With primary candidates filed in all Howard County races, only one candidate is unopposed: State?s Attorney Timothy McCrone.
McCrone, a Democrat, is seen as apolitical by Howard County?s Republican Party, which has shown little urgency in searching for a candidate to challenge the first-term state?s attorney.
“We try to do the right thing with each case as it comes along,” McCrone said. “You shouldn?t be able to tell from how someone prosecutes a case whether they?re a Democrat or a Republican.”
Brian Harlin, chairman of the Howard County Republican Central Committee, said finding a Republican challenger for McCrone has been difficult, because he?s done a solid job as the county?s top prosecutor, and no change is needed.
“Would we like to have a Republican in there? Yeah,” Harlin said. “But Tim has never come across as political. He does a good job.”
The Republicans have until July 18 to find a candidate, but Harlin said they are not expected to find one.
Particularly impressive to Republicans were McCrone?s prosecutions of a trio of people who vandalized George W. Bush campaign signs in the county during the 2004 election campaign.
McCrone won destruction of property convictions against the accused vandals. One of those convicted, Peter Lizon, of Randallstown, was ordered to pay $328 in restitution to the Howard County Republican Party.
“From our perspective, it didn?t make a difference whether the sign was Republican or Democrat,” McCrone said. “They happened to be George Bush signs. We would have taken the same approach if it had been Kerry signs.”
McCrone said the cases were important because the people ruining the signs were angry and carrying weapons.
“In a political season, tempers can flare,” he said. “Our concern was that if someone confronts them, something worse could happen. We wanted to try to send the message that that?s not the way to advance your political perspective.”
Council Member Christopher Merdon, R-District 1, the Republican candidate for Howard County executive, said McCrone “gained a lot of friends” among conservatives on how he handled the sign vandals.
“Tim McCrone is the right man to be Howard County State?s Attorney,” he said.
