Guzzone, Siddiqui Make Moves for New Positions

The month of June has been a big one for local politicos. A flurry of campaign announcements have led to constant news about elections that won't take place until 2014.

The latest includes Delegate Guy Guzzone and School Board Member Janet Siddiqui. Guzzone announced on the evening of June 14 that he'd be leaving the House to run for the District 13 Senate seat, which was vacated earlier this year when Sen. James Robey announced his retirement.

"I have a true love for the House and the people in it," said Guzzone at his annual pizza party in Jessup, according to an Explore Howard report. "I was given great opportunities there to do some good things, but in the final analysis it just seemed like this was the best bet."

"He's one of the great public servants in Howard County," said County Executive Ken Ulman, during a tour of the Savage Fire Station. "I'm certainly optimistic and hopeful that we'll both be able to serve in Annapolis and do more for the citizens of Howard County and the entire state."

Ulman announced he would run for Lt. Governor on the 2014 gubernatorial ticket with Anthony Brown at a campaign event at the Columbia lakefront on June 3.

Guzzone, 49, was widely expected to run for County Executive, but earlier this year said he would not in order to continue in state government.

Janet Siddiqui, the school board member whose ubiquitous orange signs cover Howard County during election season, announced over the weekend she's going to run a campaign for the state house.

At a fundraiser on Saturday, Siddiqui said she would run for Guzzone's current seat—the District 13 delegate seat. Siddiqui, of Clarksville, told supporters at Centennial Park in Ellicott City she wanted to take her work on education to the next level, according to Explore Howard.

Siddiqui is a pediatrician who currently works as the Office Medical Director at John Hopkins Community Physicians in Odenton. She was first elected to the county's board of education in 2007 and has lived in the county for 30 years.

District 13 includes Clarksville, parts of Columbia, Elkridge and Savage.