Sherri Wilcoxon, chair of the Talbot County Republican Central Committee, recently wrote on the committee’s website (https://talbotcountyrepublicancc.org/elections) that Lynn Mielke and I received campaign contributions from Dan Watson and the Talbot Integrity Project (TIP) in 2022 and failed to report them.
That is false.
Neither Councilmember Mielke nor any other candidate received a penny from either Dan Watson or TIP. The expenditures reported by TIP were all independent expenditures, which by law are reported only by the entity making them, not by the candidates referenced in those communications.
In fact, the TIP campaign finance reports posted alongside Ms. Wilcoxon’s attack on Councilmember Mielke make this perfectly clear. Every report is labeled as an “IE Report” and shows not a single dollar being contributed to any candidate. Every expenditure made by TIP was paid directly to vendors and suppliers for campaign materials. Those materials endorsed all seven candidates supported by TIP.
As for influence, Councilmember Mielke and I were endorsed by TIP only after we had publicly stated our opposition to the Lakeside development—a position that has never changed.
If Ms. Wilcoxon wishes to examine the influence of campaign contributions, she might look instead at contributions received by other council members elected in 2022 and compare those contributions with their subsequent voting records.
Ms. Wilcoxon should retract her false statements regarding campaign finance reporting, as well as the accusations that depend upon those falsehoods.
David Montgomery
Councilmember, Ward 3
Town of Easton
Councilmember Montgomery’s response is either deliberately dishonest or embarrassingly careless — and neither reflects well on someone holding public office.
Shari Wilcoxon never claimed Lynn Mielke was legally required to report TIP’s expenditures. Never. Under Maryland law, independent expenditures are reported by the entity making them — not the candidates who benefit. Ms. Wilcoxon knows that. She wasn’t filing a legal complaint. She was informing voters.
Councilmember Montgomery fabricated a legal argument, tore it down himself, and then had the audacity to demand a retraction for something that was never said. That’s not a rebuttal — that’s a lie dressed up as one.
What Ms. Wilcoxon actually did was point out facts — all sourced from public record:
• The Talbot Integrity Project spent over $44,000 on media, mail, and campaign materials benefiting 5 Democrats and 2 so-called Republicans, including Lynn Mielke
• None of it appears on Mielke’s own campaign reports — a fact Councilmember Montgomery doesn’t dispute because he can’t
• Mielke’s votes on DEI policy, federal funding, short-term rental regulations, and the county budget consistently align with the Democrat donors backing her
• Her other largest 2022 donor was a Democrat — who she then voted to put in charge of the Short-Term Rental Review board
Ms. Wilcoxon pointed it out so voters have information. She’s letting voters decide. That is exactly what a party chair is supposed to do.
Councilmember Montgomery ignored every single one of these points. Instead, he invented a legal argument nobody made, knocked it down, and called it a defense. If he had a real answer to Mielke’s record, he would have given one. He didn’t — because he can’t.
Shari Wilcoxon told the truth. Councilmember Montgomery knows it. And so does Talbot County.
Jimmy Jaramillo is spot on in his response to Mr Montgomery’s outrageous letter. Perhaps Montgomery’s response was so vitriolic because Jarimillo exposed Montgomery’s absurdity in the last paragraph:
“Shari Wilcoxon told the truth. Councilmember Montgomery knows it. AND SO DOES TALBOT COUNTY.”
Not that I have any inside information, but at least Mr. Montgomery starts his letter with a truthful statement. Checking the link, it does specifically say that he and Ms. Mielke received funds from The Talbot Integrity Project. Mr. Montgomery denies receiving money from TIP. I see no reason to doubt him.
On the other hand, Mr. Jaramillo ends his comment with hyperbole that is not true. “And so does Talbot County.” Well. Mr. Jaramillo. I live in Talbot County and have no idea what you are talking about.
Letter to Editor in response to multiple allegations in the Talbot Spy and The Star Democrat
The voting record is very clear and speaks for itself.
Council member Mielke has asked voters to trust her account of her votes over the Talbot County Republican Central Committee’s presentation of dates and facts. We agree with her on one thing: voters should not trust her or us, they should go look for themselves.
Every vote referenced below is part of the public record. We encourage every voter to do exactly that. The dates of the meetings/votes are included for ease in finding them online. You can listen/watch the recorded Talbot County Council meetings at their website https://talbotcountymd.gov/meetings . There are written minutes as well.
Vote 1 — DEI Resolution and Federal Funding (February and March and June 2025)
On February 25, 2025, Council member Mielke voted alongside Democrat Pete Lesher to block public comment on the proposed repeal of DEI administrative resolutions. Vote 3-2.
On March 11, 2025, she voted with the Democratic members of the Council to keep DEI policy training for county employees, despite President Trump’s January 20 Executive Order and despite knowing the risk of losing federal funding. The vote was 2-3: Callahan and Stepp voted Aye; Lesher, Haythe, and Mielke voted Nay.
On June 10, 2025, after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent an open letter dated April 24, 2025, threatening to freeze, stop, and claw back federal grant funding from any recipient with DEI policies, outlining clearly for those still not understanding the risk of Talbot County losing approximately $56.8 million in federal funds, including $48.6 million for the Airport Modernization Project, only then did Council member Mielke reverse her vote.
She only changed her vote when she had no other choice.
Vote 2 — Short-Term Rental Legislation, Bill 1622 (October 2025)
Council member Mielke co-introduced Bill 1622 with Democrat Pete Lesher, imposing broad regulations on short-term rental property owners across Talbot County. The bill was so poorly received at the November 26, 2025 public hearing, and from Talbot County citizen communications, that by December 9, 2025, even her Democratic co-sponsor Lesher withdrew his support of his own/their bill. Only then did Council member Mielke withdraw her support as well.
It is also a matter of public record, reported in the Maryland Campaign Finance Reporting System, that the largest single donor to Lynn Mielke’s 2022 campaign was/is a registered Democrat – the same individual she subsequently voted to appoint to the Short-Term Rental Review Board, where he became Chairman. Mielke then co-authored the STR Bill 1622 with Pete Lesher. Did Council member Mielke disclose this relationship to the other council members or the public? We could find no record of such. We know she didn’t recuse herself, nor did she abstain from any vote involving her donor, that board appointment, nor did it stop her from introducing legislation concerning that board with her largest donor as Chairman.
Vote 3 — Election Integrity (September 24, 2024)
When Council members Dave Stepp and Chuck Callahan motioned to send a letter to the Talbot County Board of Elections urging compliance with election law on judge parity — the same request made independently by Sheriff Joe Gamble — Council member Mielke abstained. The motion passed 4-0-1.
Vote 4 — FY 2024-25 County Budget (May 28, 2024)
Council member Mielke was the sole vote against the annual county budget, which funded the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Services, and Public Schools. The budget passed 4-1.
Another fact, in a 2023 campaign report filing, Lynn Mielke was named along with a few other candidates who benefited from nearly $45,000 in campaign expenditures from the Talbot Integrity Project (TIP)/Dan Watson, alongside Democrat Ronald “Pete” Lesher, Democrat Phillip Jackson, Democrat Michelle Dappert, Democrat Scott Kane, Democrat Keasha Haythe, and William “David” Montgomery. Voters can draw their own conclusions.
The TCRCC has endorsed five candidates who have demonstrated a consistent commitment to Republican principles and to the people of Talbot County:
Chuck Callahan
Dave Stepp
Frank Gunsallus
Christian MacKendrick
Wade Strickland
We ask every Republican voter to go to the Council meeting records and verify the truth, make up your own minds, and then please vote in the Republican Primary on June 23. Early voting is June 11-18 at the Easton Firehouse. We ask that you vote for all five true Republican candidates listed above.
Shari Wilcoxon
Chair, Talbot County Republican Central Committee
For more information, please go to https://talbotcountyrepublicancc.org/