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Health & Fitness

Brochin Ca$hed Out of Executive Race

'Cost' of politics keeps good people out of office

As I search through the cobwebs of my memory, I think back to the 2010 primary election; that is when I distinctly remember driving down Eastern Avenue listening to WCBM, which featured an interview with Senator Jim Brochin.

I remember the Senator announcing he was going to run for Baltimore County Executive. That would have put him up against Joe Bartenfelder and the current king, Kevin Kamenetz.

At that time, I flashed back to the movie “Forrest Gump,” because all that went through my mind was, “Run Jim, RUN!!!”

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Sadly, either my memory was playing tricks on me or something got in the way of Brochin’s decision.

We all know what that “something” is—the almighty dollar. The only thing that matters is the good ol’ “$$$” that mark everything cooked in the United States, and I am not talking about Bye, Bye Miss American Pie.

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You see, the way it usually works is that an incumbent politician, whose feet are buried in cement, is a little leery of breaking out of that mold and stepping into another tub of quick-drying concrete, which may turn out to be quicksand. Then, before you know it, suddenly that incumbent is gone from the public eye.

Studies have shown that the average elected official stays in office long past his/her mind’s ability to remember where he/she is or how he/she got there.

Many times, the decisions these politicians make are seemingly nothing more than scribbles etched on a napkin with a crayon somewhere in those hallowed halls (or maybe I should say “hollowed walls”) of the people’s house, where these leaders pace up and down every day scratching their heads.  

Either way (pacing aimlessly about), the implications are impacting the very foundation of this country. In case you haven’t noticed, this nation has changed to the point that the ABC’s in our public schools are now replaced with words like, “[Expletive] you teach!”

And, sadly, the teachers who bear the brunt of this new society of progressive liberalism have no recourse but to grin and bear it. 

The administration won’t back them up. They are too busy making deals to buy tablet computers for students who, in my humble opinion, will ravage them by downloading games, music, and anything-but-school-related-items.

Accountability and discipline are not in vogue in the land of the liberals. That mindset interferes with one’s ability to express himself/herself.

Or so the story goes...

The middle class has all but vanished, right along with other values that had made this country top of the class at one point.

But, enough of my ramblings; let me cut to the chase.

Earlier this year, I saw Senator Brochin speak out at a council work session—he was opposing the sale of county property. I thought he just might be placing himself (via plenty of media coverage) in a position to challenge Mr. Kamenetz.

I noticed that the Senator was appearing more and more in the press decrying some of the county’s decisions. Could it be that he was becoming a contender?

Unfortunately, the answer to that question is one big fat NO.

I truly believed Senator Brochin was one of very few county politicians that had a chance to take over the palace throne. In my eyes, without someone like Senator Brochin, I knew we would have another four years of cronyism government where common sense is throwing out the baby instead of the bathwater.

I wish it could have been different, but it’s too late now, anyway. Senator Brochin is not in the lineup, so to speak.

When I saw the Senator speak at that school board meeting against the current situation at Hereford High School, I stopped him as he was leaving and asked him the million dollar (OK, it’s probably only $10) question: “Why didn’t you run?”

The answer was brief, but—then again—how many ways can you say, “it was the money and not enough of it” without sounding silly? I guess he felt better stuck in the concrete. On the other side, the machine of an incumbent can grind you into a quarter pounder.

It’s a darn shame.

As Forrest would put it, “That’s all I have to say about that.”





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