A Missing Endorsement

When Rushern Baker, Ike Leggett and Ken Ulman announced they were endorsing Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's campaign for mayor, no one batted an eye.

After all, why wouldn't the respective Democratic county executives from Prince George's, Montgomery and Howard Counties support another of their own party who leads a so-called Big Seven jurisdiction.

Noticeably missing from that June 16 announcement in Federal Hill, however, was the only other Big Seven Democratic leader—Kevin Kamenetz.

Don Mohler, Kamenetz's chief of staff and lead spokesman, shrugged off questions about why his boss hadn't endorsed the leader of the county's primary regional partner.

"I wouldn't read too much into it," Mohler said.

But the question is why not endorse? What's the downside?

In the predominantly Democratic city, the Democratic Party primary essentially elects the next mayor—even though Republican Vicki Ann Harding is registered to run in the general election.

Rawlings-Blake, a fellow Democrat, is the incumbent leader of the county's largest regional partner. Gov. Martin O'Malley's imprimatur is effectively on her candidacy—his brother Peter O'Malley left his brief stint running the state Democratic Party to return to the city as madam mayor's chief of staff.

It might not help to note that one of Kamenetz's senior aides is Yolanda Winkler, who is close friends with the wife of Otis Rolley, one of Rawlings-Blake's primary opponents.

Mohler said the relationship between Winkler and Rolley had nothing to do with Kamenetz's decision not to participate in the endorsement announcement.

"(Kamenetz) has been focusing his time and effort on the budget," Mohler said.

Kamenetz in on April 14. The council approved it on May 26  after effectively when it cut nearly $260,000 of a $1.6 billion general fund spending plan.

Since then, Kamenetz has spent his time, according to his public schedules, speaking at chamber of commerce breakfasts, cutting ribbons for streetscapes and running into the surf at Miami Beach.

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