Contributor Opinion By Anne Robbins: My Support For Cheryl Kagan

This Contributor Opinion is by Anne Robbins.

My support for Cheryl Kagan, the District 17 candidate for the State Senate, has become increasingly stronger as her campaign against 32 year General Assembly incumbent, Jennie Forehand has progressed. First of all, I think that 32 years is certainly long enough to represent our district and we need new perspectives on many issues especially campaign finance reform. After a lifetime in politics, (yes, I started as a little kid), very little shocks me, and yet, the findings of the research done last November by Maryland Politics Watch did, and I am talking big-time shock. I quote from their findings:

“Senator Forehand was the biggest user of “lump sums”, a finance reporting technique used to AVOID DISCLOSING DONORS. Forehand is the biggest user of this in the County and the third biggest in the state”.

No wonder that the Washington Post stated in an editorial endorsment, “The County would be better served by Cheryl Kagan”. (8-23-10).

I cannot believe in this day of openness and accountability, that Senator Forehand is engaging in a practice to hide the names of contributors. Perhaps, we are learning this because this is the first time in sixteen years in the senate that Senator Forehand has had an opponent, something extremely important for a healthy democracy to thrive. Former eight-year state delegate, Cheryl Kagan, has been pro-active in asking for more campaign finance disclosure, seeking to close the LLC loophole, and only accepting contributions of half the legal limit.

I believe that this should be enough to put Cheryl in the senate, but in addition, I have found Cheryl Kagan, to be smart, highly motivated, and open and accessible to all residents of Montgomery County. I strongly believe that a change is in order, and encourage other voters to support and vote for Cheryl Kagan.

Anne Mahoney Robbins (former Rockville City Councilmember)

This is a Contributor Opinion. Rockville Central encourages readers to submit such pieces for consideration — the more voices the better. Simply send them to [email protected]. We ask that all such contributions be civil and we reserve the right to edit (in consultation with the author) or reject. Contributor opinions should not be seen as reflecting opinions held by Rockville Central editors, as they are just as frequently at odds with our own views. That’s the whole point!

Please also note that Rockville Central does not endorse candidates in election campaigns. Supporters of all candidates are encouraged to submit opinion pieces for consideration.

Share and enjoy:

Hide Sites