Calvert County citizens need to make informed decisions this election year. Local elections can highly impact our daily lives. If unable to individually ask each candidate directly, citizens can look to non-partisan organizations to obtain candidate positions through various questions and answers. The information can greatly assist in deciding which candidates to support.
The Dunkirk Area Concerned Citizens Association (DACCA) believes any candidate identified at our web-site as Non-Responsive is not sufficiently interested in responding to concerns of citizens. DACCA (existing since 1984) forwarded several questions to this year’s candidates for Calvert County Commissioner, States Attorney, and Sheriff.
All 5 candidates for Sheriff and both candidates for States Attorney responded. Of candidates for County Commissioner, 7 were Non Responsive while all 4 incumbent candidates provided a response. Questions and responses are posted for public viewing at www.daccamd.com. Some AOL users have difficulty viewing the questions and answers, however, Internet Explorer users seem to have no problem.
Responses can provide some insight to the true qualifications and intentions of the candidate. Citizens interested in a single issue may focus upon how a candidate supports (or not) a particular view. Read the responses and decide if the candidate directly responded, or provided a cagey deflecting response. Was the candidate “informed” on the issue?
DACCA is non-partisan and does not endorse specific candidates. We do not alter any responses leaving the grammar, context, and spelling true to the candidate. DACCA ensured the candidates had every opportunity to respond to our questions. We sent E-mails and reminders, left phone messages, in some cases sent and received hard copy letters, and where possible had one-on-one conversations and follow-up reminders. We even checked the candidate web sites in case the responses were posted there.
Candidates identified as Non-Responsive raises a justifiable question as to why that candidate should be honored by being elected to serve the needs of Calvert County.
– Evan Slaughenhoupt President, DACCA Dunkirk