Annapolis Capital Punishment

It looks as if Joyce and CHuck Thomann's nasty and irresponsible rhetoric is earning them the reaction it deserves. This made big headlines in the blogosphere and some readers have told me that mega-blogs Huffington Post and Daily Kos picked their stories up from little old me. Huh-wuddya know?

Republican candidate for Ward Three Scott Bowling has taken the high road and distanced himself from this scene. Among other things, he wrote:

In an open letter on the Republican Women of Anne Arundel County Maryland website, Joyce Thomann stated that President “Obama and Hitler have a great deal in common in my view.” I forcefully reject this view enunciated by Ms. Thomann, and find the use of this inflammatory rhetoric unacceptable, useless and destructive. Speaking for myself, I fail to see any merit to the statements offered, and believe that these kinds of statements are contrary to my goal of vigorous, civil debate on all issues.



I would like to believe that this was an extremely poorly considered choice of words by an individual. Ms Thomann does not speak for me, nor have a role in my candidacy. I am, in light of this letter, returning the contribution Ms. Thomann made to my campaign for Ward 3 Alderman, to express my absolute condemnation of this comparison. My platform is based on fiscal conservativism, in the spirit of Ronald Regan, along with a clear focus on the local issues of personal safety, growth and development.


I am grateful for the support my campaign has received from Annapolitans of all political affiliations. I pledge to always maintain a civil and respectful discussion of the issues we face as the business of governing moves forward.

Good for Bowling.

Of course Democrats were furious about the Thomanns comments and I've received some emails going around, but ironies of ironies, I had to laugh when I saw local Democratic troublemaker Chuck Weikel (remember the old Wacky Weikel?) weighing in. I've covered his antics so many times that I hesitated to cover him again, but readers will recall not only his activities with Annapolis Alive! but also how he spends much of his seemingly boundless energies  bashing fellow Democrats while calling for unity and civility....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Here goes:

Where are the Republican voices condemning it?This is a main stream Repulican organization, not some right wing wacko group.  Chuck

..and this

Unfortunately. They were mainstream. Am I Pollyanna to believe the average registered Republican would reject this? Where are their voices?We all are hurt when hate becomes the currency of established Republican organizations and their Party. No one wins.    Chuck

and this...

Joyce Thomann just made Olbermann's second worst person in the world.


Well Chuck, I'd like to know where are the Democratic voices who should be distancing themselves from you? You seem to be the wacko in that group for all the reasons I have pointed out here before. I wrote to local Dem Chair Nick Berry about this and have not received a reply--unfortunately, but the inside skinny is that Weikel has made many Dems very uncomfortable.

Speaking of uncomfortable Dems, Alderwoman Sheila Finlayson, a close FOE,  is unhappy with yours truly. A while back I wrote about her fundraising activities which made her unhappy as I recall, and she took me to task for being inaccurate because I said her Mercedes was black. She corrected me that it was actually dark blue--or vice-verse. Even more recently I invited her to be a guest at Sip N' Blog. When I next saw her I tried to be cordial and explain that my reporting is not personal. Here is what transpired last week:

Dear Sheila:

You are the only alderperson who is consistently unresponsive when I attempt to communicate, most recently with your lack of response to my invitation to this morning's Sip N' Blog. We have hosted nearly all candidates including all of your colleagues on City Council except for Stankivic, Hoyle and Mayor Moyer. Of those, only Hoyle is running for re-election and she responded to the same email I also sent to you by explaining she would be out of town this week. Previously, when I wrote to City Council members asking if they would support placing information about the city manager petition on the city's web-site, you were, as I recall, the only alderperson who did not respond, despite two phone calls to your home.

Perhaps you will establish communication so that I may include information about your campaign which I intend to report on whether or not you choose to respond to any emails. Thank you.

Paul Foer
http://www.annapoliscapitalpunishment.blogspot.com/

to which she replied:

Mr. Foer,



I find that your emails always have an underlying threat attached. I don't respond to threats or coercion. And for the record, I did respond to the issue of placing the City Manager petition on the website.


Alderwoman Sheila M. Finlayson

Dear Sheila:


There is not and has never been any kind of threat made to you and I resent and am offended by such an allegation. It sounds as if two other Democratic operatives have put words in your mouth. The real fact is that you are consistently unresponsive and as an elected official, I find your casual and self-righteous attitude toward me as a member of the media to also be troubling. I extended an invitation to you to attend a regular event which has featured many other elected officials and candidates. And as I have come to realize, it is the normal manner in which you operate. You may not like me and you may not like my political stands but I try to be as fair as I can to as many people as I can as often as I can. Apparently that does not suit you. I have no apologies to offer. However, I believe that since you did not send your email to me as a private correspondence, and knowing full well that I do intend to report on your campaign (which you labeled as a "threat") it seems to me that your email should become a matter of public record.

Sincerely,

Paul Foer

Consider this about FOE Finlayson. She is the most consistent supprter of the mayor, she is running again for her seat, she opposes the city manager initiatives and finally--when civic activist and businessperson Doug Smith was testifying before council about how to make budget savings, all the good alderwoman could do was ask Mr. Smith how the citizens would be able to get on with a reduction in city services.  Well, what about how we the taxpayers feel about you spending our money Madame Alderwoman??? Does that count, or in your career as a public teacher and lobbyist, perhaps not having to make payroll or turn a profit has blinded to you to ths aspect of management?

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