EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first of two stories on the Queen Anne's Board of County Commissioners primary races. The second will run tomorrow. 

Growth -- it's almost become a four-letter word in Queen Anne's County. 

Candidates in the Sept. 10 primaries for the Board of County Commissioners have all kinds of ideas for dealing with it -- a whopping 23 of them are running, after all. 

Hoping to keep their seats as the board expands from three to five, the incumbents say growth is inevitable, so why not structure it so it benefits the county? 

"When I moved here, I wanted to be the last (new resident) too," said John McQueeney, R-Stevensville, a statement he has repeated at commissioners' meetings. 

"But if there is going to be development, then the developers should give back to the county and then some." 

Many of the other candidates also have strong views on the issue, having followed it meticulously since the emergence of the 1,350-home Four Seasons project on Kent Island. It has been followed by proposals for more large neighborhoods on Kent Island and in Queenstown and Centreville. 

There are 20 challengers to the three incumbents -- Marlene Davis, Mr. McQueeney and George O'Donnell. 

After a referendum on the issue showed support for enlarging the board, the trio voted in February to switch from three at-large commissioners to four from districts and one at-large commissioner. 

Voters in the Democratic and Republican primaries will select one candidate from each of the five districts to move on to the Nov. 5 general election. 

Although Queen Anne's has long been a Democratic county, Republican voters recently edged slightly into the majority of the 23,213 registered voters. There are 10,676 Republicans compared to 9,654 registered Democrats. 
 

District 1 

DEMOCRATS 

In District 1, which covers Church Hill, Sudlersville, Kingstown, Barclay and Crumpton, Joseph Gannon of Church Hill is making his third run for a commissioner's seat. 

He lost by a slim margin during the 1998 primary. 

Mr. Gannon wants to improve communication between the county government and its citizens and believes growth should not be allowed outside of the six designated growth areas in the county. 

Tom Wheat, a Sudlersville town commissioner, would have to resign if elected. 

He declined to comment on issues affecting the county, saying only that he is a man whose sole purpose is to serve his constituents, whether on the municipal or county level. 
 

REPUBLICANS 

Dan Shortall, who operates a grain farm in Centreville, is running because he wants to give better representation to the northern part of the county. 

If elected, he has promised to help get a business park built there that will provide job opportunites as well as additional tax revenue for residents. 

Joseph Cupani is an accountant who also wants the northern part of the county to get stronger representation and said the county should only allow growth that it can support while maintaining its rural character 

He is disturbed that it took the county 350 years to reach its current population of more than 41,000 residents yet it is anticipated to double in the next 30 years.

"This rapid development has outpaced the ability of our county to support it," he said. As a result, county residents are paying higher taxes for a lower quality of life, he said. 

John Lofland of Sudlersville is a former farmer and woodcutter who now works as a truck driver and heavy equipment operator. He repeated the complaint that the northern part of the county isn't getting heard. 

Bob McCormick of Sudlersville is retired after serving in the Army and then as Director of Telecommunications for the U.S. Senate. He said the county needs to slow growth down until schools and emergency services are improved enough to handle it. 

He also believes county school board members should be elected not appointed, something the county would need the General Assembly to approve. 
 

District 2 

DEMOCRATS 

Marlene Davis of Queenstown is the sole incumbent running in this district, which includes Centreville and Queenstown. 

She is running again because she thinks the current board is doing a good job making developers pay their fair share for improvements to the county's infrastructure. 

However, she said some growth, such as the controversial Wal-Mart proposed for Kent Island, is still unacceptable. 

Dr. Eric Wargotz is chief of pathology and laboratory director at Doctors Community Hospital in Lanham, but said he will have plenty of time to attend to county matters. 

While Dr. Wargotz believes in controlling growth by limiting the amount of sewer service allotted per year, he thinks the current six-month building moratorium initiated by the current commissioners only hurts small developers who can't afford to delay their projectst six months. 
 

REPUBLICANS 

Stephen Hershey of Queenstown, on the other hand, believes the six-month building moratorium should be considered for continuation. 

He is running because he wants to help preserve the quality of life in the county while allowing for sustainable growth. 

Rodney "Nemo" Niedomanski of Grasonville believes the county's rapid growth rate has resulted in overcrowded schools and roads. He is not against growth as long as current residents don't have to pay to support it. 

Mr. Niedomanski retired in 1995 after 40 years with Washington Gas. He now runs a private contracting business that builds custom homes. 

Barb Pivec of Queenstown was prompted to run by her love of community service. As a a real estate agent with Long & Foster on Kent Island as well as an independent consultant for area telecommunications companies, Mrs. Pivec said she is knowledgable about zoning issues. 

While a long-range growth plan, reduced spending and taxes and a support of schools and emergency services are among her concerns, she most wants to make sure that county residents are represented in government.

Published August 30, 2002, The Capital, Annapolis, Md. 
Copyright © 2002 The The Capital, Annapolis, Md.