CUMBERLAND — Three Republican candidates for House of Delegates District 1A faced off Monday evening in a candidate forum hosted by the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce at Allegany College of Maryland.
The district encompasses all of Garrett County and a small portion of Allegany County.
Edward E. Clemons Jr., Dan Duggan and Lisa Lowe answered questions regarding their plans and positions if they were to be elected. Not present at the forum were Republican candidates Tim Thomas and Andy Adams.
There’s one Democrat in the race, Jason M. Jobe.
The moderators were Stuart Czapski, an economic specialist with Cumberland Economic Development Corp.; Trevor DeVore, vice president with M&T Bank; and Julie Westendorff from the chamber.
One of the first questions highlighted how Mountain Maryland can sometimes be described as an afterthought in Annapolis when it comes to being heard legislatively. The question of how the District 1A delegate will make Western Maryland’s voice heard was posed to the three candidates.
Clemons said it’s imperative to work with everyone.
“I have some experience with that as mayor. I don’t go down there saying, ‘I’m a Republican from Western Maryland.’ I go down there going in, this is what I need, this is about people, not a party,” Clemons said. “You have conversations, get to know one another and you make deals on things, like maybe you need something for your district, I need something from my district. As the smaller guy, I know I’m not going to get everything I want.”
Clemons, pastor and former mayor of Luke, said that with time and collaboration, bills get passed.
“The whole thing is — don’t go in like a bully. Learn how to work with people, understand that people are allowed to have different opinions,” Clemons said.
“People are allowed to disagree with you, but you can come to a happy medium and get things done if you’re willing to do so.”
Duggan shared similar views. He said it’s not always easy to get things accomplished with 141 delegates and few Republicans, but he will try to work across the aisle.
“I want to represent what I call our ‘mountain values.’ We are different from the urban areas of Baltimore, Frederick, Rockville, that whole area down there,” Duggan said. “And again, you’re right, it’s absolutely dominated, won by the Democratic Party in Maryland.”
Duggan is a former Marine, former Garrett County deputy sheriff and was twice-elected chief judge of Garrett County Orphans Court.
“So, as a delegate, we have to find a way to build relationships with people that we can — to be frank, there’s going to be people in the House that we’re not going to be able to build relationships with,” Duggan said. “But I’m going to make sure that I go to every single one, every single one in the House, introduce myself and let them know that I want to work with them.”
Lowe said a delegate has to be willing to work with others.
“You can get your bills co-sponsored, it can be bipartisan, so you get your bills co-sponsored by somebody on the other side of the aisle and then it’s a bipartisan bill,” Lowe said. “If someone’s opposing your bills, you go in and meet with them, talk to them, have lunch with them.”
Lowe is a former teacher and aide to Del. Seth Howar, of Anne Arundel County.
She said she has seen how fast-paced Annapolis can be, as well as how long it takes for bills to move along. She said working with delegates from similar regions is important.
“There’s a lot of rural areas in Maryland that need the same things we do and they have the same issues. There’s a lot of rural areas that feel like they’re an afterthought,” Lowe said.
“So when you build relationships with them, they have the same needs you do. So, it’s not like we’re out here alone. We have similar needs to a lot of areas.”
Maryland’s primary election is June 23.