Our Say: Office-hopping officials erode voter trust

Published 11/08/09

With the Annapolis election over, political attention now shifts to the County Council, which must decide who will fill the seat being vacated by Mayor-elect Josh Cohen. As happens all too frequently, the council - not the voters - will decide who represents the district.

The increasing frequency with which local politicians abandon one office for another continues to disturb us, although voters apparently weren't bothered enough for it to cost Cohen the election. In 2006, in order to serve on the County Council, he left the City Council seat to which had been re-elected the year before. Now he'll leave that seat in order to return to the city government as mayor.

Cohen certainly wasn't the first - and won't be the last - to abandon an elected office when opportunity came knocking. Not long ago, the County Council had to replace Ed Reilly, a Republican who left to fill the state Senate vacancy created by Janet Greenip's resignation.

This opportunism ill-serves voters who assume they are electing candidates to serve out full terms. When a seat is filled or a nomination is made by someone besides the voters - whether it's a council or a party central committee - the electoral process is compromised. If a special election must be held, the taxpayers pick up the tab.

Cohen's council seat is tempting aldermen who haven't even been sworn into office yet. First they convince voters to elect them, then they immediately plan to leave their posts. Is this right?

Cohen's victory has also caused a stir on the County Council, which is about to vote on important slot machine legislation. Some council members are pushing for a replacement who will side with them on slots. But it would be irresponsible for the council to shop for a new member based on any single issue.

In any case, it's unlikely the council can fill the vacancy before the slots vote, now scheduled for Dec. 7. By law, it has 30 days to replace a councilman, and Cohen has indicated he is in no hurry to leave before he is sworn in as mayor on the same night as that vote. He should not be rushed to suit anyone's agenda.

This trend - running for one office, then resigning to take another - is fostered by the city's practice of holding off-year elections. The best way to stop this nonsense would be to have all the elections - city, county and state - on the same day. It would force candidates to commit to a full term in the positions they've been elected to. It would save the city the cost of special elections. And voters again could use schools - recently put off limits for city elections by school officials - as polling places.

If the candidates can't promise to complete their terms, the system must be changed to take away their incentive to switch. Is there any elected official who will put this on the agenda?

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Bigger issues than this - 2009-11-09 11:46:28

I might agree if it were happening on a higher level, for example a governor or senator leaving mid-term to join a presidential administration. However, I don't think such events are quite as detrimental at the local level. At a local level, I'd rather see the most capable politicians move up as quickly as possible, to where they can be the most effective.

Furthermore, Josh Cohen was elected to County Council by the same people who elected him to the City Council. Many of the same constituents then elected him to mayor (yes he lost Eastport, but it was close). If they have a problem with him not finishing his current term, there's a simple way to make him stay: don't vote for him when he runs for something else!

This article does get one thing right however: our city, state, and federal elections should all be synched to the same cycle. This would save millions in election costs, as well as maximize the voter turnout. Plus as this article points out, it would mean that candidates who choose to run for higher office would still be able to complete their current terms, and that their replacements would be chosen via an election rather than by appointment.

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Scott S. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

bad conclusion - 2009-11-09 10:54:59

Your whole argument in this article supports why the city need to remain with off year elections. If they were moved to coinside with federal and state elections the local issues would be swept under the rug and not discussed. Exactly Because it is only an Annapolis election is why city centric issues can get the attention they deserve.

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Paul Newman - Arnold, MD - Karma: Excellent

Why should anyone care - 2009-11-08 19:35:24

Why should anyone care when Josh resigns? The lemmings who voted him to the county council didn't care that he wouldn't finish his term on the city council. The very same people who voted him Mayor didn't seem to care he wouldn't finish his term on the county council.

Rather than just complaining that this isn't right, the Capital should report why this is happening: elections are a mix of unqualified candidates and opportunistic professional politicians, and the majority of the public really doesn't care so there are opportunities for professional politicians.

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Floyd daBarber - Mayberry, NC - Karma: Neutral

Cohen should resign asap - 2009-11-08 14:57:08

A few years ago he asked the voters of his district to elect him to represent them on the county council. By seeking another position to further his career, he has failed to honor his commitment to those voters. Any reason he may have to delay his resignation can only be to benefit himself.

Since his resignation is inevitable, Cohen should put the interests of the residents of his council district first for once and resign immediately.

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John Murray - Severna Park, MD - Karma: Neutral

Good faith statement by Cohen - 2009-11-08 07:45:23

"He should not be rushed to suit anyone's agenda."

Yet Josh should be definitive in declaring when he is going to leave. In today's article we are informed : 'Cohen, a Democrat, said Thursday he had not settled on a day to resign.

"I will resign before I am sworn in as mayor, that much is certain," Cohen joked.'
It's not a joking matter and if Josh can't make an good faith declaration on his resignation date he has done nothing to earn our trust.

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Fred Shubbie - , - Karma: Terrible