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Simpson to take on Bowles
24-year-old says he's running in '10
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
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One of the few seats that Charles County Republicans retained in 2006 was register of wills; Democratic Central Committee member Matthew T. Simpson wants to change that in 2010.
The 24-year-old law school student plans to run for the seat currently held by five-term incumbent Susie C. Bowles, who is the subject of an ongoing ethics probe into her request to be added to the county retirement system while receiving a state pension.
But that's not why Simpson, of Port Tobacco, wants to run for register of wills. In fact, he doesn't even think the inquiry has a place in the race.
"It is what it is. I hope they figure it out and everything works out for the best," he said. "I don't see it as a campaign issue."
In the battle of youth versus experience, Simpson sees his age as an asset rather than a political liability.
"I think it's time that my generation steps forward and takes charge of its own future in the county," he said after the local Democratic Party's Truman-Kennedy Dinner on Saturday.
"Nothing against Susie, but she [will have] been in there for 20 years and maybe it's time for someone new," Simpson added in an interview Monday. "It's time that Charles County has a new face in politics and a new generation of leadership."
But Bowles said that age-old political argument makes little sense if voters want the most qualified person to oversee the diverse office.
"In this particular job, I think experience counts," she said. "I don't think it has anything to do with youth, or not [being young]. It's a job you really have to know. It's very complicated and there are a lot of facets to being register of wills."
They include serving as the clerk to the orphans court, administering estates and will proceedings, and collecting inheritance taxes and probate fees.
Given the legal complexities of the job, Simpson said the officeholder should be an attorney.
But only one of the state's 24 incumbent registers of wills — Carroll County's Paul G. Zimmerman (R) — has a law degree, Bowles noted.
"I think it should be the trend," Simpson countered. "It never hurts to have the extra level of education … that I bring to the table or any attorney would bring to the table."
Bowles thinks it could complicate things because registers are not allowed to offer legal advice. And because the job encompasses a broad range of duties, simply having a law degree isn't the end-all be-all, she said.
"There are a lot of things that you really have to know," she said. "It's not just something you fall into, it's something you have to work very hard at."
Simpson, who will be 26 by the time the election comes around, feels he's ready to do just that. Despite his age, he's already done pro bono work with the attorney general's office, worked with the legislative committee of the Maryland State's Attorneys' Association and clerked for Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lynn K. Stewart.
After graduating from the University of Baltimore's School of Law in December, he has offers to work for several private law firms in Baltimore, but plans to continue living in Charles County.
Simpson was politically engaged even before his election to the central committee, working on the campaigns of former state delegate Van T. Mitchell and current Del. Peter F. Murphy. He has the support of numerous sitting officeholders, including Democratic Central Committee Chairwoman Virginia L. Benedict, who called Simpson "a fireball."
Simpson, the third overall vote-getter in the 2006 central committee race, hopes to raise between $60,000 and $80,000 for his campaign, far more than the $2,000 he raised in 2006. He envisions having multiple smaller events that can bring in lots of smaller contributions, rather than one or two high-dollar events.
Although Bowles faced no competition in 2006, she expects more than one Democrat to give it a go next year because the county's changing political climate has swept Republicans out of office.
"I recognize the demographics of county are changing, but I also believe people recognize me and recognize the work I've done," she said.
"I have just as much Democratic support as I do Republican [support]."
But at the end of the day, the race should not be about party affiliation, but who can do the best for the citizens of the county, she said. "When someone loses a loved one, I don't say what party are you with. I don't bring politics into my office."
