By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Feb. 28, 2019) Berlin native Cassandra Brown took the scenic route to ownership of a downtown Berlin business, and now she’s thrilled be running the oil and vinegar shop Una Bella Salute. The name roughly translates to “A Beautiful Health,” and Brown said the products in her store could enhance flavors… Read more »
News
Editorial Cartoon: Bailey Out
BFP Committee talks naming, park layout
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Feb. 28, 2019) Berlin Falls Park Committee members last Thursday discussed subcommittee reports on a park development map and how the grounds could find a permanent name. Roger Fitzgerald, in leading the physical park subcommittee, presented a plan that included small improvements like park benches and a viewing blind for… Read more »
Berlin considers property tax, utility fee hikes
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Feb. 28, 2019) Town of Berlin budget work sessions for fiscal 2020 began last Thursday with rate increase recommendations for utility fees and property taxes, with the latter possibly going up by a third or more. Stormwater fees are recommended to double for residents – from $50 annually to $100 –… Read more »
Berlin celebrates fifth anniversary of ‘Coolest’ honor
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Feb. 28, 2019) Five years ago, this week, former Anne Arundel County firefighter Mike Wiley went to his volunteer post at the corner of Route 50 and Main Street with a special purpose: to announce that Berlin had been named “America’s Coolest Small Town.” Wiley, a Berlin resident, has been in… Read more »
Elections cmte. to promote ‘Your Vote Counts’
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Feb. 21, 2019) “Your vote counts” is the theme of a new publicity campaign of the Ocean Pines Elections Committee aimed at increasing voter turnout and reducing voter error in the next board of directors election. Last year, 80 votes were not counted, including 66 received after the voting deadline. Ocean… Read more »
To educate, or not to educate OPA candidates
Pines committee on Friday considers role in advising those running for office By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Feb. 21, 2019) No candidates have yet filed for the 2019 Ocean Pines Board election, but the committee that oversees the voting is already well into discussing its role in the process. Elections Committee Chairman Steve Habeger, last… Read more »
John Bailey out as Pines General Manager
GM Bailey departure follows rocky 2019 budget process By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Feb. 21, 2019) Ocean Pines General Manager John Bailey has departed that post, following a tumultuous six-month budget process that had yet to conclude as of the middle of the week. According to a statement released Tuesday by the association, “The Board… Read more »
Ocean Pines Board members balk at Bailey bid handling
Daly to GM: ‘the system doesn’t work that way’ By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Feb. 21, 2019) The Ocean Pines Board approved four of five capital purchase requests Saturday, with one in particular catching the attention of several directors. Two golf maintenance items, a reel grinder and bedknife grinder, passed 6-0 with Director Slobodan Trendic… Read more »
Gazette Editorial: OPA ‘transition team’ a source of confusion
By establishing a transition team to help replace departed General Manager John Bailey with a different management approach, the Ocean Pines Board of Directors risks confusing what should be a straightforward matter. Understandably, the board and Bailey parted company this week in the waning days of a budget struggle that frequently veered into left field… Read more »