Incumbents

The incumbent ditched a mayoral bid at the last minute, deciding instead to try to hang on to his seat representing parts of Charles Village, Oliver, Remington and Station North. His challengers include a community activist who hopes to be the Baltimore City Council's first Latina member, an openly gay neighborhood leader who patrols the streets of Mount Vernon on a Segway and a college senior who has snagged the governor's endorsement. And then there's the labor leader, security guard and East Baltimore activist.

The anti-incumbent gale that blew through the Harford County elections four years ago was imperceptible in this week's primaries.Six of the seven County Council incumbents are still alive for the November contest, the seventh declining to seek re-election. Still, there will be at least two new council members in the next term, as incumbents Joanne Parrott and Theresa Pierno battle each other for the chair of retiring Council President Jeffrey D. Wilson.In the state legislature races, all Harford incumbents survived the primaries, most of them without opposition.

Last week, voters in Washington state narrowly shot down the harshest term limit measure ever placed on a statewide ballot. The impact could be enormous.It's way too early, both sides insist, to declare the term limit movement dead, especially since voters in three states have already imposed limits on state legislators, at least ten more states may have term limit proposals on the ballot next year and public sentiment is wildly supportive of the idea. Also, there are special factors about Washington state -- including the severity of the proposal (six-year limits for congressmen)

WASHINGTON -- Incumbent members of the House of Representatives who braved re-election campaigns clung to their jobs yesterday as voters focused their discontent more on ending partisan gridlock than on punishment.The returns didn't diminish a wave of change wrought by earlier primary defeats and resignations that, together with reapportionment, will bring scores of new members to Congress.And the new House will include more minorities and women than ever before.In a historic change, Florida, Virginia and North and South Carolina elected their first black House members since the end of Reconstruction.

The only sparks that flew in the 4th District City Council race yesterday came from two incumbents over accusations that one of them abandoned a team campaign concept and "single-shot" at the polls.Council members Lawrence A. Bell and Sheila Dixon got in a heated argument about 3 p.m. yesterday at the polling place at DTC Eutaw Marshburn Elementary School in West Baltimore, witnesses said.Bell declined to comment, saying only that he is happy the incumbents won.Dixon downplayed the argument, but said she was surprised to find Bell handing out his own literature.

A special convention of the Maryland State Teachers Association has endorsed Gov. Parris N. Glendening and a slate of other incumbents.About 98 percent of the 300 delegates who attended the organization's representative assembly at the Baltimore Hilton on Saturday also recommended to its 48,000 members Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Comptroller Louis L. Goldstein, Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr., and U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski."

WASHINGTON -- With President Clinton preparing to send campaign finance legislation to Congress, two advocates of reform produced a report yesterday designed to show that incumbents enjoy an unfair electoral advantage because of their ability to raise money.Two representatives from Maryland, Democrat Steny H. Hoyer and Republican Helen Delich Bentley, were near the top of the "spending advantage" list of 287 incumbents who had a "major party challenger" in last November's general election.

Three Havre de Grace Council incumbents retained their seats in Tuesday's city election.Philip G. Angelini Jr., Joseph W. Kochenderfer and Anna M. Long were the top vote-getters for the three available council seats. They had been challenged by political newcomer Edward DiMauro II.Long, 66, received 564 votes to win her fifth two-year term. She was followed by Kochenderfer with 483 votes and Angelini with 441.Kochenderfer, 57, will enter his second term; Angelini, 50, will enter his fifth term.

AMERICANS are finding that their money doesn't go as far as it used to. Many of us are forced to cut back, make sacrifices. Nothing irritates us more than people who hold themselves above the economic crunch -- especially if they are our elected representatives.At a recent public forum at Loch Raven High School in Baltimore County, County Executive Dennis Rasmussen, members of the County Council and their challengers were invited to speak. Only two incumbents (Bill Evans, D-6th; and Barbara Bachur, D-4th)

WHAT WE'RE seeing this year is a revolt against incumbency -- but not necessarily a revolt against incumbents.Oklahoma voters have already passed a law limiting state legislators to 12 years in office. Voters in California and Colorado are likely to pass similar measures in November. Vice President Dan Quayle is actively stirring up sentiment in favor of a constitutional amendment to limit congressional terms.At the same time, only one of 405 members of Congress seeking re-election this year was defeated in a primary.