[Editor’s Note: This is one of two stories that will explore the race for District 21 delegate.]
In the long line to fill the office of outgoing delegate Pauline Menes, three potential suitors from College Park are making a strong case to prove they are worthy of her spot in Annapolis.
For candidates Ben Barnes, Joseline Peña-Melnyk and Mark Cook, the next week will be a grueling sprint to squeak out any remaining votes from District 21 residents before the Sept. 12 primaries. Though there are technically three seats open in the election for House of Delegates, two of the seats are considered by many to be virtually on-lock for incumbent delegates Brian Moe and Barbara Frush.
Barnes, Peña-Melnyk and Cook have raised the most money out of the five candidates looking to fill the shoes of Menes. Because campaign finances are often crucial to a winning campaign, they can be a good barometer in predicting a winner. The total financial difference between the three is only about $20,000.
But in an election where everyone wants the same thing, from better education to improved transportation, the difference between the three lies not in the size of their campaign account nor in their rhetoric for a better future. The real difference lies in their past.
“As with any democratic primary, we share similar goals. What you need to look at is who will be able to get them done,” Barnes said. “Who’s gonna hit the ground running?”
Of the three, only College Park city Councilwoman Peña-Melnyk has been an elected official. Her two terms on the council give her a record of legislative accomplishments that the others don’t have. But Barnes has more experience working in Annapolis. Cook is the only one who has worked for a citizens’ association, which he says would give him a fresh perspective in the legislature.
Both Peña-Melnyk and Barnes have law degrees, but Barnes earned his at night school while working with Senate President Mike Miller, while Peña-Melnyk worked her way through undergraduate and law school after coming to the country as an immigrant from the Dominican Republic with $33 in her pocket. Cook does not have a college degree but has an expertise in computer technology that the other two don’t.
So who’s going to hit the ground running?
“When you want a representative you want someone who can relate to different people,” Peña-Melnyk said of her well-rounded background, which includes prosecuting child negligence and abuse cases and using her bilingual abilities to work with Spanish residents. “A lot of people will just tell you, ‘I’m going to do…’ I have a record to prove it.”
But Barnes, who says he has a leg up in the State House because of the connections he has already made from his time there, thinks his experience gives him the advantage. And he is not alone in this perspective. Others, like the Maryland State Teachers Association and the Prince George’s County Educators Association, have pledged their endorsements for Barnes. He has also won the support of several influential political activist groups, like the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association, who have contributed significantly to his campaign.
Peña-Melnyk thinks the contributors speak volumes about a campaign, insinuating on her website that being backed by “powerful interests in Maryland’s political machine” will influence whose interests are represented. She does not concern herself with her opponent’s endorsements, saying that a quick look at campaign finances will reveal who has the wider support among the voters.
Roughly 99 percent of Peña-Melnyk’s $44,029 total funds have been contributions from individuals and businesses. About 62 percent of Barnes $51,190 total finances are from such contributions, the rest mostly coming from political action committees, loans and the slate he shares with District 21 senatorial candidate Jim Rosapepe. Just under $8,000 of Cook’s $31,315 have been from contributions.
“Mine are from voters,” Peña-Melnyk said of her financial contributions.
Contact reporter Owen Praskievicz at praskieviczdbk@gmail.com.
