In addition to the state-wide offices, St. Mary’s County primary election voters will have a choice in several local elections. Democrats and Republicans will get a chance to pick two of the three candidates in the District 4 non-partisan Board of Education race. Republicans have primary elections for both District 29 State Senate and 29-A House of Delegates seats. And both parties have a choice in their central committee races.
The Republican State Senate race is for the district that includes all of St. Mary’s and the southern part Calvert County. The candidates are: Cynthia “Cindy” Jones, a one term St. Mary’s County Commissioner; Lawrence “Larry” Jarboe, who has served four terms as a St. Mary’s County Commissioner; and Steve Waugh, a Calvert County resident who lost the general election in 2010 to incumbent Democratic Senator Roy Dyson.
Jarboe has the most experience and brings to the race a practical environmentalism which could appeal to voters. But we are concerned about two things: Jarboe’s consistent failure to bring his message to the voters at a number of scheduled debates, and his parochialism.
On the latter Jarboe appears only interested in issues affecting the northern part of St. Mary’s County. We are concerned that his consistent opposition to the FDR Boulevard project, a much needed infrastructure improvement for workers at Pax River, shows he is out of touch with the needs of the rest of the community.
Waugh is a retired Marine and currently works at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. His service to his country is unquestioned. But we feel his hardline conservative stands and unwillingness to compromise with an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature would make him an ineffective lawmaker.
The Bay Net also feels that this Senate district, which is largely in St. Mary’s County, should be represented by someone from St. Mary’s County.
Although she has only served one term as a county commissioner, Jones has shown that she can be a consensus builder. She understands the nature of the legislature, and expresses a willingness to work across party lines to get things done.
For those reasons The Bay Net endorses Cindy Jones as the Republican choice for State Senate from District 29.
Three Republicans are vying in the primary to face Democrat Dan Slade in November for a chance to replace retiring Del. John Wood. The candidates are Bryan “Puff” Barthelme, Thomas “Tommie’ McKay and Matt Morgan.
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