Congratulations to Jan Gardner! EXCERPT: Young said he congratulates Gardner and will help with the transition in county leadership in any way he can. He added that he was elected four years ago after promising that he would serve only one term. So the voters made sure that I kept my promise, he said. In recent months, the county executive race turned into a fierce battle between prominent local figures, both of whom have experience on the Board of County Commissioners. Gardners win came despite a formidable fundraising disadvantage. Young, 43, of Frederick, entered the executive race with a cash pile left over from an abandoned bid for Maryland governor and amassed more than $400,000 since then. By contrast, Gardners campaign had taken in only about $189,000 by the time she filed her most recent campaign finance report in October. This proves that the citizens want to restore honesty and good government to Frederick County and that even a million dollars being spent against me didnt matter in the end. Money cant buy elections, Gardner said. The unofficial election results show that Gardner won with 40,768 votes, and Young finished with 34,742. The final totals wont be available until election officials have tallied up provisional and absentee ballots in coming weeks. As of midday Monday, 2,874 absentee ballots had been distributed to Frederick County voters, a county election official reported. The race for Frederick County executive marks the start of a new chapter for local government, which is transitioning from a commissioner to a charter system. As the first to hold the executive position, Gardner will help shepherd the countys changeover and flesh out the role now defined broadly by the charter. Under the countys guiding document, the $95,000-per-year executive position comes with responsibilities like managing the countys workforce, drafting the annual budget and acting as an ambassador to state and federal leaders and to business executives eyeing the area. The county executive will also have to work closely with the seven-member council that oversees legislative decisions. The county executives four-year term will start Dec. 1, the date of the changeover from a commissioner-led government to a charter system.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 11:18:29 +0000