It’s the place for Southern Marylanders to be seen and heard, although sometimes the latter is difficult with all the noise. It’s the annual Southern Maryland Legislative Reception sponsored by the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland and the Southern Maryland Delegation. Every year carloads and busloads travel from the far corners of Southern Maryland so that they can participate in the very popular event. And legislators, state officials and lobbyists walk over from their Annapolis offices. This year it was held Thursday at the regular venue: Loews Hotel.
Every four years at election time the crowd swells with incumbents and challengers. Seen in the crowd were Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron George, most of the existing Southern Maryland Delegation members (most of whom are running for re-election), and legislative candidate challengers such as John Coller and Candice Quinn Kelly from Charles District 28, Len Zuza from Calvert/St. Mary’s District 29c and Cindy Jones from Senate District 29.
Also in the crowd were a number of county commissioner incumbents and candidates, including Bob Schaller and Tom Jarboe from St. Mary’s, Linda Kelley and George Owings from Calvert and Peter Murphy from Charles. It was impossible for these two reporters to keep track of everyone there, so if we missed anyone it was an occupational hazard of anyone attending the event.
The absence of more gubernatorial and other federal legislative office was somewhat surprising, considering the large number of potential voters who packed the two rooms lined with food (stuffed ham, fried oysters, etc.) and an open bar. Organizations such as the Tri-County Council and SMECO had display booths.
The event is also attended by lobbyists hoping to catch the ear of a legislator or two to talk about this bill or that. But the event this year was notably absent any speech giving, with only Delegation Chair Sally Jameson (D: Charles) taking to stage to introduce the R&B oldies group that performed.
That band and their DJ interludes combined with the constant chatter of the socializing raised the decibel level off the meter. But messages managed to get communicated, old friendships and acquaintances renewed and as the tried-and-true cliché goes: “A good time was had by all.”
