Tuesday, July 29th - Voting starts in 24 Days !!
The Candidates’ Forum sponsored by the Frederick County Democrats filled the Community Room and more at the C. Burr Artz Library last night. I hear there is a YouTube video running somewhere, but know that people ARE interested in many topics -- we only had a chance for a few questions yesterday.
The Chamber of Commerce, FCAR, and FCBA are sponsoring a forum on The Arc on S. Market Street - Aug.12th at 5:30pm
A citizen sponsored forum at HOOD COLLEGE at Rosenstock Hall is on for Aug. 19th at 6pm.
Mountain City Lodge hosts candidates on the first day of school Aug.20th at 6pm.
EARLY VOTING is August 22-23 at Trinity Rec Center near Harry Grove Stadium.
Your BALLOTS should be arriving in the mail in the next few weeks.
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REMINDER: Democratic Forums on Monday, July 28th at C. Burr Artz Library Community Room - Mayoral Candidates - 6:15PM and 13 City Council Candidates - 7:00PM. Make plans to attend.
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Jennifer Dougherty, Democrat for City Council at Large Promotes Renovation of City Hall Park with Guidance from Public Arts Commission and Garden Clubs
July 24, 2025 - From the beginning of time, people marked walls, public spaces, even the ground with symbols – what we now call art. The sunrises and sunsets of the seasons marked in stone, places of worship, and pieces of jewelry with drawings tell a story. Live performances in open-air theaters or historic theaters-in-the round made people laugh, cry and sing along. Winners of battles wrote the history of the day – maybe embellishing the victor’s story -- in paintings, tapestries, or ballads.
In Frederick, we see why public art is important and why we still invest in it today. It reflects what we value whether along Carroll Creek Park, on a parking deck, on a building, or on a skate park.
In 2001, while serving as mayor, we passed a commitment to public art with the passage of one of the first Arts & Entertainment Districts in Maryland. The creation of the district made it possible for artists to invest in the Downtown and their art without being “starving artists”.
The City of Frederick has committed to the Arts over the years and the creation of the Public Art Commission is an important way to remove politics from art!
In 2001, I created the Carroll Creek Task Force to “paint the picture” of what the development of Carroll Creek Park should look like. I appointed two artists to the task force because we needed more than just the buildings to look right, we needed the space to feel right.
If elected, I will propose that the Public Art Commission and the local Garden Clubs collaborate on a renovation of City Hall Park which needs new and safe sidewalks, new seating, illustrations of our history, and plantings that reflect our rich history.
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July 15, 2025 - UPDATE
Hey Voters, the Frederick County Democrats have organized a FORUM for candidates at the C. Burr Artz Library on E. Patrick Street in Downtown Frederick on Monday, July 28, 2025 - 6:30 for Mayoral Candidates; 7:15PM for City Council Candidates. I hope you can attend.
Hey Team Frederick, I want to tell you that I am running for Frederick City Council at Large and I need your vote in the Democratic Primary !
Vote by mail or drop your mail-in ballot in the drop box (You will get a mail-in ballot delivered in August.)
Vote EARLY in person at Trinity Rec Center, 6040 New Design Road (near Harry Grove Stadium) on August 22-23, 2025!
Vote Jennifer Dougherty for City Council at Large by Sept. 9, 2025!
They Say All Politics is Local…Let’s Talk About It!
There is so much talk about how politics is broken and so much talk about our national political scene and I spend plenty of time talking with people on that topic. Why don’t we talk about the local stuff?
Why don’t we talk about the things that impact us every day in almost every way -- traffic, taxes, housing, childcare?
I think our local politics still matter and can get things done. But, it takes knowledge and work.
Think about it, your property taxes are probably the biggest tax bill you pay each year, but you don’t hear much about them. This year, even when some on the City Council wanted to lower taxes and reduce a little bit of spending, they did not realize that they had painted themselves into a corner with the Charter reform last year. They were in such a rush to adopt something, they made a really big mistake.
Most City elected officials are running for re-election even though they voted for term-limits. More interesting to me is that they are saying “We have unfinished business.”
Most have been in office 3 or 4 terms…how come there is so much unfinished business after 16 years? I am running for City Council because I think we need some new people representing us. We need some new ideas and new energy.
Jennifer’s Background
Some of you know me. I have owned several businesses in Downtown Frederick – starting in 1987 with my first restaurant, then adding the Irish Shop in 1999, opening Magoo’s in 2009, adding my group tours about 12 years ago. I am also a licensed Realtor. My life in Frederick includes the Chamber of Commerce, Heartly House, and the Rotary Club of Carroll Creek. I love Frederick and I really like to work!
I served as Mayor from 2002-2006 and in that term, I set clear goals, and we delivered on them. Carroll Creek Park was transformed from the Tinker Toys to an award-winning park and destination. I created the Neighborhood Advisory Councils, reformed the Police Department with a focus on Community Policing, and grew affordable housing in Frederick with the Hope VI project. Did you know we created tax credits for the Arts & Entertainment District? We installed the first speed bumps and traffic-calming circles to slow traffic around schools. We created the Department of Economic Development to make sure we balanced our job creation with housing growth. We transformed the Old Armory into a Rec Center, restored the Laboring Sons Park to a historic marker for a long-ignored community. Did you know we made the first City investment in FITCI while I was mayor?
Enough about the past, elections are a bet on the future. That’s why I decided to run for City Council. You can get things done in 4 years, if you see problems as solvable, not as political tools.
A New City Council – Art of the Possible
We will have a new City Council and new relationship with the next mayor. Seven people who bring different skills, experience, and ideas will be asked to deliver for residents. My experience and desire to help get things done will help deliver for residents.
The new City Council will have to identify our shared goals, debate new ideas, and prioritize what residents need.
Ted Lasso’s motto is “BELIEVE.”
Let’s make local politics the “Art of the Possible”.
I think it’s possible to do a better job of repaving our streets and sidewalks.
I think we need a Police Kiosk along Carroll Creek.
And we need to respond to residents’ complaints because we want to solve problems, not because we are backed into a corner.
There are ways to improve how our government works and I can ask the right questions and deliver creative solutions. We are all so busy, but we let government spend endless hours, months, and years studying issues that impact us every day.
We all live with deadlines, let’s make the City do that too. I want residents to be involved and serve on the N.A.C.s and needed task forces. Let’s be honest, if they serve, City Hall should listen.
For 20 years, we have heard about a Downtown hotel. We have one now, but it’s not the one the City has been working on
For 20 years, we have heard about the Westside Regional Park. I think 3 task forces volunteered for the City, but no park yet and $ 200,000 spent on consultants who ignored the work of the task forces.
For 20 years, several vacant downtown buildings sat empty and idle. Now, we wait for the redevelopment of Market Street and infrastructure improvements promised in the last election.
And in the past few years, the City has annexed more than 600 acres. That’s about 1,200-1,800 new homes. What’s the plan for a city population of more than 100,000? Where will the people work and go to school? How will they get there?
Make no mistake, there are good things happening, but we cannot take our eyes off the ball. The clock is ticking and the work won’t wait.
What can I do on the City Council?
I bring energy and ideas.
I grew up playing team sports. Team sports help you develop your skills and how you fit into a team. As a business owner, I know time matters. As a longtime resident, I know that our hometown needs more than lip service about unfinished business.
We can improve accountability for performance and create a “manage up” plan that rewards city employees for success by bringing ideas to the table, tracking results, and measuring what we do.
We need to address the serious concerns of Eastside residents with the planned development of the Brickworks property by promoting connections and working on an Eastside Regional Park.
We can restore some of our lost services like leaf collection and bulk trash and be more efficient in bringing new services like expanding to weekly recycling.
We can prove that young people matter to us and that we know it’s hard to live and work in Frederick.
The Next Generation Initiative is a direct-service contract with young people who can be hired to perform specific jobs in the City. Hire them on a two-year contract to address actual needs, but for a finite period. They get a good starting job, resume experience, benefits, help with college debt or down-payment assistance. City residents get young, energetic employees to help protect the Watershed, provide financial assistance for people in need, planning, and project management. Break the program down so that 25% of city departments bring the plan online for each of our 4 years. Test and measure the results, refine the program, and challenge city employees to get creative. The concept comes from Benjamin Franklin’s experience; we could learn a few things from Ben Franklin.
The Lunar Society is a volunteer educational program for high school students who want to expand their knowledge and skills with mentoring from local professionals. I know our school curricula are very tightly managed, but we should do what we can to help create the next generation of civic leaders.
Affordable housing is a catch-all phrase for public officials to demonstrate they care. We have not put enough affordable units into the mix and residents of all ages are worried that they are priced out of the Frederick housing market. There are many factors that impact the cost of housing, but to get more units we need to be more creative and realize the old system of payment instead of construction has not solved the problem. We also need to evaluate whether the funds collected for rental licensing are helping to solve the problem identified by the Council. I will work with developers, non-profit housing advocates, residents, and anyone who is serious about building more units every year, so we don’t scare young people away for lack of housing options. We did it with the Hope VI program and we can do it again.
Your Vote
This is a new election. We will have 5 council seats by district and 2 At Large, as well as the mayor. I am asking for one of your votes for City Council At Large in the Democratic Primary – early voting August 22-23 at Trinity Rec Center, 6040 New Design Road (near Harry Grove Stadium) and mail-in Primary Ballots due by Sept. 9th.