Annapolis Capital Punishment

Leopold makes it official....Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold, who just filed his official papers, will announce his candidacy for a second term on Saturday in Davidsonville.

"I ran for this office four years ago promising to keep taxes lower than any other metropolitan jurisdiction," Leopold said. "I promised to cut government spending. I promised to fight for our citizens over developers and special interests. I promised to be responsive to the concerns of individual citizens. I am pleased to say that I kept these promises. If elected to another term, I will continue to fight for our taxpayers."

O.K. That was his official take, now mine. The former delegate, a moderate Republican, narrowly defeated his Democrat opponent, a former county sheriff, four years agao, after basing his long-shot campaign on incessant sign-waving at busy street corners. It worked and it made Leopold arguably the most powerful Republican government official in Maryland. He has been implicated in some sexual harassment activities and was alleged to have been engaged in sex in the back seat of his official county vehicle at the Nordstrom parking lot in Westfield Shoppingtown Annapolis.

I don't follow county politics as closely as I follow city politics but I've always found Leopold to be a bit of a conundrum, somewhat aloof and isolated. Overall, I think that in many respects he's done a good job and has walked that tightrope of balancing development interest with environmental protection. My interactions with him when he was a delegate and a candidate were cordial and he always appeared on top of the issues and able to articulate his ideas and positions.

He will be up against newcomer Democrat Joanna Conti and the more familiar Mike Shay, a Green Party activist and South County businessman. Maybe, maybe even former County Executive Janet Owens will finally poop or get off the pot and decide to run...or not...or maybe...or I dunno. Oh man....this is going to be perhaps the most interesting race in years.
The news release came from Dave Abrams, Leopold's press secretary, but from a non-official computer with a non-official email address. For more information, go to http://www.johnrleopold.com/
 
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