“We seek to have an educated electorate in Queen Anne’s County,” said Jack  Broderick, president of the Kent Island Civic Confederation, which sponsored the forum. “We feel it’s important to let the people see and hear the candidates.”

Each candidate was given four minutes for an opening statement, followed by a question-and-answer session and a two-minute closing statement from each.

Rick Moser, the Democratic candidate for commissioner-at-large opened by concentrating on development. “Issues related to growth need better treatment than they’re getting now I discourage large-scale development and if everything else fails, I would go to a building cap to keep growth under control,” Moser told the audience.

The growth issue, which the KICC asked the candidates to specifically focus on, was linked to the environment and the local economy by Republican at-large candidate Ben Cassell. “We can have controlled growth and a healthy environment. Growth must be handled fairly,” he said.  "The county wastes too much money; we must have quarterly accountability meetings by the commissioners.”

Democrat Joseph Gannon who’s running in

District 1, turned to communications and public safety. “We need to listen to what the people say,” Gannon told the forum. “Our deputy sheriffs shouldn’t have to wait until they’ve served 30 years to retire.”

He also noted that growth can’t be stopped, but that it has to be slowed down. There was a light moment when District 1 Republican Joseph Cupani stepped to the podium. He used a garden hose and a nozzle as a prop to show that growth pressure . like water from a hose - is growing and that only a nozzle, a nozzle, which he likened to growth controls; can do anything about it. He called the Four Seasons Developers’ Rights and Responsibilities Agreement a contract, but said there should be room for further negotiations on it.

“We need to recruit good teachers and keep them. And we need to recruit good deputies and keep them,” declared District 2 Democrat Eric Wargotz. He said it's important that growth be kept under control and that the county’s agricultural heritage be preserved. He said he has. developed useful skills in that regard.

District 2 Republican Rodney "Nemo” Niedomanski spoke of the need to adequately fund the county’s fire and rescue personnel.  "We have to provide these services,” he said, and suggested that a fire tax might be necessary to do so. He said that his past government work provides him with the necessary experience and that he would be a full-time commissioner.

"We can do a better job in Queen Anne’s County in attracting and retaining teachers,” said District 3 Democrat Gene Ransom. “Our public safety officers need to be better paid. Why spend the money to train them, only to have them leave to go somewhere else?” He said that Smart Growth as a plan is a good idea, but that there have been short-comings in the way it has been handled.

Michael Hoffman is the independent candidate in District 3.  “I am independent and will work for the best for the county and for our families. We need to find the fight balance on the issue of buffer zones. You can trust me to do that,” he said. 

Robert Foley, the Republican candidate in District 3 told the gathering. that if elected, he intends to “preserve the rural character of our county and send the national developers back to the big city” He predicted that Four Seasons would not open next year as it has advertised. Foley also called for recruiting and retaining good teachers and law enforcement officers.

District 4 Democrat Al Helfenbein called for the creation of a Citizen’s Advisory Commission that will give the people a voice in the decisions that are made.  “It’s important that the citizens aren’t left out,” he said. “And we need to be able to compromise.” 

Mike Koval, the District 4 Republican concentrated on growth. We need to slow down we’re headed for a mess,” he said. “There has been development for the sake of development.” Koval called for caps on building permits and the abolishing of growth areas.

The candidates were asked how they differ from their opponents.  “The biggest difference is in my background,” Cassell said. “I have leadership capabilities.

This is not a one-issue race.” Cupani, a certified public accountant, cited his experience in economic matters; Ransom spoke of his degrees in economics and the law; and Wargotz said that, as a physician, he would bring compassion to the job.

Questions from the audience ranged from the building moratorium to over-population in local schools.

“The formula for determining school population needs to be changed in Annapolis,” Niedomanski said.

"Portable classrooms can be acceptable,” Foley told the questioner “The student-to-teacher ratio is what’s important.”

The mood throughout the two-hour forum was one of civility, with the candidates often bantering back and forth and pledging that they would keep an open line of communication with the public if elected.

Queenstown resident Mike Katinas summed up the evening in the form of a statement, rather than a question when he rose to tell the candidates that no matter who gets elected, “be sure to do it right.”

© The Kent Island Bay Times, October 23, 2002