The Talbot County Democratic Central Committee announced today that Susan Delean-Botkin has joined the Democratic ticket for Talbot County Council following the decision of candidate Chris Armstrong to withdraw from the race due to family health issues.
The Central Committee voted unanimously to select Delean-Botkin — a longtime nurse practitioner in Easton and former president of the Talbot County Board of Education — to fill the ballot vacancy.
“We are so grateful to Chris for his willingness to serve,” said Phil Jackson, Chair of the Talbot County Democratic Central Committee. “While we fully support his decision to put his family first, this is not a goodbye; we expect to work with him in the years ahead.”
Susan joins the Democratic ticket as the fifth candidate running for Talbot County Council, where five at-large seats are up for election this November.
A seasoned public servant, Susan brings a deep track record of community leadership to the ballot. First elected to the Talbot County Board of Education in 2016 and re-elected in 2020, she served as board president through the challenges of the pandemic and guided the successful search for a new superintendent. Her record of public service also includes 12 years on the Oxford Board of Appeals and one year as Oxford Town Commissioner.
Susan is the founder and leader of a nationally recognized primary care practice in Easton. She’s spent her career caring for Talbot County families — watermen and farmers, young and old, from every walk of life — and brings a rare combination of health care expertise, small business experience, and proven, elected leadership.
“Susan has spent years taking care of this community, one patient and one student at a time,” Jackson said. “She knows Talbot County’s families because she has served them for her entire career. We could not be more excited to welcome her to Team Talbot.”
Team Talbot — as the Democrats are calling their council ticket — includes four other veteran community leaders:
-
Pete Lesher, a second-term incumbent and career historian, currently serves as Vice President of the Talbot County Council.
-
Mike Bibb, former president of the St. Michaels Board of Commissioners, worked for years as a volunteer firefighter, state energy inspector, and correctional officer.
-
Marvin Foster, a federal IT consultant, is the founder of a youth football and cheer league on the Eastern Shore.
-
Brian Naranjo, a retired senior U.S. Foreign Service officer, spent 32 years serving the nation in more than 50 countries.
“Each of these five candidates chose Talbot County — to serve it, to protect it, and to build its future,” Jackson said. “Together, Team Talbot is uniquely positioned to serve every corner of this county with experience, empathy, and energy.”
The general election is Tuesday, November 3, with early voting October 22–29 at the Easton Volunteer Fire Department Bingo Hall.
6 Responses
This team of DEMS seems very strong and diverse – a welcomed thing. I am hopeful three of them, at least, are elected to soften the heavy partisanship of incumbents Stepp and Callahan. We need cool heads and council members with varied experience and backgrounds. A bi-partisan Council is good if they all work together. What we don’t need is the kind of contentious and chaotic panel that existed under Gunsallus’s tenure with the Easton town council. It is too bad that hot heads in the Talbot GOP Central Committee destroyed their most effective council person and send Lynn Mielke packing at the behest of MAGA leadership – she had my vote. Not everything has to be voted along strict party lines, the world isn’t so black and white, and the citizens of Talbot are as varied as their representation should be.
In order to accomplish these goals we are going to need everyone to talk up the election, to knock on doors, to make phone calls, and contribute to our campaign – the more voters we have, the more votes tend to come to the Democratic side from the 5000+ independents we have in Talbot County. Our slate has reasonable candidates, people that understand our issues and will be great leaders!
Thank you for writing
The Democratic candidates for County Council bring a wide range of professional experience and public service. While there is not a rating for independent thinking, they will probably make up their own minds, based on their years of public service as to how to vote on so many critical issues affecting Talbot County. The same cannot be said for Republican candidates for those offices. They gave a clear public demonstration that party fidelity to MAGA is the most important qualifying factor for them. That is hardly surprising given that loyalty tests start with President Trump and work their its way down to every Republican. The White House used blackmail by threatening to cut funding for the airport if Talbot County did not comply with Trump’s racism wrapped in his DEI orders. There is no reason to believe Talbot County can be independent with Republicans controlling the County Council.
What a fine addition to the Democratic Party offering for our County Council. Susan Delean-Botkin has had her ear to the ground – and her fingers on the pulse, literally, in health care on the Shore. This Democratic ticket makes it exciting to go vote in November. I write as a priest who visits the sick. I write also as president emeritus of the Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center, among the finest of some 200 federally formed AHECs in our nation. Susan’s heart and hands round out our new council. Go Talbot!
Thank you, Bishop Joel, your support is very important to me and to all the candidates. As you know, in our community we have a 10% poverty rate in one of the wealthiest counties in the State. We have folks who cannot afford the rent and their medications. We live in a beautiful area, with amazing resources but we have problems housing and feeding our families. WE can change this with our best resource – our people, our residents.
From what I’m reading, the Talbot schools are failing miserably, and Oxford has had contentious issues coming to a head. How much of that was under Ms Delean-Botkin’s leadership?