Almond, left, and Olszewski
After questions about proper procedure and disclosures, the Teachers Association of Baltimore County said Thursday it will review its endorsement of Councilwoman Vicki Almond.
TABCO on Wednesday voted to endorse Almond in the race for Baltimore County executive, but the campaign of Johnny Olszewski Jr. cried foul. Almond and Olszewski are both seeking the Democratic nomination in the race to be the next Baltimore County executive.
Over the past eight years — mostly in 2010 — Almond’s office spent more than $60,000 at a direct-mail agency owned by the son of TABCO’s president, Abby Beytin, according to records shared by the Olszewski campaign.
However, campaign records show that the Almond team used a different agency starting with her 2014 campaign.
“Mrs. Beytin has also donated nearly $300 personally to the Councilwoman in the last two years. Mrs. Beytin chose not to disclose any of this information to TABCO or its members during the endorsement process,” according to a news release from the Olszewski campaign. “Furthermore, she actively participated in and helped lead the organization’s endorsement process, despite a longstanding relationship with Councilwoman Almond.”
Olszewski recently won the endorsement of the Maryland-DC chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Terry Cavenaugh, the head of that SEIU office, is the father of Tucker Cavenaugh, who is Olszewski’s campaign manager. When asked if that presents a conflict of interest similar to what he was alleging with TABCO, the younger Cavenaugh said his father, as executive director, does not have a vote in the endorsement process. The elder Cavenaugh, he said, also disclosed his interest in the Olszewski campaign.
Patapsco High School teacher Sandie Skordalos, who supports Olszewski, said she was told that the meeting on Wednesday had only 48 representatives present and thus did not have the quorum required to proceed with a vote. She said people at the meeting told her Beytin pushed ahead with the vote anyway. Additionally, she said, people who knew Olszewski personally were told they should not participate in the process, while Beytin’s association with the Almond campaign was not disclosed.
TABCO has more than 200 representatives. Beytin did not vote on Wednesday.
“The way it went down calls into question the legitimacy of [the vote],” said Skordalos, who last year unsuccessfully ran against Beytin to head TABCO. “It makes me sad to see the organization work this way.”
The exact vote from Wednesday was not known but it was said to have been close, with both Olszewski and Almond receiving at least 20 votes. No other candidates were considered. Skordalos said there is a lengthly application packet and she wasn’t sure if any other candidates submitted one.
Cavenaugh’s girlfriend is a member of TABCO’s government relations committee, though she recused herself from candidate interviews. She did participate in the Wednesday vote.
“It is unfortunate there are numerous inaccuracies in the Olszewski campaign press release which do not reflect what transpired before and at the TABCO Representative Assembly meeting held on Wednesday, March 28,” TABCO’s executive director Glen Galante said in a statement. “The TABCO Representative Assembly will be meeting on April 11, 2018, and looks forward to announcing its endorsement for Baltimore County Executive after that meeting.”
In a follow-up call, Galante declined to elaborate or to discuss the question of a quorum or other specifics. But he said the endorsement might switch based on what happens April 11.
Beytin, reached by phone Wednesday evening, declined to comment.
Olszewski is a former Baltimore County Public Schools teacher, which is how Skordalos first met him. In his campaign for the the county executive seat, he has called for universal voluntary pre-K, better school infrastructure, expanding access to school meals, and free community college.
Olszewski, of Dundalk, was 23 when he was appointed to fill a vacant seat in the Maryland House of Delegates. Since then, he was elected to the seat twice, then lost a bid for the state Senate in 2014. He recently earned a PhD in public policy from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
“We’re proud that TABCO members voted to endorse Vicki based on her decades of work for Baltimore County’s schools — from helping to deliver record funding for our schools as a member of the county council, to helping lead the effort to put School Resource Officers in the our schools as a PTA president,” Almond’s campaign said in a statement.
“We recognize that candidates who failed to win the endorsement are disappointed, but we are focused on leveraging the support of the Teachers Association of Baltimore County and continuing to build momentum for our campaign.”
Almond and Olszewski are also competing against state Sen. Jim Brochin and Kevin Marron for the Democratic nomination. Al Redmer, the state insurance commissioner, and Del. Pat McDonough are vying for the Republican nomination. The primary is June 26 of this year.
-Kris Henry,
The Towson Flyer
The democratic party has run amuck in Baltimore County. It’s diseased with corruption. This would go unnoticed if there wasn’t a challenger to Olszewski in the primary. Neither he, nor Almond, is fit to lead.