Choosing a Carpetbagger

Anne Arundel County Democrats must be real hard-up for candidates if this is being taken seriously:

An Annapolis-area Democrat and business executive announced Thursday that she is exploring a run for Anne Arundel County Executive.

Joanna Conti, who said she has run businesses in five different industries and a nonprofit, has formed an exploratory committee for a possible run against County Executive John R. Leopold in the 2010 election, Conti said in an interview. Leopold, a Republican, is seeking re-election.

Conti, who moved to Maryland in 2006 from Colorado, is a virtual unknown in local political circles. She has never held public office but ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2004 for the seat held by U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo.

Now to be fair, this is probably just somebody trying to get their name out there before the Janet Owens announces her attempt to reclaim the office. But Conti has some prominent names on her exploratory committee, including school board member and former County Council Candidate Andrew Pruski, AA Young Dems President Peter Smith, and Anne Arundel Democratic Central Committee members Ann Marie Remillard and Ann Marie Remillard.

Which leads me to two questions that need answering:

1. Are Anne Arundel Democrats really that disinterested in four more years of Janet Owens; and,
2. If they are, why would you hitch your wagon to a carpetbagger who has lived in Anne Arundel County for three years.

2010 could be a lot more interesting in Anne Arundel County than we first thought...