The Daily Times from Salisbury, Maryland • 4

Sunday. December 22, 2002 A4 www.DelmarvaNow.com TIIK D.MI.Y NAACP: Lower Shore chapters focus on politics, housing GLENDENING: Governor says he's achieved his goals Hudson said she has asked the state NAACP to review Lee's case, which could result in his losing the branch post. The dispute has halted a branch project to close a 20 percent gap between black and white students in public schools, Hudson said. "This is a setback, not just for the NAACP but for the African-American community," said Worcester County Commissioner James Purnell, a longtime NAACP member. Housing issues also at forefront For Wicomico's NAACP, housing issues outweigh political disputes.

"Housing is the primary issue in the city and county," said Mary Ashanti, the Salisbury resident who was recently re-elected Wicomico County branch president. "The county has failed poor people and black people," she said. Ashanti said she wants county officials to develop a housing code and rid communities of boarded up or substandard residences. "This is nothing new. Houses County Board of Elections, 57 percent of Democratic voters typically turn out for an election.

But Fannie Birckhead, a black Democrat, failed to get re-elected as an Orphan's Court judge. She lost by less than 100 votes in November to Republican George Coleburn, who is white. "If the same number of people went to the polls, why did she lose the election?" Hall asked. Worcester activist Edward Lee blamed NAACP leadership. "(Leadership) has not provided intelligent, aggressive leadership in politically educating and energizing our community," Lee said.

He recently was re-elected president of the county's NAACP a post he held until 2000 and promised to get black candidates elected to public office. But Worcester branch members may not install officers until an internal dispute is settled, said outgoing president Hermet-ta Hudson. Lee's chairmanship of the county's Democratic Central Committee, a political position, is a violation of NAACP rules, she said. Glendening has been criticized as a man who puts his interests first and who abused the power of the governor's office to achieve his goals. State Sen.

Barbara Hoffman, a Baltimore Democrat, said the governor "has created some very good policies for the state." But she said it is also "clear to me that he was less driven by policy considerations than by the politics of what would be most helpful to him." The Maryland governor has the strongest budgetary powers in the nation, and Democratic House Speaker Casper Taylor, who worked closely with Glendening, said that at times Glendening's actions amounted to "abusive use of the budget process." Republicans view Glendening as exceedingly partisan. "I think sometimes he went out of his way to be as vindictive as he could," said Sen. Lowell Stoltz-fus, R-Somerset. 'Elected to Fight' Glendening said such. criticism "doesn't bother me at all." "Everyone will tell you I'm not a backslapping, glad-handing member of the inner circle," he said.

Those critics who say he puts himself first and pursues policies that will make him look good are wrong, Glendening said. "You tell me how standing against discrimination in sexual orientation advanced my career," he said. The bills and programs he pushed through the legislature resulted from the fact that "I'm a good old-fashioned progressive," Glendening said. "Government can help people improve their lives, and government is the ultimate safety net for individuals in times of stress." He offers no apologies for playing hardball and using the powers of the governor to exercise his will in the legislature. "I was elected to fight for what I believe in and be aggressive.

That's what I've done." While he has gotten a lot of criticism at home, Glendening has been elected chairman or president of three national organizations during his second term the National Governor's Association, the Democratic Governor's Association and the Council of State Governments. He also was elected president of the Maryland Association of Counties twice when he was Prince George's County executive. "I take great comfort, great personal support from the fact that at every level my peers have moved me to the top of the appropriate organization that represents them," he said. NAACP, From Page Al "The constitution says that every man, woman and child must be represented, and the prison population is represented. It's the representation that's important." Said Ballard: "There's no way a black (person) can run and win in District 1." Some activists say black candidates can win outside minority districts.

Kirk Hall lost a bid in September's County Commissioner primary for the District 2 seat. Hall said District 2 is not a minority district, yet it has 2,325 blacks over age 18 more than the total number of white residents, which is 2,286. "If blacks don't win, it must be something the black (candidate) is doing," said Hall, who acknowledged that a number of black voters helped re-elect County Commissioner. James Ring, who is white. Hall cited another example from Worcester County According to the Worcester 4 On plans 1 have been boarded up for some time," she said.

"They're all concerned but none of them are about establishing a housing code." Ashanti said the Westover Hill and Newport Circle communities just outside Salisbury need immediate attention. "We know the folks in the city and the county knew," she said recently. "The problem is, the county has no housing enforcement, nobody to follow up." Ashanti also said she intends to organize a community forum to discuss school safety "It's a No. 1 issue," she said. "Before children can learn, they must feel safe." Wicomico's NAACP Youth Council is one year old, and much of the branch's energy will be to strengthen youth membership, Ashanti said.

"We are an active branch and our youth council is active, and we will bring them to political action meetings and get them involved," she said. Reach Deborah Gates at 410-749-7171, Ext. 232, or dgatesut smgpo.gannett.com. weekends mm mm rujbj I ilyji pi JJL X.V i i i GLENDENING, From Page Al some of the strongest gun control laws in the nation, voted to protect homosexuals from discrimination and increased the share of state contracts set aside for companies owned by women and minorities. Glendening, a Democrat, also provided $1.6 billion to build and renovate public schools, exceeding his campaign goals.

His environmental policies, including his "smart growth" plan for controlling urban sprawl, won him national awards and numerous invitations to speak to environmental groups across the country. Glendening's environmental programs were "progressive and very visionary," said Rose Harvey, senior vice president of The Trust for Public Land, a national land preservation organization. "He has made Maryland one of the most progressive states in land conservation." Friends and foes agree Glendening has the ability to get things done. "He's proven himself to be very single-minded in terms of pursuing his interests and his career," said Paul Herrnson, a professor of political science and director of the Center for American Politics and Citizenship at the University of Maryland College Park. Kevin Igoe, a Republican consultant who has observed Glendening since his early days as an elected official in Prince George's County, said the governor always "had a plan for himself and did not let anything get in the way of the execution of that plan." Unpopular with Some Despite his successes, Glendening is unpopular with many state government colleagues in both parties and leaves office with a poor job approval rating from voters.

Keith Haller, president of Potomac a Maryland-based polling and research firm, said that by November, almost half of Marylanders disapproved of the job Glendening was doing. Even when the economy was booming in 2000, Glendening's approval rating topped out at 56 percent, below many other governors, he said. "One could argue that he never completely connected with the public in a personal way," Haller said. Herrnson said a major factor in voter disenchantment with Glendening was his decision to divorce his wife, Frances Hughes Glendening, and marry Jennifer Crawford, one of his aides. Matthew Crenson, professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said Glendening was "perceived as being petty and vindictive," a perception he said was fostered by actions such as turning off a fountain at the governor's mansion that was installed during Comptroller William Donald Schaefer's term as governor.

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