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2 THE BALTIMORE NEWS Two Democrats who lost in close Baltimore City Council campaigns in September say not giving up. Incumbent 7th District Councilwoman Belinda Conaway and 13th District challenger Shannon Sneed have launched write-in campaigns for the November general election, seeking to defeat the candidates who beat them in the Sept. 13 primary. Longtime political observers said never heard of a successful write-in campaign in Baltimore, but the primary record-low voter turnout could give the challengers hope. Only 23 percent of registered city voters cast ballots this month.

Lester Spence, an assistant professor of political science at the Johns Hopkins University, pointed out that general elections have historically attracted even fewer voters than primaries, so a City Council challenger such as Conaway or Sneed could need fewer than 2,000 votes to win. going to be anybody, going to be them or Spence said. election will have low turnout even lower than the primary. If Cona- Reeves, a high school principal, received more than 6,000 votes in alosing effort for a City Council seat. Reeves lost in the primary after his opponents registered an unemployed truck driver whose last name was also Reeves to confuse voters.

Norman Reeves won a council seat in the next election cycle. Although write-in candidates have historically been unsuccessful, Spence cautioned the winners of the primary not to coast. I were Warren or Nick, I rest. I be done. spend enough that people know the race he said.

Write-in candidates have until Nov. 2 to register for the Nov. 8 general election. If they do not register, under Maryland law they would be prohibited from taking office even if they received enough votes to win. Four others have also filed as official write-in candidates.

In the 10th Council District, two write-in candidates Erica S. White, who finished third of three in the primary election, and Adam Van Bavel, a community activist from Pigtown are challenging incumbent Councilman Edward L. Reisinger. Van Bavel said running as a write-in candidate because a registered Independent and get enough signatures in time to get on the November ballot. chances would have been better if I had been on the he said.

got a strong campaign built up over the past two years. going to have people at every poll. got a lot of plans up my sleeve. I think I have a pretty good White said she wanted to make sure residents have the option of voting for her, even though she consider her chances of winning improved. In the race, only one person, Steven H.

Smith, has filed as a write-in candidate. Michael Johnson, who finished fifth in the 9th District City Council race, said he also filed Thursday. Councilman William Welch won the Democratic Party primary in that race. luke.broadwater@baltsun.com twitter.com/lukebroadwater Larry Gibson, a University of Maryland law professor who has managed major campaigns in Baltimore for decades. The first black attorney in Baltimore, Milton B.

Allen, lost the 1974 Democratic primary to William A. Swisher in an upset that surprised many in the black community, Gibson said. Gibson, who was campaign manager, said they organized myriad workshops and seminars and had volunteers pass out pencils at the polls had thousands and thousands of Gibson said. But in the end, though Allen garnered more than 50,000 write- in votes which Gibson said he believes is the most in state history for a write-in campaign he lost by about 20,000 votes to Swisher. The next year, Norman V.A.

way has a few large institutions in her community say, 500 committed people who all bring a friend, still hard, but actually not as difficult as Amember of a well-known political family, Conaway lost in the primary by 653 votes to political newcomer Nick Mosby, an electrical engineer from Reservoir Hill, in acampaign during which Mosby challenged residency and tax forms. She denounced his charges. Conaway whose father, mother and brother are all elected officials declined to comment on her write-in campaign. Sneed, a former television news assignment editor from East Baltimore, lost to incumbent Councilman Warren Branch by 43 votes. She said Thursday that she decided whether to actively campaign for the seat but filed so she has that option.

even have a chance, I put my name in Sneed said. still need to speak with certain people in my neighborhood to make sure still with me. I believe that they will be, because of the overwhelming response I received Two high-profile write-in campaigns were waged in the 1970s, but neither was successful, said Conaway, Sneed are write-ins By Luke Broadwater The Baltimore Sun Belinda Conaway Shannon Sneed Baltimore County Council members say they are troubled by afederal investigation into allegations that the county has violated workplace discrimination laws aprobe the chairman says highlights long-standing concerns about how employees are treated. Federal investigators have been looking into claims that the county government harassed employees with medical conditions and forced some out of their jobs, according to court documents and people involved in the cases. Former employees have said the county refused to allow them to return to work despite improvements in their conditions.

know how this going to turn out, but at the end of the day, I think we have to take a hard look at our policy of how employees can or The chairman said he would like to see how the workplace policies compare to those of other local governments. know if a whole lot the council can he said. decisions are made at the administrative The actions described in 10 EEOC complaints provided to The Baltimore Sun by one employee who complained and a lawyer for nine others are alleged to have taken place during the administration of former County Executive James T. Smith Jr. Smith has not returned messages seeking comment.

Don Mohler, the chief of staff to current County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, said federal privacy laws prevented him from commenting on specific cases. confident that followed not only the spirit but the letter of the said Mohler, who also worked in the Smith administration. that made are about public safety based upon comprehensive reports submitted by independent medical Councilman Kenneth N. Oliver, a Democrat from Randallstown, said he was troubled by descriptions of the claims. He questioned why doctors hired by the county allegedly determined that the employees return to their jobs, even though other physicians had cleared them to work.

Councilman David Marks, a Republican from Perry Hall, said he thinks council members listen and what observed, I personally have no evidence that a systematic problem, and Icertainly think that any administration would condone these types of he said. at the same time, the County Council has a role in questioning, scrutinizing whatever actions are taken by county cannot be returned to council Chairman John Olszewski Sr. said Thursday. Olszewski, a Democrat from Dundalk, said council members really been briefed on the investigation But he added that he has concerned about this for a long The county has paid $625,000 in two separate cases filed by former employees over alleged workplace law violations, and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has repeatedly found that the county violated the Americans With Disabilities Act.

me, about hoping that we start having less rather than more of these cases, because we afford to keep losing these kinds of cases and then having to put out Olszewski said. Balto. County Council troubled by workplace discrimination charges Former workers say they were harassed over medical issues By Alison Knezevich The Baltimore Sun have to take a hard look at our policy of how employees can or cannot be returned to Baltimore County Councilman John Olszewski Sr. Constellation Energy announced Thursday that it has begun work on a 16.1-megawatt solar power plant at Mount St. University in Emmitsburg that will be largest single generator of electricity from the sun.

Earth movers recently began clearing and grading the site for the $60 million project, which is expected to be completed next year. Constellation plans to place 220,000 thin-film photovoltaic panels on 100 acres it is leasing from the Catholic institution, capable of generating more than 22 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. The facility will be owned and operated by the Baltimore-based energy company. Burning coal to produce the same amount of energy would release 15,170 metric tons of carbon dioxide, roughly equivalent to what 2,975 cars and trucks emit from their tailpipes annually, according to Environmental Protection Agency data. The project was made possible by a 20-year power purchase agreement with the state and the University System of Maryland.

The state will be paying a fixed rate of 22.25 cents per kilowatt- hour, well above the current cost to generate power from burning fossil fuels. But Kevin Lucas of the Maryland Energy Administration said that higher cost is offset by the marketable solar renewable energy credits the state also gets, which are now selling for about 17.5 The panels were made by First Solar, an Arizona-based company with manufacturing plants in Ohio, Germany and Malaysia. The construction is expected to employ 75 people on average, and up to 150 at its peak, according to Constellation. Once finished, the company says it will be run and maintained by two workers. The Emmitsburg facility is one of four large-scale renewable energy projects being pushed by the administration by offering long-term power-purchasing agreements.

While the largest in the state for now, an even larger, 20-megawatt project is proposed by Easton-based Maryland Solar on 250 acres of farmland at a state prison complex in Hagerstown. Constellation plans to build a separate 1.3-megawatt solar array to generate power for Mount St. tim.wheeler@baltsun.com Large solar power project under way Mount St. site will be largest in state By Timothy B. Wheeler The Baltimore Sun Ben Swimmer, his twin sisters Samantha and Sarah, and their father, Mark Swimmer, of Baltimore toss bread crumbs into Stony Run in Roland Park a ritual performed on the first day of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year.

The act is a symbolic casting off of sins. AMY SUN PHOTO Bread and water Baltimore Votes 39 DAYS UNTIL THE GENERAL ELECTION Two losers in the Democratic primary seek another chance with the voters in November.