What?s in a name?
Enough to fight over it, if the name?s Friends of Aberdeen.
Stephen Wright, a city consultant and business partner of Mayor S. Fred Simmons, said a group that has fought the annexation of hundreds of acres has hijacked its name from his group, Friends of Aberdeen-MD Inc., which he says is registered with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation.
“It?s a name I?ve been using for about 1.5 or two years to promote the city of Aberdeen and the good job Mayor Simmons has done,” said Wright, an accountant.
In an e-mail to members of the group he says took his name, Friends of Aberdeen, Wright demanded they turn over their names, addresses and telephone numbers and those of their accountants and lawyers.
“I just wanted to know,” he said, without elaborating.
Last year, the group fought the annexation of 500 acres and voters rejected it.
Paul Burkheimer, a member of the group, said Wright sent the e-mails because the group opposed the annexation and the new development that would accompany it.
“It?s justanother example of developers harassing us, saying we?re taking their name,” Burkheimer said.
Wright said he also e-mailed the user “harfordem” on the Harford Democratic Politics blog and the person?s San Francisco lawyer, whom he said he tracked down, and got the blog shut down.
The blog had been bashing Simmons, a Republican, referring to him as “Mayor Fred Tax, Tax, Annex Simmons.” Bloggers, whom Wright wants identified, had used names including “Fred babblejack” and “Fred Flintstone.”
“Whoever was doing it was really making over-the-line statements,” Wright said.
Residents involved with Friends of Aberdeen are not involved with the blog, to his knowledge, Burkheim said.
He said the group would take the matter to its lawyer to determine who holds the rights to the name.
“It?s just a childish prank as far as I?m concerned to keep the people interested from communicating,” said Arthur Koszoru, who has been involved with the group.
The group would get around the issue by slightly changing its name if forced to, Koszoru said.
