Boothe replaced on Jarboe ticket

IT'S ALL POLITICAL

Friday, Oct. 9, 2009

He was replaced on the all-Republican ticket by Randy Guy of Clements, who will now run against Boothe in the GOP primary.

Boothe, a Great Mills farmer, said Wednesday he wanted to run as an individual, free to speak about what he thinks matters, not just the issues pushed by the slate. And besides, he said, "the group … had found another candidate who they thought would be a stronger candidate. That's really what it amounted to."

Guy said Thursday he wasn't aware the Town Hall Alliance organizers felt he was a better candidate. "If the slate felt that I'm stronger, that makes me feel good," he said.

Boothe ran for county commissioner in 2002, but lost in the primary. Since then he has been an advocate against rural downzoning. The slate's main message is to give citizens property tax relief.

He thought at first joining the Jarboe ticket would be a benefit, but said, "I always had some concerns being a member of a slate, you're not speaking as an individual; you're speaking for a group. I'm happy to be on my own basically. I've always believed in standing up for what I as an individual stood for."

Voters should have a choice among candidates, he said. "The voters might perceive the slate as to take the decision away from them in the primary. The voters in the end are going to have to evaluate that individual and the individual they're going to vote for," Boothe said.

He said being on the slate would have confined his message. "I like to think for myself, on my own two feet," he said.

Joan Ritchie is the slate's chairperson. John Boyd is the treasurer. Kenneth Rossignol, publisher of St. Mary's Today, also attended meetings of the Town Hall Alliance, Boothe said. Jarboe writes a weekly column for Rossignol's paper.

Candidates for the 2010 election have until next July to file.

jbabcock@somdnews.com