State Senator Steve Waugh
Huntingtown, MD – Calvert County’s Republican Party had much to celebrate at their annual Lincoln – Reagan Dinner Thursday, June 11. The festive occasion, however, was tempered by the recent death of the local party’s former central committee chairman. The event was held at the Hall of Huntingtown.
Frank McCabe passed away earlier in the month from complications from cancer.
“He changed the political culture,” said Delegate Tony O’Donnell of his friend’s impact on Calvert’s political landscape. Prior to McCabe’s arrival in Calvert, although the ranks of the devotees was strong, Democrats held majorities among registered voters and in the numbers of elected officials.
Many of Calvert’s current elected officials—including all five county commissioners, O’Donnell and House of Delegates colleague Mark Fisher; and State Senator Steve Waugh—are part of the GOP majority. Several of them presented proclamations commemorating McCabe’s life to current central committee members.
“It’s been a tough few days,” said County Commissioner Pat Nutter. “What a sweet guy.”
“I’ve never seen the guy upset,” said Waugh, who served as the event’s emcee and presented the committee members with a certificate signed by Governor Larry Hogan.
“He was right there in my corner,” said Maryland Republican Party chair Diana Waterman, who credited McCabe with helping her attain her position with the state GOP. “It’s not the same without him but I know he’s with us.”
Current Calvert County Republican Central Committee Chairman Greg Ostrander announced the local party will create an annual award in McCabe’s honor.
Award winners for 2014 announced during the program were former central committee vice chairman Bob Arscott, Man of the Year; and former central committee secretary Judy MacWilliams,who was named Republican Woman of the Year for 2014. MacWilliams is currently involved in the party’s state organization. Additionally, MacWilliams is involved with the Arts Council of Calvert County as a member of the board of directors.
During her remarks at the beginning of the program, Waterman told the audience Republicans have a far superior field of 2016 presidential candidates then the do the Democrats. “We have everything,” she stated. “We have got to elect a Republican to the White House.”
With a few of Maryland’s Democrat congressmen seeking the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated with the retirement of Barbara Mikulski, Waterman said Republicans have a big opportunity to make gains in the House. She added that winning the open senate seat is also a strong possibility.
Later in the evening, Waterman told The Bay Net the GOP currently has one senate candidate in Maryland—Chrys Kefalas, a former aide to Governor Robert Ehrlich. The chair said she expects at least one more Republican to enter the race this summer. While Waterman hedged at speculating whether Maryland would be a battleground state in 2016, she stated, “we have turned Maryland Republican before and we can do it again.”
The event’s keynote speaker was Florida Congressman Ted S. Yoho, a career veterinarian who won election to the House of Representatives after defeating a GOP incumbent in the 2012 Primary.
“I think we’re off-track,” said Yoho of the direction America is heading with Barack Obama in the White House. “What needs to be fundamentally transformed is not America. It’s Washington, DC.”
Yoho called the Affordable Care Act “a debacle,” citing it as an example of America’s move toward socialism. He added that the Democratic Party’s slide toward socialism has its origins in then-future president Woodrow Wilson’s 1887 essay “Socialism and Democracy.”
“This is the time to rebuild America,” said Yoho.
The 2014 election of Republican Larry Hogan as Maryland governor was cheered several times during the event. One member of Hogan’s cabinet—Planning Secretary David Craig—told The Bay Net that Maryland’s rural counties need not feel beleaguered by state government. “We want to help rural Maryland,” said Craig, a former state legislator and Harford County executive. A report on revisions to the prior administration’s “Plan Maryland” can be anticipated sometime next month.
“There’s not ‘One Maryland’ when it comes to planning and zoning,” said Craig, who added the department’s staff intends to stay in contact with elected officials and planners in each of the state’s 24 jurisdictions to help address challenges.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com
