Dems There is Here

Democrats in Harford County have had little to choose from at the local level in recent elections. The result is that many feel the Democratic Party of Harford County is powerless. Things are about to change.

First off, Democrats are people who believe that there is a role for our local government that benefits the people of Harford County. We are Democrats because we want great schools, innovative libraries, a Parks-N-Rec system that gives our kids opportunities that they could not get elsewhere, and law enforcement that makes our county an even better place to live than we already have. We recognize that our county's infrastructure is in trouble – particularly our roads – and we need to fix the situation now before it really gets out of control (anybody who has driven along routes 22 or 24 during rush hour, or even on a Friday evening, knows what I am talking about). In short we need a proactive government that recognizes where our county can be improved and takes initiatives to do just that.

The problem is that our county has been dominated by Republicans who run for local office parroting the voice of the national Republican Party – less government, less government, less government; don't worry about that things that we need OUR government to do. When we hire people to run the government who apply for the job by telling us that the government does not have a role, then we get a government that in fact does not do what it is supposed to do. This is the crux of our problems – the Republican 'leadership' of Harford County has refused to actually lead, and as a result we have a poorly funded school system that has to cut transportation to pay its bills and our roads are inadequate for the development that they themselves have promoted. Our delegation in particular is woefully non-unified, and has not brought us the funds we need to operate properly as a result (funds that had been offered by state Democratic leaders without strings attached but turned down by members of our delegation).

How do we fix the problem? Elect new leaders. What is it that is always said about insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result? Well Harford County: we have elected Republicans over and over again and our county is not getting better. By continuing to elect leaders who run by telling us that government is the problem we fulfill their promise, government does become the problem! Government becomes the problem when it does not do its job. Now it is time to create a local government that does do its job. Now it is time to step up to the plate and elect people who truly believe that our government can (and must) do the right thing for the people of Harford County. These leaders are called Democrats. Over the next year we all have an opportunity to get to know our Democratic candidates, candidates who are driven by their love of this county, who know this is a great place to live and want to make it even better. Candidates that are going to go to Bel Air and Annapolis and work with you to fix the damage inflicted by our current leaders. In short our leaders can do much better for us, and with your help Democrats in Harford County are poised to do just that. Stay tuned Harford County: things are about to change.

Russell Kovach is a science teacher and an activist that promotes functional local government; he is the Vice-chair of the Harford County Democratic Central Committee and serves both on the Dublin-Darlington Community Council and on the Darlington Apple Festival committee. This blog is not authorized or endorsed by the Democratic Central Committee.