Cumberland Times-News
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OAKLAND — With less than two weeks remaining before the Maryland primary election, two Democrats and four Republicans are campaigning for the District 3 seat now held by Republican Denny Glotfelty.
It’s Democrat Bill Welch’s first time running for office, while his primary election opponent, George Falter, unsuccessfully sought election to a Garrett County Commission seat in the past.
Falter said that if elected, he would insist on working out county issues “in a public forum where people get to hear both sides and have their input.”
“Then, and only then, will decisions be made,” he said.
He pointed to the county debate over wind power development as one example.
“The commissioners made all the decisions of how to handle this thing,” Falter said. “They had a hearing, there weren’t that many people there, and the issue, it was clear to me, had already been decided. ... Also there was a lot of misinformation on both sides. And we can’t keep going like that.”
Welch said that he is running for commissioner to share his understanding of how technology creates jobs, and to help attract high-paying jobs outside the tourism industry.
Welch said he perceives a need for efficiency and performance measures to be put in place for the county government. He believes that county resources have sometimes been wasted, and that some issues could have been managed better by the commissioners, such as wind power development and potential Marcellus shale extraction in the county.
“All county governments can do is regulate the process by which development is done,” he said of wind power. “The current law allowed for more to be done on setbacks. The current law was receptive to establishing noise standards. ... They could have taxed height for the turbines. Those are things that I believe might have been managed better.”
Glotfelty, now at the end of his first term as commissioner, will square off with Republican challengers Bob Gatto, Louis Newcomb and Tim Thomas on Sept. 14.
Glotfelty said he believes the county needs experienced leadership now more than ever because of the economic downturn.
He views the commission’s role as “money managers” for the county, he said. Glotfelty pointed to projects like the airport expansion, which the commission supported, that he believes will help stimulate the local economy and job growth.
“I support what I call ‘Beltway Business,’ which will pay better salaries,” he said.
Glotfelty has been a member of the commission through the beginnings of construction on the county’s two wind power projects, and said he supported those projects because of his belief in property rights.
“If you believe in property rights, and we have no zoning in Garrett County, then windmills can come in,” he said.
Republican challenger Bob Gatto said he has no prior political experience but began feeling a “constant nudging in my heart, mind and spirit” toward running for the office.
“I have a strong Christian belief that when that inner voice starts talking to you, you should listen,” he said.
He said he believes the county, as well as its residents, needs to be financially responsible, and think more about needs versus wants. He pointed to the new aquatic center at Garrett College as one example.
“I know it’s a valuable tool, and a lot of it was federally funded,” he said. “But it still took a good chunk of county money, and we’re going to have to maintain it.”
Gatto spoke against wind development in the county, and said he believes the process was handled badly from the beginning.
“Money exchanged hands, promises were made, contracts were signed,” he said. “Everybody says they’re going to be great. And I enjoy looking at them, because I’m an electrician and they’re interesting. But once they’re there, once we start cutting things away and destroying and dropping property values, that’s not good for our county.”
Republican Louis Newcomb said he believes the wind development could be a positive for the county in terms of tax dollars and the creation of alternative power sources.
But he said he has concerns about how the turbines will be handled if they don’t produce as they’re supposed to, how they will be dismantled and removed.
Newcomb, a longtime teacher, said he decided to run for office because he believed he could make more of a contribution to the county as a commissioner.
We need to really focus on needs versus wants,” Newcomb said. “If X amount of dollars are there, the needs have to come first.”
Newcomb said the county needs to look at emerging technologies for economic growth, and expand its broadband network as much as possible to make ready for those businesses.
Republican Tim Thomas said he chose to run after becoming convinced that the county was overspending and not managing its funds well in the recession.
“Homes are going on foreclosure and we’re spending money like there’s no tomorrow,” he said.
He said the commission should take a more active role in promoting programs to help small businesses get off the ground, by holding seminars and otherwise educating residents about programs.
Thomas said he would have preferred to have a voter referendum on the issue before allowing wind power development in the county, and said that he fears the facilities will deter tourists from visiting.
“People come up here to vacation, they come up here to get away,” he said. “They don’t want to see development on our mountains.”
Contact Megan Miller at mmiller@times-news.com.
