5th District

Hampstead Republican Jerome J. Joyce said yesterday he will run again for one of Carroll's 5th District delegate seats in 1994.Mr. Joyce is an assistant state's attorney in Washington County. In 1990, he finished last in a three- way Republican primary, behind incumbent Richard C. Matthews of Hampstead and challenger Joseph H. Mettle of Eldersburg.Mr. Matthews and Mr. Mettle, who finished last in the 1990 general election, have said they will run again in 1994.Mr. Joyce, 45, said he believes he will have a better chance to be elected next year because Carroll will have a new, third seat in the 5th District as a result of redistricting in 1991.

Over the past several years, Baltimore County has made steady progress as it seeks to air condition all its public schools. Despite limited funding, the county is on track to reduce the number of schools lacking air conditioning from 54 percent in 2010 to 36 percent within two years. Unfortunately, that progress is not shared uniformly throughout Baltimore County. There is a significant disparity between the western, northern and eastern parts of the county. Looking at schools by County Council district, after the current round of air conditioning, the number of non-air conditioned schools will stand at 28 percent in the 1st District (Catonsville)

A group of Fifth District Republicans are supporting Democrat Linda Gilligan for County Council.About 15 GOP leaders will be sending letters to fellow Republicans in the district urging them to vote for Gilligan on Nov. 6. The letters will stress her financial background and community activism.Gilligan faces Diane R. Evans in the general election. Evans has a long history of Republican and civic activism.Other Republicans are standing by Evans. She was endorsed this week by former Representative Marjorie S. Holt.

County Councilman David Marks on Monday announced the formation of the 5th District Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee, designed to provide input on pedestrian and bicycle issues in Towson, Loch Raven, Parkville andPerry Hall. Earlier this year, the County Council passed legislation sponsored by Marks and Councilman Tom Quirk of the 1st District (Catonsville) that created a Baltimore County Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee. The law allowed each council member to form a version of the committee in his or her district.

Two of the three Democrats in the race for District 5 House of Delegate seats call themselves conservatives, the third says she's a moderate.They all say they want state government to run more efficiently and will work to attract business to Maryland and be tough on criminals.On many issues, their positions match those of the three Republicans in the race. The Democrats say they reflect the conservative nature of Carroll County."You want to make sure you're conservative in this county," said Richard N. Dixon, 56, of Westminster, an investment stockbroker and the only incumbent in the race.

The race for three 5th District delegate seats in Carroll took off last night when a Manchester Republican announced that he will run.W. David Blair, 44, of the 2400 block of Mount Ventus Road, is the first to officially enter the 1994 General Assembly race, but members of both parties say they expect a crowded field.Republican Joseph H. Mettle, 59, of Eldersburg, said yesterday that he will run but won't officially announce his candidacy until April. Mr. Mettle ran for a seat in 1990 and came in last in the general election.

Westminster Republican Jerry L. Toadvine announced Friday that he will run for a 5th District House of Delegates seat this year.Mr. Toadvine, 34, is on the Westminster Planning and Zoning Commission and is a former vice president of the Carroll County Board of Elections Supervisors.He is the eighth Republican to announce for the race. Three Democrats also have said they are running in the Sept. 13 primary.Carroll's 5th District will have three delegate seats next year as a result of redistricting.

Three-term incumbent Democratic County Councilman Vincent J. Gardina has long been a proponent of revitalizing the county's east side, even though he did not support condemnation powers included in Senate Bill 509, County Executive C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger's contentious legislation that was rejected by county voters. His Republican challenger, Del. James F. Ports Jr., scored his political points with county voters by opposing S.B. 509 and by debating Ruppersberger about the bill. Those stances might not help them much in their race for the County Council seat in the redrawn 5th District, which doesn't include much of the easternmost side of the county.

Baltimore County was expected to elect its first black representative to the County Council yesterday, but the tightest race last night was between Del. James F. Ports Jr. and Councilman Vincent J. Gardina for the seat representing the 5th District. In the only close council race this year, Democratic incumbent Gardina and Republican challenger Ports were running neck and neck with almost half of the reconfigured district's precincts reporting. The district includes part of Towson, Perry Hall and Chase.

For the past eight years, the well-oiled 5th District machine of the Spector-Reeves-Hall City Council team had proved unassailable to every challenger.But now that Iris G. Reeves has retired and Vera P. Hall is running for City Council President, Rochelle Rikki Spector is left alone to fend off a slew of candidates anxious to knock her from a post she has held for 18 years.Fourteen challengers -- the most of any district -- have entered the race for the three seats in the Sept. 12 Democratic primary.

Baltimore County's 5th Council District includes some bustling suburban commercial areas, such as Perry Hall, but the two candidates seeking to replace Councilman Vince Gardina said they are concerned about growth prospects in older neighborhoods, including the county seat of Towson. Both Democrat Mike Ertel, 44, and Republican David Marks, 36, have led community organizations — for Ertel, the Greater Towson Council of Community Associations and for Marks, the Perry Hall Improvement Association.

The Associated Press has called several primary races in Maryland, declaring that Gov. Martin O'Malley and Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski have topped the little-known Democrats challenging them. Former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has won his primary against investor and businessman Brian Murphy, according to the AP, with early results showing Ehrlich ahead by a 4-to-1 margin. The following incumbent Democratic members of congress have also been declared winners: C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (2nd district)

Three Democrats are vying for a shot at the District 5 seat on the Baltimore County Council, all pledging to boost economic development in the growing suburban area. Longtime Councilman Vince Gardina announced last fall that he would not run for re-election after serving an unprecedented five terms. Gardina's exit has opened the door for Mike Ertel and Gordon Harden from Towson, and Bill Paulshock from Perry Hall. Republican David Marks, also from Perry Hall, is running unopposed for his nomination.

Anyone wishing to gain insight into the 2010 election season should pay special attention to Baltimore County. Baltimore County is a bellwether for three reasons. First, like Maryland, Democrats enjoy a better than 2 to 1 advantage in voter registration. Second, Republicans run competitively at the local, legislative and congressional levels. Third, the proper alignment of circumstances occasionally produces surprising results. In 1990, voter unhappiness toward Democratic County Executive Dennis Rasmussen resulted in the election of Roger Hayden, the first Republican to hold that position since Spiro Agnew, as well as the election of three GOP councilmen.

In minutes you can drive northeast on Bel Air Road to Honeygo Boulevard, covering the short distance between landmarks of Perry Hall's suburban past and present - from the Perry Hall Square Shopping Center to the new library, from work that needs doing to a project completed this year to good reviews. Much has been done lately and much is yet to be done in and around Perry Hall, a community of about 40,000 people that can claim one of Baltimore County's august historic addresses - Perry Hall Mansion - even if the area has not been recognized with a formal county plan devoted strictly to its own aspirations.

Democrat John P. Sarbanes - the son of retiring U.S. Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes - won the open 3rd Congressional District seat last night, apparently leaving Maryland's congressional delegation unchanged, with six Democrats and two Republicans. Sarbanes, a Towson attorney and political novice, beat Republican John White, an Annapolis businessman, who was also making his first run for public office, according to preliminary results. Sarbanes also beat Charles Curtis McPeek, the Libertarian candidate.

County Commissioner W. Benjamin Brown announced yesterday that he will run for the House of Delegates this fall.The 54-year-old Westminster Republican will vie for one of three 5th District seats held by Democrat Ellen Willis Miller and Republicans Joseph M. Getty and Nancy R. Stocksdale.Manchester Republican W. David Blair, who was Carroll County coordinator for the Dole-Kemp presidential campaign, is also seeking a 5th District seat."I am not at a loss for reasons to want to go to Annapolis," Brown said.