Whether William Donald Schaefer should be state comptroller again is up to the voters of Maryland and nobody else. So far, according to polls, more state residents than not think he should be. In other words, he?s leading.
He is leading despite egregious behavior, politically incorrect comments, curmudgeonly demeanor and general geezerness. Good for him and good for Maryland.
Thousands of Marylanders probably would vote for the 84-year-old Schaefer out of conditioned reflex. He has held public office for so long it is amazing ivy vines have not grown over him.
He is loved and loathed, sometimes simultaneously by the same people, for his service as a state representative, mayor of Baltimore, governor and now state comptroller.
A poll conducted by the Calvert Street Gang said 10 percent of likely voters polled think he?s tooold. Only 10 percent!
Thirty-eight percent said they don?t like this Democrat?s attitude toward women and minorities. Recently Schaefer has been, uh, open and forthright about his support of English as the official U.S. language, and he took a shot at the North Koreans for their lobbing of missiles in a hostile kind of way. Non-North Koreans said he wasn?t specific enough about which Koreans he was faulting.
When he was reportedly going to make a formal apology to the Korean community, he did not. Instead, he was spotted by Examiner reporter Len Lazarick having dinner with some old Korean friends.
Strange? Not if you really know Schaefer. He is as unpredictable as when he drew national attention for endorsing the senior Bush for president while turning his back on the Democratic party.
And he has no plans to stop saying what he thinks. Whether it?s giving a wink at a pretty woman or saying he wouldn?t challenge a woman political opponent to a cake-baking competition, a comment that some took as sexist, apparently thinking he wouldn?t say such a thing to guys, who apparently don?t bake cakes.
But, all that said, only 4 percent responded that he had not done a good job as comptroller. His performance of his public duties in office should be the No. 1 criterion for voters.
If a majority think he?s had his run and decide to put him out to pasture despite his performance, so be it. Voters who choose to do that can cast their vote for one of Schaefer?s opponents: Anne Arundel County Executive Janet Owens or Montgomery County Del. Peter Franchot.
One thing is certain: Schaefer is a politician who never, ever feared to speak his mind. He hasn?t mellowed any with age.
If the people of Maryland find that rare trait valuable, they can keep him around. Who knows, he may be trying to become the oldest serving comptroller since his old friend Louis Goldstein, who served39 years until he died in office in 1998 at the youthful age of 85.
While Schaefer does not hand out gold coins, which became a staple of Goldstein?s campaigns, he doesn?t need it. Instead, Schaefer hands out something different than most politicians ? character. And a lot of it.
