We may appreciate this advice more than ever these days. With major news channels arguing over the meaning of Joe Biden’s statement that we have ”no inflation this month,” our Talbot County Counsel is providing relief.

First on the docket at their August 9 meeting was the introduction of Sharon Pepukayi, Ed.D., our new superintendent of Talbot County Public Schools. A “from here, come-back-here” graduate of St. Michaels High, she became a teacher in North Carolina, taught 4th grade in Ohio, and then headed back in this direction to become a teacher and an administrator in Delaware. She’s glad to be back home and is looking forward to meeting and listening to everyone who might assist her in ensuring our students’ success.

Following her welcome and the unanimous approval of updated rules for our Talbot County Board of Appeals, legislation was introduced to add a definition of “country club” to county code. Typical of our democratic process, every action taken is subject to the review of multiple governing agencies and public scrutiny. This takes more time and effort than autocratic leadership, but yields better results. We will hear more about the modification of an existing property at the public hearing for bill 1523 on Tuesday, September 13.

This procedure could be considered troublesome, but success reminds us that accountability to a community is key to positive results. Recognizing concerns for the mitigation of agricultural land in solar installation is requiring more discussion of code guidelines here in Talbot County. Considering the importance of both solar energy and farmland on our Eastern Shore, the removal of topsoil that has occurred in other states will not occur here in Talbot County. Practical considerations of how and where topsoil might be moved and stored remain; and these issues will be discussed at the council’s August 23 meeting – in time for bill 1524 to be voted upon at the September 13 hearing.

Cassandra Vanhooser, Director of the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, and Reza Jafari, Chairman, Talbot County Economic Development Commission, presented recommendations for the distribution of $3.2 million – Talbot County’s share of the $50 million to be awarded to projects that stimulate economic activity and grow jobs. 23 applications have been submitted here. The projects selected will then be submitted to the Mid-Shore Regional Council on August 12 and go to the Department of Commerce on September 2.

Winners announced this fall could include: $22,000 for equipment for the Talbot County Free Library, $87,133 for workforce development at Black African American Minds (BAAM), $125,000 for Talbot County Economic Development and Tourism,  $257,000 for workforce training at Chesapeake College, $240,000 for Mid-Shore Broadband Cooperative, $300,000 for Talbot County Parks and Recreation at Frederick Douglass Park, $400,000 for Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center, $501,700 for town of Easton to bury power lines on Port St., $500,000 for the Avalon Foundation’s Stoltz Pavilion, and $750,000 for Talbot County Public Works.

There were questions. What about the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum? And Trappe? Since the parameters of this project are to promote economic development and tourism within two years, this residential project doesn’t qualify. It was also noted that the Maritime Museum is already drawing tourists and receiving funding; but the final decision of which projects will be submitted is up to our Talbot County Council, and Scott Warner of the Mid-Shore Regional Council reassured them, “We will work with you.”

This all might have been accomplished in one day, with suitable spin to follow in an autocracy; but in this case a council work session is scheduled for this coming Thursday, August 11. Council member Price wishes they had been advised sooner, but looks forward to reviewing the awards; and Vice President Lesher assured the committee that he would recuse himself from deliberations regarding the Maritime Museum.

And this is all public record. Talbot County Manager Clay Stamp then presented several county board and committee appointments for approval. County Engineer Ray Clarke relayed information regarding a sewer-related project in Tilghman; and County Attorney Patrick Thomas kept all these procedures on track for a very busy county council.

Vice President Pete Lesher also thanked volunteers who have stepped forward to serve on these projects. Council member Pack remarked about positive efforts regarding the county’s Police Accountability Board, and Laura Price ended the evening with an observation that she and Pack are both on the same page now and “on their way out the door.”

That progress has been noted. Growth issues may not have been  a concern while our county’s population remained relatively stable over the past decade, but they were addressed in a robust manner during the last county council meeting. Our council is now discussing traffic and school issues regarding a development of 200 homes. That’s reassuring, but our next council will have its hands full with many more homes and a new comprehensive plan on the horizon.

Meanwhile a county website is suggesting that at least 50 local businesses are hiring. And the mayor of Ocean City, standing proudly on a crowded beach, suggested that falling gas prices are even lower this week closer to the shore.

A county council work session to determine development and tourism award recipients is scheduled for August 11, and a public hearing for legislation discussed this evening will be held on Tuesday, August 23. The August 9 meeting adjourned at 7:58 pm.

Carol Voyles is a graphic designer/illustrator who retired to the Eastern Shore and became interested in politics. She serves as communications chair for the Talbot County Democratic Forum and lives in Easton.

Peroutka “warriors” assembled at the Giant parking lot on Saturday, July 29. Armed with a “rock solid plan of attack” and list of targeted addresses, they would promote Peroutka’s candidacy as they confirmed Talbot County voters’ existence and eligibility to vote.

The success of such an effort in “42 other states” implied a slam-dunk here. According to the Peroutka campaign, “Maryland is the most corrupt state in the entire country in regards to election fraud.” Considering also that it could be “this or turning in your right to vote,” twenty-four warriors signed on to canvass for Michael Peroutka, Republican candidate for Maryland Attorney General.

A highly recommended “SOS Report” on Rumble emphasized that more of us have voted, but avoided mentioning the number of eligible registered voters in Maryland or the fact that voter participation is up nationwide.

Maryland’s eligible registered voting population was 4,109,762 in 2020. The SOS reported 3,066,945 voters and referenced 2,998,874 as “Voter History.”  The 68,071 more of us that voted are portrayed as “Missing Voters” buzzed by an angel of death.

Suggesting that even half that number were voters that had assumed the identities of dead people is a stretch, but it could explain how one might possibly believe Maryland is rife with election fraud.

According to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative site, just seven cases of voter fraud have been prosecuted in Maryland over the past decade. Not every case is discovered, adjudicated in court, and covered in the media; but claims of thousands of dead people voting have been thoroughly debunked.

The Maryland Board of Elections provides statewide registration lists to qualified registered Maryland voters. These can be checked for compatibility with other public records. They could also be made into lists for canvassing. Peroutka warriors carried out most of their mission in the town of Easton.

CNN News has reminded us of Peroutka’s 9/11 conspiracy theories. He’s suggested that the hijacked planes hitting the World Trade Center did not cause the buildings to collapse. An “elite bureaucrat” had more likely planted demolition devices, and those who died in the plane that hit the Pentagon may have been killed elsewhere.

Peroutka’s campaign coordinator confirmed only that Maryland’s “primary election results demonstrate that Maryland Republicans are dissatisfied with their current leadership.”

Governor Hogan responded more succinctly, “These disgusting lies don’t belong in our party.” And he tweeted,” We know who was responsible for 9/11. Blaming our country for al-Qaeda’s atrocities is an insult to the memory of the thousands of innocent Americans and brave responders that died that day.”

We haven’t heard reports of the warriors’ findings in Talbot County, but Arizona has announced the results of yet another election audit. The last one, months long in duration, discovered more votes for Biden. This one yielded evidence of one deceased person voting.

According to election security officials at the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), records requests have become “voluminous and daunting” across our nation since the 2020 election. Local election officials are also struggling to recruit and retain administrators at a time when workers are being harassed and receiving death threats. Hundreds of hostile messages have been documented.

We might recall that President Trump, faced with more mail-in ballots during Covid, feared “levels of voting that if you ever agreed to it, you’d never have a Republican elected in this country again.” With this observation in mind, it can’t be too surprising that over 60 court cases challenging the results of our 2020 election have since been either lost or dismissed.

Scores of recounts nationwide have yielded no evidence of voter fraud that could possibly have impacted the results of our 2020 election, and Trump has more recently suggested, “No one has gotten to the bottom of 9/11.”

Let’s not be too surprised if even more of our eligible registered voters exercise their right to vote in 2022.

Carol Voyles is a graphic designer/illustrator who retired to the Eastern Shore and became interested in politics. She serves as communications chair for the Talbot County Democratic Forum and lives in Easton.

A live video link to the county council’s July 26 meeting was available on YouTube, and it’s at the county site now; but there were also audio difficulties. Should detailed information be of interest, a transcript could be helpful.

Here’s good news. The balloon festival is coming to Talbot County, and the temporary closing of Three Bridge Branch Road is facilitating that event on August 5 and 6. This closing was passed unanimously.

The meeting then moved on to our mid-shore waste management agreement with four neighboring counties. We were reminded of the economy of scale, and more good news. The recycling program has resulted in an 8% downtick in volume over the past two years. A generator was discussed as a possibility, but it’s high maintenance. A new landfill site may be required soon, and that possibility generated reminders that an election is coming up.

On to a hearing for Bill 1522. The county would borrow $24.9 million for the construction and/or reconstruction of a county health department and public safety facility. A bond could be issued; but recognizing that this was a complex project, and one that’s not particularly time sensitive, the council voted unanimously for a “third reader.” And this would very likely be “pushed into the next council.”

Resolution 331 was up for a vote. The comprehensive water and sewer plan would be amended so that two parcels on Matthewstown Rd. could be amended to S1, W1, immediate priority. Audio was still breaking up, but it seems the proposal for the development of 200 homes would now include affordable housing. 120 apartment units are planned, with open space.

The council’s concerns included the traffic generated by 200 homes and 120 apartments. There has been no traffic study, and the development’s impact upon the county’s schools must also be taken into consideration. Our schools comprise roughly 50% of the county’s budget, and they are currently at capacity. There were also concerns regarding “other additions to the community,” such as EMT. Traffic and safety were priorities.

Council member Divilio recognized that we will very likely “see a new school built within the next 20 years,” but they are “packed now.” There was general agreement that the county should have a traffic and impact study, and that the developer should contribute to funding these expenses.

This discussion was both somewhat surprising and refreshing, as these concerns were not voiced during hearings for a development of 2,500 homes in Trappe. The developer had provided a six-figure contribution, and a spray wastewater facility would be constructed; but as council member Laura Price observed this evening, “Thousands of new pupils” would be a concern, as “a million bucks isn’t going to go far into building a school.”

Impact fees were then discussed, and Price summarized, “ Developers must chip in.”

Divilio wondered, “Would we say ‘no’ to a developer because he wouldn’t build us a new school?”

After some discussion, agreement was reached that both municipalities and developers must do more for the county. There was also a suggestion that while developers and new residents would contribute to these expenses, taxes could up. We want “orderly and manageable growth,” and a town tax could help fund our county schools.

Al Silverstein of the Easton Town Council concurred, ”The town and county have to work together.” Many of the town’s concerns had been focused upon wastewater.  We’re doing well there, but “we need housing.”

Then we had public comments. Greg Gannon, real estate developer for Gannon Farm Estates on Matthewstown Rd., suggested all was “settled with Easton Utilities.” (Audio still not clear at this mike. There could be more.) County council candidate Keasha Haythe also expressed her concern for a lack of public awareness of these matters.

Council Vice President Pete Lesher appreciated movement in the direction of affordable housing, and Corey Pack suggested that these matters be set aside for further consideration at their August 23 meeting. That passed unanimously.

Several county appointments and administrative matters were also reviewed and passed; and with no further public comment, this meeting adjourned at 9:04 pm. The next county council meeting will be held at 6 pm on August 9.

Carol Voyles is a graphic designer/illustrator who retired to the Eastern Shore and became interested in politics. She serves as communications chair for the Talbot County Democratic Forum and lives in Easton.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, and that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness – That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

The words of our forefathers are a breath of fresh air. We’ve come a long way since 1776, but we’re now hearing suggestions from a recently formed organization, Battlefront, that “those of us temperamentally disposed must lay siege to our nation’s institutions.”  It’s time, they say.

Back in 2012 Thomas Mann of the Brookings Institute and Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute had suggested, “The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme, scornful of compromise, unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence, and science and dismissive of the legitimacy of political opposition.”

We were awarding Pinocchios then, but it has since become clear that our Grand Old Party no longer finds it convenient to hold truths self-evident or derive its powers from the consent of the governed. As former acting Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen and deputy Attorney General Richard P. Donoghue have testified, advised that he had lost the 2020 election, President Trump instructed his Department of Justice, “Just say it was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen.”

The violent insurrection on January 6, 2021, the first of its kind since 1812, resulted in nine deaths, 114 officers injured, and $1.5 million in damages.

Representative Adam Schiff echoed our forefathers at a recent January 6 Congressional Committee hearing: “For more than 200 years, our democracy has been distinguished by the peaceful transfer of power. Raising their right hand and taking the Presidential oath of office transforms an ordinary citizen into the most powerful person in the world, the President. This is an awesome power to acquire. It is even more awesome when it is handed on peacefully. When George Washington relinquished the office of the presidency, he set a precedent that served as a beacon for other nations struggling against tyranny.”

It might also be worth noting that this bipartisan commission, formed by a government deriving its power from the consent of the governed in order to secure our rights, is relying in large part upon sworn testimony from Republicans and members of President Trump’s inner circle. This hearing has also been a profile in courage about women. Liz Cheney and Cassidy Hutchinson are being compared to Margaret Chase Smith.

White House lawyer Pat Cipollone warned that Trump would be charged with “every crime imaginable” if he were to go to the Capitol on January 6. Cipollone has been invited to either confirm or deny that account under oath.

Assured of no evidence of voter fraud by Trump campaign lawyer Alex Cannon, former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows concluded, “So there’s no there, there.”

Respected lawyer and former judge J. Michael Luttig, long a pillar in conservative legal circles, professed his loyalty to our Constitution and warned, “Donald Trump and his allies and supporters are a clear and present danger to American democracy,”

Requests for preemptive pardons suggest laws have been broken. Attorney John Eastman emailed his request to the White House, and Mo Brooks took the extra step of requesting “all-purpose” pardons for himself and “every Congressman and Senator who voted to reject the electoral college submission of Arizona and Pennsylvania.”

Adam Schiff also reminded us, “The system held, but barely. And the question remains, will it hold again? If we are able to communicate anything during these hearings, I hope it is this: We have been blessed beyond measure to live in the world’s greatest democracy. This is a legacy to be proud of and to cherish. But it is not one to be taken for granted.”

These are challenging times, but things may be trending in a positive direction.

Cassidy Hutchinson, a dedicated young Republican who had interned with Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Representative Steve Scalise (R-LA) before becoming an executive assistant to former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, offered this testimony:

With evidence that the Trump administration had been warned of violence and was aware of weapons in the crowd on January 6, President Trump told officials, “You know, I really don’t care if they have weapons. They’re not here to hurt me. Take the mags away, and let my people in.”

He then went onstage told them several times, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol.”

Trump criticized her. That was expected, but Fox News anchor Bret Baier noted, ”She’s under oath, and he’s on Truth Social.”

Let justice and our democracy prevail.

Carol Voyles is a graphic designer/illustrator who retired to the Eastern Shore and became interested in politics. She serves as communications chair for the Talbot County Democratic Forum and lives in Easton.

***

Federal insurrection statute, 18 U.S. Code § 2383, applies to “whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto.”

Federal seditious conspiracy statute, 18 U.S. Code § 2384, applies to persons who “by force prevent, hinder or delay the execution of any law of the United States.”

Federal perjury statute, 18 U.S. Code § 1621, finds anyone “guilty of perjury shall, except as otherwise required by law, be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.”