Montgomery County Council

Don Praisner (D-Silver Spring) defeated Mark Fennel (R-Silver Spring) by a margin of 2-to-1 in yesterday's special election to fill the vacant District 4 seat on the Montgomery County Council. Praisner, widower of the late Councilwoman Marilyn Praiser, received 66.11 percent of the vote to Fennel's 33.62 percent.

Voter turnout was 10.64 percent, according to the Montgomery County Board of Elections.

On Friday, we reported that Montgomery County Council candidate Mark Fennel (R-Silver Spring) released a statement accusing his opponent Don Praisner (D-Silver Spring) and the Montgomery County Board of Elections of a coordinated effort to distribute what his campaign deemed "an unnecessary 4-page letter to 90,000 plus voters in council District 4 to try to stimulate voter turnout for Don Praisner."

The issue revolves around the original Montgomery County Board of Elections sample ballots, which included the candidates' names, but not party affiliation.

The county board of elections began distributing mailings to District 4 residents on Friday, where they identified Praisner as a Democrat and Fennel as a Republican.

Marjorie Roher, a spokesperson for the county board of elections, denied any political maneuvering, saying, "We are a bipartisan group. I cannot imagine that there was any discussion with one candidate over the other."

Mark Fennel (R-Silver Spring), the GOP nominee to replace the late Marilyn Praisner (D) on the Montgomery County Council, District 4, issued a statement yesterday objecting to the distribution of what his campaign called "an unnecessary 4-page letter to 90,000 plus voters in council District 4 to try to stimulate voter turnout for Don Praisner," his Democratic opponent in Tuesday's special election.

The issue revolves around the Montgomery County Board of Elections sample ballots, which include the candidates' names, but not party affiliation.

Today, the county board of elections began distributing the mailings to District 4 residents, which Fennel called "a political waste of the taxpayers' money."

The county is heavily Democratic-likely the main reason why Fennel voiced his concern.

ROCKVILLE-- Just as voters prepare to go to the polls to select nominees for the vacant District 4 seat on the Montgomery County Council, the majority of the candidates participated in traditional get-out-the-vote efforts, from phone-banking to door-to-door campaigning.

On the Democratic side, Nancy Navarro, Don Praisner and Pat Ryan of Silver Spring, along with Steve Kanstoroom of Ashton, are vying for their party's nomination.

Pat Ryan (D-Silver Spring) admits that he is the “dark horse candidate” in the race to fill the vacant District 4 seat on the Montgomery County Council.

The federal consultant is one of four Democratic candidates competing in Tuesday’s special primary election. The other candidates are Don Praisner (D-Silver Spring), the husband of the deceased councilwoman Marilyn Praisner, Nancy Navarro (D-Silver Spring), the president of the Montgomery County Board of Education, and activist Steve Kanstoroom (D-Ashton).

Navarro and Praisner are considered the favorites at this point.

Ryan, who previously worked on Capitol Hill and with the Department of Veterans Affairs, said he would bring a “combination of political experience and knowledge of the district” to Montgomery County, which “the other candidates don’t have.”

Running as a self-described “centrist,” information technology developer Thomas Hardman (R-Rockville) hopes to earn a seat on the Montgomery County Council. Hardman is one of four Republican candidates seeking the GOP nomination in the race to fill the vacant District 4 council seat left vacant by the death of Marilyn Praisner (D). A special primary election has been scheduled for April 15, while the general election will take place May 13.

“I’m not really a part of the established political community,” Hardman told PolitickerMD.com.

In 2006, Hardman made an unsuccessful run at a state delegate position in District 19. Today, the IT developer said issues like combating gang violence and improving education standards are some of his top priorities.