Political Ad Pairs Executive Candidate with Slumlords

The increasingly bitter race for Baltimore County executive just got a little nastier.

A mailer supporting candidate Kevin Kamenetz accuses Joe Bartenfelder, one of his competition in the Sept. 14 Democratic primary, of taking "$15,000 from slumlords."

"Joe Bartenfelder's slumlord connections are putting everyone at risk," the direct mail literature states.

It features a grainy black-and-white photo of trash cans in the background and Bartenfelder's face in the foreground. The District 6 county councilman's face is set behind text so that only Bartenfelder's eyes are fully visible.

The ad goes on to state that Bartenfelder "opposed a law to protect tenants from unsafe and rundown properties and shield neighborhoods from unruly tenants."  

The piece of mail carries the authority tag of a group called "A Better Baltimore County" whose treasurer is Michael P. Strange. According to Maryland Board of Elections records, the group was established in August to support the slate of Kamenetz, county Councilman Vince Gardina and Councilman John Olzsewski.

The flyer touts Kamenetz's votes on rental laws and features the District 2 county councilman's campaign Web site address.  

Tom Welzenbach, Bartenfelder's campaign manager, said his candidate has not seen the mailer yet. But Welzenbach had looked at it and he blamed Kamenetz.

"Mr. Kamenetz is running a smear campaign as best he can," he said. "It is an attack. I think most people will find it offensive."

The ad also carries a quote from county Councilman Vince Gardina that states, "Joe Bartenfelder sold out our neighborhoods by standing in the way of the rental registration law. Kevin Kamenetz championed the law, protecting our neighborhoods and our property values."  

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An earlier version of this article misidentified John Olzsewski as a delegate. We regret the error.