11th District

Baltimore County's new 11th Legislative District is having a real free-for-all as 15 candidates -- eight Democrats and seven Republicans -- battle for party nominations for the three House of Delegates seats.Most of the hopefuls are eager first-timers hoping to strike political gold in the Sept. 13 primary.Maryland Republicans often lament Democratic domination of the voter rolls, but the two-party system is alive and well in the new district. Because the district is new and so many are running, veteran politicians say it's anyone's guess whom the voters will favor in the primary.

Hollinger plan keeps Jewish vote intactMartin Hyatt's letter (Forum, Sept. 27) objects to Senator Paula Hollinger's inclusion of the Owings Mills section of the 10th Legislative District in the 11th Legislative District, which includes Pikesville and Liberty Road.Hyatt's thesis is that Owings Mills and Pikesville have little in common and that their Jewish communities, in particular, are separate from one another. He believes that by maintaining that separateness, Jewish legislative representation can be expanded.

Baltimore's City Council, a body known more for tedium than turnover, is attracting an unusually large field of candidates in the months leading up to the election, suggesting that some of the most interesting local political contests this year might take place in the shadow of the mayor's race. And no matter how city residents vote in the Sept. 11 Democratic primary - the election that generally decides who wins in Baltimore - almost a third of the 15-member council will change this year.

In Baltimore County Vacant restaurant is damaged in one-alarm blaze ESSEX - A one-alarm fire tore through the roof of the Lighthouse Restaurant, a one-story frame building in the 2400 block of Holly Neck Road near Breezy Point Beach, early yesterday, Baltimore County fire officials said. Firefighters from seven area stations responded to the fire, which broke out about 1:45 a.m., the officials said. Firefighters had controlled the blaze by 4:21 a.m. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is being investigated.

I MUST respond to your editorial, "Race in the county" (Oct. 10). It was a very incendiary commentary with few facts to back it up. Since facts are readily available, I would prefer to stick to them.I would first like to quote from my testimony presented to the Governor's Redistricting Advisory Committee at the hearing for Baltimore County on July 2: "It was most disappointing 10 years ago to know that there was a large African-American population residing in my community that had no minority representation . . . The time is long overdue for African-American representation in Baltimore County."

More than 350 candidates have filed to run this year for various federal, state and local offices in Baltimore County. This suggests that politics is not so reviled a profession as popular opinion and late-night TV monologues would have us believe. Or maybe all those county candidates just happen to be gluttons for punishment.We like to think the abundance of filers indicates a healthy interest in the political process. No doubt it will confuse some voters as they try to distinguish Candidate Tweedle-dee from Candidate Tweedle-dum.

Baltimore County voters did not go gently to the polls four years ago. They were an angry bunch in 1990 -- mad about taxes they felt were too high, development they considered out of control and incumbent politicians they viewed as arrogant. Many rascals were thrown out.This summer, with the Sept. 13 primary less than a week away, the county electorate is a lot more mellow. Perhaps too mellow, if the paltry turnouts at 1994 candidate forums are any indication. The irony, though, is that next Tuesday's elections are as worthy of Baltimore County voters' interest and involvement as any in recent memory.

Responding to a string of retirements from the Baltimore County legislative delegation, the Democratic Central Committee has nominated interim appointees to replace three lawmakers and is prepared to nominate a fourth, setting the stage for the fall elections. The appointees will hold their seats only until January and, barring an unforeseen special session, won't have any official duties. But many of those who applied for the slots are running in the November elections -- and are hoping an interim appointment will give them an edge.

Baltimore's League of Women Voters has set a schedule of forums for candidates for November's city election. Forums will be held for 13 of the 14 City Council districts, as well as for the mayor and council president races. No forum is planned for the comptroller's race or the council's 9th District, as the Democratic nominees are unopposed. The schedule includes: Today, 13th District, Herring Run Library, 3801 Erdman Ave., 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tomorrow, 1st District, Patterson Park Library, 158 N. Linwood Ave., 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, 3rd District, St. John's of Hamilton Church, 5315 Harford Road, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Oct. 4, 5th District, Reisterstown Library, 6310 Reisterstown Road, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 5, 4th District, Govans Library, 5714 Bellona Ave., 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 7, 6th District, St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 4403 Pimlico Road, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 12, 7th District, Urban Medical Institute, 2600 Liberty Heights Ave., 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 13, 8th District, St. Bartholomew's Church, 4711 Edmondson Ave., 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 19, 10th District, Brooklyn Library, 300 E. Patapsco Ave., 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 20, 11th District, Union Baptist Church, 1219 Druid Hill Ave., 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 21, 12th District, Sojourner Douglass College, 200 Central Ave., 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 26, 2nd District, St. Anthony of Padua Church, 4414 Frankford Ave., 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 27, 14th District, Waverly Library, 400 E. 33rd St., 6 p.m. to 8 p.m....

In the 6th Legislative District, we favor Leslie Hutchinson -- a hard-working Democratic newcomer who will bring fresh perspectives and political energy to Annapolis. We also endorse incumbents Michael Weir and Farrell Maddox. In the 7th District House race, we favor Majority Leader John Arnick, a valuable veteran legislator, and Connie Galiazzo -- another Democratic newcomer whose concern, credibility and knowledge would be a welcome addition to the delegation. Incumbent Lou DePazzo's negativism has eroded his effectiveness.