Anne Arundel County Republicans who were excluded from an Odenton street festival earlier this month say there was foul play involved in their rejection.
Leadership at the Piney Orchard Street Festival, on the other hand, says it made an “honest mistake” in allowing Democrats to campaign there.
A representative from the Anne Arundel County Republican Central Committee in May requested space for a political booth at the annual fall festival hosted by the Piney Orchard Community Association. In a May 11 email, festival leadership rejected the request, saying it was not accepting political booths this year.
On Sept. 13, when Republican Anne Arundel County Council candidate Tom Wieland arrived to engage with constituents, he was surprised to see a booth sponsored by the District 33 Democratic Club decorated with campaign posters for Councilmember Allison Pickard, Del. Andrew Pruski and Sen. Dawn Gile, among other Democratic candidates.
“I’m in my 70s. One of the reasons I’m running is because nobody else wants to do it,” Wieland said. “And this is why — it’s so one-sided. We’re trying to fight this giant Democratic machine, which is clearly unfair and basically silencing free speech.”
But the chairperson of the festival says there’s a simple explanation and the exclusion wasn’t politically motivated.
Festival personnel said that as the festival drew closer, Pruski contacted those in charge of it. By that time, much closer to the festival’s date, leadership knew there was going to be extra space available and allowed Pruski and the Democratic club to participate.
“Please know this was not a matter of picking and choosing one group over another,” festival chairperson Susan Swank wrote in an email to Jamaal Alexander of the Republican Central Committee, which she then shared with the Capital Gazette. “It was simply an error in judgment while trying to fill remaining spaces and ensure the event was successful for the community.”
Swank added that with hundreds of vendor emails and details to manage, it did not cross her mind that she had previously said political booths would not be included. She also said she is a registered Republican and would not intentionally bar her own party. Several years ago, the festival altogether removed political participation because of “havoc” it caused, she said.
“This was an honest mistake, and I was not trying to pick or choose one party over the other,” Swank said.
Wieland said he didn’t accept the explanation.
“I don’t believe any of that,” Wieland said. “I believe it was absolutely deliberate and it was an attempt to censor a conservative voice in the Piney Orchard area. My goal in the future is to make sure that doesn’t happen again. You can’t pick and choose what political booth you prefer to have.”
Scott Howarth, president of the District 33 Democratic Club, said the organization followed the process set out by the organizers of the festival to get approval to host a booth. He added that the club was not aware of any discussion between the organizers and any local Republican organizations regarding their participation in the event.
“The 33rd District Democratic Club supports everyone’s ability to attend public events and participate in positive political discourse with constituents,” Howarth said. “The First Amendment right to free speech continues to be at the core of our club and our nation’s principles.”
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