By Brian Shane

Staff Writer

(Nov. 12, 2026) Worcester County officials approved a $108,400 contract renewal for a lobbying firm to advance county legislative priorities that include widening Route 90, opposing offshore wind development, and preserving local control over county affairs.

The county commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to retain R&R Solutions LLC for another 12 months. The annual cost to the county remains unchanged from the firm’s first year.

Commissioner Caryn Abbott made the motion, seconded by Commissioner Chip Bertino. The item was approved during a consent agenda with no discussion.

The county’s previous lobbying firm, State and Local Advisors, charged $24,000 a year. Its work included advocating for Ocean City inlet dredging, funding for broadband internet, and expanded Sunday hunting.

County legislative analyst Charlene Sharpe said R&R provides comprehensive lobbying, consulting, and grant writing services.

The firm worked with the county on three pending awards totaling nearly $6.4 million in the Maryland Department of the Environment’s intended use plan. The projects include a Herring Creek water main interconnection, a Newark water treatment plant and well, and Newark water service replacements, according to information provided by Sharpe.

The firm also worked on two pending federal earmarks: $3 million for a health department and senior center in Pocomoke City, and $2.65 million for the Ocean Pines/River Run wastewater project.

Sharpe said R&R also helped with new legislation that increased the size of the Worcester County Board of License Commissioners (Senate Bill 681) and allowed for temporary to-go event permits for Berlin, Pocomoke City, and Snow Hill (Senate Bill 846). Both bills were from the 2026 legislative session.

R&R’s representatives include Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio and Ryan Snow, who launched the firm in 2024.

Haddaway-Riccio is a former Maryland natural resources secretary and Eastern Shore delegate who also served as a deputy chief of staff to Gov. Larry Hogan. Snow served as Hogan’s director of intergovernmental affairs.

The county received seven proposals for lobbying services in summer 2025. One applicant withdrew after receiving an appointment with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to an Oct. 26 memo from county Procurement Officer Ed Welch.

A three-person county evaluation team scored proposals on experience, understanding of the work, and personnel qualifications, then scored them again with cost included. Commissioners initially had interviewed candidates in closed session on Oct. 7, 2025, and chose R&R.

In a public question-and-answer document issued during the bidding process, the county identified priorities that included securing state transportation funding to dualize Route 90, as well as ending federal and state support for the offshore wind project proposed off Ocean City.

It’s not the first time Worcester County has hired outside PR help to oppose offshore wind.

In December 2024, commissioners approved a contract with Bedrock Advocacy Communications to develop and manage the “Stop Offshore Wind” campaign, authorizing a county contribution of up to $100,000. The campaign is a partnership with Ocean City’s municipal government.