Race for Levy's seat begins to take shape

Hodge announces run, Phillips mulls District 28 delegate position

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009

The race to replace retiring Del. Murray D. Levy is on.

Charles County Commissioner Gary V. Hodge on Tuesday became the first candidate to announce his campaign for delegate, jumpstarting what could be a free-for-all in what is now an open seat contest.

Hodge made the announcement, which came exactly one week after Levy shockingly declared he would not seek another term, despite proclaiming in September that he planned to wait until next spring to reveal his 2010 election plans.

"There is an opportunity to step forward and begin the process of transition," Hodge said during his announcement outside the county government building in La Plata between sessions of the regular county commissioners' meeting.

Hodge, who ran unsuccessfully for delegate in 2002, initially planned to wait until after the adoption of the fiscal 2011 budget to announce his political intentions, but Levy's decision prompted the earlier course of action.

Meanwhile, Republicans are also trying to capitalize on the shuffled political deck. Local GOP leaders have asked Waldorf pastor Mike Phillips to shift his campaign for county commissioner to state delegate.

Phillips, who also heads the Charles County Republican Club, is debating his options, but appears likely to run for the legislative seat that he said is now "a very viable target" for a conservative candidate such as himself.

Although Levy (D-Charles) has a reputation as a fiscal conservative, he has always voted in favor of a bloated state budget, Phillips said. "I think we need a Republican in that seat so we can show Murray Levy what a fiscal conservative really is."

Earlier this year, Phillips talked about running for delegate but then filed for commissioner in late August in a district where Republican Rick Campbell had already declared his candidacy.

Phillips acknowledged the GOP central committee's desire to avoid a contested primary race and the need to put forth a full slate of delegate candidates will factor into his decision, which he expects to make by the end of the month.

"The problems are the same at every level government," he said.

Hodge wasted little time getting his campaign started and ramping up the political rhetoric.

In an e-mail sent to the Maryland Independent on Tuesday, Hodge appealed that coverage of his announcement not be "cluttered by speculation by or about ‘wannabees' who have no record of public service or declared intentions."

Multiple attempts to reach Hodge late Tuesday afternoon to elaborate on the e-mail were unsuccessful.

In the days since Levy went public with his retirement plans, Hodge said he sought counsel from the longtime public servant, but did not expressly ask for his support.

"It's premature for anyone to be doing any endorsing … but I've gotten very warm words of encouragement from all the elected officials," he said.

At Tuesday's announcement, Hodge outlined his accomplishments over three decades of public service in Charles County. Prior to his election in 2006, Hodge was the longtime executive director of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland from 1980 to 1998. His appointment to the Patuxent River Commission built a strong commitment to the environment and conservation initiatives.

"I've been committed to Charles County for 30 years, to making this corner of the world a better place," he said.

But the current commissioners' board has also been marked by a challenging fiscal climate and criticism over the county's spending decisions.

"These commissioners do not deserve another step up the ladder," Phillips said.

Three of Hodge's fellow commissioners joined him at the announcement. Vice President Edith J. Patterson, whose name has been floated as a potential candidate for delegate, had a previous commitment.

"This board has set a standard of excellence and I'm proud of the record we've already built and will continue to build," he said.

If voters send him to Annapolis, Hodge pledged that he would "strive to be the voice of reason" and promised that he would fight for the county's best interests in the midst of a struggling economy.

Although economists have indicated the country is out of the recession, unemployment claims have just begun to fall and several difficult budget years might still lie ahead.

"We're far from out of the crisis of fiscal management," Hodge said.

He added that he would support the re-election campaigns of his fellow board members — so far, only Commissioners Samuel N. Graves (D) and Reuben B. Collins II (D) have filed for another term — in an effort to promote continuity and help strengthen relations between the county and state delegation.

But he also promised to not lose focus on his job as commissioner.

"We are in unprecedented times and those times deserve undivided attention," Hodge said. "There will be plenty of time for us to get into the day-to-day campaign process. I am focused relentlessly on the [board's] agenda and on my goals as a commissioner and the promises I made to the public: Some of the campaigning will take care of itself."

Hodge said he applied what he learned from his 2002 bid for delegate, in which he finished last in a five-way Democratic primary, to his 2006 run for commissioner, in which he cruised to victory, garnering 60 percent of the vote.

abrody@somdnews.com