OCEAN PINES – The two Worcester County District 5 Commissioner candidates clashed on Route 589 expansion and the role of Annapolis in local politics during a political forum at The Clubhouse on Friday, Oct. 3.
Democrat Tom Wilson, president of the board of directors at Diakonia and Republican Chip Bertino, editor and publisher of The Courier newspaper, met during the one-hour debate.
Steve Habeger, a member of the communications committee at the Parke community in Ocean Pines, moderated the forum.
Wilson, who touted his experience as finance director for the Peace Corps, retired to Ocean Pines in 2002, but said he found it hard to stay on the sidelines.
“I like to get things done,” he said. “Part of the reason I’m running for county commissioner is that I became aware there were some problems here in Worcester County. We have the lowest average wage of any jurisdiction in the state and from November through April we have the highest unemployment. It’s just shameful that we haven’t done more to bring good year-round jobs to Worcester County. We have a beautiful quality of life. We have a relatively low cost of living. There’s no reason we can’t bring more jobs here if we try harder.”
Wilson accused the current crop of commissioners of not doing enough to address the congestion on Route 589.
“We need to do better,” he said. “The commissioners say they’re working on this when, in fact, they’ve done next to nothing. We can build coalitions. We can build alliances. We can work with the state to get funding for 589.”
Addressing his prospective district directly, Wilson called Ocean Pines the “Rodney Dangerfield” of Worcester County.
“Ocean Pines is the largest community in Worcester County … and we get no respect from the county commissioners,” he said. “The grants that we get from Worcester County are half the grants that Berlin gets on a per-capita basis. We can do better. We need to have more influence.”
Bertino, who has lived in the community with his wife and three children since 1991, said he felt at home in Ocean Pines, “the moment we came across the ferry (from New Jersey) and we entered the gates.”
“Since that time we’ve been engaged in our community, we’ve had the opportunity to get involved in our community, and more importantly we’ve had the opportunity to get to know friends in this community,” he said. “This is where we live. This is our community, and I take very strongly the responsibility that I see of being a county commissioner.”
Bertino spoke on his experience of covering Worcester County from a reporter’s perspective.
“One of the reasons that I’m running for county commissioner is that I’m tired of sitting on the benches – they’re just too hard,” he said. “I think the commissioners have better seats.
“The actions that the commissioners have to take are not easy sometimes – they affect people’s lives,” Bertino continued. “Water. Wastewater. Planning and zoning. Budgeting. These are not easy issues. But, having sat there for quite a few years, I think I have an opportunity to step forward and have my voice heard on a county level.”
On taxes, Wilson took a conservative approach.
“Worcester County has low property taxes, low piggy-back taxes,” he said. “We’ve done a good job with taxes. We can hold the line on taxes and perhaps eventually reduce them.”
Bertino said he would like the county to return to the slightly lower 2006 rates.
“I don’t’ think we need to continue to feed the government cow,” he said. “It’s our money.”
Wilson again invoked Route 589, insisting real change is within reach.
“We’ve got to do better,” he said. “The county needs to work with Ocean Pines and we need to work with the county. I want to be a champion for Ocean Pines down in Snow Hill.”
Bertino said Wilson was, “divorced from what has actually occurred” on highway expansion.
“Route 589 has been inquired about by the commissioners – it is ranked second with the state.”
Two weeks ago, Bertino said, the Maryland Secretary of Transportation briefed the commissioners about several aspects of highway expansion, including Route 589.
“Route 589 has continually been an important issue for the county commissioners and Ocean Pines,” Bertino said. The secretary of transportation told the commissioners both in word and in writing that there was no funding available from the state not until, at the very least, 2030.
‘So to suggest that the county commissioners are not doing enough to do what needs to be done on Route 589 is quite frankly unfair and untrue.”
“That is just not accurate,” said Wilson, who produced a letter from the county commissioners to the state he claimed did not rank Route 589 as a priority.
“There’s money,” Wilson said. “We need to do what always has (been) done to get this kind of money. We build coalitions. We build alliances.”
Asked about their “most distinguishing aspect,” Wilson said he “gets things done.”
“I built a constituency for Diakonia,” he said. “I reached out to businesses and individuals, and I worked with the state. I worked with the county and worked with municipalities.”
Wilson said he brought nearly $2 million in state funds to Diakonia.
“Given what Tom just said, I would very much like to see him remain at Diakonia,” quipped Bertino.
Bertino again emphasized his time covering the county commissioners.
“With the exception of the current county commissioners, there is nobody running for office that has spent more time in the county courthouse, has spent more time listening to county deliberations, public hearings, legislative sessions. That information needs to be translated into action.”
On economic development, Bertino both praised Worcester County Economic Develop Director Bill Badger and blamed the state for county shortcomings.
“This is not a friendly place to have business,” he said. “We can do all the right things in Worcester County, and I think we are on that track. But if we don’t have that help – if we’re not being pulled by the locomotive that is Annapolis – that is our state government – we’re only going to get so far.”
“We can blame Annapolis all we want, but that doesn’t get things done,” Wilson countered. “We should do things for ourselves.
“I don’t agree with everything Annapolis does … (but) we can’t keep making excuses,” Wilson continued. “We have to take action (and) do what needs to be done. We’re at the beach. There’s no reason we can’t put good businesses here.”
On perceived increases in crime and drug trafficking in the county, Bertino said there is “no easy answer.”
“I think it takes the motivation and the efforts and collaborative efforts of many people across our state.”
Wilson addressed the “heroin epidemic” in the United States, which he said was also prevalent in Worcester County.
“We need to do more to bring it under control through both education and general public awareness,” he said. “You can’t just rely on the sheriffs and the police and all those people to keep us safe. We all have to do our part.”
During closing statements, Bertino insisted the county commissioner seat was not being pursued as an “ego boost.”
“I’ve lived here for a lot of years,” he said. “My kids went to school here and I love this place. I love this community. If I didn’t, quite truthfully, I would have pulled up shop and moved quite a long time ago.
“I believe that I know that I have the information and the education to get started as a county commissioner,” Bertino continued.
“Chip wins the attendance award for county commissioner meetings, but, frankly, I’m a person who likes to get things done,” said Wilson. “I think I can do a good job for all of you. I’m experienced, I have a background. I know financial management. I know budgeting and I know how to work with lots of different people to make things work.”
Democrat Tom Wilson, president of the board of directors at Diakonia and Republican Chip Bertino, editor and publisher of The Courier newspaper, met during the one-hour debate.
Steve Habeger, a member of the communications committee at the Parke community in Ocean Pines, moderated the forum.
Wilson, who touted his experience as finance director for the Peace Corps, retired to Ocean Pines in 2002, but said he found it hard to stay on the sidelines.
“I like to get things done,” he said. “Part of the reason I’m running for county commissioner is that I became aware there were some problems here in Worcester County. We have the lowest average wage of any jurisdiction in the state and from November through April we have the highest unemployment. It’s just shameful that we haven’t done more to bring good year-round jobs to Worcester County. We have a beautiful quality of life. We have a relatively low cost of living. There’s no reason we can’t bring more jobs here if we try harder.”
Wilson accused the current crop of commissioners of not doing enough to address the congestion on Route 589.
“We need to do better,” he said. “The commissioners say they’re working on this when, in fact, they’ve done next to nothing. We can build coalitions. We can build alliances. We can work with the state to get funding for 589.”
Addressing his prospective district directly, Wilson called Ocean Pines the “Rodney Dangerfield” of Worcester County.
“Ocean Pines is the largest community in Worcester County … and we get no respect from the county commissioners,” he said. “The grants that we get from Worcester County are half the grants that Berlin gets on a per-capita basis. We can do better. We need to have more influence.”
Bertino, who has lived in the community with his wife and three children since 1991, said he felt at home in Ocean Pines, “the moment we came across the ferry (from New Jersey) and we entered the gates.”
“Since that time we’ve been engaged in our community, we’ve had the opportunity to get involved in our community, and more importantly we’ve had the opportunity to get to know friends in this community,” he said. “This is where we live. This is our community, and I take very strongly the responsibility that I see of being a county commissioner.”
Bertino spoke on his experience of covering Worcester County from a reporter’s perspective.
“One of the reasons that I’m running for county commissioner is that I’m tired of sitting on the benches – they’re just too hard,” he said. “I think the commissioners have better seats.
“The actions that the commissioners have to take are not easy sometimes – they affect people’s lives,” Bertino continued. “Water. Wastewater. Planning and zoning. Budgeting. These are not easy issues. But, having sat there for quite a few years, I think I have an opportunity to step forward and have my voice heard on a county level.”
On taxes, Wilson took a conservative approach.
“Worcester County has low property taxes, low piggy-back taxes,” he said. “We’ve done a good job with taxes. We can hold the line on taxes and perhaps eventually reduce them.”
Bertino said he would like the county to return to the slightly lower 2006 rates.
“I don’t’ think we need to continue to feed the government cow,” he said. “It’s our money.”
Wilson again invoked Route 589, insisting real change is within reach.
“We’ve got to do better,” he said. “The county needs to work with Ocean Pines and we need to work with the county. I want to be a champion for Ocean Pines down in Snow Hill.”
Bertino said Wilson was, “divorced from what has actually occurred” on highway expansion.
“Route 589 has been inquired about by the commissioners – it is ranked second with the state.”
Two weeks ago, Bertino said, the Maryland Secretary of Transportation briefed the commissioners about several aspects of highway expansion, including Route 589.
“Route 589 has continually been an important issue for the county commissioners and Ocean Pines,” Bertino said. The secretary of transportation told the commissioners both in word and in writing that there was no funding available from the state not until, at the very least, 2030.
‘So to suggest that the county commissioners are not doing enough to do what needs to be done on Route 589 is quite frankly unfair and untrue.”
“That is just not accurate,” said Wilson, who produced a letter from the county commissioners to the state he claimed did not rank Route 589 as a priority.
“There’s money,” Wilson said. “We need to do what always has (been) done to get this kind of money. We build coalitions. We build alliances.”
Asked about their “most distinguishing aspect,” Wilson said he “gets things done.”
“I built a constituency for Diakonia,” he said. “I reached out to businesses and individuals, and I worked with the state. I worked with the county and worked with municipalities.”
Wilson said he brought nearly $2 million in state funds to Diakonia.
“Given what Tom just said, I would very much like to see him remain at Diakonia,” quipped Bertino.
Bertino again emphasized his time covering the county commissioners.
“With the exception of the current county commissioners, there is nobody running for office that has spent more time in the county courthouse, has spent more time listening to county deliberations, public hearings, legislative sessions. That information needs to be translated into action.”
On economic development, Bertino both praised Worcester County Economic Develop Director Bill Badger and blamed the state for county shortcomings.
“This is not a friendly place to have business,” he said. “We can do all the right things in Worcester County, and I think we are on that track. But if we don’t have that help – if we’re not being pulled by the locomotive that is Annapolis – that is our state government – we’re only going to get so far.”
“We can blame Annapolis all we want, but that doesn’t get things done,” Wilson countered. “We should do things for ourselves.
“I don’t agree with everything Annapolis does … (but) we can’t keep making excuses,” Wilson continued. “We have to take action (and) do what needs to be done. We’re at the beach. There’s no reason we can’t put good businesses here.”
On perceived increases in crime and drug trafficking in the county, Bertino said there is “no easy answer.”
“I think it takes the motivation and the efforts and collaborative efforts of many people across our state.”
Wilson addressed the “heroin epidemic” in the United States, which he said was also prevalent in Worcester County.
“We need to do more to bring it under control through both education and general public awareness,” he said. “You can’t just rely on the sheriffs and the police and all those people to keep us safe. We all have to do our part.”
During closing statements, Bertino insisted the county commissioner seat was not being pursued as an “ego boost.”
“I’ve lived here for a lot of years,” he said. “My kids went to school here and I love this place. I love this community. If I didn’t, quite truthfully, I would have pulled up shop and moved quite a long time ago.
“I believe that I know that I have the information and the education to get started as a county commissioner,” Bertino continued.
“Chip wins the attendance award for county commissioner meetings, but, frankly, I’m a person who likes to get things done,” said Wilson. “I think I can do a good job for all of you. I’m experienced, I have a background. I know financial management. I know budgeting and I know how to work with lots of different people to make things work.”