GOP Stalwart Faces Foes

T. Bryan McIntire likes to say he never enters an election confident of victory.

So far, the Baltimore County Councilman's insecurity has paid off.

The 80-year-old Republican from Timonium has served four terms on the council and will face five challengers in his party's Sept. 14 primary election for the 3rd District Council seat. The district encompasses the county's largest geographic area, stretching from the Timonium area up to the Pennsylvania border and fanning out across the entire northern expanse to Harford County and Carroll County.

But this year McIntire sounds more confident then he lets on.

"It doesn't bother me," McIntire said of the large field of challengers. "I think they all have one thing in common, and that is they realize that I probably won't run again [in four years], and they want to get a head start … for the next election."

He may believe the other candidates are in the race simply to establish name recognition for the 2014 race, when McIntire is likely to retire.

But his opponents beg to differ.

"I'm in this race to beat him," said candidate Todd Huff. "This isn't about me getting a name for the next time out. I'm in this to beat him."

Huff recently beat out McIntire for the endorsement of the 42nd District Republican Club. The 42nd District includes Timonium, among other beltway communities in the 42nd Legislative District.

The loss of the endorsement did not surprise McIntire. Huff is one of the group's founders. What did surprise McIntire was that he said he may have come close to getting the organization's support.

"I'm surprised that it was as close as it was," McIntire said. "I expected him to take it by a landslide."

The 42nd District Republican Club does not publicize the results of the 44-member vote, but Huff garnered the necessary 67 percent of the ballot to win. Familiarity with Huff played a significant role in his nomination, said Julianne Grim, the president of the club.

"Todd's been a supporter of the club since the beginning," Grim said. "He's donated a lot of his time and efforts to helping build the organization. He's a supporter of our meetings and our large events. He's a friendly face to a lot of the club members."

Grim commended McIntire, the lone Republican on the County Council, and said she is "proud of the work he has done."

The increase in candidates is more about a desire for change, she said.

"I think wherever you look on the ballot, there are an overwhelming number of candidates," Grim said. "I think it's a testament to the direction that the government is going in now and we want a change."

Huff, 42, recently received another endorsement from Helen Bentley, the former Republican Congresswoman.

"Helen has been working very closely with me for the past three years," said Huff, who works as the operations manager for Brooks-Huff Tire and Auto, a family business with three garages located along the York Road corridor between Towson and Hunt Valley. "She feels that I'm the next generation, coming in there and doing what needs to be done for the county to head in the right direction."

Huff credited his upbringing in Sparks for building his concern for agricultural preservation, a top issue in the race. He said he is qualified to serve because of his experience in business and his work as president of his homeowners association.

Huff said he he respects McIntire's contributions to the council, but added that he is prepared to replace him.

"The bottom line, Bryan has done a great job in the past, but it's time for new blood," Huff said. "I'm full of energy, fresh ideas, and I bring to the table the abilities to get the business community and residential community to ... work together."

Aside from Huff, McIntire also faces challenges from Jim Christina, 52, a podiatrist who from Cockeysville; George H. Harman, 66, an environmental consultant and former state employee from Reisterstown; Jeff Srnec, 51, an electrical engineer from Carney; and Glen A. Thomas, 64, an educational consultant from Phoenix. 

With an undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University and a post-graduate degree from the University of Baltimore, McIntire feels his educational background is one of his strengths. So, too, is his 16 years of service on the council, he said.

McIntire has seen much change in the political landscape over those 16 years. He said the biggest changes have been the use of technology such as social networking and the increasing costs of mounting a campaign.

"It's more costly as time goes on," McIntire said. "The first time I ran and won I had $20,000. That was my whole campaign kitty. Today you couldn't get very far on that limited amount of money. It's certainly become more expensive, it's become more aggressive. The e-mail and the Twitter and Facebook, or whatever it's called, have become much more widely used in campaigning. E-mail has become a huge factor."

Despite the changes, McIntire said he hopes voters appreciate his faithful service over the years. He said he is not simply assuming that his incumbency entitles him to his seat on the council.

"I never run confident," McIntire said. "I always run scared. Always have and still do."