Lawyer Up

Send in the lawyers...

Del. Donald H. Dwyer Jr. beat Del. Joan Cadden by 28 votes for the third seat in House District 31, the county Board of Elections reported after counting absentee ballots from overseas. And two-term county Councilwoman Barbara D. Samorajczyk lost to Annapolis jewelery storeowner Ronald A. George by 53 votes for the third spot in District 30....

...Though Dwyer and George declared victory yesterday, the Democratic candidates said they would not yet concede, leaving open the possibility of a recount. The Democrats also are questioning the rejection of more than 200 provisional ballots - some by people who claimed to have registered at the Motor Vehicle Administration. Cadden, a three-term legislator, said that a decision on how to proceed will be made next week, and that party attorneys are considering other issues as well, but she would not elaborate.

This is not entirely surprising given how close the races are and how large Cadden and Samorajczyk's margins were after Election Day itself. But I highly doubt that the results are going to change. More than likely, Dwyer will return and Ron George will take the oath of office in January.

Of course, this also shows the problems that exist with the Motor Voter law rammed down our throats during the Clinton years, but that law isn't going anywhere anytime soon, unfortunately.

Speaking of Dwyer, I got a message from a fellow District 31 resident who wanted me to pass this along as it relates to this post:

The phrase Katy bar the door! (also as Katy bar the gate!; sometimes written as Katie) is a very American exclamation, more common in the South than elsewhere, meaning that disaster impends—“watch out”, “get ready for trouble” or “a desperate situation is at hand”.

Dwyer is telling the world that either he is going to cause more trouble, or probably more accurately, that he is a desperate and disastrous legislator.

The reader said it, not me.