Letter to Editor: In Support of Chris Cerino for Mayor

The job of Mayor of Chestertown is not an entry level position. It requires an intelligent and proven leader who will hit the ground running. Anything less will be short changing the citizens of this great American town. With that in mind, I prepared a question for the mayoral candidates to ask at the first forum on October 22nd. I asked each candidate to describe their experience in a leadership role in an organization or on their job, and to give a specific result of that experience. This question is what one would expect if they were interviewing for a position that required leadership experience.

While every candidate spoke of his/her role as a member of a board or committee, only Chris Cerino provided specific examples of leadership positions. Mr. Cerino talked about his six years on the Chestertown Planning Commission, and four of the six years as the chairman. During those four years he led the commissioners ( I am one of the commissioners) through a total rezoning of the town, which has been approved by the Town Council. This is a huge accomplishment for the citizens of the town. He also led the commissioners and staff thorough a revision of the Comprehensive Plan, a document that will be the guidance system for future development in Chestertown. This plan is in a final review and will be presented to the Town Council in the next few months. As a member, I was able to watch Chris work with the commissioners and staff to through some very difficult decisions. He is highly professional in his work and knows how to lead a group through a very important process and at the same time respecting everyone’s opinion and input. I know that he holds a very important leadership position in his professional career, and is well respected in education circles on the Eastern Shore and beyond.

The job of Mayor of Chestertown requires an experienced and proven leader; anything else must be seen as unacceptable. The next mayor needs to hit the ground running, there is a lot of important work to do and not a lot of time to get it done right. Too much is at stake not to vote for the most qualified and competent candidate. My hope is that our citizens study the candidates carefully and join me in voting for Chris Cerino. This is an important election, Vote on November 5th.

Jeffery N. Grotsky
Chestertown