What a long, strange campaign it?s been.
For months, Aberdeen voters have endured anonymous mailers praising candidates and condemning them; a lawsuit that nearly postponed the election; another suit aimed at hobbling a political kingmaker; opposing sides appropriating each other?s campaign slogans and names; nonstop claims and counter-claims about dirty tricks.
“For municipal elections, this is the most negative, most intense election I?ve ever seen” in Aberdeen, said Avery Ward, a professor of political science at Harford Community College.
Ward said the issues in Aberdeen ? growth at Aberdeen Proving Ground, crime along the Route 40 corridor, failed attempts to expand the city?s borders, a dwindling public water supply ? have intensified the campaign.
“This thing has spawned some crazies on both sides,” said Aberdeen Mayor S. Fred Simmons, who is running for re-election. “Maybe it?s supply and demand. Maybe people demand this much negativity.”
Simmons says he?s remained apart from day-to-day campaigning, leaving the sign planting and pamphleteering to his business partner and campaign manager, Steve Wright.
The threat of a delayed election ended when pharmacy owner Steve Johnson dropped a lawsuit challenging the city?s ruling that he did not meet the residency requirements to run for council.
Then the would-be developers of the Wetlands Golf Course filed a defamation suit against Art Helton, who had been accused of supporting and steering Johnson?s effort to get onto the ballot.
Helton, founder of the New Harford Democratic Club and developer of once-abandoned Aberdeen properties, had distributed a flier during a referendum, opposing the annexation of the golf course.
Wright accused Helton of backing another mailer, which appropriated Simmons? slogan, “Fred did it!” to blame Simmons for rising taxes and water bills, under the name of incumbent Dave Yensan?s group, Citizens for a Better Aberdeen. Yensan did not authorize the mailer, he said.
The election has also kept the online community busy, spurring speculation and online mudslinging on several local blogs, including HarfordNow.com, TheDagger.com and Fred?s Harford County blog (which is not associated with Simmons).
“It?s dirty, anonymous and gratifying all at the same time,” Simmons said of the storm of anonymous commentators and Web-savvy candidates. Wright has repeatedly posted comments defending Simmons against his online detractors.
Despite negative campaigns? tendency to dampen turnout on Election Day, Ward said the issues in Aberdeen should be enough to bring people to the polls in greater numbers than in Bel Air, where no such mudslinging has been evident.
“Voters can become cynical and decide they?re all a bunch of crooks, but offsetting that in this election will be the importance of the issues,” Ward said.
