Evening star., 1948-11-10

In c u q T.. ~
Brooke Lee, ere
tired" county Mrs. Opal.
Democratic leader, who last yea
Endorsed the charter.
Meanwhile. Mrs. Alma T. Opal
Takoma Park Republican, an
nounced her candidacy for one o
the two at-large seats on the coun
Gil. 1t was the first such announce
ment to be made since the charte
was adopted last week.
While Mr.. Smith last week sug
gested the names of three person.
for the council, he made it clear il
a statement issued after yesterday
closed session that his committe,
has decided to refrain from maxim.
any oficial recommendations fol
candidates to the Charter Com.
mittee's Nominating Committee.
Letter Sent to Gardner.
The statement was in a letter tt
Allen II. Gardner. chairman of the
Nominating Committee.
Recalling that Mr.. Gardner tolo
the Democratic committee last
month that if the charter were
adopted the Charter Committee
would campaign for a slate of eoun-
Gil candidates, Mr.. Smith said:
ut seems most appropriate to us
that the Charter Committee nov
assume that responsibility.
1T is our further view that GER
tainly as to the first term of the
new county council, this respponsi-
bility should remain the sole re-
sponsibility of the Charter Com
mittee. We therefore regard it as
inappropriate for the Democratic
State Central Committee to recon-
mend candidates to your Nominat-
ing Committee as requested by you
For the same reason. the Demo
cratic State Central Committee will
likewise refrain from nominating
any candidates or any slate of can
didates for the council" -.
Support Urged.
He expressed the BELLE that the
new charter government in the
county, at least for its first two
years of operation. should be ad-
ministered by county council COM
posed of individuals who favored
and believed in the charter, such as
the Montgomery County Charter
Committee will select. as you state,
without regard to tteir party af11li-
ations"
At the same time, Mr.. Smith said
his committee will recommend to
the county's Democratic voters that
they cast their ballots in the cour-
Gil election January for the slate
of seven . candidates which the
Montgomery County Charter Com
mittee selects and supports"
This" he said, assures complete
and absolute responsibility in the
charter group and eliminates any
necessity or reason for any deal
with any political party"
The Republican State Central
Committee has voted to make nom-
nations for the council.
Comment withheld.
Charter movement spokesmer
withheld comment for the presen
on the Democratic decision.
Mr.. Gardner said it may be twt
or three weeks before the Nominal.
ing Committee slate is made public
The Nominating Committee will
have another meeting very soon
but it Is unlikely that there will
be any final decision ION candi.
dates for two or three weeks" h,
said.
The committee Is getting some
very good suggestions on candidate.
from all parts of the county, ane
we are going to consider the entire
field very carefully.
I'VE believe that care in the
selection of an outstanding slate
of candidates will pay dividends ir
good government in the future
Petition Planned.
An active supporter of the char.
ter since 1943, Mrs. Opal said sh'
planned to circulate a petition mex
week for her candidacy. All peti
tions of candidates must bear th'
names of at least 500 registered
voters and must be filed with tn
Board of Election Supervisors NJ
later than midnight December Il
Mrs. Opal made her intention
known in a letter to Col. Normal
B. Ames, Charter Committee presi
dent. In her letter, she opposed an.
plan by the committee to nominat
o slate Of candidates.
THE petitions are the nomina
tors" she declared. The charte
has been adopted by the people ant
the people should vote on the candi
dates"
A native of Chicago, Mrs. Opa
came to Montgomery County abou
10 years ago. She has been prom
inent in Republican politics an
unsuccessfully sought the Repub
lican nomination to the House @
DELEGATES two years ago.