Bertino or Wilson? That would be the question for voters from County Commissioner District 5 in Ocean Pines, as Chip Bertino on the Republican side of the ballot, faces Tom Wilson, who carries the Democratic banner, in the November election.
The thing is, party affiliation means little in county elections, because, as the late House Speaker Tip O’Neil observed, all politics is local.
The debate last Friday between the two in Ocean Pines made that apparent, as they focused on two strictly local issues: the narrow funnel that is Route 589 and the county’s economy.
In a world where people are more concerned about “What are you going to do for me?” as opposed to what might be done for the good of everyone, the aforementioned are the logical choices of discussion, along with taxes and such, of course.
Wilson argues that a more urgent and vociferous push for widening Route 589 should be on the county commissioners’ agenda and he is right.
But Bertino is just as correct when he contends that such action isn’t likely to alter state government’s highway improvement schedule in Ocean Pines’ favor because there just isn’t enough money to go around.
It is, in other words, one of those damned if you do and damned if you don’t situations, since patience and understanding toward the various levels of government are often rewarded with requests for more patience and understanding.
Meanwhile, the effectiveness of high volume demands, barring a series of tragedies that would make the problem to difficult to ignore, often depends on the number of votes behind them.
In either case, it’s going to be some time before any kind of major improvement of Route 589 takes place, rendering moot this aspect of the debate.
But what voters should be able to determine from the give and take between the two, however, are the style and personality traits each would carry into the job.
Without getting into the endorsement stage of this campaign – it’s too early for that – voters in District 5 should consider the approach of these candidates, rather than their specific stances, and then decide who would be their most effective advocate.
The thing is, party affiliation means little in county elections, because, as the late House Speaker Tip O’Neil observed, all politics is local.
The debate last Friday between the two in Ocean Pines made that apparent, as they focused on two strictly local issues: the narrow funnel that is Route 589 and the county’s economy.
In a world where people are more concerned about “What are you going to do for me?” as opposed to what might be done for the good of everyone, the aforementioned are the logical choices of discussion, along with taxes and such, of course.
Wilson argues that a more urgent and vociferous push for widening Route 589 should be on the county commissioners’ agenda and he is right.
But Bertino is just as correct when he contends that such action isn’t likely to alter state government’s highway improvement schedule in Ocean Pines’ favor because there just isn’t enough money to go around.
It is, in other words, one of those damned if you do and damned if you don’t situations, since patience and understanding toward the various levels of government are often rewarded with requests for more patience and understanding.
Meanwhile, the effectiveness of high volume demands, barring a series of tragedies that would make the problem to difficult to ignore, often depends on the number of votes behind them.
In either case, it’s going to be some time before any kind of major improvement of Route 589 takes place, rendering moot this aspect of the debate.
But what voters should be able to determine from the give and take between the two, however, are the style and personality traits each would carry into the job.
Without getting into the endorsement stage of this campaign – it’s too early for that – voters in District 5 should consider the approach of these candidates, rather than their specific stances, and then decide who would be their most effective advocate.