Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Clarification: Mayor Moyer For Convention Delegate

A recent post here revealed some details of the Mayor's candidacy for delegate to the Democrat National Convention, resulting in various speculation in the comment section of the post. The provider of that information contacted me, and accepted my offer to publish a comment to set the record straight. As I told her, I am interested in information, not misinformation. So says she:
Dear Mr. Gill,

I see that one of your correspondents
forwarded my letter asking voters to support Ellen Moyer for delegate to the
national convention.

For the record, I am not an employee of the
City of Annapolis. I circulated the letter at the request of the Mayor,
whom I consider a friend. It went to my list of past supporters of hers,
which I maintained from when I was her campaign manager in the 2001 and 2005
city elections.

Since I didn't mention who the Mayor is affiliated with, let me
give you a hint -- she's an accomplished woman (which applies to both of them
when you think about it).

I know the way Democrats select their
candidates may be different than what you are accustomed to, but please be
assured it is inclusive and collaborative, just like the Mayor herself.

While I have the floor, I would like to remind any readers who are
registered Democrats (I realize this might be a long shot) to be sure to vote
for my friend Ellen Moyer for delegate to the convention. And for all you
who aren't Democrats, have a happy Lincoln's birthday.

Thanks.

Kathleen M. Nieberding
Coldwell Banker
Residential Brokerage
572-A Ritchie Highway
Severna Park, MD 21146
Web Site: www.cbmove.com/kathleen.nieberding
Direct: 410.212.1051
knieberding@comcast.net

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kathleen does an effective job of supporting her friend, but I'd have to disagree about Moyer being collaborative. This is a word the Mayor often uses, but it's seldom supported by her actions. Ask the Gunfire folks, who she called "bomb throwers" how they feel about Moyer's collaborative style.

Another couple of questions I have: 1) How is the Democrat election process different from the Republican process; I thought they were essentially the same. 2) Didn't Ms. Nieberding get paid by the City to lobby the State?

Also Kathleen, you should be careful about using Coldwell Banker in your signature line. I used to do that; I know you wouldn't thing it would be an issue. But, when I did it, the Mayor's Office emailed my manager (Pat Savani) and the owner of my company (Chris Coile) and complained that I was making political statements on behalf of Champion Realty. I guess that was just more of Moyer's collaborative style.

Bob McWilliams

Anonymous said...

Mr. McWilliams,

I don't have a dog (or a cat) in this fight, but I would like to respond to your question about the Democrat and Republican "process" being the same.

On a federal level, when selecting delegates, they are often quite different. Ask the good folks in Florida (Democrats) who won't even have representation at the national convention because the DNC won't seat their delegates. In some states, the winner of the primary takes all the delegates, and in others it is proportional. In some states (like South Carolina) Democrats and Republicans don't even vote on the same day.

Democrats have Super Delegates (usually elected officials appointed by the state party) and Republicans do not. The way they select their candidates can be quite different, especially if there is a brokered convention.

I think that is what Mayor Moyer's friend might have meant in her response.

Anonymous said...

Your points are correct. The Dems do award their delegates proportionately; I think that's a good idea, since it lessens the knockout blow that can be achieved by "winner take all" in a big state. The super delegate thing, however, is a bad idea. That harkens back to smoke filled room days. But, generally, the Dems and Reps are the same in that they have primarys, award delegates, and select a winner at a national convention - that is if the media doesn't select one first.

As for places like Florida, the Dems have their own party to blame for that debacle - I'm not sure Florida will ever get it right. It's interesting that the same people who were yelling about "let every vote count in Florida", just disenfranchised ALL of their own voters.

I think we should develop a regional system of primaries to balance out voting across the country and eliminate this aburd rush to "have my state first".

Bob McWilliams