[August 25, 2010] ELECTION 2010: Vacancy in 7th District draws crowded field Tweet Aug 24, 2010 (Towson Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The 7th District House of Delegates race is guaranteed to produce at least one new delegate for the first time since the district was created in 2002. Since then, all four General Assembly seats have been held by Republicans. Sen. Andy Harris is not seeking re-election and instead is running for Congress. Del. J.B. Jennings is not seeking re-election to his seat in the House and is running to fill the vacancy created by Harris. Four Democrats are contending for three seats in their party's primary. Nine Republicans, including two incumbents, contend for three spots in their party's primary. The six who win will face off in the November general election for the three House seats. All 13 were asked to participate for this story. Democrats Jeff Beard and Kristina Sargent and Republican Brian Bennett did not return calls. The Democrats David Mioduszewski, 67, is a retired steel worker and Middle River resident. The first-time candidate is a 25-year veteran of both the Marines and the Maryland Air National Guard. Mioduszewksi said he hopes to bring his experience as both a veteran and a senior citizen to bear on veterans' issues and cheaper medicine for the elderly -- two groups struggling to get by in nearly every community, he said. "You don't need to go to no ghetto to see it," Mioduszewski said. Job creation is an issue he'd like to address if elected, but Mioduszewski said the problem may be too big to do anything for 10 years. "I wish there was a way to create jobs, but I just don't see it happening for a long time," he said. James Ward Morrow, 46, is a Middle River resident who unsuccessfully ran for the House in 2006. This year, despite the open seat in the district, Morrow said he's running against incumbent Republican Del. Pat McDonough. "I'm probably the anti-Pat McDonough candidate," Morrow said. "I say this not just because I'm the opposite of him on nearly everything, but because I think he has been an ineffective delegate." Morrow said McDonough "likes to point out that he's sponsored 11 bills on illegal immigration that have never been passed. "I want to sponsor meaningful illegal immigration law that would focus on workplace enforcement," said Morrow, an attorney for a union that represents federal employees. "That way we don't scapegoat any particular ethnic group and wages will likely rise as a result." The Republicans Jim Berndt, 59, is a Rosedale resident running for public office for the first time after successfully running for the Republican State Central Committee in 2006. Berndt, a plumber, said he decided to run because he was concerned about the business climate in Maryland. "We have to attract more people to Maryland and get them to enjoy it and spend their money here," Berndt said, adding that the best way to accomplish that goal is to attract more businesses. "We need to roll back the corporate income tax," Berndt said. He also said he opposes any proposed sales taxes on services such as plumbing. Marilyn Booker, 61, is a registered nurse who is also running for the first time. Booker, who holds a master's degree in business from Johns Hopkins University, said she decided to run this year because she was concerned about the effects of recently passed universal health care laws on the state budget and on doctors and hospitals. Booker, a Phoenix resident, also said that "the tax structure is driving businesses out of Maryland." "We need to bring some sanity back to the state," she said, adding that related government spending and billion-dollar deficits need to be addressed. "We have to stop robbing Peter to pay Paul," she said. Laine Clark, 48, is a facilities manager for FCC Environmental, a waste management company. This is his first political campaign. The Middle River resident said that, after being out of work for three months earlier this year, he has an understanding of what it's like to look for a job and wants to see the legislature work to provide more tax incentives to entice corporations to relocate in Maryand. Clark also said he'd like to help phase out fossil fuel-based electricity generation in the state and "move to wind turbines and a second nuclear plant." John Cromwell, 48, is a resident of Kingsville who has served 20 years in the Baltimore County Fire Department and 21 years in the Maryland Air National Guard. This is Cromwell's first campaign for political office. Among Cromwell's issues is his concern that the state is driving away military and other retirees. "I have a number of friends who recently retired and moved away to Florida," Cromwell said. "I want to make Maryland a more affordable place to live, work and retire." Cromwell described himself as a fiscal conservative and a moderate on social issues. "I believe, as a Republican, we have to be a consensus builder in order to move our agenda along," Cromewell said. He also cited changing the business climate in the state. "Not just taxes," Cromwell said. "We need to work on re-educating unemployed folks." Cromwell said he favors creating a program that would teach the unemployed a trade by having them rehabilitate abandoned houses that could then become low-cost housing. Rick Impallaria, 47, and a resident of Joppa, is a two-term incumbent who was first elected after the 2002 redistricting and his involvement in the 2000 referendum effort to defeat Senate Bill 509, a state law that would have expanded the county's condemnation powers in three areas. Impallaria's auto repair shop in Essex was one of the properties specified in the proposed law. Impallaria, who manages several commercial and residential properties he owns, said he is most proud of joining one other Republican in 2003 in voting against budget growth -- a movement that now includes 30 more legislators. If re-elected, Impallaria said he would continue to focus on fighting budget growth and cutting regulations affecting business. "Everything from mandatory shift breaks (for employees) to environmental regulations," Impallaria said. "The list of regulations that hurt businesses is way too long." Pat McDonough, 66, has served two terms in the House as a Republican and was elected in 1978 to one term as a Democrat. McDonough, who hosts a radio talk show and lives in Middle River, acknowledges that he is probably best known for his stance against illegal immigration and his campaign signs championing English as the official language of government with its slogan, "Speak English," but he said he is most proud of his constituent service. "From gas leaks ... issues in Jacksonville to tropical storm Isabel, we've been right on top of things from the beginning," McDonough said. He said he is also proud of two pieces of legislation he sponsored that became law. The first tightening oversight rules for nursing homes and another that required nursing homes and other senior living facilities to file financial disclosures. He also said he is proud of his reputation for speaking out in the General Assembly. "People who don't like me say I grandstand," McDonough said. "I just don't think in this day and age we need any more robots." Kathy Szeliga, 48, is running for office for the first time after spending six years serving as chief of staff to Harris, who also represented the 7th District. Szeliga helps run a construction business with her husband. "The small business point of view is something that is sorely missing in Annapolis," said Szeliga, who cited improving the business climate in the state as one of her primary goals. "There aren't many people in the legislature who know how to make a payroll or know the heartache of laying someone off," she said. Szeliga, a Perry Hall resident, said that if elected she would focus on lowering taxes, erasing the state budget deficit and easing regulations that affect businesses. "That's a pretty tall hill to climb," Szeliga said of her proposed agenda. Roger Zajdel, 65, is a Kingsville resident who is running for the House for the second time. He ran in 2002 as a Democrat in the same district. "I was the guy handing out 'Another Democrat for Ehrlich' bumper stickers," said Zajdel, who owns the Commodore Hall, a tavern and catering hall in Middle River. "Being a small business owner, the business climate in the state is very close to me," Zajdel said. "Every time you turn around, there's another tax or another license or another fee," he said. "You end up paying twice for everything." Zajdel said he'd like to see smaller government and a reduction in business regulation. "We need simpler government that is more efficient and run like a small business," Zajdel said. "We'd all save money then." To see more of the Towson Times or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.towsontimes.com/. Copyright (c) 2010, Towson Times, Md. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544). [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]