Carly Smith
Republican Randy McClement narrowly beat Democrat Jason Judd for mayor
Tuesday night in Frederick, Md. McClement won with 50.9 percent of the votes; Judd
received 47.8 percent.
“First thing to do is put a team together,” McClement said. “We need a
transition team…and we’re going to start talking about people who are going to fill
those positions.”
Judd conceded at 9:30 p.m. He was behind by approximately 200 ballots and
said that he would need a significant number of the 450 absentee ballots in his
favor. He believed the chances of that happening were unlikely.
The mayoral race generally did not have personal attacks.
The Frederick County Republican Central Committee questioned Judd’s ties
to the Association of Community Organizing for Reform Now and his time in
Frederick.
An unknown party attached fliers to McClement leaflets the day before the
election, criticizing Judd’s employer, the Service Employees International Union, and
associating it with ACORN. McClement denounced the unauthorized use of his
campaign literature.
Mayor Jeff Holtzinger endorsed McClement after his win in the primary
elections. Last night he said he would help McClement with the transition to mayor.
The most discussed issue between the two candidates was how to improve
the city’s declining economy. Both support public works to bring more people back
to Frederick for work rather than commuting outside of the city, and often out of the
county.
Judd’s plan, Sustainable Frederick, involved improving infrastructures,
investing in old neighborhoods, conserving resources, and creating incubators for
jobs.
“We need to make choices that are good for us over the next 50 years, not
just the next five,” he said.
McClement argued for diversifying the tax base, bringing in different types of
business and streamlining permits to make it easier for businesses to start in
Frederick.
However, Judd and McClement were divided on the issue of the proposed
Waste to Energy Incinerator, which the Frederick Board of County Commissioners
plans to use to combat the problem of waste and how to dispose of it, as well as
using that waste to create energy. The solid waste is burned to create heat, which is
converted into steam and then put into a turbine to generate electricity.
Judd was strongly against the incinerator because of the high cost it would
take to build and maintain it. He also noted that the future changes in air quality
rules would be a problem because of the pollution the incinerator creates. He
promoted alternative solutions.
McClement did not think the city should be concerned with the county’s plan
to build an incinerator.
Judd has not run for office before; McClement ran for alderman four years
ago and lost.
Judd worked as an economist for the SEIU and he is a member of the board of
directors for Volunteer Frederick. McClement owns the Market Street Bagel and Deli
in downtown Frederick. He is the board president of the Tourism Council of
Frederick County, chairman of the city’s charter review committee, and vice
president of Celebrate Frederick.
“I think that the biggest difference between me and my opponent is that he
has only been in town for two years,” McClement said. “How can he say he knows
the pulse of the city if he's only been here for two years and hasn't been involved in
the city?”
Judd was born and raised in Frederick; he returned to Frederick in 2007 after
working in D.C. for many years.
McClement was not born in the city, but said he wants to serve and give back
to the community. His bagel shop will continue running with the help of his wife,
Maryjane McClement, while he is mayor.