National news tends to drown out local politics, but attention needs to be paid to our Carroll County primaries.

For the first time, we will have five commissioners to be elected by district this fall.

Yes, we're just getting started with the filing deadline this past week, but here's my early take on it:

There are only two incumbents running for Commissioner.

In District 2, Julia Walsh Gouge faces a significant primary challenger in Hampstead Mayor Haven Shoemaker, but her long record as a commissioner should make her the favorite in both the primary and the general. Other GOP contenders in that primary are Brian Dimaggio and Stephen Buettner.

In the 5th District, Michael Zimmer has only one term to point to, and in my opinion his record has been less than spectacular. However, Zimmer is an energetic campaigner.

He faces a strong primary challenge in the person of Doug Howard, with Marcel van Rossum also in the race. If Zimmer survives the primary, he would face an even stronger challenge in the General Election from columnist and former federal government executive Hugh McLaurin.

I look for a Howard-McLaurin faceoff in November. Both are well-qualified candidates.

Two former commissioners are trying for a comeback.

Perry Jones was popular in office but did not campaign hard enough in the 2006 primary, and lost. He is running in the gerrymandered 4th District, which to my mind was designed to defeat him.

His personal popularity might carry him through the primary over four other GOP contenders -- Chris Bouchat, David Jones, Hank Martin and Richard Rothschild. Whoever wins will face a Democrat challenger, either Michele Johnson or George Maloney.

In the rural 1st District, former commissioner Robin Frazier, who was defeated back in 2002, also is attempting a comeback.

There are five other Republican challengers -- Vincent Pacelli, Michael Blair, Ron Buczkowski, George Butler and Steve Reynolds. Thanks to the gerrymandering of that district map, I would guess Frazier might win the primary over that field. Tina Mawhinney is running on the Democrat side in the 1st District.

That leaves the 3rd District, with Michelle Jefferson as perhaps the best known of five Republican candidates. Others are Mary Kowalski, Gary Johnson, Dave Roush and Kevin Baer. Doug Mathias is on the Democrat side.

The five commissioner system has all the disadvantages and none of the advantages of a county executive form of government.

I believe the next board could well be dominated by the pro-growth wing of the Republican party. The time when we had just three commissioners, elected at-large, will look like the good old days.

But then, we asked for it. Which reminds me of a saying:

Be careful what you wish for.

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