MD Del-39: Saqib Ali Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

Saqib Ali is a Democratic candidate for the 39th District, which is a crescent shaped district surrounding Gaithersburg to the west, north and northeast. I came across the story of Mr. Ali online while taking a break last week from preparing a campaign finance report for a local candidate whom I am supporting this year. He was facing some intimidating conduct and hate speech, approaching the definition of stalking and harassment if not exceeding it, from someone who opposed Mr. Ali on the grounds of Mr. Ali's religion, or his tormentor's perception of it.

District 39 has three incumbent Democrats, all seeking reelection. In 2002, the Democratic candidates averaged, about twice as many votes as the Republican candidates received. The district is quite blue, though there are a few bluer ones in Montgomery County.

Since I did not think that this sort of treatment was fair, I offered to provide a forum for Mr. Ali, under the principle that the best way to shut down a bigot is to provide the opposite of intimidating bigotry: fair play. I posed to Mr. Ali 5 questions and then a bonus "say what you want to say" question for number 6. Here are the questions and answers, which Mr. Ali answered through the assistance of his staff.

1. What are the three most important facts about your candidacy for the House of Delegates?

The three most important facts about me as a candidate for the House of Delegates are:

* My willingness to engage in dialogue directly with the voters in District 39. I have personally door-knocked over 2500 homes and have met hundreds of other voters at house parties, the Metro, and local events such as summer concerts and the Montgomery County Fair.

* My long-standing commitment to addressing the issues that impact our local community such as education, overdevelopment, health care and mass transit. Specifics on these issues are addressed on my website .

* My ability to build bridges between different racial, cultural and religious groups. Evidence of this includes my endorsement by Kweisi Mfume, former president of the NAACP and Democratic Candidate for US Senate, my sponsorship of the Annual Muslim-Jewish Day of Friendship, and my multicultural marriage and family.

2. According to my research, District 39 has three elected Democratic Delegates, all of whom are seeking relection as incumbents. You do significant organizing work for your local Democratic party organization. What factors led you to decide to challenge these Delegates Barkley, King and Stern in this primary election?

My work on the Howard Deen for President and Chris Van Hollen for Congress Campaigns, helped me to realize that I wanted to make a political difference in my community and my state. I am running for Delegate from District 39 because I feel that I can be the most effective and responsive representative of the people of District 39. It is not my place to criticize the incumbents but to ensure that the District's voters see me as their best choice to represent them. The voters will rate us all on election day.

3. Your website indicates significant local involvement in local Democratic organizational activities and work [on] issues such as road widening. How have those local civil activities prepared you for a four-year term in Annapolis?

The local civic and political activities I have been involved in such as Chairing the District-39 Democratic Club and the Coalition to Prevent the Widening of Longdraft Road, as well as working on behalf of increasing teacher pensions, have all helped me to understand just how our political system operates and how to build coalitions to achieve our purposes. These skills will help me serve the needs of District 39 voters in Annapolis.

4. Almost every elected official must make difficult choices and compromises in order to achieve political goals. Are there issues on which you have committed never to compromise, that are "deal-breakers" for you?

As a Delegate, I plan to concentrate on problem-solving and discovering win-win solutions to local and state problems. At the same time there are a few places where I will not compromise. I will never vote for a reduction of dollars devoted to improving public education or Maryland's University System unless the state demographics indicate that we have far fewer students to educate than we have currently. I will never vote for a bill that results in reducing the minimum wage, restricting healthcare coverage, or affordable housing options. Finally, I will never vote for a bill that erodes our civil rights and civil liberties.

5. Your website indicates that you disagree generally with Republican policy approaches, which is logical since you are a Democrat. In the event that Maryland should reelect Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich, and in light of the Maryland governor's strong constitutional veto and budget powers, what strategy would you employ to be most effective as a freshman delegate facing a Republican governor with different priorities from yourself?

I would expect to employ similar tactics to those the Democratic Majority in the House lead by Speaker Michael Busch employed so well this past legislative session, i.e. build a veto-proof majority to support the issues we want passed and to defeat the Republicans initiatives we oppose

6. Before we conclude, is there anything else that you believe the people of the 39th District and of Maryland generally should know about you?

I believe that the people of Maryland should know that I am a son of immigrants, born and educated in the US, and living the American Dream with my wife Susan and 3 month-old daughter, Sofia. I am a software engineer by profession, which means I have a logical, scientific approach to solving problems. I have a top secret clearance from the Department of Defense to work on projects that protect our country from terrorism and help to keep our fighting men and women safe. At the same time, I thoroughly enjoy the people side of the job, meeting voters, responding to their concerns and building coalitions to get “the job done.”

I do thank Mr. Ali and his campaign staff for their time and effort in participating in this electronic interview. I would welcome comments from any reader but particularly those from Montgomery County and from the 39th District.