Update: (River Hill) Money (Still) Makes the World Go ‘Round

Posted on October 24, 2020October 28, 2020 by Jenny

I wrote back in late August that of the $167,000 raised thus far by Board of Education candidates and PACs in the 2020 election cycle, roughly half of it has come from a single high school catchment area - River Hill High School. I surmised that River Hill was putting its financial might into a slate of anti-redistricting candidates. Another round of campaign finance reports are out as of yesterday, and that story hasn't changed. Except that the numbers have become even more mind-boggling....

It’s Time to Vote, Howard County

Posted on October 2, 2020October 28, 2020 by Jenny

Ballots are beginning to arrive in mailboxes, and ballot drop boxes are in place. It’s time to vote, Howard County, but please read this first. Today, the League of Women Voters of Howard County held a candidate forum for our local Board of Education candidates, a prime opportunity to watch all the candidates as a group debate several important topics. The candidates’ performances so perfectly embodied what I’ve been saying about them all year, so I’m going to present a debate analysis and...

The GOP’s Fake Outrage

Posted on September 22, 2020September 22, 2020 by Jenny

There are some in Howard County who are clutching their pearls with such vigor I’m concerned they may asphyxiate themselves. I’m referring to the self-righteous, gasping reaction over the weekend to District 1 Board of Education candidate Matthew Molyett’s announcement that he had received the endorsement of the District 12 Team (Senator Clarence Lam and Delegates Eric Ebersole, Jessica Feldmark, and Terri Hill), who also endorsed Jen Mallo for District 4 earlier this year. BOE member Vicky...

(River Hill) Money Makes the World Go ‘Round

Posted on August 31, 2020November 1, 2020 by Jenny

I updated this piece on October 24. In an election year, scrutiny of campaign finance reports is nothing new. People want to know who is donating cash and gifts to candidates and why. This year, a small subset of Howard County residents, still upset about last year's school redistricting process, are convinced that greedy real estate developers are pumping cash into Board of Education campaigns in exchange for influence. The conspiracy theory is that the $650 donated by Howard Hughes is b...

District 4: Say No to Sezin Palmer (Part 3)

Posted on August 27, 2020August 29, 2020 by Jenny

Sezin Palmer is an unsuitable candidate to represent District 4 on the Board of Education in Howard County. This is the final post in a multi-part series discussing the reasons why. In parts 1 and 2 of this series, I presented Sezin’s own words and behaviors as evidence that she is not the benevolent, non-partisan candidate she makes herself out to be. This evidence revealed her to be a right-wing, conservative candidate, fueled by anti-redistricting senti...