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Some see little value in chamber endorsement

GOP candidates outnumber Democrats in state business group’s picks

Friday, Oct. 20, 2006

Look at the endorsements from the Maryland Chamber of Commerce and one thing stands out.

For a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1 — both in the registrations of voters and legislators — Republicans outnumber Democrats 6 to 1 in the chamber’s endorsements.

Of 74 endorsements for candidates in the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates, only 11 have a ‘‘D” after their names.

For some Democrats, it shows how the chamber’s clout is diminishing.

‘‘I just get the impression that if I don’t agree with them on every single issue, I don’t have to bother,” said Del. Nancy J. King (D-Dist. 39) of Montgomery Village. ‘‘I don’t think I even filled out their questionnaire.”

King, who operates a consulting engineering firm with her husband, considers herself pro-business. Her decision to take a pass on the questionnaire was a mistake because the responses are posted on the chamber’s Web site, said Kathleen T. Snyder, the chamber’s president and CEO.

‘‘It’s one more informational tool businesses are giving their employees before they go into the voting booth. Do they want more taxes? Do they want more money for transportation? These are the kinds of questions every voter needs to be asking,” Snyder said.

Still, for King, it’s the Montgomery County chamber whose support she values. The county chamber will support incumbents, King said, even if they cast a vote — to raise taxes, for example — that might affect business.

‘‘The state chamber won’t support us, but the county chamber will so long as we support them on a majority of issues that they want us to support,” King said.

Those issues include support for the Purple Line, the Corridor Cities Transitway and the Intercounty Connector.

‘‘We don’t support Republicans. We don’t support Democrats. We support pro-business candidates,” said William Burns, the state chamber’s director of communications.

That support includes financial contributions from the chamber’s PAC to several of the candidates who received endorsements, Burns said. Four Senate candidates — three Republicans and a Democrat — received financial contributions as did 18 delegate candidates, of which three were Democrats who survived the Sept. 12 primary.

Although the chamber PAC was formed years ago, it has been dormant until recently, said Ronald W. Wineholt, the chamber’s vice president.

The state chamber has been trying to expand beyond its Baltimore and Annapolis base. Its 830 member companies represent 422,000 employees, and its board has members from a broad range of industries: utilities, banking, insurance, health care, telecommunications, accounting, construction, grocery stores and even a dry cleaning business.

How important?

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. said the chamber endorsements do not mean much.

‘‘The positions they take are nice, but it doesn’t sway votes,” said Miller (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach. ‘‘It’s not a big draw.”

He said the chamber voting guides include ‘‘irresponsible questions.”

‘‘If you’re anti-environment, you get a high score. If you’re for downsizing government, you get a high score. Then they grade poorly people who have to act and vote responsibly,” Miller said. ‘‘I don’t feel warm and fuzzy about them.”

The chamber’s PAC — which Snyder points out is separate from the chamber itself — bases its endorsements partly on a scorecard developed by Maryland Business for Responsive Government. That decision caused some consternation among Democrats last year because party members have received low scores in recent years.

The PAC also used candidate survey responses and votes on issues not included in the MBRG scorecard, said the chamber’s Wineholt.

Despite the endorsements’ Republican tilt, the chamber remains nonpartisan, Wineholt said. ‘‘The chamber continues to look for and support pro-business Democrats,” he said.

Del. Galen R. Clagett, who has run a commercial real estate business for 20 years, was surprised by the chamber’s decision to endorse the two Republicans in his race, Del. Patrick N. Hogan of Frederick and Linda Naylor of Braddock Heights. Neither has a business background, Clagett said.

‘‘I guess they don’t want business people in the legislature,” said Clagett (D-Dist. 3A) of Frederick.

Clagett, like many Democrats, has supported legislation in recent years that has been bitterly opposed by business, particularly the minimum wage increase and a bill to insist that Wal-Mart increase its employees’ health coverage. ‘‘My voting record is a pro-business record even if they talk about Wal-Mart and the minimum wage,” he said.

But even pro-business Republicans have reason to grouse.

‘‘My opinion is the chamber has been like a windsock,” said Sen. David R. Brinkley (R-Dist. 4) of New Market, who was endorsed by the state chamber. ‘‘I’d like to think they’re trying to change to become a lot more effective.”

He recalls how the chamber publicly supported a Glendening administration decision to insist Woodrow Wilson Bridge contractors follow union rules, which hurt nonunion Maryland businesses.

Like King, he said he cares more about what he hears from his local chambers in Frederick and Carroll counties.

Low draw?

Another question about the chamber’s clout could be the attendance of its business policy conference this week in Ocean City. Although more than 300 people signed up to attend, its candidate forums drew far fewer. About 150 people witnessed the showcase forum between the U.S. Senate candidates, Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele (R) and his Democratic opponent, Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin.

Events for other large business groups, such as the Greater Washington Board of Trade and the Greater Baltimore Committee, draw hundreds of people to their events.

And neither gubernatorial candidate bothered to appear in Ocean City. Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) and Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley (D) were scheduled to attend, but backed out last week. Both campaigns said their candidates had prior commitments.

While administration officials were present — indirectly supporting Ehrlich’s re-election — the conference had few if any representatives from O’Malley.

‘‘I think it’s a missed opportunity [for the O’Malley campaign],” Snyder said. ‘‘It’s a missed opportunity for both campaigns.”

Ehrlich campaign spokeswoman Shareese N. DeLeaver cautioned against reading too much into Ehrlich’s failure to attend a session where he has offered his ‘‘get dangerous” homilies in the past.

‘‘If they [the chamber] weren’t relevant, the governor wouldn’t have sent anyone at all,” DeLeaver said.

Del. Peter V.R. Franchot (D-Dist. 20) of Takoma Park, the Democratic nominee for comptroller, also had a previous commitment, a campaign aide said. Anne M. McCarthy, the Republican candidate, did attend the conference, as did both attorney general candidates.

James F. Mannarino, a group president and publisher of The Gazette, is one of more than four dozen directors on the state chamber’s board.