All of the 10 candidates who sought the vacant seat to represent the southern part of Anne Arundel County on the County Council faced tough questions that ran the gamut of controversial issues in interviews before the panel.
But one candidate, Tricia L. Johnson, the eventual victor and a longtime member of the county Board of Education - which has frequently opposed the council on funding issues - seemed to get whacked particularly hard. Councilman C. Edward Middlebrooks, an early supporter of Johnson in the voting process, interjected: "Some of these questions are totally not fair."
Does she support the "13th high school"? Would she be an automatic "yes" vote on a request from the school board and Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell to give the school system $7 million for a contingency fund to prevent planned furloughs? How would she vote for slots? Her position on a tax cap? Councilwoman Cathleen M. Vitale, who has criticized school system spending, asked, "At what point do you believe that you stop new programs and focus only on students, classrooms and renovations?"
Johnson, a Republican who is set to be sworn in Monday as District 7's newest representative, was all smiles as she answered the barrage of questions, apparently selling members on what she said she would bring to the position - "work ethic, collaboration, common sense and hard work."
"You have to protect the classroom, the teacher," Johnson answered Vitale, who ultimately cast the winning vote for Johnson. "We've cut travel, training subscriptions, textbooks ... to try to protect that classroom. It's the heart and soul of every district. ... Always, always protect the classroom."
It was an answer, that supporters say, speaks to Johnson's unwavering commitment to the county schools. A Davidsonville resident and mother of five children who all graduated from the county's public schools, she got her start volunteering at Davidsonville Elementary.
She was president of the school's PTA from 1996 to 2002 and a board member for more than a decade, a time during which she was a force in pushing successfully for the school system to build a new building for the crumbling school.
"I was the nag," Johnson said in a recent interview. "I was always pushing. Many, many times, I was the pit bull that wouldn't let go."
Johnson was appointed to the council after the departure of Chairman Ed Reilly, who was appointed to the seat of retiring state Sen. Janet Greenip.
