Frequently Asked Questions

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Simply put, I filed for the County Commissioner District 4 seat because I felt the 12-year incumbent was not representing me in an appropriate fashion. I disagree with many of the positions taken by the commissioner, specifically on public education, public safety, accessibility and transparency. I believe I bring a background of life experiences that will better serve the people of District 4, which runs from Showell through Whaleyville, Berlin, Newark and Snow Hill. I understand the vast nature of our district and have been working to let the people of this district know I will be different. You will see me at your events. I will support your causes. I will return your email or phone call. I will be there to hear your concerns. I will show up. I want to represent a new direction and a new choice for District 4. Throughout my life, I have demonstrated a reasoned approach and a collaborative mindset. I bring valuable life and work experience and a genuine passion for public service.

Several answers to this:

• Twenty-seven years as a small business owner as president, publisher and editor of the Maryland Coast Dispatch newspaper from 1997-2024.
• Currently, I am the executive editor of the OC Today-Dispatch newspaper. If elected, adjustments to my work load will be made to exclude handling of county government stories. 
• Current Berlin Town Council member, elected in 2022. Working within a strong mayor form of government has provided me some unique experiences I can apply to being a County Commissioner. Berlin's budget of $26 million is small in comparison to Worcester County's $300 million, but it's all about scale and representing the taxpayers. While the process to manage the budgets is vastly different in Berlin than in the county, I will bring in an experience of working inside government that allows me to hit the ground running.
• My 30 years of being in the newspaper business provides me with a wealth of knowledge and background on all government-related news. I am able to recall the decisions of elected officials from years back and have historical perspective on a variety of government issues. This familiarity will serve me well as new and old issues come before me as a commissioner. 
• I have served on multiple local nonprofit boards including 12 years on the Atlantic General Hospital Foundation (now TidalHealth) including three years as president of the organization. During my tenure as president, the organization raised approximately $1.7 million to support our local community hospital.
• I am a natural consensus builder who can bring the balance needed to navigate difficult decisions and find the middle ground if necessary. 

Here's a quick review of my platform.

• Keeping property tax rate as low as possible and ensuring our government lives within its means
• Maintaining the Homestead Tax Credit of 0%, further protecting our resident property owners from rising assessments
• Government's chief role is one of providing service and the folks providing the service are our employees. We must provide a livable wage and quality benefits to all our employees because they are the people providing the service to our residents
• Invest in public safety because without peace and order in our county we have nothing. We must provide the funding necessary to allow the Sheriff's Office to recruit and retain a quality force. I am committed to increasing funding for personnel to meet the Sheriff's Office requests
• Public education must continue to be a budget focus each year. I believe in our school system and I know first-hand it's the people that must be protected. We must provide annual increases and show flexibility when reviewing annual budget requests. The school system represents the largest single share of the county's budget and we must keep investing in it to prevent our workforce from continuing to leave this county. I wholeheartedly believe in respecting the process the school system undergoes with its Board of Education in crafting and presenting its budget. Questions should be asked for clarity, but micromanaging is not appropriate. Funding needs should be discussed in a partnership approach rather than adversarial, which has been the norm in recent years.
• Attainable housing: I am interesting in exploring with Worcester County whether there are opportunities to utilize underused county-owned lands for dense housing that may be attainable for young people looking to begin professional lives here as well as the blue-collar workers. There are examples across the mid-Atlantic where governments have issued RFPs to seek a partnership with developers to build apartment housing, for example, that makes purchasing or renting reasonable. I believe government must get involved in this attainable housing crisis. Note, I see attainable housing rather than affordable housing because affordability varies by each household and family depending on life circumstances.
• Support for Ocean City rather than animosity. There has been a culture among some commissioners of resentment and ill feelings toward Ocean City. I believe Ocean City and its tourism contributions should be support in Worcester County rather than worked against.
• Growth and development: I have been reading and following the county's current comprehensive plan update process. The comp plan is the key roadmap for Worcester County. I encourage all residents to review and stay involved through the public comment period. The document can be found here: https://www.co.worcester.md.us/comprehensive-plan It's imperative this document tackle all aspects of growth and development accurately because I want to refer to often when making growth and development votes of consequence.
• Agriculture: We must preserve Worcester County's tradition as a farm community, and I stand ready to defend our farmers in the face of increasing solar field pressure and development.

I understand the critical importance of agriculture in Worcester County and especially District 4. I am not a farmer by trade, but I have family members who have been and friends who still are. I understand the general issues facing farmers like commodity pricing, development pressures, rising property values vs. limited revenue growth and solar project development.

I do believe Worcester County’s comp plan update does seek to protect farmers and preserve ag land. The county has spent a lot of money on this update and invested a lot of staff time in creating this update. I believe we must respect it and let it guide our decisions at the planning and general government level.

As far as how to advocate for farmers, I would strive to create open channels of communication. I pledge to be responsive to all constituents who reach out to me on a matter. In fact, due to the fact I am not a farmer, I would like to create a small group of stakeholders I can discuss ag issues before matters come to us at the commissioner level. Also, if there are matters farmers think the commissioners or county in general need to be aware of, I would welcome feedback on those and will share my cell phone with anyone for ease of communication.

For example, I was recently speaking to a man at an event in Worcester who owns farmland in Wicomico on the topic of solar farm development. He was looking to subdivide his parcel and allow 100 acres of farmland to be used for a solar field while allowing the surround 250 acres to remain farmed. He can no longer farm the property but leases the land out to a friend who farms. His story is a familiar one – he wants the land to remain for farming but also can make more revenue from the solar field deal. He was torn and compromised with his family to do both with a majority of the land still farmed.

Balance is required. The problem in Worcester County currently is the State of Maryland and its Public Service Commission control this narrative far too much. Worcester County should be able to decide for itself rather than allowing the state to decide how our land is developed here in the goal of reaching unattainable green energy goals.

I believe each solar project on ag land deserves a case-by-case analysis, as the reasons of each individual farm should be considered. I will also explore all available means to ensure local officials have a say on decisions impacting our county. I do not want to see solar panels up and down Route 113, and I believe a majority of Worcester County citizens agree.

I look forward to engaging with farmers throughout my campaign and specifically once elected there will be significant outreach.