Kasemeyer

On Wednesday, December 17, 2003, MARY ELIZABETH TAYLOR, 91, passed from this life. She was the beloved wife of the late William Taylor, living mom to Mr. Ronald W. Kasemeyer, Savage, MD, and Senator Edward J. Kasemeyer, of Columbia, MD, loving stepmother to William Brandes of Boston, MA, Nancy Kasemeyer, of West Friendship, MD, Terry McLeod, of Monkton, MD, loving grandmother to twelve and eleven great-grandchildren. The family will receive friends at the Witzke Funeral Home of Catonsville Inc., 1630 Edmondson Avenue (one mile west of beltway exit 14)

Senate opponents of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s bill to allow slots at Maryland racetracks girded for a floor fight today while conceding their chances are dismal in the face of Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller's determined support. The legislation was the subject of a preliminary skirmish yesterday when it made its first appearance before the full Senate. Critics peppered the floor leader, Sen. Edward J. Kasemeyer, with barbed questions before action on the bill was postponed for a day to let senators draft amendments.

The outcome of this year's race for the seats in the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates in the 12th District may well depend on whether the incumbent legislators representing such diverse communities as Columbia and Lansdowne have kept in touch with their constituents. "It's a very unique and diverse district and the best way to stay on top of it is to be responsive to constituent problems," said state Sen. Edward J. Kasemeyer of Columbia. He and Del. James E. Malone Jr., the two 12th District incumbents, ranked constituent service as their top priority.

Howard County's state legislators want the 2001 General Assembly that convenes next month to enact laws ranging from changing the way Maryland awards electoral votes for U.S. president to making dog fighting a felony -- as well as providing a balanced budget and health care reform. The three state senators and eight delegates talk mostly about the big things -- such as better health care for the elderly and uninsured, keeping spending in check, attaining more state money for school and community college projects and making Howard part of a standard, statewide, new voting system.

Republican state Senate candidate David P. Maier's electric hand-waving machine suffered a broken mechanical arm on Frederick Road the other morning. But if Catonsville Democrats see a busted campaign gimmick as an omen, they're dead wrong, he said.Maier, who lost by 2 percent of the vote four years ago, is on the attack against incumbent 12th District state Sen. Edward J. Kasemeyer, 53, a veteran Democrat trying to build on his narrow 1994 victory."He's so far out on the social scale," said Maier, 41, of Elkridge, who accuses Kasemeyer of supporting needle exchanges to combat AIDS and of being a tool of special-interest contributors and trying to hide it.Kasemeyer, who denies his opponent's claims, is fighting back hard in a district that has become a battleground for the traditionally dominant Democrats and Republicans who believe they have momentum on their side.

WITH SEN. Paula C. Hollinger facing no opposition in the 11th Legislative District of northwest Baltimore County, the contest is in the delegates' race. The question is: Can Republicans break the Democratic lock on power in the district, which includes such county population centers as Reisterstown and Owings Mills?The GOP candidates with the best chance to win are Christian Cavey, 43, an insurance executive, and Virginia G. Schuster, 70, a real estate agent. If we had to choose between the two, our favorite would be the spunky Mrs. Schuster, whose motto is "been there, done it."

THERE IS a change in the personality of Maryland's 12th Legislative District from east to west. Blue-collar area in Baltimore County such as Lansdowne and Arbutus meet more affluent communities in Howard County. There is little difference, however, in the issues that concern residents. They want good schools, less crime, lower taxes.The 12th District senator, Democrat Edward J. Kasemeyer, deserves re-election. Republican challenger David P. Maier lost to Mr. Kasemeyer in 1994. Voters will again have a clear choice between a Democrat who is an abortion rights advocate and who supports gun control and a Republican abortion opponent who does not. The election of Mr. Kasemeyer four years ago indicates that his views more closely match the district's.

State Sen. Edward J. Kasemeyer, whose 12th District includes Catonsville and parts of Howard County, said yesterday that he would not run for Howard County executive, something he had considered for many months.Instead, said Kasemeyer, a Democrat who lives in west Columbia, he plans to run for re-election to the Senate."I just enjoy what I'm doing in this stage of my life and want to keep doing it," said Kasemeyer, 51.In announcing his decision, Kasemeyer noted his position on the Senate's influential Budget and Taxation Committee and his role as deputy majority leader.

The state prosecutor's office has determined that Democratic state Senate candidate Edward J. Kasemeyer has been a resident of District 12 long enough to legally run for the office.Responding to a complaint filed Oct. 20 by the Maryland Republican Party, a state prosecutor's investigation last week concluded that Mr. Kasemeyer had moved to a Columbia condominium he owns in early March, about eight months before the Nov. 8 general election and in time to meet the six-month requirement for residency under state election law.David P. Maier, Mr. Kasemeyer's Republican opponent, asked the state Republican Party to look into whether Mr. Kasemeyer met residency requirements for the district, which includes west Columbia, southern Ellicott City, Elkridge and southwestern Baltimore County.

Candidates for General Assembly seats from Howard County wasted no time in attacking their opponents at a forum last night, and a former county executive and a current hopeful made an unusual display of Democratic unity last night.Democrat James P. Mundy, a state Senate candidate in District 14, criticized the county legislative delegation for its inability to get money for mass transit projects."We're the Rodney Dangerfield 14 . . . in bringing money back," said Mr. Mundy, 42, who teaches politics and government at Glenelg High School.