It was November 7th of 2000 that the late Tim Russert saddled up to the news desk with his dry erase board and taught the Nation every arithmetic problem possible to yield numbers greater than 270, the number of electoral votes needed to win the Presidency. As each state closed its polls and counted votes, numbers became permanent, and the map of the United States was emblazoned with a new red or blue state silhouette. Now “red state” and “blue state” are common phrases in modern political speak.
From the national perspective, Maryland is comfortably a blue state, buoyed by the three most populated jurisdictions. The Eastern Shore is largely regarded as red-state territory. Over the past fifty years, the Republican candidate has won election to Congress four out of five times. The region even leaned toward McCain in what was otherwise a national walkover.
Those residents of the region who are of the Democratic persuasion surely must take pride in that shining blue light on the banks of the Chester River known as Chestertown. Regardless of the protocol that exists in local and municipal elections, it is widely understood that until the recent election, the council had a definitive Democratic majority. In 2011, that council passed its landmark ordinance, the ban on the distribution of plastic bags within Town limits. The Town also cleared the path for taking ownership of the marina property, mistakenly referred to by some as “getting into the marina business.” Also in 2011, the Town (either directly or through its Planning Zoning Committee) continued its haggling on land deals with Washington College, in addition to dealing with interested parties who were looking to revamp Park Row – flexing its muscle as central planner.
Towards the end of 2011, Mayor Bailey announced her next initiative. This initiative involves exploring opportunities to maximize recreation opportunities for all citizens of Chestertown. A commission was appointed to explore these opportunities. The commission is chaired by the qualified Bill Arrowood.
The genesis of this initiative would appear to be local activist John Munson’s presentation to the Mayor and Council in the summer of 2011. At issue was the rehabilitation of the Ajax basketball court near the police station on Cross Street. The crux of this presentation was that the town was being penny wise and pound foolish by not rehabbing the basketball court, since one less recreational facility means one more opportunity for Town youth to become ne’er-do-wells. The objection to the presentation was that the court had been rehabbed in the past, only to become vandalized, ostensibly by the very people it sought to serve. The conclusion of that tete-a-tete was to agree to disagree on Ajax, yet agree to agree on the larger issue of recreation.
Upon further review, the Mayor stated on WCTR that the genesis of the issue came to be when findings were brought to her attention that Chestertown spends one-third per head on recreation the level that towns in Talbot County and others spend. What concerns me about this viewpoint is the notion that if Chestertown does not race to meet this ratio, that Chestertown will somehow be viewed as three times as inferior to the Talbotans.
While the town may spend a mere nine dollars per head on recreation, it is important to remember that the Town coexists with Kent County, which has its own department of recreation. Any attempt by the town to manage towards a higher dollars to citizen ratio by building facilities will lead to a duplication of effort and ultimately underusage of individual facilities across Kent County. It is fair to note that the report provided by the Commission thus far centers around the utilization of existing facilities. Hopefully the commission stays on this avenue. If the Town is looking for an end-around on how to spend its hard-fought operating surplus, it’s barking up the wrong (topped, not trimmed) tree.
Putting on my consultant hat, if I were to flowchart this issue, I would say that the nodes of the process already exist. It is the vectors which connect them that are missing. It is more cost effective to invest in the vectors, if you know where to draw them. The commission will be most effective if it answers the question, “How do you get a latch key kid from Chestertown Middle to the Community Center in Worton?”
The ultimate irony in this discussion is that there are several recreation avenues in town that have been developed via the private sector. For example, the Kent Athletic and Wellness Center hosts a variety of leagues. Your columnist’s progeny are partial to the youth indoor soccer program that is available to members and non-members alike (for a nominal fee). First Fridays bring art and culture front and center. The Garfield Performing Arts Center puts on a variety of productions and hosts drama camps. Kent County Parks and Recreation has a drop-in basketball program at KCMS. Let’s not forget that fishing at the bottom of High Street is still free. Basically, in this blue dot where we lament that the recreation solution isn’t “blue enough,” plenty of “red solutions” already exist. Casting aside the partisan metaphor, here’s hoping the local and municipal governments can work together and draw the necessary purple vectors to provide access to as many citizens as possible. The Town should not use the commission to lament what isn’t being spent. It should trumpet the enduring entrepreneurial spirit of our town, and find ways to maximize participation.
Gren Whitman says
@ “Talbotans”?
Our sorta neighbors are the “Talbotans”?
Can’t you instead call them “Talbotians”?
Or “Talboterians”?
Perhaps “Talbotese”?
Maybe “Talbotniks”?
(But, not “Talbotchers”!)
Michael Troup says
With the influx of immigrants in Talbot County from Kiribati, I believe they prefer i-Talboti*
I’ll take denomynyms for 200 Alex.
Warrior Bob Kramer says
@ Rocky
OK, Mr wordsmith 🙂
What are folks from the County of Kent within the Province of Maryland called?
Kevin Waterman says
I’m casting my vote for the Talbotski.
Gren Whitman says
@ Warrior Bob Kramer
What are Kent Countians called? Good looking and above average, of course!
Warrior Bob Kramer says
@Rocky… you know… if you get bitten by a folk from Talbot County, you’re likely to contract a case of Talbitis… so why aren’t they called the Talbites?
Kent Countians sounds so pedestrian. I’m going Kentish… or a man/woman of Kent. But, in any case, you’re right about the looks and smarts.
Gren Whitman says
“Talbotski,” “i-Talboti,” “Talbites,” or whatever … they have one heck of a good maritime museum in St. Michaels.!