Editorial: Representative Kratovil’s Freshman Year
For those watching politics on the Eastern Shore in 2008, the election of Democrat Frank Kratovil was an entirely unanticipated event at the beginning of the year. The 1st District had been solidly Republican in voting pattern and mindset for well over two decades, and its incumbent, Wayne Gilchrest, was a respected and independent-minded five term congressman. And yet despite all that, Mr. Kratovil, a relatively unknown district attorney from Queen Anne’s County, emerged to be the first Democrat to capture the seat in eighteen years.
One explanation for this surprising twist was that local Republicans started to play the new and popular GOP party game called political cannibalism. The object of the game is for the party faithful to “eat their own” by having extreme right candidates challenge moderate Republicans during the primary season and stage ideological hissy fits to encourage church-based conservatives to throw out (banish might be the better word) all but the certifiably right wing.
In the case of the 1st District, Congressman Wayne Gilchrest was an irresistible target. Over his years in office, Mr. Gilchrest had infuriated party leadership time and time again with his unpredictable votes and intellectual stubbornness. And it didn’t help that the National Journal had ranked him the country’s most liberal Republican in 2008. The Eastern Shore right wing was so livid with the former schoolteacher from Kennedyville that when the party primary took place, Mr. Gilchrest actually had four “conservative conservatives” running against him. After the fog lifted, the last man standing was State Senator Andy Harris, perhaps at the most extreme in his political ideology.
So Frank Kratovil’s victory, while remarkable in many ways, was more the result of good timing than anything the candidate said prior to the election. The strategy of “I’m not Andy Harris” was far more successful than promoting Mr. Kratovil’s talent or philosophy on any particular issue. While the campaign plan clearly worked, there remained in the minds of many more questions than answers on who their new representative was, and what he stood for.
Now after Mr. Kratovil’s first year in Congress, the voters have much more information to answer some of those questions. While twelve months doesn’t yield empirical evidence on how Representative Kratovil will eventually end his first term, his record so far suggests that the First District has elected someone who has shown a level of independence and thoughtfulness that should make his predecessor proud.
Following in the tradition of Wayne Gilchrest, who had succeeded for years in driving his party leadership insane with his strong environmental record and concerns about Iraq, Mr. Kratovil seems capable of similar behavior, with the latest example being his vote against the Democrat-sponsored health care bill in the House late last year.
While Congressman Kratovil’s unwillingness to vote with his party to pass the House’s version of national health care was a blow to health reform advocates, his reasons for voting against the bill where reasonable and measured. He did not offer any tirades on the dangers of medical socialism, death panels, or federal government bashing. His vote was unpopular with many, including this newspaper, and seriously jeopardized his standing with many liberals, but it was clear he had done his homework and voted accordingly.
The rest of Mr. Kratovil’s record in 2009 shows he has been steadfast in his election commitment to support small businesses, protect consumers, and improve Chesapeake Bay protection efforts. Equally reassuring was his vote in support for the Obama’s administration’s Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the stimulus bill), hate crime legislation, support of carbon cap and trade, and financial regulatory reform. It is quite unlikely that Mr. Harris would have had a similar voting history.
This year will offer Mr. Kratovil more opportunities to further define himself. And there will be certain political dangers, some potentially terminal, ahead of him. Nonetheless, the District should feel relief that its freshman congressman seems to have successfully navigated his first year in Congress while holding on to his principles. That sounds like the kind of representative the First District has had in the past and deserves for the future.
DW
Reflections of a Bird Dog
A question for the day: where do pigeons go? Oh, I know, in general they go to the heads and shoulders of statues of famous men in the parks in big cities, to leave rude suggestions of their disregard. What I mean is, where do our pigeons go? Right, the Chestertown Pigeons.
I’ll bet most people hereabouts don’t even know about them, another fine secret kept from the voter-card-carrying, tax-paying residents of Chestertown. As opposed to those of us who are only Post Office Chestertownians and live over the water. The things we see . . . that the others don’t. Like sunsets over Chestertown. Or, that Chestertown is even prettier from the outside in than the inside out. Example: how the sun rising above the Rive Gauche shines on the Right Bank and bathes Chestertown golden every clear morning, City of Light.
And, the pigeons. There’s a flock, not a big one, maybe 30-50 birds, that takes to wing each sunrise and flies in long loops up and down the Chester, just over the Kent shoreline, approximately between Custom House and the for-sale former Parsonage by the bridge. I first noticed them a month ago when I changed a routine. Now, they’re a part of my coffee hour, along with the heron that patrols my low-rent side of the river, the three mallards who present bottoms, the gulls, the geese, a muskrat. On Monday the pigeons don’t show at their regular time, 7 a.m., for what we’ve come to call Pigeon Zumba, their frisky loops along the far shore. I think, weekenders? No, it turns out, they’re still here, but it’s raining, and they apparently sleep in for another half hour before their exercise class starts. I feel relief.
Yes, you know you’re getting older when you find yourself watching reruns of Murder She Wrote, you begin to yen for yard ornamentation, you think you’re making sense out of Glenn Beck — and you realize you’re appreciating pigeons. Ah, but not just any pigeons. These are Chestertown Pigeons, remarkable specimens, fleet and graceful, and as befits us, color tolerant with one whitey among the gray brethren. They are, too, unlike ordinary pigeons in city parks that get underfoot and tempt a kick. They are mysterious. Because, after Pigeon Zumba, they vanish. Anyway I can’t find them. I’ve looked: Wilmer Park anytime of day? Nope. Fountain Park? Never. The head and the shoulders of the statue of Swish Nicholson next to City Hall? No sign any ever rested there. Where do they go after Zumba? Can anybody help out with this? It’s not like I want to change anything, or wish they’d come to Farmer’s Market. It’s just a little itch, a niggling curiosity idling through my mind, something on the order of, I wonder what Angela Lansbury is up to now?
Walgreens’ Ho Ho Ho
I nap a lot, so I miss much. Is it Christmas? The reason I ask — that decoration I just saw. It’s in the squat tower that looms above the new Walgreen’s, and if you drive by it at night you can’t miss it, all lit up like that, red and white and shining. Looks like Santa Claus’ chamber pot. With a bowl brush. Or maybe it’s supposed to be a mortar and pestle, something to do with the drug trade . . . I mean, pharmaceutical. Whatever, it’s a peculiar escutcheon to raise above an historic town. And why is it the most brightly lit object in Chestertown? For that matter, why is anything lighted like that at night in a country town? I couldn’t help wondering what some of our local architects might be thinking about Walgreen’s edifice rex.
Peter Newlin could hardly restrain himself : “What we see is an outsider corporation that has raised, at the top of College Hill, a tower to shopping. . . Walgreen’s tower is flat and empty compared to its bookend downtown, the clock tower of Stam Hall. . . 
Stam Hall is solid, heavy and elaborate. It honors the endurance of our institutions. It expresses hope for our cultural sophistication. Walgreen’s shopping tower is only a shallow sign. With pretense to signifying more, it’s really only attempting to promote impulse shopping. . . It’s true shame may be that the Walgreen building is a much better piece of planning than anything the shopping center holds behind it.”
Alex Castro declined to comment, after his own fashion: “As to the pharmaceutical icon you mentioned, it would be improper of me to say anything at all about this most studied and inspiring cultural statement. With its graceful configuration, subtle hues and sensitive scale, it is destined, I am sure, to become ever closer to the hearts of all Chestertown. Where are the design police when you need them?”
Editorial: WC Arts Finds a Home
Truth be told, new buildings on a college campus are not always welcome sights. The addition of a new dormitory or dining hall might excite a prospective student or committed board member, but generally these projects serve such a limited function in the community that most opening ceremonies are met with a certain resignation that these are the costs related to being a competitive college.
This particular phenomenon has one or two exceptions, and Washington College’s new Gibson Center for the Arts, which formally opened this past weekend, is a unique case in point. Despite what we understand to have been significant initial resistance to the idea of a large arts center, the College’s leadership prevailed in building a venue for the college and community that will be a jewel for decades to come. And for the first time in the College’s long history, the performing and visual arts finally have an exceptional home to call their own.
While the mind reels with the new Center’s potential, as well as the impact it will have on Chestertown, it is important to take a moment to note first the good and courageous decision by President Baird Tipson to press on with the project; the long term perseverance of such people as Professors Garry Clarke, Dale Daigle,Tim Maloney, Donald McColl, and Amzie Parcell; the support of such visionary benefactors as Ben and Judy Kohl; and, least we forget, the State of Maryland.
The new Gibson will be expensive. It will take years to recover the center’s direct and indirect costs as well as absorb the new maintenance and security costs. Nonetheless, when the college and community add up the real return on investment, it will be pennies on the dollar.
DW
Editorial: The Mental Health Center Blunder
The news that Governor O’Malley has approved the closing of the Upper Shore Community Mental Health Center is a troubling example of how few friends Kent County has in Annapolis. The Governor’s action to shut down our tenth largest employer makes it abundantly clear how insignificant we must be to his administration, and how little influence our local leaders have in preventing such ill-considered decisions.
We sincerely doubt the Governor would be so emboldened to make a similar decision in forcing the closing of Towson University, the tenth largest employer in Baltimore County, or Montgomery County Community College, the tenth largest employer there. The consequences would be devastating in those jurisdictions; it will be just as devastating for Kent County, now and for years to come.
Not only does this region lose an excellent mental health center, it loses almost 200 of some of the best jobs a community can have. These are social workers, therapists, doctors, psychiatric nurses, and a large number of specially trained positions very unlikely to come back to Kent County.
Equally disappointing was Governor O’Malley’s failure to understand the needs of a small rural county. A wiser, more creative leader would see the broader issues at play and find a workable solution. While we can hope that the Governor will reconsider this matter, the speed to which USCMHC is closing down operations hints this might be only wishful thinking.
While Kent County voters will have good reason to remember the Governor’s poor call come election time, this very sad tale should also remind us that we need representatives in Annapolis capable of safeguarding the county’s interests. While the County has always pitched in when the going has been tough with state budgets, no one seemed to have had Kent County’s back when it came to closing USCMHC, and that’s a sign that things need to change.
DW
Editorial: Kent & Anne
There is at least one good reason why the Chester River community has serious concerns about Queen Anne’s County’s comprehensive land use plan. Every day, Kent County residents see extreme examples of the damage done by poor QAC planning and design as they drive from Kent Island, through Queenstown, and move north of Centreville on Route 213 heading home. It is a guided tour of poor choices made over many years. In almost every case, the immediate demand for a high return on investment pushed aside equally important concerns about community values and sustainability.
Kent County, on the other hand, was making some very good choices during the same period of time. Through foresight, stubbornness, timing, and some luck, Kent was able to hold off major land development while the county (under the inspired leadership of some unique people) thoughtfully prepared for future growth. Developers and land speculators, who had benefited from the open door, “let’s make a deal” world of QAC, found out that Kent County’s historic reputation of being difficult was well deserved.
Given this background, the news that there is now significant opposition to the current working draft of Queen Anne’s comprehensive plan update isn’t surprising. Nor is it shocking that there have been misunderstandings, confusion, and a general call to arms by all interested parties. We’re not sure that’s a bad thing to have happened since it has brought significant new awareness to a critical issue.
Notwithstanding the current climate, there remains a clear and honest opportunity for real consensus on growth for the Chester River area. While Queen Anne’s history is tragic, a new generation of leaders and stakeholders are now involved in the process. In some cases, they have won elections on the promise to control growth and land conservation. If they maintain these commitments, particularly in the face of some significant pro-growth pressures, we believe a creative road map for development is possible.
The first step in this process in strong regional planning. As a departure from Queen Anne’s past, county staff and officials will need to fully embrace this tool as it moves forward in defining its growth plan. It will also need to actively listen to stakeholders and be as transparent as humanly possible. Those steps will go a long way to create (or rebuild) trust.
Equally important is for the Chester River residents to be fully engaged in the debate. Rather than allow special interests (good or bad) to lead, individual citizens must be pro-active in being heard and also be knowledgeable about the process. They must also maintain the standards they expect from QAC, which includes transparency, active listening, and the withholding of judgement, to truly make this a conversation about the future, not the past.
Kent and Anne, two siblings who had shared the same landscape, people, and culture for centuries, are now sadly quite dissimilar. The creation of a Bay Bridge holds some responsibility for this, but in the end, these counties began to see different futures for themselves over the last fifty years. While that might have been tolerable when the effected areas were many miles apart, it is not realistic when discussing the future of Chester River communities. We hope that both Kent and Anne can use this opportunity for a truly joint vision of the future more like close siblings again.
DW
Editorial: Andy & Carla
After hearing the news that Andy’s and the Carla Massoni Gallery would be closing on the same day this month, it was easy to recall the line from Wilde when Lady Fairfax tells Earnest that to lose one parent is tragic, but to lose both parents was simply careless. In our case, to lose the town’s signature venue for music and its flagship fine arts gallery on the same day strikes us as equally careless as well as tragic.
While we’ll wait to hear David Wright’s side of the story with regard to Andy’s, and what his plans will be for the building, neither of these store closings speaks well at the moment for the future for Chestertown’s downtown. Both have created an undeniable magnet for locals and visitors alike, by offering the best of local art, music and simple food. To suddenly lose both of these important anchors, operating as bookends to the High Street retail experience, leaves two large holes in our economy and our quality of life. It is truly a sad day for our community.
Both Andy and Carla have brought their own unique personality to their endeavors. Andy, with her perfect pitch ear for exceptional music, and Carla, with her never-failing eye for the gifted artist, brought these worlds of art and music to Chestertown unfailingly for twenty years. We are so much the richer for them having done so.
We can only hope that these two significant gaps can be filled as soon as possible. In the meantime, let us use July 18, when both Andy’s and Carla’s gallery will close, as a day of joy and graditude for these two special women, and what they have done for Chestertown.
– DW
Interview with Ron Fithian — By Bob Kramer
Q: Why did the county commission effectively raise taxes for ’09-’10 while the school system was given the same budget as the year before?
A: We have a fairly high percentage of fixed costs in the county, plus health care costs were rising by up to $400,000, and we didn’t want to lay anyone off. We had committed to building and maintaining the community center as a quality of life issue for all of our citizens. The state had reduced our roads budget significantly. As for the school funding, we are one of the few counties this year who are funding well over ($1.5 million) the maintenance of effort threshold as required by the state.
Q: You’ve said the ’10-’11 budget will be even tougher. Why?
A: Unemployment will have a major impact on our income tax collections in the next fiscal year. It is unlikely that our real estate market will rebound sufficiently to increase our property transfer and registration fees significantly. Add to that the state’s method for using the stimulus moneys for fixing the cracks in their budgetary problems at the state level. I believe we’ll be faced with lower state funding and the possibility of having to absorb the costs for the assessment office and the teachers’ retirement funding.
Q: What advice would you give the Board of Education, if they asked, about improving the Kent County Public School System?
A: Discipline. I’m a big fan of the alternative school, because it keeps problem kids in school and not kicking them out. Uniforms would be a way to instill responsibility as to how to look and act.
Q: Sheriff Price has told the County Commission drugs are responsible for 95 percent of the crime in Kent County. How bad is it, what’s being done?
A: We’re not any different than any big city or any other rural county. Drugs are here to stay… unless we can shut the product down at its source. The best we can do is to minimize their effect and keep them out of sight and that’s what Sheriff Price is doing.
Q: What benefits have Kent County gotten from work of our state delegates and senator?
A: Kent County and the 36th district used to have a strong delegation in Annapolis. Our current senator said in his campaign against Walter Baker that it’s “results not excuses” that count. Well, I’m still waiting for the results. Yes, I’m disappointed in our representation.
Editorial: Chestertown and Food
It is not by chance that our first editorial about a local issue is on the subject of food. We are dead serious about it since it affects every citizen, almost every business in town, and certainly every farmer in the region. It impacts our environment and the way our children grow, and is a leading indicator of our quality of life. And while our area, with its rich agrarian history and its current abundance of farmland, is doing much better than many communities, the risks of losing what we have and enjoy have never been greater.
The good news is that after more than 300 years, some things have not changed. Our area has some of the most fertile soil in the United States, and we remain the most rural county in Maryland. Just this year, Progressive Farmer magazine named Kent County its number one selection in 2009 for farmland in the country based on affordability, population density, community involvement and commitment to its rural heritage. In addition, thanks to the good work of Kent countians and the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, almost 30,000 acres (almost 16 percent of our land mass), are in permanent agriculture or conservation easement
It is heartening to see our community-supported farms doing so well, and to note that Chestertown has had an active farmers market for over thirty years. Local stores and other businesses are committed to selling produce and local food products, and we encourage them to continue.
The bad news is that we are already experiencing the effects of global warming right in our backyard. Storms are stronger and less predictable. Temperature swings are wider and of shorter duration, which have huge impact on historic planting times and growing cycles, and drought is becoming an increasing problem.
We are also not eating particularly well, and this is reflected in the rising incidence of obesity-related diseases and rising health costs. With a few notable exceptions, we are not buying our own produce. Instead of buying local produce and seafood in season, at the peak of freshness, we are buying canned tomatoes and corn sent here from far away. It would be no different than our buying crabs from North Carolina or Florida at the height of the Eastern Shore season.
We note the absence of a local alternative to the national food chain stores in town, which causes many people to take to the roads and travel to Annapolis for provisions from places like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, as well as larger, “big box” stores like Middletown’s Wal-mart or Dover’s Sam’s Club.
Is the rapid rise over the past 20 years in children and adult attention disorders (to say nothing of obesity) connected to the rapid rise in snack foods and sugary soft drinks? We’ve been sold a bill of goods by the snack food industry and, in the midst of healthy plenty, have bought it to the visible cost of ourselves and our children.
We know that curing some of these problems will take time, patience and education. The Chestertown Spy plans to play an active role in the third factor. We will be making food and related issues in Chestertown a major focus over the next year. While we will be digging deep into problems and concerns in this area, we also will be highlighting the extraordinary work of community organizations and some very special individuals who are doing all they can to solve these challenges.
The area has only recently (perhaps in the last 35 years) moved away from buying locally-produced goods at locally-owned stores, after 275 years of its existence doing just that. We also believe our schools, by virtue of their location, can quickly respond to opportunities to expand their educational role so kids learn early about the importance of supporting a local economy, and they can take delight in the taste of a ripe Kent County strawberry.
And we can vote with our forks three times a day to support our local farmers.
–– DW
