Campaign Workers

IN THAT smoky back room in the heavens where late, great political bosses retire to talk about Bawlmer days, quite a few must have chuckled about the recent rehabilitation of walk-around money. It's legal again, as if that pronouncement would have changed the way campaign workers were paid to get out the vote during city elections last week. "So what?" James H. "Jack" Pollack, the former boxer and legendary Northwest Baltimore political leader, might have muttered. "I'm shocked," Thomas J. "Big Tommy" D'Alesandro Jr., the former mayor and 1st District domo would have offered in his best Claude Rains imitation.

Turning the tables on Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke's campaign, the top political strategist for Mary Pat Clarke is raising questions about payments of more than $200,000 to unidentified Schmoke campaign workers during his two terms in office.In a move that revived the issue of campaign finances, Cheryl Benton, Mrs. Clarke's mayoral campaign manager, called for a complete disclosure of a payroll account listed on Mr. Schmoke's finance statements."In the atmosphere of being open and fully disclosing, they should disclose who these amounts went to," she said.

WASHINGTON -- There's something rather appealing about the spectacle of die-hard supporters of former Sen. Paul Tsongas refusing to give up hope and attempting to keep his presidential campaign afloat even after Tsongas himself let the air out of his life raft.In an era in which increasing numbers of political professionals have moved in on the election process for the very large buck to be made, with more interest in the candidate's wallet than his commitments, it's refreshing if perhaps quixotic to see the Tsongas Tcitizen Tsoldiers, as they call themselves, refusing to quit.

On York Road near the entrance to St. Joseph Medical Center, the blue-and-yellow sign promoting Todd Huff for Baltimore County Council is teetering on wobbly two-by-fours. The Ehrlich sign nearby toppled two days ago, but at least the name of the Republican gubernatorial candidate is face up in the grass. Pity the incumbent judges, whose sign also fell but landed against a brick retaining wall, their names obscured. Voting finished Tuesday and the results are in, or mostly in, and the roadside campaign signs now resemble litter.

WITH the fall of communism millions of people in the former Soviet bloc are getting a new view of the political process. It's not always an easy change, especially for candidates. Earlier this year, a group of Western volunteers traveled to Ukraine to conduct workshops for aspiring candidates in this summer's elections. Nation's Cities Weekly recently reprinted a report on the trip from Joseph Sweat, executive director of the Tennessee Municipal League."When the old, painted-over Communists in the 'party of power' went before the Ukrainian voters in recent elections, they faced some opponents armed with a new arsenal of campaign weapons," Mr. Sweat wrote.

The Kerry campaign is promising guest stars and musical acts for an election-night victory party in Boston's Copley Square, where John Kerry and running-mate John Edwards are set to appear against the backdrop of the Boston Public Library, a cheering crowd and a panoramic skyline. President Bush's Election Day is scheduled to start in Crawford, Texas, where he and the first lady will vote, but ends at the Reagan Building in Washington, a stately setting in the seat of power where the Republicans will hold their victory celebration.

Mary Pat Clarke has raised $591,082 in her challenge to Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke and has $90,766 on hand as the race heads into its final month, according to her most recent campaign finance report.Clarke campaign officials released the statement yesterday -- a day before it was due -- to underscore the viability of her uphill fight against the two-term incumbent and to lay to rest any lingering concerns about the accuracy and completeness of her reports.Mrs. Clarke, the City Council president, has collected enough so far to keep the campaign on track to meet its goal of $700,000, said Cheryl Benton, her chief political strategist.

Eileen M. Rehrmann realized last night that even when accompanied by Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, to many voters in West Baltimore she's just another blond woman running for governor.As her supporters shouted to residents of the 1600 block of N. Fulton Ave. to "come out and meet the next governor of Maryland," Darren C. Cole leaned out of his third-floor window and delivered a most humbling line to the Democratic Harford County executive."Ellen Sauerbrey," Cole guessed, pointing to Rehrmann amid an entourage of blue-hatted campaign workers below.

City comptroller candidate Joan M. Pratt and her entourage of campaign workers scoured Cherry Hill Wednesday, stumping in yet one more city neighborhood plastered with her picture, in the hopes of winning her first elected office.Yesterday morning at 7:30, her opponent, former State Sen. Julian L. Lapides, was at his daily campaign spot for the 28th week: in front of the Clarence Mitchell Jr. Courthouse, greeting jurors on their way to duty.While Ms. Pratt has slogged through dozens of city neighborhoods, slipping her glossy photos on doorknobs, Mr. Lapides figures he has met more than 12,000 voters at the courthouse steps five days a week since February.

Maryland's prohibition against hiring workers to distribute campaign material on Election Day is unconstitutional, says a woman accused of recruiting homeless people to work Nov. 5 on behalf of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s ticket. The laws, which date to the 1970s, violate First Amendment protections because they "criminalize political speech," said a motion filed in Prince George's County Circuit Court yesterday by attorneys for Shirley R. Brookins, head of a Washington employment agency.