little known Republican but barely won in 2002 over Republican Joe Gass who came within 130 votes of ousting the Democrat incumbent.  Gass has moved out of state and Leonardtown insurance broker Dan Burris is being urged to make another run this year.  Burris lost the GOP primary in 2002 to Gass.  Mattingly and Commissioner Dan Raley of Great Mills are the only two Democrats on the Board.  Commissioner Kenny Dement (R. Piney Point) is the only other incumbent to file for reelection to the commissioner board while Democrat Jackie Russell has filed for Commissioner President. The filing deadline is June 30th and a move which had been underway to change the date of the primaries has fizzled with Republicans in the General Assembly working over the summer to keep the primary in September rather than move it to May.  An earlier primary was believed by many Democrats to give the party time to heal after an expected blistering fight between Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan and Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley for the nod to oppose Republican Governor Bobby Ehrlich.