On November 2, the Heart of the Chesapeake Country Heritage Area annual awards ceremony was held at the Dorchester Center for the Arts in Cambridge. Two individuals and three organizations or projects were recognized for their outstanding contributions over the past year in promoting the culture and traditions of this part of the Eastern Shore. It marked another successful year for the HCCHA, which continues to play a major role in celebrating and developing what’s great about the extended community.

In concert with public and private partners, the Heart of the Chesapeake Country Heritage Area helps people, groups, and government entities preserve and promote the unique historic, cultural, and natural resources of Dorchester County. It’s core mission is to make the positive effect of heritage tourism on the local economy broader and deeper. The HCCHA is managed by the Dorchester County Tourism Department, which relies on the county government for staff, offices, and funding.

When Natalie Chabot left the tourism director position in Allegheny County to take over the one in Dorchester in 2001, a plan had already been made for creating a heritage area here, but it was still in draft form and not in great shape. Fortunately, Natalie had a solid advisory committee to work with, and they commenced the project in earnest.

The community was required to designate boundaries for the heritage area; they at first wanted to make it the whole county, but Maryland preferred to keep the areas smaller. It does encompass the majority of Dorchester, with Cambridge, Church Creek, Vienna, Hurlock, East New Market, and Secretary within the borders, as well as portions of the waterways that surround the county on three sides.

Creating the heritage area was a big process. Natalie and her staff had to attend council and planning commission meetings in every incorporated town and make them part of the project. The management board ended up with a member from each of those towns. According to Chabot, an important aspect of the heritage area is that all the communities within it share a history, heritage, and environment.

“Dorchester County has a very rich history,” she said.

Each of Maryland’s certified heritage areas is defined by the distinctive characteristics that make it unique within the state. Chabot’s team originally decided to concentrate on seven themes for the Heart of the Chesapeake, and one of them involved Harriet Tubman because hers was “such a compelling story.” Evelyn Townsend was the only African American at every meeting, and she just kept saying “Harriet Tubman.”

From the time Chabot took over the tourism director position, the process for the heritage area took about a year. It was formed in September 2002 and celebrated with fireworks at the Visitor Center in Cambridge. It was a big deal, according to Chabot, because “there’s only 13 heritage areas now in the state of Maryland.”

The themes that presently define the Heart of the Chesapeake Country Heritage Area are

• Agricultural Life
• Arts, Artists, and Entertainment
• Chesapeake Landscapes and Outdoor Adventures
• Dorchester Families and Traditions
• Dorchester History, Architecture, and Artifacts
• The Environment
• Harriet Tubman and the Eastern Shore African-American History
• Maritime Villages, Trades, and Life
• Native American Heritage

Throughout the years, the HCCHA has played a significant part in developing the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, Visitor Center, and National Park. It installed large murals, interpreting the area’s themes, on buildings along the Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway. In 2019, it celebrated Dorchester County’s 350th anniversary by creating cell-phone walking and driving guides that showcased Cambridge and the Chesapeake Mural Trail.

Beyond those achievements, the heritage area also awards mini-grants to nonprofit organizations and local municipalities to help with projects that enrich heritage resources and improve the area’s economic health. These grants are made possible by the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority. The awardees for FY2024 included the Taste of Cambridge event, the Dorchester County Historical Society, Groove City Culture Fest, Spocott Windmill (for displays and newsletters), and the Pride of Baltimore II’s visit to Cambridge next year. The Heritage Board also supported the funding applications of area organizations for such endeavors as Cambridge Main Street’s Wayfinding Project, Dorchester County’s FY24 Heritage Management Grant, and the Mid-Shore Community Radio Dorchester History Project.

At the November 2 awards ceremony, the Heritage Area Management Board honored the late Shirley Jackson, Melvin “Zeke” Willey, the “Beacon of Hope” Harriet Tubman Sculpture, the Dorchester Skipjack Committee, and Choptank Communications.

“This year’s group of honorees is exceptional,” said Board Chairman Tom Bradshaw. “Their extraordinary efforts are evidenced in the programs, projects, and ideas that have served to aid, enrich, and inspire the Dorchester Community. These unsung heroes have made a significant impact on enriching people’s awareness, understanding, and appreciation of our rich and diverse heritage assets in Dorchester. They clearly exemplify all that is best in Dorchester County.”

In his speech, Bradshaw also mentioned a 2021 economic impact study conducted by the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority estimating that the Heart of the Chesapeake Country Heritage Area had contributed $40.2 million to the statewide economy and supported 570 jobs. Additionally, the study concluded that the HCCHA generated around $5.3 million in tax revenues for the state and local governments.

“In the Heart of the Chesapeake Country Heritage Area, our top priority is to protect, preserve, and promote Dorchester County’s unique historic, cultural, and natural resources,” said Heritage Area consultant Julie Gilberto-Brady. “But it is important to note that our heritage area also plays a vital role in both the state and the regional economies.”

According to Bradshaw, the Management Board is preparing for the 250th anniversary celebration of the United States, leading up to area events in 2026.

Half a dozen free-range chickens were scratching on a narrow patch of grass at a farm in Potomac Monday afternoon, looking for insects, seeds and other things to eat.

The chickens, with names like Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe, seemed happily oblivious to the four cloth chicken dolls stuffed into a cage on the grass before them. But for the humans gathered at Rosie’s Farm Sanctuary, the visual made for a stark tableau.

Several animal rights activists came to the farm Monday to discuss the Humane Society of the United States’ top legislative priority for the upcoming Maryland General Assembly session: a bill that would require all chicken eggs farmed and sold in Maryland come to come from birds who were not cooped up in so-called battery cages.

“These battery cages are incredibly cruel,” said Jennifer Bevan-Dangel, director of the Humane Society’s Maryland office.

State Sen. Karen Lewis Young (D-Frederick) and Del. Jen Terrasa (D-Howard) are preparing legislation that would make Maryland the 11th state to prevent the sale of eggs from chickens who spend their days in battery cages, which are designed to house up to 10 egg-laying hens and are often arrayed in long rows in a chicken coop. If it becomes law, Bevan-Dangel said, the bill would cover roughly 2 million chickens raised in Maryland and another 6 million chickens from out of state whose eggs are sold here.

“This is the most consequential piece of legislation in Maryland for animals, in terms of the number of animals impacted,” she said.

Young, a longtime animal rights activist who helped her father establish a kill-free pet shelter in Lycoming County, Pa., more than three decades ago, introduced the bill in this year’s legislative session, but it failed to get a vote in the Senate Committee on Education, Energy and the Environment, where she serves. Bevan-Dangel said animal rights activists viewed this year’s legislative push as an educational effort but are intensifying the struggle in advance of the 2024 session, including a House sponsor for the first time.

“We’ve always had an ambitious agenda because the legislators have shown they’ve been very supportive of animal rights,” she said.

The setting for the news conference, on a hillside of a rolling 5-acre rescue farm that was set up as a nonprofit about a year and a half ago, was fitting, and friendly, camera-ready sheep and other animals wandered by as the activists were speaking. The timing of the news conference was also not coincidental — coming at the beginning of Thanksgiving week, when millions of Americans are looking forward to eating turkey, chicken, ham and other meat delicacies.

Michele Waldman, who established Rosie’s Sanctuary as a home for dozens of farm animals, said the nonprofit is designed to educate the public about the kinds of animals who are abused in the marketplace. The farm offers tours to school groups, other organizations and individuals who are interested in animal rights. Waldman said she gets daily entreaties to shelter animals that are being abused, but said there are only so many the farm can accommodate.

“As you can see,” she said, gesturing to the chickens, “they just love to forage. They spend half the day doing this.” These particular birds were rescued from an Orthodox Jewish festival of atonement in Brooklyn, N.Y., where they were scheduled to be ritualistically waved over people’s heads and then slaughtered.

Young and Bevan-Dangel said animal rights is only one aspect of the legislation.

“There are health and safety reasons,” Young said. “There’s scientific evidence that caged birds are more likely to produce eggs that produce salmonella and possibly other health hazards.”

“If COVID taught us nothing, it’s that close proximity can be an incubator for disease,” Bevan-Dangel said. She also cast the legislation as a consumer rights bill, noting that the price of cage-free eggs would drop if all the eggs on the market were produced in the same way.

When the bill was up for a hearing earlier this year, the Maryland Farm Bureau opposed it in part on the grounds that the legislation would be too costly. In written testimony, the Farm Bureau estimated that if it became law, the bill would result in a 41% increase in cost of production to retrofit the existing barns and an 119% increase in labor.

“By moving to a cage-free operation, the hen mortality rate increases significantly due to more bacterial habitat being introduced in the barn,” Colby Ferguson, the farm bureau’s government affairs director, said in his testimony. “Lastly, these farms are contracted with out of state companies that will just drop their contracts with the farms and then these farms will have to create a new demand for their eggs in a market where there is already an oversupply of cage-free eggs. This bill would put the few egg-laying farms, that farm this way, out of business.”

Ferguson also offered another reason why farmers objected to the legislation: “We oppose any legislation that would interfere with the right of farmers to raise livestock and poultry in accordance with commonly accepted agricultural practices,” he wrote. “Regulations imposed on agriculture shall be based on economically sound and scientifically proven research to ensure that agriculture, including livestock and poultry industries, remains viable and continues to be a strong economic base for Maryland. All regulations shall be subjected to a rigorous scientifically justifiable cost/benefit analysis.”

Opposition at the hearing also came from the Maryland Rural Council, the Wicomico County government and a few individuals.

Young said she and Terrasa are trying to tweak the language from the previous bill to make it more palatable to the agriculture industry and other opponents. Bevan-Dangel said the bill as originally written would not have outlawed cages altogether or prevented farmers from housing chickens indoors.

By Josh Kurtz

A blue ribbon transportation panel is poised to recommend new fees for electric vehicles and increased tolls as part of an effort to solve a revenue shortage plaguing the state’s Transportation Trust Fund.

The Transportation Revenue and Infrastructure Needs Commission was briefed on both possibilities Monday. An interim report due to the General Assembly by the end of the year could include both recommendations to lawmakers and the Maryland Department of Transportation.

Frank Principe, chair of the panel sometimes called the TRAIN Commission, said the recommendations “are just some of the pieces of the puzzle.”

“There’s clearly some urgency around what needs to be done,” he said in an interview.

The panel will continue to work through 2024 on other related issues including recommendations on improving the process by which state transportation officials select and prioritize projects.

Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld has crisscrossed the state in recent months highlighting a six-year consolidated transportation plan. The budget document outlines projected spending on transportation projects for the state, counties and the city of Baltimore.

Those projects are paid for through the state’s Transportation Trust Fund — a dedicated pot of money that includes revenues from the state’s current 47-cents per gallon gas tax, new vehicle taxes and the bi-annual vehicle registration fees.

But those revenue sources are struggling to keep pace with growing transportation needs. Motor fuel tax collections are diminishing due to more fuel-efficient vehicles and increased adoption of electric vehicles.

People are also keeping their cars longer, which drives down tax collections on new vehicles.

The state’s current six-year transportation project plan as presented, however, faces a $100 million shortfall in fiscal 2025. At the end of the sixth year of the proposal, that gap grows to $2.1 billion.

The 10-year shortfall is projected to be nearly $4 billion, according to a recent report by legislative budget analysts.

Wiedefeld, in early testimony both before the commission and last week with a legislative panel, stressed that the plan currently doesn’t include new projects such as the Red Line.

“I do want to make the point again, that things that we talked about today are potential pieces to the puzzle, but these ideas alone are not going to solve the fiscal hole that the secretary has spoken so eloquently about in the coming fiscal year,” said Principe. “The Commission won’t be able to solve the problems of this year’s [Consolidated Transportation Plan]. I know that the department is anxious to also share with us and the public what they’re going to do in terms of balancing the current CTP. So that, I expect, will be a forthcoming conversation.”

Wiedefeld and the department are already under growing pressure from lawmakers and some local jurisdictions who are unhappy with the current unbalanced proposal.

This is the first year the agency has ever proposed an unbalanced transportation spending plan.

On Friday, members of the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Transportation and Environment expressed frustration over the state of the spending plan. Many questioned when the agency would present a finalized, balanced plan that county leaders and residents could view and comment on.

“Basically, under state law, we need to present you with a balanced budget in January,” Weidefeld told the committee.

Subcommittee Chair Del. Courtney Watson (D-Howard) said Friday that releasing a balanced plan in mid-January would prevent counties and constituents participating in the process.

“If they don’t find out about that until the budget is introduced, that’s not a good process,” said Watson. “That’s not not enough time for them to react to talk to you. I can see it being a complete disaster, in terms of the legislative session. So, we really want those impacts on current projects to be known in December, ASAP, so that individual counties have time to react, citizens have time to comment, and people aren’t caught off guard.”

Watson and others worried Wiedefeld’s timeline would put the onus on the legislature to make decisions on transportation projects.

“We are not the experts in transportation, MDOT is and so we look to you to make the decisions and we will help you make sure that the public is aware of them so that they can provide feedback,” Watson said.

Registration fees on electric, hybrid vehicles on the table

The TRAIN commission’s interim report will be finalized next month.

That report will likely set the stage for debate in the coming session about a fee on electric vehicle registrations in Maryland.

“I think it has to be based on what we heard today,” said Sen. Pamela Beidle (D-Anne Arundel). Beidle, the incoming chair of the Senate Finance Committee, attended her first commission meeting Monday. She replaces Sen. Melony Griffith (D-Prince George’s) who left the Senate to lead the Maryland Hospital Association.

Any new registration fee on electric and hybrid vehicles will need to be passed by the legislature.

More than 137,000 zero emission vehicles, a category that includes battery electric vehicles, are expected on Maryland roads in 2024, according to a study performed by the Maryland Department of Transportation.

By 2031, that number is expected to jump to more than 1.3 million — roughly 26% of the nearly 5.1 million light duty passenger cars and trucks in the state.

The increase coincides with Democratic Gov. Wes Moore’s announcement in March that committed the state to require all new cars sold in the state to be electric vehicles by 2035.

The vehicles are heavier and cause more wear and tear on roads than standard gas-powered vehicles. But currently, owners of electric vehicles do not contribute to the state’s Transportation Trust Fund beyond the initial taxes and vehicle registration.

Sen. Stephen S. Hershey Jr., (R-Upper Shore) said a fee on electric and hybrid vehicles may have some support from Republicans.

“This was a nonstarter for the Hogan administration,” said Hershey. “He was not going to sign a bill that was going to increase fees, even though I think that it could be considered a user fee or a matter of fairness. Those vehicles should be paying some equitable amount as gasoline-fired vehicles. I think it would be something that would be under discussion, but from what I’m hearing, I think you would see bipartisan support.”

The idea is not new. Thirty-three states have imposed some form of fee on both electric or hybrid vehicles or both. Eleven others including Maryland have proposed such fees but have yet to pass them. Just six — Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York and Rhode Island — have yet to propose or enact such a fee.

The commission’s interim report may not include a recommended fee level.

The national average for electric vehicles is $128. Hybrid vehicle fees on hybrid vehicles run about $63 on average.

Georgia charges the highest fees at $210.87 for either category.

California, which has nearly 880,000 electric and hybrid vehicles on the road, raises the most revenue nearly $64.3 million in 2021. That state charges $108 on an electric vehicle and $11 on a hybrid.

Toll increase proposal could pinch out-of-state drivers

The panel will also consider a recommendation to increase tolls at the state’s nine toll facilities.

In September, Joseph Sagal, then the director of the Maryland Transportation Authority, said the agency that manages the toll facilities was already contemplating increases.

Sagal died unexpectedly on Oct. 26. His funeral was held Monday.

At least two options for toll increases have emerged. The first is a flat increase on all vehicles. Another option is a tiered model where out-of-state drivers may pay more.

The commission was briefed by legislative analysts on the possible effects of a flat rate increase.

Under one scenario, the state could increase revenue by more than $81.4 million by increasing tolls by 50 cents on all vehicles. Revenue would increase by nearly $89 million if the state increased tolls by 25 cents per axel, according to analysts.

Roughly one-third of the 162.8 million transactions at state toll facilities involved out-of-state vehicles.

Imposing a flat 50-cent increase on those vehicles would increase toll revenues by more than $26.7 million. A 25-cent-per-axel increase would boost state toll revenues by nearly $31.6 million on those same vehicles, according to the analysts’ projections.

Currently, money collected from tolls is set aside to pay the bonds issued for projects at Maryland Transportation Authority facilities. The increases could be funneled into the trust fund.

“So, we’ve reached the bad ideas category of this,” said Hershey, adding that the commission should also reconsider farebox collections on mass transit.

“Before we start looking at raising the gas tax, before we start looking at raising tolls, I think that needs to be on the table,” he said.

But other states including New York and Virginia use toll revenues for transportation projects, according to House Environment and Transportation Chair Del. Marc Korman (D-Montgomery).

Maryland already offers a discount on tolls for drivers with an E-ZPASS account registered in Maryland.

The legality of tolls levied on out-of-state drivers is a matter of debate.

In Rhode Island, a federal judge declared unconstitutional a plan to charge tolls to out-of-state truckers while exempting state businesses and cars registered in the state. The state has appealed the ruling and is awaiting a decision by the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

The commission is seeking advice from the Office of the Attorney General.

“We’ve asked the attorney general,” said Principe. “It’s something that’s being pursued.”

By Bryan P. Sears

Just a quick look at a map of bike trails (noted in black above) in Queen Anne’s County says it all. While the opportunities for expanding biking and pedestrian trials are enormous, the existing public access bike paths are a mere fraction of that potential.

That’s no secret to the Queen Anne’s County planning professionals tasked with delivering a draft master plan for the County Council to expand this fledgling network. Still, without serious community input on where to create those new trails, it is unlikely those recommendations will see the light of day.

And that’s why Steve Chandlee, QAC’s parks & recreation director, and Steve Cohoon, the county’s public facilities planner, are eager to have community involvement before their final report is submitted early next year. Through systematic survey collection, public input meetings, and more informal conversations with residents, nonprofits, and planning experts, they will be able to document a road map that might make QAC a state-wide leader in non-vehicle traffic planning.

The Spy spent a few moments with Steve and Steve via Zoom last week to understand more about the scope of their work and vast opportunities a master plan could provide for funding and improved quality of life for all.

This video is approximately five minutes in length. For more information about this project please go here.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) stepped into the U.S. Senate race Monday to endorse Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.

Moore returned the favor after Alsobrooks endorsed him last year for governor when he opened a field office in Prince George’s, the majority Black jurisdiction with the largest number of registered Democrats in the state.

“The world needs America’s leadership now more than ever, and the country needs Maryland’s leadership now more than ever. Angela’s a leader. She is a public servant in every beautiful definition of the word,” Moore said at a rally at Monument City Brewing Company in Baltimore. “I’m supporting Angela because of what she means to our state’s future.”

Dozens of people sported “Alsobrooks for Senate” pins and wore lime-green T-shirts with her name in Black letters.

One person didn’t wear a T-shirt, but still came to support Alsobrooks on Monday: Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando (D), who announced Friday he would no longer compete in next May’s Democratic primary for the open Senate seat.

“I made the decision that this was not the right time and the right race for me,” he said. “In my heart, it was an easier decision to make because I knew there remained a stellar candidate in the race who would represent our state with grace, with dignity and with honor. It’s time now for Democrats to coalesce. I believe that candidate is Angela Alsobrooks.”

Other Democrats who lined up to endorse Alsobrooks on Monday included Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and Baltimore County Council Chair Julian Jones Jr.

Alsobrooks has already garnered support from half of the state’s federal delegation, top state leaders and county and municipal officials in the Democratic primary to succeed longtime Sen. Ben Cardin (D), who announced in the spring that he would not seek reelection in 2024.

“I know that this endorsement is one that [the governor] thought about. I know that it’s one he didn’t [take] lightly and he’s been the greatest partner,” Alsobrooks said to reporters. “Combined with the other leaders who have come here today, what we recognize is that we really are stronger together. This is Team Maryland and to have the head of Team Maryland come out is a big deal and really an honor.”

The county executive faces a challenge from Rep. David Trone (D-6th), who’s mostly self-funding his campaign and has already spent more than $10 million since he announced his candidacy in May.

The congressman from Montgomery County has aired seven campaign ads.

“Our campaign is honored to have the endorsements of 111 elected officials from across Maryland and the country who have seen David Trone’s ability to get things done for Maryland families first hand,” according to a statement from the Trone campaign. “As we’ve traveled throughout Maryland, voters have told us clearly that they want candidates who are willing to work to earn their vote and that they are most interested in where candidates stand on issues facing our communities.”

Other Democrats have sought to run in the Senate race including Anne Arundel County businessman Juan Dominguez.

Three Republicans filed campaign reports to run in the May 14 primary: retired brigadier general John Teicher, perennial candidate Robin Ficker and Lorie Friend, a Garrett County nurse.

by William J. Ford

Maryland Child Protective Services evaluates thousands of potential cases of child neglect, abuse and mistreatment each year to determine what actions are needed to protect some of the state’s most vulnerable population: its youth.

But according to a Wednesday discussion during a Joint Committee on Children, Youth and Families meeting, there are holes in the state data reporting and it’s currently unclear how many families and children receive services to protect kids from mistreatment.

Dr. Wendy Lane, chair of the State Council on Child Abuse and Neglect (SCCAN), provided a briefing to the joint committee about the history of the council, which was established to evaluate state agencies’ effectiveness regarding child protective services, and gave lawmakers updates on child well-being in the state.

But according to Lane, SCCAN is facing issues in reporting data on families who are screened for alleged child mistreatment, possibly due to the state’s data system used to track and report those cases.

The Senate chair for the committee, Sen. Mary-Dulany James (D-Harford) seemed shocked by the data challenges on such an important topic.

“The thing that really got my attention … is the lack of accurate tracking and reporting in services and outcomes,” she said during the meeting.

Lane reported to the committee that SCCAN collects data from the Maryland Department of Human Services each year, which breaks out the number of referrals that come into child protective services in the state and the results of the referrals.

The most recent data from DHS was from 2021, and there were over 74,000 total referrals for alleged child mistreatment in the state. About half of those cases evaluated in 2021 where “screened out” of needing further investigation, leaving about 35,298 needing additional investigations.

But this is where the holes in the data points begin, according to Lane.

For example, in 2021, there were about 14,746 families that were referred to receive “alternative response” due to low level risks of child abuse and neglect. This is when a plan is made between the family and the caseworker in order to improve family conditions and safety for the child before CPS officially gets involved with a more serious investigation.

The state data shows that only 711 of those families actually received “family preservation services” while 136 children were removed from their families and went to out-of-home placement options like foster care. Lane says that there is not data for the remaining 13,899 families in this category.

“So our question is … what happened to all those other kids?” Lane posed to the committee. She said that the minimal data makes it unclear as to whether thousands of children are receiving services or not.

That is also the case for families who are actively investigated for child abuse. According to the presentation, there were 6,573 instances where investigations indicated that a child was experiencing abuse within their family.

The data only shows that 1,118 of those families received family preservation services, while 678 children were removed and placed into out-of-home supervision. According to Lane, SCCAN did not receive state data for the remaining 4,777 cases.

“But there’s a lot of kids that – maybe they’re getting services and maybe they’re not. They’re just not included in this documentation,” she said.

Lane says that the lack in data may be due to the program that the state uses to collect information on child well-being called the Child, Juvenile and Adult Management System, which is shortened to CJAMS.

She said that there are issues in the data system itself that makes it challenging to input data and receive certain points of data, including the information about what happens to thousands of families who are screened for potential child mistreatment, neglect or abuse.

“I don’t know that’s because they’re not getting services or their services are not getting adequately tracked because of issues with CJAMS or other issues. And we don’t have specifics on what services they receive even if they do receive services.”

Stephen Liggett-Creel, senior advisor to the secretary of the Department of Human Services, confirmed Lane’s concerns about the CJAMS data system and said that the Moore administration is aware of the issues.

“I’m not surprising anyone to say that…there has been documented and reported challenges with data in the past,” he said during the meeting. “Things that have been very, very at the top of this current administration’s focus, around, particularly, CJAMS.”

Liggett-Creel said that the data is there, and that the department is open to working with SCANN to address any data concerns they have.

James asked Liggett-Creel to follow-up after the meeting with the availability of those data points and the accessibility for others to look use it.

“The issue of this committee is to find out how others…SCCAN, the legislative body… they all want to have access, so they can make meaningful policy decisions,” she said.

By Danielle J. Brown

The Town Council meeting last night reflected the very best of the Easton community and a decidedly low moment of parliamentary discourse, all within the span of a few hours.

The spiritual high was the moving declaration of support for the people of Israel read by Mayor Megan Cook and a response from Rabbi Peter Hyman of Temple B’nai Israel. It was a moment that moved the entire assembly as the community continued to mourn the tragic loss of life after the Hamas terrorist attack on Jewish communities near the Gaza Strip on October 7th.

Unfortunately, that sense of unity quickly dissipated over what initially appeared to be a minor disagreement on when the Council would vote on a moratorium on approving recreational and medical cannabis operations in Easton.

Council President Frank Gunsallus favored tabling the moratorium vote until the next meeting in early November, when the Council would have more information from the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission, which is also studying the issue. Councilmember David Montgomery felt most of the Council was prepared to vote that evening, as per a previous agreement with council members.

In response, Gunsallus, citing powers he believed were bestowed by charter to the Easton council president, announced that he would use his authority alone to table the discussion. The result sparked outrage from Montgomery as fellow council members and the mayor seemed stunned by the rapid change of atmosphere.

Ultimately, the Council agreed to wait another two weeks before voting on the cannabis moratorium. It may take more than a few weeks for the Council to recover from this unnerving and extremely rare display of discourtesy in the town council chamber.

 

Typically, this article might have started with the sentence: ‘Meet Erick Kellner, the new chief of Police in Oxford, MD.’ However, this would be inaccurate. Though new to the title of Chief, Kellner is no rookie when it comes to law enforcement or even Talbot County. 

Interestingly, his chosen career was not part of a family legacy. “None of my relatives are in the police force,” he said, “but I remember, even at a very young age, being interested in law enforcement and emergency services in general.” The source of this fascination, whether it was TV, movies, or perhaps some early interactions with police officers, remains a mystery to him. What is clear, however, is that there was never a thought of any other profession, and Kellner was determined to follow his chosen path. 

That early calling set him on a path leading to over two decades of police work across Maryland’s Talbot County. From patrolman to SWAT team leader, narcotics investigator supervisor, and first sergeant, Kellner climbed through the ranks of the Easton Police Department. “It’s hard to pick just one career to highlight. I was fortunate to take on a variety of roles and help the department in different ways,” he said.

With each promotion, he also gained a deeper understanding of the administrative side of law enforcement. “As a younger officer, you’re always seeing what needs to be done,” Kellner said. “But you don’t always have the capacity to make the change. However, as you get up in the ranks, you can make the changes and try to move things in the direction you want to see it go.” For Kellner, that direction was the success of his police department, a goal he brings to his new beat.

The role of Chief of Police was a position that he said never crossed his mind. Retirement had been on the horizon, and in a serendipitous turn, the Oxford job became available. Kellner recognized the uniqueness of the situation. “It was kind of the perfect place to be if I was going to be the chief of police somewhere,” he said. Not only was it in a town he had always admired, but staying in Talbot County also allowed him to maintain crucial contacts with other law enforcement agencies. 

To the Oxford Police Department, Kellner brings a leadership style rooted in his values. “There’s a few principles that I live by,” he said. “One of them is, don’t ever ask anyone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.” So, unlike the traditional image of a desk-bound police chief, being a leader meant being present both in the office and on the streets. 

Kellner’s approach has resonated with the community. Liza Ledford, Oxford Community Center Director, said, “Chief Kellner came to Oxford with an outstretched hand welcoming the community to get to know him. He’s worked hard to bring fresh ideas to address ever-changing challenges to our safety. He’s done a nice job in a tough situation.”

Tim Kearns, President of the Oxford Volunteer Fire Company, also praised Chief Kellner’s responsiveness and ingenuity. “He’s very attentive and creative in solving what may be needed. People here have always trusted the police chief and leaned on him for many things. Chief Kellner seems to be accepting that responsibility quite well.”

The job, of course, is not a one-person operation but a collaborative effort, just the way Kellner prefers. He is joined by Lt. Chris Phillips, a former Cambridge Police Officer who has served Oxford for the past three years, and Patrolman First Class Brandon Bobbick. Bobbick, who retired from the Easton Police in 2020, had been Kellner’s boss at one time, and his hire meant a change and role reversal for the two.

A much more significant adjustment for Kellner has been the contrast of moving from the much larger population of Easton. “It was a unique challenge, getting acquainted with everyone and remembering their names and faces,” he said. “You can only get it in a small town and close-knit community such as Oxford.” Even six months after being sworn into the job, Kellner still appreciates the genuine interest people have in their police force and in their willingness to engage with him on a personal level. 

This type of participation also fits right into one of his key initiatives–making the police force more visible and approachable. Under his leadership, when not managing the department, you’ll find Kellner (and his team) doing foot and bike patrols, traffic enforcement, speaking with citizens, or providing security at Oxford’s many events. 

He also prioritizes community outreach, recently launching Oxford’s first Citizen’s Police Academy to provide residents with an inside look at law enforcement. Kellner believes that it all comes down to building understanding between police and citizens, especially with so much misleading info out there today. “Law enforcement is no different than any other job,” he said, “whether working in a restaurant or another trade. Some employees are good, and some employees aren’t so good. Law enforcement generally does a great job of picking the best candidates. We have to undergo a very extensive hiring process, but some will fall through the cracks. Nobody hates a bad cop more than a good cop. It just makes our life so much more difficult.”

Chances are difficulty is not something he’s apt to find in Oxford as Kellner and residents find ways to work together. “This whole year has been a big learning experience for me,” he said. “What surprised me the most was the summer’s tourist traffic. The town population probably triples on weekends. My job was to make sure our tourists felt safe and welcomed.” 

He praises the town employees who make up the team he is now part of. “Oxford is extremely blessed to have some great employees–from the town manager through the public works. They are some of the greatest guys I’ve had the pleasure of working with.” He emphasized teamwork to get things done. “Sometimes we have to go outside our comfort zone. The job of law enforcement is customer service. We work for the citizens; they are our customers. So we must make them happy and be helpful in any way we can.”

In all of this transition, Kellner is lucky to have a built-in sounding board – his wife, Jennifer, who also serves on the police force in Easton. “She offers invaluable insights from an officer’s perspective. But we try not to let the job consume our home life,” he said. He calls his kids the real rock stars who keep them grounded when work calls come at odd hours.

When asked what he sees for the future, Kellner said: “I’ve had to work for everything that I’ve gotten in life, so I’m not afraid of hard work. I value and understand the significance of the position and the responsibilities. I’m committed to being an integral and accessible part of the community and a leader for the guys here. And every day I come to work, I will always give 100%.” 

As we wrapped up, he added, “I love being a cop.” Yep, it shows.

Very few towns on the Eastern Shore have been more welcoming to Maryland’s new era of legal cannabis use than Centreville. As one of the first on the Shore to welcome a dispensary and growing facility after cannabis was approved for medical use, it is now the home of one of the largest cannabis processing companies on the Shore, Green Thumb Industries, with over one hundred local employees and a large facility in the town’s industrial park.

Centreville’s early embrace of the cannabis industry has paid off in many ways, including the extraordinary tax revenue it generates for the town.

But as demand has grown for cannabis-related products, Green Thumb has stepped up production, which has led to a noticeable problem for residents; it’s starting to stink to high heaven.

From Symphony Village, on one side of town, which is near the industrial park, to the Northbrook community on the North end, the smell of cannabis is increasingly in the air. While some residents see this as a minor inconvenience, a growing number are demanding town government action to control this new form of air pollution.

Many of those residents were out in force this week at the Centreville Town Council meeting to voice their opinions on this modern-day problem. It’s safe to say that community tolerance was reaching the breaking point.

The Spy was able to capture some of those sentiments, as well as Green Thumb executives vowing to fix the problem, in an atmosphere suggesting that a solution could be quickly deployed.

And after hearing public comments, the Town Council members agreed to give Green Thumb 90 days to resolve the issue before a legislative action is taken against the company. The issue will be reviewed on the council’s agenda on January 4, 2024.

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