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Commentary
Commentary Ocean City Today Dec. 9, 2022 Page 45 Sportsplex vote flips on spotlight
Now that the new board of county commissioners has shown it knows how not to spend public money, the question it faces is whether it knows how to produce more of it and remain in the public’s good graces.
That is the territory the commissioners staked out for themselves this week when they issued a resounding “No” to the concept of a publicly funded sports complex.
Regardless of which side of this argument one happens to be on, the four-member majority that decided the matter believes that government has no business being in business. This, as it happens, is the point of view of many conservative economists, especially when government is about to involve itself in projects that rely on revenue projections based on “economic multipliers” of public dollars spent. In their view, these multipliers incorporate a touch of mathematical voodoo. For facility proponents, these are achievable numbers.
Then too, these commissioners probably feared the public backlash of a bad result, which can always happen no matter how good an idea might seem at the time — see the much less expensive but still sinking Snow Hill riverboat project for reference.
But the majority’s reasons notwithstanding, the public knows where it stands as the county faces some big expenses in the years ahead. No amount of complaining about unfunded mandates and lopsided formulas is going to change that or get the commissioners out of a tight spot.
It’s not a pretty situation. The public always wants more and better services, but is never willing to pay more for them, the commissioners have no appetite for using public money to spur economic growth, and they can’t cut spending by skeletonizing county government and expect to get away with it.
Had the sports facility proposal not come along, the spotlight would not have illuminated just how politically messy the county’s financial problem is, nor would it have shown so brightly on the four commissioners who will now be expected to come up with the solution.
Ocean City Today
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EDITOR ............................................ Stewart Dobson MANAGING EDITOR................................ Lisa Capitelli STAFF WRITERS .............. Jack Chavez, Mallory Panuska ACCOUNT MANAGERS.......... Mary Cooper, Vicki Shrier ..............................................................Amanda Shick CLASSIFIEDS/LEGALS MANAGER .... Nancy MacCubbin SENIOR DESIGNER ................................ Susan Parks GRAPHIC ARTIST .................................... Kelly Brown PUBLISHER........................................ Christine Brown ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT ...................... Gini Tufts
PUBLIC EYE Holiday travel drivel
Now that we have this being thankful business out of the way and have returned to our national pastime of muttering about the ridiculousness of everyone else, I have a question I’d like to mutter: am I the only person who doesn’t give two hoots about the television news reports on air travel problems during the holidays? I can’t be the only one, considering that of the 332 million people in this country, only 27 million of them flew Thanksgiving week. The rest of us drove, rode, sailed, took the train or followed my example of limiting any holiday movement to a slow shuffle between the kitchen, the living room, the facilities and back, but not necessarily in that order.
Clearly, television news editors think we care about those 27 million people, or they believe that they are more important than the rest of us simply because they got on a plane.
That has to be it, because TV news programs beat us to death with stories about how these folks took to the skies over the holidays and — get this — returned home safely!
Wow, who would have thought that would happen?
In other words, for those of us who didn’t go anywhere that required a boarding pass, or a security scan or a pat-down, this coverage was about as exciting as having an aisle seat in a duck blind (Incidentally, a pat-down is not required to enter a duck blind. If someone says otherwise, you might want to join another outfit). But if this travel news is so critical to our knowledge base, I suggest they cover some of us as well to keep us engaged. “And this just in from Ocean City, Maryland: a man whose holiday travels consisted of four days of slip-sliding between the recliner and the refrigerator reported that he departed the refrigerator with a very nice sandwich that somehow failed arrive at his destination with him. We reached out to him for details.” Traveler: “That’s right, Lester, it was about midway during my trip that I pulled over at a scenic overlook and the next thing I know, the sandwich was gone. I have no idea what hap-
By pened.” Lester: “Our people have just located a witStewart ness to the incident. Let’s hear what she has Dobson to say.” Witness: “First, it might be a scenic overlook to him, but it’s the bathroom mirror to me. Secondly, he was staring blankly into it trying to change the channels after two days of watching football, then he dropped his sandwich when he nodded off standing up and the dog ate it.” On the other hand, if some of these 27 million travelers would check in with me from time to time, I might care more about what did or did not happen to them. I know what you’re saying — there’s no way one person could get a million phone calls a day from otherwise anonymous people. I say, oh yeah? Clearly, anyone who says that is not on the prescription-ready call list from the pharmacy. Whoops. Gotta run. It’s CVS calling.
The real estate brokerage of Engel & Völkers Annapolis and Ocean City announces Carrie Mock as director of advisor success. A top-producing real estate advisor licensed in Maryland and Florida, with extensive experience in sales team management and coaching, Carrie Mock Mock will further strengthen the group’s team of advisors.
She will not be actively selling, but solely focused on improving the success of the Engel & Völkers advisors in Annapolis, Ocean City, and future expansion shops.
Mock built her 18-plus year real estate career on the idea that every client deserves a luxury experience, a vision shared by Engel & Völkers partners around the globe.
“Carrie’s uplifting approach, enthusiasm for the success of our advisors, and commitment to providing an exceptional level of service to our clients makes her an ideal partner on our team,” Broker Rick Foster said.
For more information, contact Foster at 443-292-6767 or Rick.Foster@evrealestate.com.
By Lauren Bunting Contributing Writer (Dec. 9, 2022) The State of Maryland has announced three new Sustainable Communities, and one of them is located on the lower Eastern Shore. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development announced last month that Pittsville in Wicomico County has been named one of Maryland’s newest Sustainable Communities.
The other two towns named were Boonsboro and Smithsburg, both in Washington County.
The State of Maryland’s Smart Growth Subcabinet has designated 126 Sustainable Communities across Maryland since the creation of the program in 2010.
The Sustainable Communities program provides local governments with access to state programs, loans, grants and tax credits that can support brick and mortar community projects, small business development, job creation and tourism.
“Sustainable Community designations help Maryland’s diverse urban, suburban and rural communities connect with resources to support redevelopment and economic growth,” said Secretary Kenneth C. Holt. “The program fosters partnerships that guide comprehensive strategies for environmentally, economically and socially responsible revitalization that responds to local needs.”
The Town of Pittsville was originally known as Derrickson’s Cross Roads and boasts a rich agricultural history. Pittsville is located just east of Salisbury.
The town was eventually named for Hilary R. Pitts, a local doctor and owner of the Wicomico & Pocomoke Railroad that transformed the community in the mid-19th century by linking freight and passengers to Salisbury and Ocean City.
Local goals include upgrading stormwater management and wastewater treatment, expanding and improving green space, rehabilitating homes and providing façade improvements, and repairing and connecting sidewalks.
To date, the 126 Sustainable Communities includes four county-level designations, 118 municipalities and 59 unincorporated areas.
They are as diverse as Frostburg in western Maryland, unincorporated areas of Calvert County, large urban jurisdictions in central Maryland, and even includes the Town of Ocean City.
For more information, visit DHCD’s Sustainable Communities webpage at https://dhcd.maryland.gov/Communities/Pages/dn/default.aspx. — Lauren Bunting is the Broker of Record for Keller Williams Realty of Delmarva in Ocean City.
Happy Holidays! Happy Holidays!
(Dec. 9, 2022) Lorrie Miller, general manager of the Dunes Manor Hotel, and David Del Russo, regional director of operations for OTO Development Group, on Nov. 30, donated the portraits of Milton and Thelma Conner to Atlantic General Hospital.
The couple played a large role in the Ocean City community for decades, and Thelma built and ran the iconic Dunes Manor Hotel.
Accompanying the portraits was a donation of $11,500 raised from equipment sales and matching gifts.
Thelma Conner moved to Ocean City in 1940 to work with her husband at his family’s Hastings Miramar Hotel. The couple eventually bought the Dunes Motel on 27th Street in the 60s, operating that property together until Milton passed away in 1979.
Eight years later, Thelma fulfilled the couple’s dream and built the Dunes Manor Hotel, an 11-story, Victorian-style hotel on 28th Street.
Conner was the first female president of the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce in 1974 and was named the 1985 Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Citizen of the Year.
She also served as the president of the Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association in 1985 and was named 1994 Maryland Independent Hotelier of the Year.
In the spring of 1990, the community campaign to build Atlantic General Hospital kicked off at the Dunes Manor Hotel, as Conner supported the idea of opening “a new chapter in healthcare.”
Conner went on to be one of the first members of the Atlantic General Hospital Board of Directors.
The Dunes Manor Hotel is currently being renovated to bring a more modern and coastal feel to the property while also still maintaining some of the Victorian old-world charm and amenities that were so important to the Conners, such as the ornate lobby ceiling and the ocean-facing rocking chairs on the back veranda.
Both the Dunes Manor Hotel and Atlantic General Hospital look forward to serving the community for many more generations to come.
