ELECTION 2026: William Roosevelt “BJ” HALL III – His first choice was the Army.

ELECTION 2026: William Roosevelt “BJ” HALL III – His first choice was the Army.

BY KEN ROSSIGNOL
THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY

NEWS AND COMMENTARY

The single most intense, well-conducted, and complex campaign for a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates ever conducted in the history of St. Mary’s County is being put on by a candidate who, should he win, will become the first black to represent the county in the legislature. The candidate is William Roosevelt “B. J.” Hall III, a resident of District 29B, which encompasses a gerrymandered legislative district stretching from Rt. 235 in California, sweeping down to Great Mills, Lexington Park, and stretching down Rt. 5 to Point Lookout, and back to Great Mills.

Hall is running a significant campaign that leverages social media, selfies, and video to demonstrate his connection to the district. This effort includes a visit to the old country store, Buzzy’s, in Ridge, where Buzzy Ridgell was a prominent political figure until his death. Buzzy Ridgell was part of the J. Frank Raley Jr. and Johnny Briscoe New Leadership, which upset the Dorsey Machine in 1962 – all but for four years – but anchored St. Mary’s politics for decades.

Senator J. Frank Raley Jr., who only served one term and was whipped for reelection, personally guided governors in the selection of judgeships for all of House Speaker John Hanson Briscoe’s law partners – Jim Kenney, Karen Abrams, Marvin Kaminetz, and even a judgeship for Briscoe, too. Adding another crony to a seat on the District Court, Raley made sure Del. John Slade was selected. In contrast, Roy Dyson served five terms in the State Senate and five terms in Congress, and never influenced a single judgeship selection.

B. J. Hall not only attends nearly every function in the district he hopes to represent, from Nicolet Park sports events to Lancaster Park and promoting small businesses along Great Mills Road serving Caribbean charcoal-roasted Chicken, BBQ, tacos, and bakeries, but he also spreads his wings throughout St. Mary’s, even attending the Seventh District Debutante Gala at Joe St. Clair’s barn dance, raising money for St. Clements Island and the new 7th District Waterfront Bar and Grill at Bushwood Wharf.

Hall is as comfortable in a tee shirt as he is sporting out on the town in a tuxedo and makes sure his political propaganda effort on social media includes dozens, if not hundreds, of photos and video clips of him shaking hands, hugging, and chomping down an endless array of delicious food – lots of food. He literally is eating his way to Annapolis, even crossing into Solomon’s, where no one can vote for him, to campaign among crabcakes and toadfish.

B. J. Hall came to St. Mary’s County to live when he was hired onto the staff of the gas plant in Lusby and now works as an engineer for the J. F. Taylor firm. His life plan was to serve in the United States Army, as he was selected to attend West Point, leaving his home in Birmingham, Alabama. Following his graduation from West Point, he was diagnosed with a heart condition, which ended his military career.

Hall became involved in the NAACP in St. Mary’s County, served as president, was appointed to the St. Mary’s County Planning Commission, and in 2022 registered as a Republican to run for commissioner president in the GOP primary. His single most personal achievement, which Hall promotes with pride, is his four sons, whom he has raised and sent to school in St. Mary’s County. His stewardship of a program to introduce aviation to young people at the St. Mary’s Airport is aimed at exposing them to flying opportunities as careers.

In an interview with THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY, Hall said one of his greatest strengths that he will put to work in Annapolis is his ability to build relationships.

The delegation from St. Mary’s County to Annapolis presently includes the wounded duck, Democrat Del. Brian Crosby, who shot himself in his tailfeathers in the 2025 session of the General Assembly when he voted to institute a tax on IT transactions, and the same day, he moved his business, which has contracts with the War Department, to the Commonwealth of Virginia, because of the new IT tax.

A red-letter day for Crosby took place two years earlier when he participated in a coup attempt to unseat Speaker of the House Adrienne A. Jones from her post. Crosby also proved that he is a witless twit by sponsoring a bill that eliminated energy competition for big utilities in Maryland and sent rates soaring for homeowners.

At the same time, Maryland Democrats have little use for black Republicans and are expected to send substantial sums to the campaign of Democrat candidate Adrianne Mathis to defeat Hall. Ironically, Hall was formerly a romantic interest of Mathis.  Mathis was invited to appear for an interview, but has not yet replied.

Hall filed for divorce from Lauren Ballard of Louisiana in 2016, which was uncontested and granted in St. Mary’s Circuit Court in 2017. Land records of St. Mary’s County show that Hall purchased his home on Catalina Lane in California, Maryland, in 2018 and therefore legally resides in the district for which he has filed for election.  Hall certified that the home is his principal place of residence on the Veteran’s Administration mortgage documents.

 

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