Delauter says Kathy Afzali asked him to drop out of county exec race

By Ryan Miner 

Frederick County Councilman Kirby Delauter yesterday told A Miner Detail that Delegate Kathy Afzali (District 4), who is expected to formally announce her candidacy for Frederick County executive on September 14, asked Delauter earlier this summer to drop out of the county executive race.

Delauter, who declared his candidacy for Frederick County executive earlier this year in May, told A Miner Detail, “She came to my house on July 4 to ask me to step down. [She] brought polling data and some BS stats she drummed up.”

Delauter said that not only did Afzali ask him to step down from the county executive race, she went further, offering him a spot in her administration.

“Then said she’d offer me a top spot in her administration. My response was, ‘Kathy, you misunderstand why I’m doing this. I don’t need a job. There are real problems in the county that I know how to fix. I’m not looking for something to do.'”

Delauter went on to tell A Miner Detail that Afzali told him that it would cost her $200,000 to beat him.

Delauter’s response to Afzali was “if you’re so far ahead in your poll, it shouldn’t cost you a dime. Problem is, you need me, I don’t need you.”

Kathy Afzali has not responded to A Miner Detail’s request for comment.