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March 28, 2023

Cambridge Spy

The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Cambridge Community

Spy Top Story

A Spy-WHCP Check-in with Mayor Steve Rideout

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The Spy and our partner, WHCP Community Radio, are thrilled to continue our informal conversations with the Mayor of Cambridge this month. With the enthusiastic support of newly-elected mayor Steve Rideout, the Spy’s Dave Wheelan and WHCP’s Kevin Diaz will discuss the City Council’s work and Steve’s priorities throughout the year.

Our first chat focused on Mayor Rideout’s impressions of his first month in office, the possible impact of the November 8 election for Dorchester County Council, the challenge of resolving the tax differential between town and county, and community policing.

This video is approximately 20 minutes in length. 

Mayor Election: Rideout and Eckardt Advance to Runoff

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The process to elect a new mayor for Cambridge will take a bit longer with the former Cambridge Commissioner Steve Rideout nor state Senator Addie Eckardt winning the needed majority without a runoff election.

Rideout received 486 votes and Eckardt received 403 votes, 35.21% and 30.32%. LaShon Banks-Foster received 266 votes (20.02%); Robert Larimer got 120 votes (9.03%); Laurel Atkiss received 61 votes (4.59%); and Lee Travers had 11 votes (0.83%).

The runoff election to be held on Sept. 20.

Election 2022: Cambridge Mayor Forum

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The Spy has teamed up once again with the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce, WHCP Community Radio, and the Mid-Shore Board of Realtors to host a special election forum for the six candidates running for the Mayor of Cambridge. The election date is set for August 23, 2022 with voting taking place at Chesapeake College on Race Street.

Last night, Laurel E. Atkiss, La-Shon Banks Foster, Adelaide C. Eckardt, Robert S. Larimer, Stephen W. Rideout and Lee “Sonny” Travers gathered with the evening moderator Chris Wheedleton, at the at Chesapeake Grove to discuss the future of Cambridge.

This video is approximately 140 minutes in length.

Election 2022: State’s Attorney

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The Spy has teamed up with the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce, WHCP Community Radio, and the Mid-Shore Board of Realtors to host several candidate forums in advance of the July 19, 2022 primary election. The goal is to get the forums complete well ahead of the July 19th primary to provide County residents time to learn more about each candidate.

We continue our series with State’s Attorney Republican candidates Molly W. Fox, Amanda Rae Leonard, and Kenneth E. Thalheimer.

 

 

Election 2022: Maryland Senate District 37 Election Forum

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The Spy has teamed up with the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce, WHCP Community Radio, and the Mid-Shore Board of Realtors to host several candidate forums in advance of the July 19, 2022 primary election. The goal is to get the forums complete well ahead of the July 19th primary to provide County residents time to learn more about each candidate.

We continue our series with Republican candidates Addie Eckardt and Johnny Mautz running for Senate District 37.

This video is approximately 80 minutes in length. 

Election 2022: Dorchester County Board of Education Election Forum

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The Spy has teamed up with the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce, WHCP Community Radio, and the Mid-Shore Board of Realtors to host several candidate forums in advance of the July 19, 2022 primary election. The goal is to get the forums complete well ahead of the July 19th primary to provide County residents time to learn more about each candidate.

We continue our series with candidates running for Dorchester County Board of Education.

This video is approximately 90 minutes in length

 

Election 2022: Maryland House of Delegates 37A & 37B Candidate Forum

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The Spy has teamed up with the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce, WHCP Community Radio, and the Mid-Shore Board of Realtors to host several candidate forums in advance of the July 19, 2022 primary election. The goal is to get the forums complete well ahead of the July 19th primary to provide County residents time to learn more about each candidate.

We continue our series with candidates running for Maryland House of Delegates 37A & 37B.

This video is approximately 90 minutes in length.

Election 2022: Dorchester County Council District 1 Community Forum

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The Cambridge Spy has teamed up with the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce, WHCP Community Radio, and the Mid-Shore Board of Realtors to host several candidate forums in advance of the July 19, 2022 primary election. The goal is to get the forums complete well ahead of the July 19th primary to provide County residents time to learn more about each candidate.

We begin our series with Dorchester County Council District 1.

With WHCP’s Kevin Diaz serving as moderator , we welcomed candidates Glenn Bramble, Bob Kramer, Jay Newcomb and Don Satterfield to the Cambridge campus of Chesapeake College last week.

This video is approximately 70 minutes in length.

The Spy to Co-host Dorchester Election Forums

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The Dorchester Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with WHCP Community Radio, the Spy Newspapers, and the Mid-Shore Board of Realtors to host several candidate forums for the 2022 election. The goal is to get the forums complete well ahead of the July 19th primary to provide County residents time to learn more about each candidate.

All the forums will be held at Chesapeake College’s Cambridge Center and live streamed on Facebook and YouTube.  The public is invited to attend the forums in person.  Meet and greet with the candidates will start at 5:45 p.m., the forum will begin at 6:15 p.m.  There are seven total forums being held. 

The following are the dates for the forums:

  • May 31st – Dorchester County Council District 1
  • June 1st – Dorchester County Council Districts 2, 3 & 4
  • June 2nd – Dorchester County Council District 5
  • June 6th – Maryland House of Delegates 37A & 37B
  • June 8th – Dorchester County Board of Education Districts 2 & 4
  • June 15th – Dorchester County State’s Attorney
  • June 16th – Maryland State Senator District 37 

You can visit the calendar on the Chamber Website www.dorchesterchamber.org  or the Chamber Facebook page www.facebook.com/DorchesterChamberOfCommerce for more details on each event.  The Social media links for the live stream will be posted in both locations about a week out from each event. 

The forums will be in room 101 at Chesapeake College’s Cambridge Center, 416 Race Street, Cambridge, MD 21613.

This is an important election year for the residents of Dorchester County and the State as a whole.  We will be electing the following this year: 

  • a Senator and a Congressman to represent us in DC
  • a Governor, Comptroller, and Attorney General to represent the interests of the State
  • a Senator and 3 Delegates to represent the interest of the County in Annapolis
  • a States Attorney and Sheriff to represent Law Enforcement in the County
  • Several key positions in the courts will be determined including Clerk of Circuit Court, Register of Wills, and Judge for Orphan Court
  • All 5 County Council Districts are up for election, 2 are running unopposed so we will be electing 3
  • 2 of the 5 Board of Education Members are up for election 
  • We will also be selecting the folks to represent the Democratic Central Committee and the Republican Central Committee 

Many of these races may be determined by the primary outcome so it is important for everyone to learn as much as they can about the candidates before the July 19th primary.  All residents are encouraged to join the forums in person, watch on Facebook or YouTube, listen for replays on WHCP, visit the Spy Newspaper (https://cambridgespy.org/) to view video recordings, or go the Chamber website to view replays to become an informed voter.  To find the replay times for WHCP Radio visit their website at https://whcp.org/.

Dorchester Citizens for Better Government want Transparency and Governance: A Chat with Allen Nelson

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The Dorchester Citizens for Better Government group has two proposals that they think will significantly improve both transparency and good governance at the county level. And on the surface, they look like rather simple ones.

The first one, a Article for Charter Section 606, it would require Dorchester County Council meetings to be on live CATV or live streamed on the internet. It would also require the Council to provide documents to the public that support the agenda items prior to Council meetings.

The second one is a charter amendment (405-406) is to prevent Council members from hiring and firing county employees other the its chief executive (County Manager). It simply strengthens the role of the County Manager in hiring and termination decisions of department heads and  by instituting a formal process and safeguards for the hiring and dismissal of the County Manager.

On the face of it, both of these sound reasonable enough, but in order for these to be on the ballot in November, this croup will need to have close to 5,000 Dorchester residents sign petitions over the next several months to make that happen.

WHCP’s Kevin Diaz and the Spy’s Dave Wheelan sat down with Allen Nelson, president of Dorchester Citizens for Better Government yesterday at the studio on Race Street to talk in more detail about both of these important initiatives.

This video is approximately seven minutes in length. For more information about Dorchester Citizens for Better Government please contact at Allen Nelson at Dorchartchq22@yahoo.com.

For those interviewed in signing these petitions, This week the following places and times will be available for you to stop by and sign the Petitions:

1. Monday to Friday – Dorchester Chamber of Commerce – every day except between noon to 1:00 p.m. – 306 High Street Cambridge

2. Monday – Wednesday and Friday – 311 High Street Cambridge – Noon to 1:00 p.m. I will be available to sign you up

3. Thursday from Noon to 1:00 p.m. or so, Allen Nelson and I will be presenting on the Charter Petitions at the Rotary Club lunch.

4. Friday Morning from 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. at Blackwater Bakery, Allen Nelson and I will be available while speaking with the Businessmen’s group and also I will be available noon to 1:00 p.m. at 311 High Street

5. Saturday from Noon to 5:00 p.m. at Downtown’s Sip N Savor at two locations – Poplar Street and at the Blue Awning on Race Street near the Tubman Mural