Ok, Dorchester voters including those in Cambridge, Hurlock, and all of the other towns in Dorchester County, you now have the opportunity, and I think the obligation, to speak out on a very important topic. You need to let your voices be heard now and in November with regard to the Dorchester County Charter Commission’s recommendations for changes to the current County Charter.

You can do this now by coming to the County Council meeting on March 19, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the County Office Building or you can email, call, or speak in person to your County Council representative. What the Charter Commission was able to do is complete and improve on the efforts of the Dorchester Citizens for Better Government that seeking to collect enough signatures from registered voters throughout the county to have a vote on possible changes to the county charter as part of the last election cycle. We fell short. The Dorchester Charter Commission has done what we were not able to do and added other proposals.

They developed a list of eight recommendations with explanations that were part of a presentation to the County Council earlier this month, and the council is asking the public to provide their thoughts on which of the proposed changes should go on the ballot in November 2024. Hearing from the citizens is always important, so you need to speak out in support of what your fellow citizens have suggested after months of work.

In November, whatever issues are placed on the ballot, fifty percent plus one voter has to approve the proposed changes that the County Council will have approved for consideration and vote. While we do not know how much public input from the voters is required for the County Council to act, the more people that tell them to place all of the proposals on the ballot, the more likely those proposals will be on the ballot.

That will allow for a formal up or down vote on each proposal in November after you, the voters, have had the chance to learn more about all of them and the pros and cons for each. I am confident that as part of the upcoming elections there will be people who are for or against a proposal. I know that the Dorchester Citizens for Better Government will be urging passage of whatever is on the ballot, as these proposal make for good sense and help create better government. During our efforts to obtain signatures, we obtained over 1300 signatures in support of two of the proposals having to do with the county manager and transparency.

I would suspect that most of you who reside in Dorchester County, including its towns and cities, may not know what the proposals are. That is understandable. It is also understandable that all of them should be on the ballot so that you can give your voice to which ones you want and which ones you do not want.

The county charter has not been changed, I am told, since it was originally passed many years ago. Much in our world has changed since then, and one of the most important changes is that most larger cities, like Cambridge, and counties have gone to a form of government called council-manager where there is a paid experienced and full time manager for the day-to-day running of the government that includes the hiring and firing of staff, while a county or city council creates the vision, policy, and direction for the county or city for the manager to run.

The Charter Commission provided both an explanation for each proposed change along with a suggestion of the appropriate language. While those explanations and the proposed language are too long for this report, the proposed changes are these:

• Add language that would solidify the difference between the responsibilities of the County Council and the County Manager.  We would like to emphasize:
  • County Manager is the only one allowed to direct employees
  • When position is vacant, search must start immediately
  • If position is not filled timely, alternative search measures must be employed.
  • County Manager must be available full time.
  • County Manager can not take direction from individual council members
  • Only the County Manager can hire and fire county employees

• Change the requirements of the County Manager to remove the residency requirement

• Change the Administrative Review to require it be done in the first fiscal year of each new Council

• Change the requirements of the County Director of Finance to remove the residency requirement

• Change the due date for the proposed County budget

• Change the adoption date for the County budget.

• Add language to section 606 to increase transparency and to ensure that the most effective means are used to disseminate meeting information.

• Add language to the County Charter to limit a County Council member to 3 four year terms (for a total of 12 years).

I hope to be able to provide more information regarding the above-proposed changes, but the important thing for you to do now is to contact your county council member (not the city council) and let him know that you want to have a vote on all of these proposals in November.

Thanks for reading.

Steve Rideout is the mayor of Cambridge,  Maryland.

Judge Rideout is the former Chief Judge of the Alexandria, VA Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court (1989-2004). From 2004 until the present, he has consulted in different states to support their efforts to improve their child welfare systems. From 2016 to early 2021, he was the Ward 1 Commissioner on the Cambridge City Council. Throughout his career, he has been an advocate for improving the lives of children in his and other communities.

The Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center, which works to increase the number of health care providers serving Maryland’s rural Eastern Shore, named Lisa Widmaier executive director. Widmaier rejoins the center after serving as the geriatric program coordinator and community health worker lead trainer from 2012 to 2018.

In her tenure at the Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center, Widmaier educated health professionals about geriatrics and team-based care as well as helped lead the development of the community health worker workforce in Maryland. She held state appointments including with the Maryland Workgroup for Workforce Development of Community Health Workers and most recently the Community Health Worker Training Program Application Review Committee.

Prior to rejoining the Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center, Widmaier served as clinical coordinator at Easterseals of Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where she led a staff of nine including pediatric therapists and support workers. Widmaier directed noncredit health care programs at Chesapeake College where she managed programs for certified nursing assistants, dental assistants and clinical medical assistants as well as supervised full-time staff members and part-time instructors.

Previously, she was a public-school teacher.

Widmaier graduated from the Shore Leadership program in 2022. She holds a Master of Education from Penn State University and bachelor’s degree in elementary education and teaching from Lebanon Valley College. She lives in Dorchester County.

The Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center (ESAHEC) works to increase the number of health care providers serving rural and underserved areas and eliminate health disparities among diverse populations on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Established in 1997, the nonprofit center recruits and retains health care providers by offering health education programs for professionals and students from colleges and universities in Maryland and surrounding areas. (www.esahec.org)

The meeting began with a Hearn Building Update. Presentation from Green Street Housing related to the redevelopment of 505-509 Race Street. The renovations will include 44 multi-family housing units of one- and two-bedroom apartments. Parking for 66 cars will be located to the rear of the buildings and accessed via Race Street, over the vacant lot where 507 was torn down several years ago and there will not be any access through Grace Church. 35 units will occupy the entirety of the upper floors of 509, which is the Hearn Building and there would be space at street level that would be available for lease as retail. 9 of the 44 units would be located in 505 Race Street and Green Street is proposing to remove and build a new façade due to structural issues. Planning Staff indicated a preference to restore and maintain the historic façade. At street level at 505 there would be a leasing and management office for the complex, tenant lounge and laundry facilities.

HPC approvals are necessary for all exterior changes and modifications. 8 of the 44 units will be reserved for handicapped individuals with incomes below the poverty level and the remaining 36 will be reserved for households earning 60-80% of the area median income. There will be space allocated to provide social support services to the residents. Green Street indicated that units will be marketed to Cambridge residents. However, it would appear Fair Housing Laws would prevent units from being restricted to those that are already residents of Dorchester County.

Concerns and discussion ensued among the Planning Commission members as to the role of the Commission related to the Government subsidy of the complex over the long term. The Hearn building will have 2,853 square feet of commercial, which is less than 6% of the space of the entire project, making this more of a residential development as opposed to commercial. The UDC states the downtown core should “sustain the densely spaced buildings located close to the street with multiple floors housing commercial and civic activities and upper floor residential patterns.” Green Street Housing is based in Salisbury and none of the owners live in Dorchester County. The cost of renovations will be approximately $21,000,000 (approximately $473,000 per unit), mostly funded by Government sources. Green Street will also seek a PILOT, or Payment in Lieu of Taxes from the City Council.

Old Business:
PZ 2017-013 Egypt Road solar energy system – review of final conditions – deferred to a future meeting.

New Business:

PZ 2023-013 The Planning Commission reacted positively to a proposed Concept Plan for an industrial building at the corner of Woods Road and Chesapeake Drive. Mr. Hank Warner presented his current plan and has developed several other buildings on Chesapeake Drive, which are now fully occupied by an engine manufacturer and Treehouse Foods, which, according to their website, produces and sells a comprehensive portfolio of private label foods and beverages for retail grocery. Staff indicated that one reason the City’s industrial sector has struggled is due to the inadequate ceiling height of many of the older industrial buildings. Mr. Warner is building to accommodate more modern industrial standards. Mr. Warner and his team will now move toward a more formal concept plan.

Public Hearing

TA 2023-004 – Planning Commission voted unanimously to send a recommendation to the City Council to approve a text amendment related to accessory structures and the use of the term midpoint when determining height. There was no public comment.

From the 5/2/2023 meeting: TA 2023-004 – Discussion continued from April related to building heights related to new accessory structures; change would provide for slightly greater height as it would measure to the midpoint of a pitched roof; neighborhoods with somewhat more narrow lots might retain greater restrictions related to height.

Discussion Items:

TA 2023-005 Define various types of healthcare facilities that are currently silent in the UDC – Deferred to July.
Recreational Marijuana – Planning Officer and Commission discussed where it should be permitted. Discussion related to whether or not recreational marijuana should be permitted in similar locations to alcohol sales, etc. There have been issues in other communities where recreational marijuana sales have massed in certain areas and created problems. Further discussion at future meetings and this would most likely become an issue after January 1, 2024, when new recreational facilities might be permitted.

Planning Director updates:

– Three contiguous properties, consisting of several acres on Airpax Road, located behind Tractor Supply, will be used for storage containers. This area is not visible from US50, and this is a permitted use at is considered warehousing. Planning Commission requested the property owner come forward at the July meeting to discuss;

– RAR will install four 35’ granary tanks behind their building in the parking lot, which will provide for operations. HPC has approved and they are within the appropriate height limit. It was discussed as to how it might affect nearby residential areas and that the neighbors should receive some type of notice. Planning Commission requested the property owner come forward at the July meeting to discuss.

– Final site plan for Chipotle has been approved, located at the corner of US50 and Maryland Avenue. Three small restaurants were contemplated originally for this site and only Chipotle is moving forward at this time.

– Final site plan for Dunkin Donuts approved, grading permit has been issued and the building permit is under review.

– A work session had been planned with the City Council regarding Mural Guidelines and it has not occurred. The prior Council had not been favorable to the guidelines. The conversation needs to be restarted with the Council and a work session is needed. Currently, the UDC prohibits murals and guidelines are needed to define what is appropriate and in what locations.

– The City Council will need to designate a new liaison to replace Commissioner Malkus, and perhaps further define the role, which in many ways is a Commissioner Ex-Officio.

YMCA Rezoning, 201 Talbot Avenue:

The YMCA has indicated an interest to relocate and the property at Talbot Avenue is currently zoned for Institutional Use. Some institutional uses may not be acceptable for this site, which is in the middle of a residential neighborhood. It was discussed that the YMCA and CWDI might be contemplating a land swap, which might allow CWDI to take control of the Talbot Avenue site and potentially locate an institutional use there that was originally contemplated for Sailwinds/Cambridge Harbor. The City is moving forward with a sense of urgency and an NC-1 overlay will be brought forward at a special meeting on July 5. The NC-1 overlay would limit institutional uses to those typically found in residential neighborhoods, such as churches or schools. Discussion ensued related to non-profit entities that do not pay property taxes locating on high value property, and how that also tied into the Hearn Building, requesting a PILOT as opposed to paying full property taxes.

The Lower Shore Progressive Caucus announced today their endorsement of Laurel Atkiss for the Cambridge Ward 1 election. The Caucus, known for championing candidates who promote progressive values and community engagement, supports Laurel’s vision of a more vibrant and connected Cambridge.

A familiar face in the local community, Laurel has an extensive understanding of the downtown area, service and retail industries, as well as Dorchester County’s tourism industry. Her involvement in community programs such as the Dorchester Center for the Arts, the RFC Train Garden, and Blackwater Adventures’ kayak tours demonstrates her commitment to enriching the city’s cultural heritage and youth development.

Laurel’s campaign focuses on open communication, stronger community connections, and healthy progress for Cambridge. Her unique blend of skills and passion for the community make her an exceptional candidate to represent Ward 1.

Voting will take place on June 6, 2023, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church located at 205 Maryland Ave. Absentee ballot request forms are available on the city’s website at choosecambridge.com. Voters can also obtain a paper copy of the form by visiting City Hall during normal business hours.

For more information about Laurel and her campaign, follow her on social media at Laurel Atkiss for Ward 1.

About Lower Shore Progressive Caucus: The LSPC is a political and activist organization that covers Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties. The Lower Shore Progressive Caucus is unaffiliated with any political party and is committed to empowering working people. We do that by building a Progressive Movement both locally and on a larger scale to elect progressive representatives, enact progressive legislation, and create a government that represents the many, not just the powerful few by working to solve the economic, political, social, racial, and environmental injustices we face.

Tyler Jones Sr.
Communications Chair Lower Shore Progressive Caucus

You may recall the petition initiative for changing the County Charter that was started last spring by the Dorchester Citizens for Better Government and wonder what happened to it. I hope that what follows will help you understand what we were able to do and not do and what I understand will be happening in the near future. 

With the Petition effort, we sought to gather over 5,000 signatures prior to the 2022 November elections in order to have two changes to the County Charter placed on that ballot that we felt were important. They involved sections 405-406 of the County Charter related to the County Manager position and a new section 606 that addressed government transparency.

We had started this effort in the fall of 2021 by gathering a group of people that supported the idea of making some changes to the County Charter, meeting to discuss possible changes, and finally hiring a lawyer to help draft the changes that the group agreed upon. The changes we proposed are attached. With the help of many people at church events, farmers’ markets, and fire houses we collected signatures of registered voters. 

During our research of the County Charter, we learned that the County Council should have appointed a Charter Commission in 2021 but did not finally approve all of the members of that body until May of 2022. The intention of the majority of County Council was to have a report and recommendations by the Commission by July 2022. That gave the Commission members two-three months to do their research and make their recommendations. Under the law, the Commission should have had at least a year to do their work.

During the Spring of 2022 and time that the Charter Commission did their work, the Citizens for Better Government made presentations to community groups about our effort, collected signatures on the petitions, and attended the Charter Commission meetings where we were able to suggest ideas for consideration. In the end, after meeting and making recommendations to the County Council, the County Council declined to adopt any of the Commission’s recommendations for placement 0f Charter revisions on the ballot for the November 2022 vote.

Despite our efforts to collect the required number of signatures, we were on able to collect about 1,300 signatures for each petition, but that was not enough; so, we felt that our next best option was to support the efforts of the Charter Commission, which we did, for the most part. When the Commission failed to receive the vote of County Council, we realized that our hope to place any issues on the 2022 ballot was not going to be successful. We then decided to wait for the November election to see what those results would be in order to have a new council that might support some of our ideas.

We were successful in one respect, which was the former council agreeing to place the council meetings for viewing by the public on town hall streams. In addition, the new County Council has hired Jeff Powell as the Acting County Manager, which is already paying dividends toward making the progress we anticipated. As some members of the former council and candidates for election had signed our petitions, we knew that with a new County Council there was the possibility that it would restart the Charter Commission to allow it to reconsider past recommendations and offer any new ideas that might be brought forward.

That is now happening. The County Council is in the process of appointing a new Charter Commission that may have some of its former members reappointed. When they start meeting, the Dorchester Citizens for Better Government will be present supporting their efforts to help improve how our county government can run and to give to the citizens of Dorchester County the opportunity to vote in the November 2024 election on proposed changes to the County Charter that will, hopefully, provide for a better and more efficient and effective government.

Thanks for reading.

Steve Rideout is the current mayor of Cambridge