Matt Stoehr
Business owner seeks to fill District 1 seat left open by Green’s victory in commissioner contest
By Tara Fischer
Staff Writer
(Aug. 6, 2026) Berlin Planning Commission Chairman Matthew Stoehr has announced he’s running for the town’s District 1 council seat this fall.
Stoehr joined the municipality’s Planning Commission in 2019 and has served as its chair for the past two and a half years. Stoehr, who moved to Berlin in 2015 from Ocean City, now has his sights set on the Town Council.
Stoehr is campaigning for Councilmember Steve Green’s position, who was elected to the Worcester County Commissioners in June, but won’t take office until after the November general election. He will vacate his Berlin seat at the end of his term to assume his role as the county board’s District 4 representative.
Following his graduation from Stephen Decatur High School in 2006, Stoehr earned an undergraduate degree in finance from Salisbury University. He also received a Master of Business Administration from Wilmington University in Delaware.
He said he has worked in an office setting since he was 22 and owns a home remodeling company called Mast Contracting.
Stoehr believes his professional experience will serve him well as a councilmember if elected. As a business owner, he said, he handles everything from accounting and budget forecasting to sales.
“Although those are a little different than what goes into the public sector, you always have to be able to learn something new because you have to be the expert in everything,” he said. “And on a city council, it’s very hard to know everything. So, your job is to know how to do your own research, ask the right questions, and be able to give people answers.”
The candidate added that owning a business has taught him how to “get comfortable making the tough and unpopular decisions.”
“I think that’s very important with anyone from the town council to have the ability to say, ‘this isn’t going to be popular, but this is what we have to do,’” Stoehr said.
As for the issues facing Berlin, Stoehr emphasized the need to prioritize communication. He maintained that while the municipality is doing a better job of transparency than ever before, the modern era of social media has led residents to feel entitled to constant access to information, sometimes more than town leaders can accommodate.
“With Facebook, Instagram, and social media, people want information continuously,” Stoehr said. “I think sometimes that can be tough to do, but you need to have open and honest communication, and that’s what I plan on doing.
“If I say something that’s not popular but is the truth, I’m fine with it if people are mad at me. I just don’t want people to get false expectations of an issue that’s happening.”
If elected, Stoehr said he intends to advocate against annexation, noting that he has opposed expanding the town’s boundaries as a member of the planning commission.
Stoehr contend that prioritizing construction on infill lots would do more for Berlin’s residents than expanding its border would, while preserving its small-town character.
“The other thing I hope to accomplish is continuing with infill,” he said. “… We go up, and we fill in the empty lots in town. I want to continue to push for that, whether it’s commercial, mixed residential, mixed commercial, mixed use … When we infill properties … it is allowing us to bring in additional tax revenue without expanding our borders and putting an even greater burden on our resources like trash, wastewater, fire, police.”
Stoehr said that as a councilmember, he plans to serve his constituents through open and honest communication and a willingness to listen to alternative perspectives.
He claimed he honed this skill throughout his work on the Berlin Planning Commission.
“Sitting in meetings, there would be other people on the planning commission who had differing viewpoints,” the candidate said. “I would talk to them before, during, and after the meetings, and it was so important to hear a different person’s viewpoint to get out of your own echo chamber. And there were times it absolutely changed my opinion on something because I began to listen to stuff from the other side.”
Berlin’s municipal election is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 6 and will determine the town’s District 1, District 4, and at-large delegates. Those elected will each serve four-year terms.
According to the Town of Berlin’s website, polls will be open for voters from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on election day. Residents from Districts 1 and 2 will cast their ballots at Buckingham Presbyterian Church, while those in Districts 3 and 4 will vote at St. Paul United Methodist Church.
Mail-in voting is also available, and applications must be received by the Town of Berlin Customer Service Office at 14 S. Main Street by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22, if submitted by mail. The deadline for forms delivered in person is 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25.
Voters may contact the Town of Berlin Customer Service Office at 410-641-4002 or email kdaub@berlinmd.gov for additional election information.
So far, We Heart Berlin founder Tony Weeg has filed for District 4 seat currently held by Council Vice President Dean Burrell. Burrell has said he intends to step down at the conclusion of this term.
Incumbent Jay Knerr has also filed to run for re-election to the at-large seat.
Others interested in throwing their hats into Berlin’s election ring may do so until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8. For write-in candidates, the filing deadline is 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Matt Stoehr