Election 2019, Meghan Efland for Ward 4

Meghan Efland, age 38, is running unopposed to replace retiring Ward 4 Councilman Marty Stetson in the Nov. 5 town council election. She decided to run for the council about two years ago when she began to follow Ward 1 candidates David Foster and Owen Bailey in the 2017 election. She began to attend council meetings and budget sessions and talked with friends about ways to get more young people involved in the community and more diversity on the council. She plans to spend the time between now and the election meeting people in her district and learning their opinions on issues facing the town. She identified the budget as a key issue in the years to come, with flat revenues and increasing costs squeezing the town’s finances. She is also concerned with the need to attract new businesses to the town, with the potential for attracting young families along with bolstering the local economy.

A Campus Avenue resident for 5 years, Efland grew up in nearby Church Hill and spent her youth in and around Chestertown. A graduate of St. Mary’s College and Queen Anne’s County High School, she has worked at Paul Reed Smith Guitars for 15 years, where she is Director of Supply Chain, overseeing a team of 18 who handle import and export of a wide variety of materials and equipment. She also has significant budget responsibilities for the musical instrument company, experience she believes can be applied to the town’s governance.

Dan Menefee contributed to this story