There's a Republican candidate conducting an aggressive campaign for City Council in Baltimore's 3rd District. But if you listen to her speak or read her campaign literature, you would never know it.
As she goes door-to-door throughout Northeast Baltimore, Elaine Urbanski eagerly offers her ideas for improving education by enlisting the aid of local corporations. She stands firm against the tide of politicians who are calling for increased taxes, even though Baltimore is facing a severe cut in services because of a $26million loss in state aid.
She even offers cute stories about her three children, her marriage to a former dance instructor and her first job selling hot dogs at Memorial Stadium. But the one thing that Mrs. Urbanski does not mention is her party affiliation. Nor does she include it in her campaign literature.
Unlike other Republican candidates running for office in Baltimore, Mrs. Urbanski is not striving to set herself apart from the Democratic leadership of Baltimore -- a city in which Democrats outnumber Republicans 9-to-1. She emphasizes the similarities between her beliefs and those of most of the city's residents. And instead of bashing the current Democratic officeholders, she says that their policies "could be enhanced by LTC having at least one Republican on the City Council."
"I want people to vote for me because of what I stand for, not because of what party I belong to," says Mrs. Urbanski, a public relationsmanager at the Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. "I'm not a die-hard Republican. I don't even want the Republicans to vote for me just because I'm Republican."
Mrs. Urbanski is one of nine Republicans running for the council -- there are two other candidates in the 3rd and other GOP contenders in the 1st, 5th and 6th districts -- but is considered to be the only one with a chance of winning.
The last time a Republican was elected to Baltimore's City Council was in 1939.
Mrs. Urbanski remains undaunted. She has raised about $5,000 for her campaign and has gotten the help of 50 volunteers who mail fliers, walk door-to-door or spend morning rush-hour waving at drivers.
"Primarily I like her enthusiasm," said Hershel Brown, a resident of the North Harford Road area who heard Mrs. Urbanski at a recent candidates' forum. "I just feel a person who approaches any position with enthusiasm is something that we need to see more of."
