U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez
Chesapeake Beach, MD – While the 2014 election was a rocky one for Democrats in Calvert County the overall tone of the local party’s annual celebration was that their work will continue. Working people, the individuals doing the party’s work in the trenches and the organized craftsmen who have traditionally formed the party’s backbone, were saluted Thursday, March 12 at the Rod ‘N’ Reel Restaurant in Chesapeake Beach.
The 17th annual Louis L. Goldstein Dinner was highlighted by a stirring, strident speech from U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez and the presentation of 19 awards to various labor organizations, including iron workers, electricians, engineers, plumbers, painters, bricklayers, roofers, teachers and firefighters.
It was the latter group that held the spotlight during the evening program’s opening segment. On Monday, March 9, the Owings home of Calvert Democratic Central Committee Member Thomas Hausmann was totally destroyed by fire. Hausmann’s wife, Carol, died from injuries sustained in the blaze. Two Prince George’s County firefighters—one a retiree and the other who was off-duty—performed cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on Carol Hausmann prior to her transport via helicopter to Washington Hospital Center. She succumbed to her injuries March 11.
“It’s a night of mixed emotions,” said Former Howard County Fire and Rescue Chief Bill Goddard, who told Thomas Hausmann “everyone in this room mourns with you.”
“We are going to be there with you in the days, months and years ahead,” said Congressman Steny Hoyer.
The House minority whip presented the two firefighters—retired member and union executive representative Thomas Breen and Lt. C.J. Smart—with proclamations and an American Flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol. “They are always ready to respond,” said Hoyer of the firefighters.
Breen and Smart also received salutations from Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker.
In introducing Perez, Hoyer declared Democrats are members of “the ‘We’ Party. We’re the party that believes we’re in this together.” He called Perez “a tireless advocate for working people.”
Perez, who resides in Takoma Park, chronicled the steady successes of the Obama Administration in job creation and growth in the ranks of Americans who now are covered by health insurance. Perez and other national Democratic leaders have claimed 60 straight months of private sector job growth, with 12 million jobs created during the five-year period. Perez added that there are 5 million quality jobs in high tech industries available to be filled.
“There’s an undeniable wind behind our back,” Perez declared. The labor secretary added, “it’s not just about numbers. It’s about people.”
He likened his department to “match.com” in the way it has aided the nation’s job-seekers.
“We need to think bold,” said Perez. “It’s a stakeholder economy, not a shareholder economy.”
The Goldstein Dinner pays tribute to Calvert County’s legendary political figure, Louis L. Goldstein, who served as Maryland state comptroller from 1959 until his sudden death in 1998. Saturday, March 14 was Goldstein’s 102nd birth anniversary.
“What a great man he was,” said Hoyer, who recalled campaigning with Goldstein during the 1960s. “He cared about making lives better for working men and women.”
In addition to the many labor organizations, awards were presented to retired school teacher and education union activist Ann Brown, who received the Dan Pike Volunteer of the Year Award; current Calvert County Board of Education Member Kelly McConkey, who was presented with the local party’s Community Service Award; and Ruth Contee, a volunteer with Michael Jackson’s successful campaign for House of Delegates, who received the 2014 Chairman’s Award.
A special award was also given to former Calvert treasurer and orphans court judge Jessie Jo Bowen. She was unable to attend the event but former county commissioner Barbara Stinnett accepted on her behalf.
Among the attendees were two former governors—nonagenarian Marvin Mandel and Parris Glendening. Congresswoman Donna Edwards, who earlier in the week declared her candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated in 2017 by Barbara A. Mikulski, also attended and spoke briefly during the program.
Maryland’s Junior U.S. Senator Ben Cardin briefly addressed the crowd and predicted the competitive primaries for the Senate and House of Representatives would be a positive thing for the party.
Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. took on the role of emcee, lauding all of the 2014 candidates for their efforts. Miller also declared that the education funding that was cut by Governor Larry Hogan a few days after taking office would be restored, a move that was done Friday, March 13 by the House of Delegates’ Appropriations Committee.
While he conceded the 2014 General Election yielded less than glowing results for county Democrats—all five county commissioner seats, the race for sheriff, and three of five legislative races were won by the GOP—Calvert Central Committee Chairman Clifton Savoy urged the party faithful not to give up. “Don’t look at that as a defeat,” said Savoy. “It just means we have more work to do.”
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com
