New commissioner board

[Oz]

Originally posted by Delilah903
The only Republican on the Board (IMHO) is Larry Jarboe!

And Larry could become a Democrat at any given moment, given his history.

Also - Don't forget - Kenny Dement was on the Democratic Central Committee for over a decade.

We elected a really good board this time. That's the bottom line. The Dems are hurtin' but it's just politics. Win some, lose some. Now, those 5 guys have to get together and go perform, and I think they will.

 

[Delilah903]

Originally posted by Nodnarb
And Larry could become a Democrat at any given moment, given his history.

Also - Don't forget - Kenny Dement was on the Democratic Central Committee for over a decade.

We elected a really good board this time. That's the bottom line. The Dems are hurtin' but it's just politics. Win some, lose some. Now, those 5 guys have to get together and go perform, and I think they will.

I agree with you Nodnarb but I think it is pretty silly for the Republican Party to claim a victory, if in fact they are. Perhaps the people of St. Mary's County can claim a victory but I don't think Party had a lot to do with it. And frankly I'm not sure that is a bad thing!!!

 

[Oz]

Originally posted by Delilah903
I agree with you Nodnarb but I think it is pretty silly for the Republican Party to claim a victory, if in fact they are. Perhaps the people of St. Mary's County can claim a victory but I don't think Party had a lot to do with it. And frankly I'm not sure that is a bad thing!!!

I don't think it matters. Every Republican candidate had changed parties, except for Joe Gass who only recently (1996?) registered to vote. I think most people vote the person, not the party.

Meanwhile, the Republicans took 3 of 5 available seats, and should claim victory. They did win. At best, victory only comes once every 4 years. I think they should party and gloat their butts off for the next 3 weeks, and then buckle down. The next 4 years will bring a lot of hard work before a chance at the next possible victory. They earned it fair and square. Cut them some slack on their victory. We've got the next 4 years to worry about something important.

 

[vraiblonde]

Not only that, but party ideology isn't as well-defined on a local level as it is on a national level. You're not going to see Dan Raley casting a vote for partial-birth abortion any time soon. Locally, people are more interested in what a person can do, not what party they belong to.

 

[Oz]

Originally posted by vraiblonde
Not only that, but party ideology isn't as well-defined on a local level as it is on a national level. You're not going to see Dan Raley casting a vote for partial-birth abortion any time soon. Locally, people are more interested in what a person can do, not what party they belong to.

And, those 5 commissioners have far more to do with the quality of life in St. Mary's County, than the Governor or President ever will!

 

[smcdem]

You guys are right, most people vote in the local election by the person not the party. I guess it is just a bragging thing to say your party is the "majority party". Yeah its true all 5 men on the new board are old or current dems. So i guess this is a prime example that in county elections the party doesn't matter. If we do talk about party it will be a 3-2 Republican Majority. I think Tom Mckay is a moderate and I know he is willing to work with others in the county to get the job done. I am so happy he doesn't have an one issue agenda, or ran because of revenge (jarboe). In the last week I had a gut feeling Mr. Mckay was going to win, but not by that margin. With Dement, ah I'm sorry guys but i really love Joe. A lot of people say we are a like and I'll miss him. But im 100% sure he will run again in 2006. Julie and the gang are having a thank you party tonight which im glad they are hosting. I am happy that I helped in some way this year, and after I think about it, the rerulst wasn't THAT BAD. Besides a "divided" 3-2 board should be fun!!

 

[Oz]

This board will get along better than the last.

The Democrats knew that they would lose the Commissioner President's seat for a couple of weeks. They worked hard to overcome their situation, but in the end, it was too big of a margin to overcome. I guarantee you that they never thought they would lose District 1. Who do you think paid for the phone polls over the final 3 weeks? Mr Hoyer, call your office.

 

[smcdem]

District one was overlooked and too much of the resources went into the commissioner President campaign. Who ever predicted Dement the winner good call, damn I didn't see that ONE coming!

 

[Kain99]

Kenny Dement is an awesome person! Smcdem you really don't know what your freaking out about! J.A Ticked off alot of people the last four years. I think the overriding feeling was that we all needed change! Maybe you missed that peeking out from under Momma's wing! I am so happy Kenny won! He will not put up with B.S. and if you think that a slicky boy smooth talker is better maybe you should re-evealuate your priorities....

I can't wait to talk to you in ten years baby boy!

 

[demsformd]

As an observer of St. Mary's politics since the 1960s, one conclusion can be made. Whoever is elected to the county commissioner board is more or less a conservative. While the last board was more liberal than previous boards, compared to the rest of the state it was conservative. I am confident as well that the board will succeed under the guidance of Mr. McKay and Mr. Raley - the people I see as the true leaders of the five. I have the utmost respect for Mr. McKay (I worked for his father's campaign for state delegate years ago) and if Mrs. Randall was not related, I may have pulled that Republican lever. He is a true moderate but I want to see my tax cut for sure.
I also love the fact that the entire board was born here in St. Mary's County. The candidates' birthplace of course was not the determining factor for my decisions, I did vote for the entire Democratic slate despite Mr. Anderson's and Mrs. Randall's birthplaces, but I am still pleased that all the commissioners are from here. Maybe they will understand our problems more clearly since they've been here so long. So, even though I voted for the Democrats, I am pleased with the new board and I think that it has some great promise.

 

[Oz]

Agreed, dems... Only one thing - I think you can forget about having your taxes cut. Given the state fo the State, I think we'll be lucky if they are able to hold the current line on taxes. But, no one ever promised to lower taxes, but they did say that we should work within out current means, and then see where we stand after priorities are addressed. At the same time, I think the newly elected board learned that tax increases get incumbents tossed. Tax increases, and land-use issues -ARE- important to voters, and we DO REMEMBER! Mr. Hoyer, call your office!

 

[demsformd]

Actually I recall the Democrats saying that they would hold the line on taxes while the GOP said they would reduce some fees and taxes. In fact those are the exact words that Tommy Mattingly used in many forums. If the Republicans did not state their intention to cut taxes, they certainly wanted people to believe that they did. Many of my local friends, all Democrats, said they voted for the Republicans because they expected a tax cut. So, if there is not some form of tax relief, a lot of people will feel disenchanted.

 

[Oz]

Originally posted by demsformd
Actually I recall the Democrats saying that they would hold the line on taxes while the GOP said they would reduce some fees and taxes. In fact those are the exact words that Tommy Mattingly used in many forums. If the Republicans did not state their intention to cut taxes, they certainly wanted people to believe that they did. Many of my local friends, all Democrats, said they voted for the Republicans because they expected a tax cut. So, if there is not some form of tax relief, a lot of people will feel disenchanted.

Tommy Mattingly is a Democrat. I think taxes will be held, and hopefully they won't have to raise them. Then again, are we talking piggyback tax, property tax, impact fees, other? There are so many taxes, surely they can find one to cut... I am not under the assumption that anything will be cut, unless it's jobs. I can see government getting leaner and meaner, because that's what is about to happen at the state level. You can't keep meeting payroll if you have a 2 billion dollar deficit. And, you can't keep sending the same amount of $$$ down to the counties if you have such a large deficit. This board has some real challenges. Fortunately, we picked a group that will be able to manage this situation.

 

[STMLADY]

"Now, we need a county administrator who has the best interest of the board and county at heart, instead of his own agenda. This board needs to buy out the current Administrator and hire a professional who has run something. One who won't continue the spending policies currently in place. Buy out the attorney with no experience running anything, much less an organization this size. That has been the biggest mistake of the current board, in my opinion. "

NODNARB:

I agree with that statement 100%

 

[Republican]

Hold the Tax line

The voters of St. Mary's County were not smart enough to vote in individual who will hold the line on taxes. As a Republican I feel I can say that the commissioner election was a Republican failure. We have two democrapts, two RINOs (Mckay & Dement) and one conservative. The two democrapts with the addition of the two RINOs will continue to raid your pocketbook. They have no imagination thereby limiting their ability to resolve problems by thinking and coming up with new ideas. Their sole initiative is to retain power and to do so they will be paying off the special interest. Watch the Democraps and the RINOs as they begin to pay off their political debts and collect their just due on their own personal interest. Going to be an interesting four years to say the least.:hohum:

 

[Tonio]

Originally posted by Nodnarb
Randall and Anderson were both 1:20 folks who wanted to take your property rights. They caved on 1:5 because the other 3 wouldn't go for their 1:20 plan.

From a property rights standpoint, Nodnarb, how is 1:5 any different from 1:20? Both of these restrict property rights in some form. I see the difference as just a matter of degree.

 

[Oz]

Originally posted by Tonio
From a property rights standpoint, Nodnarb, how is 1:5 any different from 1:20? Both of these restrict property rights in some form. I see the difference as just a matter of degree.

Not really sure what you're asking. If you have a 5 acre piece of property in the RPD, then you can build your home. If the zoning ordinance restricted development to 1:20, then your 5 acre piece of property in the RPD just became a worthless piece of dirt. To me, that's a big difference.

You're right - both restrict development. Fortunately, I think we have enough commissioners who will be favorable to letting the 1-in-5 play out. Unfortunately, until the adequate public facilities aspect is worked out, I doubt that we will see development where the zoning ordinance is trying to direct it, because there isn't the public school capacity to allow for development of areas like First Colony.

 

[Tonio]

Nodnarb, I'm looking at the larger issue of what role government should play in controlling and directing growth.

The reason St. Mary's even has a zoning ordinance is because subdivisions like Country Lakes and Golden Beach were being built miles away from towns and available services. The county argued that rural subdivisions cost more in services than they give back in taxes. Even with zoning (since 1978), more subdivisions have been built and proposed outside the development districts than in those districts. And those districts were drawn fairly liberally to allow for growth.

You make a good point about the guy with the 5-acre lot. But I believe most of the people affected are the developers with the 50-, 200- and 500-acre lots. The Enterprise has suggested that the developers financially backed Randall's and Anderson's opponents to allow for more rural development. Do you think there's any truth to this?

Maybe instead of dictating rural densities, the county should offer incentives for developers to build closer to town centers, on the edges of the current developed areas. That pattern is how cities grew for centuries.

 

[Delilah903]

Re: Re: New commissioner board

Originally posted by giggles04
Tommy Mckay being Pres scares me, seeing as he has said that this county could survive without the base.

It is incredibly difficult for me to believe that even Tommy Boy is stupid enough to think that St. Mary's County could survive without the Base. Someone please tell me that we didn't elect someone as President of the Commissioners that could be that dumb. Does he think that McKay's little grocery stores are going to support the economy of the county? Oh....Wait, I see...The watermen are going to do it!!! THATS A LOT OF CRABS!!!!!

 

[tipsy mcgee]

Well, the county would probably survive, but there would be tons of empty housing developments and empty shopping centers. If the base were to leave, all military personnel would be gone, and I guess those who work for contractors would have to decide if they wanted to depart to another location or maybe they would just be canned. The county would survive, but at a tremendous cost, and we would be much like an Eastern Shore county relying on SMECO, State and County Highways, PEPCO and other county/local government. For a country boy who doesn't work on the base or for a contractor, sometimes that doesn't sound all that bad.