When I was a junior
at Towson State College (now Towson University), I joined a group from the
Jewish Students Association to catch a glimpse of President Lyndon Johnson
visiting the John Hopkins campus. I held a huge sign, “Lyndon B. Johnson for President” behind a crowd as President
Johnson walked towards his helicopter. He must have seen the sign, because
suddenly he stopped and said to the boys in front of me, “Let that girl shake
my hand.” Me? The President of the United States wants to shake my hand?
After that, I attended rallies for Johnson and got interested in politics.
Unlike the dedicated leaders who are running in Maryland’s upcoming gubernatorial
primary on July 19, however, I never ran for political office. But I’m grateful
to those who represent us in the Jewish communities where we live. Here’s who’s
running:
Baltimore
County
Ruth Goetz is campaigning as a Republican to become a member
of the Maryland Senate, representing District 11 in Baltimore County. Although
she grew up in a strong Democratic home, after studying the platforms of both
parties, she registered Republican. Early on, she was a lobbyist for Israel,
the Zionist Organization (ZOA), and the Orthodox Union (OU) in Washington. Twelve
years ago, she became a member of the Baltimore County Republican Central
Committee, a position she presently holds. For five years, she was president of
the Northwest Republican Club.
“My
volunteering for the Republican Party has encouraged me to run for office,” she
says. Tax relief, economic improvement with fewer regulations, and freedom of
religion are important issues to her. Mrs. Goetz says that as a Senator in the
Maryland Legislature, she would vote as a conservative “in the best interests
of the District to improve our state.”
* * *
Rebecca Chesner is running for the Baltimore County School Board,
District 2. She’s a retired school psychologist from Baltimore City Public
Schools, who has always been passionate about advocating for children. She
says, “I am running for this school board seat because I believe that it is
time for a change.” She would like to see “transparency, academic excellence,
and common sense policies” in the schools and believes in child- and parent-friendly
curricula.
“We must
respect parents,” says Mrs. Chesner, “who feel uncomfortable having their
children taught topics in school that they feel are best left to them.” She
also wants to improve school safety along with discipline. “There should be
zero tolerance when it comes to serious behaviors that put both students and
staff at risk.”
* * *
Izzy Patoka, a Democrat, is running for another term in the
Baltimore County Council, District 2. He says, “My passion is to work with
community leaders to strengthen our neighborhoods.” He believes that “constituent
services must be addressed with relentless follow up.” This is why he serves on
the Code Enforcement Work Group, the Solid Waste Work Group and the Work Group
on Affordable Housing. He says, “This work resulted in more code enforcement
officers and bulk trash removal.”
Councilman
Patoka steered $2.3 million to build sidewalks on 7 Mile Lane, Old Court Road,
Stevenson Road, and the Smith Avenue corridor. He supports meetings of Police
District Community Relations Councils in each precinct. At these meetings, community
leaders and police officials work together to keep the county and city safe.
(He and law enforcement personnel communicate daily with Yitzy Schleifer of the
neighboring Council District in Baltimore City). Councilman Patoka says, “We
need to hire and retain more police officers and we need to keep the lines of
communication open.”
* * *
Baltimore
City
Karen Yosafat Beleck is a candidate for Baltimore School Board
Member at Large. In this primary election, voters will have the chance to
choose two new members of the school board. She shares that because it’s a
non-partisan position, registered Democrats, Republicans, and the unaffiliated
may vote for two of the five candidates who are running. Mrs. Beleck’s motto,
directed to Baltimore City parents, is “Be
informed, be involved, be invested, so our students can be more.”
Mrs.
Beleck wants to bring the basics back to education, use innovative concepts,
and offer more trade school opportunities and apprenticeships. Mrs. Beleck, a
grandmother, hopes to “work hard to improve the scores, graduation rates, and
enthusiasm for Baltimore City students.” She says, “Something is calling me to
make a difference.”
* * *
Sandy Rosenberg has represented the 41st District
for 40 years in the Maryland General Assembly, House of Delegates. This past
session, Delegate Rosenberg, a Democrat, along with his colleagues, obtained
construction funds for Ahavas Chaim teen center as well as for Cross Country
Elementary/Middle School, and a new Enoch Pratt Library branch in Park Heights.
He supported more funding to fight crime in the 41st District
and helped nonpublic school families by supporting increased funding for the
Boost Program. He helped organize community meetings for keeping the Preakness
at Pimlico and also successfully sponsored legislation to allocate money to
curb the problem of opioid addiction.
In a
telephone interview, Delegate Rosenberg stated that he’s running again because
“there are important issues both nationally and locally that have to be
addressed. As in the past, I will continue to focus on and sponsor bills that
will be good for the Jewish community and the 41st District.”
* * *
In 2018, Dalya Attar, an attorney, won a seat as
a delegate in the Maryland General Assembly, representing the 41st District.
It’s a diverse district that includes parts of Northwest, Northern, and
Southwest Baltimore City. As a delegate since January 9, 2019, Mrs. Attar, a
Democrat, has been a member of the Ways and Means Committee, the Environment
and Transportation Committee, and the Land Use and Ethics subcommittee. She
sponsored and worked on legislation from public safety to homeowners’ tax
credits. Education is a top priority for Delegate Attar. In her most recent
newsletter, she writes, “Schooling should not be one-size-fits-all.” She
advocates for State Tuition Assistance for students in non-public schools.
Delegate
Attar says that she’s running for reelection to continue helping her
constituents. She’s helped thousands of members of her district receive
unemployment benefits, helped with BGE, as well as assisted them with all
government agencies, including the MVA and Social Services. She states, “Being
able to help so many people has been the most positive experience I’ve had in
this position.”
*
* *
Michele Lowenthal is running for another four-year term as Judge of
the Orphans’ Court in Baltimore City. She’s an attorney who’s been a judge of
this court since 2011. The Orphans Courts are the probate courts where judges
preside over administrating estates with or without a will. Judge Lowenthal
says, “I enjoy serving in a court that provides families a process for the
resolution of the distribution of assets of deceased family members.” Often the
family members are poor or working class and “desperately need the assets to
which they are now entitled.” She adds that “getting these assets quickly to
the appropriate heirs and legatees is a hallmark of our court.”
* * *
Five contenders
from our community are vying for a seat on the Democratic State Central
Committee (DSCC) in the 41st District. The State Central Committee
is the governing body of the Maryland Democratic Party. They support Democratic
candidates, discuss issues, and appoint a successor when a legislative position
is vacated. These candidates are Sandy Rosenbluth, Tzvi Skaist, Bassheva “Shevy”
Friedman, Tzvi Topper, and Alex Friedman.
*
* *
Sandy Rosenbluth was the chief of staff for Delegate Dalya Attar in
the Maryland General Assembly for the past three years. “In that time, I
experienced what it is like to work within the political process and the
importance of having representation to facilitate constituent services,” she
says. Her husband Ronnie held the position of a member of the DSCC in the 41st
District for eight years, which also helped her see firsthand the importance of
representation in a democracy. Now, as a candidate for a seat in the DSCC, she
hopes “to be the liaison to our elected officials and build bridges within the
diverse neighborhoods in my district.”
*
* *
Joseph, “Tzvi” Skaist regards the position of member of the Democratic
State Central Committee as vitally important, especially when there is a
vacancy in the legislature due to resignation, death, disability, or other
reasons. That’s when the committee needs to vote on and appoint a successor
until the next general election. Mr. Skaist is a board member of a local
non-profit and a volunteer EMS responder, who was encouraged by others to run
for this office. Through his work, he has dealt with local and state
regulations and interacted daily with elected officials, public safety
commanders and personnel, and the general public. He says, “I realized that to
make a difference in our District’s quality of life, we have to be part of the
process and not just sit on the sidelines and complain.” Mr. Skaist hopes to
make sure “that those living in the District have a seat at the table.” He
emphasizes, “In a city plagued by crime and challenges, I want to bring
positivity and unity to those who are facing challenges.”
* * *
Bassheva
“Shevy” Friedman, a
pediatric physical therapist with her own practice, has worked in the Baltimore
City Public Schools for five years. She gives top priority to education for
everyone, particularly those with special needs, to reach their potential. Dr.
Friedman is a founder and board member for JEWELS, a highly-respected inclusive
school in Baltimore. Besides seeking to raise standards in education, she
believes in investing in infrastructure for the future, making our community
safe and enabling Baltimore City to become an appealing place to live.
Like the other
candidates running for the DSCC, Dr. Friedman sees the importance of filling
legislative positions that become vacant. “Currently, three of the four
legislators (one state senator and three delegates) representing our district
were voted in by the Central Committee rather than by the public,” she states. “Without
every single vote from our community, we could end up without any Orthodox Jews
on the Central Committee for the next four years.”
*
* *
Tzvi Topper says that he’s been taught that “giving back to
the community is a moral obligation.” As a medical first responder for many
years, he shares that he’s seen community members in the most challenging
circumstances with outcomes that might have been different if an elected
official had interceded. “We are fortunate to have fantastic elected officials,”
he says, “but as our community has grown, the need to have our issues brought
to various departments and agencies has grown as well.” Besides supporting the
elected officials in office, Mr. Topper hopes “to be a resource for anyone in
need.” He states, “My family, community, and volunteerism give me the
foundation to represent our District.”
* *
*
Alex Friedman, at 21, says that he’s been fascinated by
politics from a young age, and has attended Baltimore City Council meetings
since he was 12 years old. Even when he was in yeshiva in Israel, he would
stream the City Council meetings. While in high school, Mr. Friedman was
appointed to represent the 5th Council District in the Baltimore
City Youth Commission. He was involved in local political campaigns for Yitzy
Schleifer, Dalya Attar, and J.D. Merrill. He also worked as an intern for U.S.
Senator Ben Cardin and other politicians and at the Baltimore City’s Mayor’s
Office and the City Police Department.
“The great
thing about the Central Committee is that it is truly the grassroots level of politics...working
directly with local voters and activists,” says Mr. Friedman. He believes that
it’s the perfect place to connect with other young voters and interest them in
becoming future community leaders. His number one goal is to increase the 41st
district’s voter registration and turnout, especially with young voters. “The
local level does not get as much attention compared to the large national
races,” he says, “but it’s these local officials who make the decisions that
affect your life on a daily basis.”
Sidebar
Dates to Know
·
June 28, 2022: Last day to register to vote
online: Go to elections.maryland.gov and click on Voter Registration.
Alternatively, you can register at an early voting center or at your polls on
election day. Bring a document that shows where you live.
·
July 12, 2022: Last day to request a mail-in
ballot to be mailed to you. Go to elections.maryland.gov and click on Voting.
You can also receive a mail-in ballot in person or online.
·
July 7 through July 14, 2022 (including Sunday)
from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Early voting.
·
July 19, 2022: Election day!
Let’s rally ‘round our local candidates
and vote!!
