Deli owner announces mayoral candidacy
Originally published February 13, 2009
By Adam Behsudi
News-Post Staff
Randy McClement, a downtown business owner, announced Thursday he is running for mayor of Frederick . The Republican and his wife own The Market Bagel and Deli on South Market Street. He made his announcement from the restaurant where he was surrounded by friends and supporters. "For the past few months I've been asking a lot of people a lot of questions," said McClement, 52. That dialogue started with customers, he said, and extended to people from across the city through his involvement on boards and committees. "They want to see our city continue to be an attractive, desirable location for business and residents," McClement said. The self-described "bagel man of Market Street" said he will focus during his campaign on improving public safety, infrastructure and traffic. During his announcement, he mentioned the federal stimulus plan and its potential to help Frederick . "I'll do my best to bring Frederick its fair share of that stimulus," he said. McClement is the board president of the Tourism Council of Frederick County, sits on the city's ethics commission and is chairman of the city's charter review committee. He is also vice president of Celebrate Frederick and chairman of the annual In the Street festival. Before he opened his restaurant nine years ago, McClement worked six years in government sales with Storage Technology Corp. and 13 years as property manager and director of management for Vanguard Management in Germantown. McClement is no stranger to local politics. He ran an unsuccessful campaign for alderman four years ago. Two of his former GOP opponents, aldermen C. Paul Smith and Alan Imhoff, were there for his announcement. Republican Mayor Jeff Holtzinger also made an appearance -- to get breakfast, he said. Holtzinger, in his first term as mayor, has not decided if he will run again. If he does, he will face McClement in the GOP primary. "He's a good guy," the mayor said. "It's not necessarily good for me." The only other Republican to file for the mayoral candidacy is Clint Hoffman, owner of Discount Towing. On the Democratic side, Jack Lynch, who describes himself as the smart-growth candidate, is the only name so far on the ballot. McClement's wife, Maryjane, said her contribution to the campaign is keeping an eye on the day-to-day business of the deli. She said her husband's mayoral run could differ from the campaign of four years ago. "It's going to be a little bit more intense," she said. "But, you know, my husband amazes me."
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