Bartenfelder's big shoes to fill in 6h District

Whenever Bob Driscoll looks at the newly paved roads in his neighborhood, he thinks of Joe Bartenfelder.

Driscoll, the president of the Aero Acres Improvement Association, credits the 53-year-old Bartenfelder for the road improvements and lots of other constituent service in his 16 years on the Baltimore County Council.

"He has always been there whenever we needed assistance," Driscoll said. "We will definitely miss him."

Bartenfelder's tenure representing the 6th District ends Monday when the new County Council takes its oath of office. The Democrat did not seek a fifth term after losing in September in his bid for county executive to Kevin Kamenetz, who was sworn in Monday.

Driscoll and other Essex and Middle River voters at a recent Aero Acres Civic Improvement Association praised Bartenfelder.

"We just wanted to tell Joe 'thank you' for his years of service to our community," Driscoll said. "We also felt like he received a raw deal during the election and the campaign got really negative from the other side. It didn't portray exactly what Joe Bartenfelder did during his time in office."

Driscoll, like other Bartenfelder backers, criticized Kamenetz's negative ads attacking the councilman.

In what may be the costliest Baltimore County executive campaign ever, Kamenetz spent nearly $2 million -- $1.2 million of it to defeat fellow four-term Democrat Bartenfelder, who spent slightly more than $1 million, Patch's Bryan Sears reported in his .

 "Joe has always put us first," said Kelly Tingler, an Aero Acres resident and secretary of the Essex-Middle River Civic Council.  "Joe is a decent, honest, hard-working Democrat who through his efforts created 'win-wins' year after year, throughout his career. 

"Losing Joe is a tremendous loss for Aero Acres because we feel we will not receive the same hands-on, involved, 'I-live-here-and-I care' attention from any other councilperson. It's sad, really. It appears as though money has 'bought' Baltimore County government, not hard work."

Bob Bendler, the Wilson Point Improvement Association president, said Bartenfelder's down-to-earth nature and responsiveness anytime the association needed him impressed members.

Cathy Bevins, an Oliver Beach Democrat replacing Bartenfelder on the County Council, has big shoes to fill, Bendler said.

"Whenever we called, Joe answered," Bendler said. "I just hope we get that same level of service from our new councilman."

Bartenfelder says he's humbled by the support has received since the election.

He admits the tone of the Kamenetz campaing hurt him but says says he's ready to move on.

"What's in the past is in the past," said Bartenfelder, a Fullerton farmer. "I have plenty to keep me busy, including my farm. However, while I'm not in office anymore, I still plan on being active. I know how government operates and if someone needs my help, I'm going to offer it."

Bartenfelder remained non-committal about his political future but added, "I never say never about anything."