Hugh Panero - Talbot Spy

Balancing the Maryland Budget in Extraordinary Times by Hugh Panero

May 12, 2025 by Hugh Panero

Balancing the state budget in extraordinary times is hard. It is an ugly game of Whack-a-Mole. A large percentage of the expenses are baked into the budget based on prior legislative initiatives. Then, you take a whack at projecting revenue during a weak economy, manage the General Fund, which consists of revenue not dedicated to a specific purpose, and the Special Fund, which is dedicated to particular purposes. After a few more whacks at capital costs, you wrestle with budget cuts, and adding more revenue through tax modifications and increasing fees.

Then you factor in what the crazy guy in the White House is doing to the economy and the federal government, and how that will impact Maryland. Good luck with that.

This is why being Governor is not easy. You struggle with challenging issues that require balancing various human and financial priorities while protecting the most vulnerable. Meanwhile, at the federal level, the GOP wants to cut such programs to fund a tax cut extension for the wealthy, adding trillions to the national debt. It is always rich when billionaires getting a tax cut ask everyone else to do more with less.

Another grim reality has also set in. Marylanders, including myself, have taken for granted the economic benefits afforded to Maryland due to its proximity to the federal government. Unfortunately, we are now experiencing the painful flip side of that coin as we watch the White House drop several nuclear financial bombs with a blast radius and shock wave that hits Maryland first and hardest.

The thoughtless gutting of the federal government has significantly added to Maryland’s financial problems. There are 160,000 federal workers in the state, many of whom own or rent homes in Maryland, pay taxes, and spend money, which helps fuel the state economy. Think of all the businesses and people you know, lawyers, lobbyists, contractors, scientists, and real estate professionals who provide services directly or indirectly to the federal government. Now, imagine a 30,000 reduction in federal workers who live in Maryland and its impact on our state.

Critics of the state budget are angry at Moore and the General Assembly for tax increases that were part of a difficult effort to balance the $67 billion 2025 budget. The budget included $1.6 billion in tax and fee increases and $2 billion in spending reductions to address the $3.3 billion budget deficit. Some even called for a DOGEing of Maryland’s government institutions and “scared cows”. We have seen how badly that has worked out at the federal level.

I supported Governor Moore and voted for Hogan twice. Nobody likes tax increases, including the Governor, but balancing any budget with a $3.3 billion deficit is challenging. Criticizing how he did it is fair game, but it’s easy when you’re not in the room doing the math. For example, I would have liked to have seen a reduction in the corporate tax, but realize when you are turning over rocks looking for revenue, its hard to give up a chunk.

Some Republicans fantasize about Hogan running again for Governor in 2026 against Moore. Hogan fanboys and GOP strategists would love to brand Moore as a tax-and-spend Democrat, which is unfair. Serious problems are impacting Maryland, and issues like slow business growth have existed for a decade, during Hogan’s two terms and Moore’s short tenure in office. Members of both parties have acknowledged this, so let’s focus on the six key budget challenges ahead.

1- Maryland’s economy is stagnant and must improve. Last year, Comptroller Brooke Lierman issued a State of the Economy Report. Maryland’s economy began slowing in 2017 and rebounded sluggishly from COVID-19. At the time, she reported low unemployment of 1.8%, which today is 3% and will be further impacted by federal workforce reductions. Our state relies too heavily on the federal government (the top employer) to drive our economy, and we need more private sector jobs and business income. Maryland’s average household income was a healthy $108,200, ranking high nationally. Unfortunately, Maryland’s overall economy underperforms. GDP growth (personal income, real wages, and population growth) from 2016-2023 was only 1.6%, which lags behind our neighbors (PA & VA) and the US. The state’s population in 2024 was about 6.3 million, a 0.74% increase compared to 2023. And while many people move here from states with a higher cost of living, we lose people, including higher earners, who leave Maryland for less expensive states.

2- Trump’s budget, tariffs, and other actions severely harm the State. Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson recently said that Trump’s budget could result in an additional $430 million in federal cuts to the state. Trump’s tariff war will also result in thousands of small businesses in Maryland going bankrupt unless he finds an off-ramp. Since Trump took office, the stock market has lost trillions of dollars, damaging 401(k)s. It is also unclear if the federal government will support future funding for the Key Bridge rebuild and other Maryland capital projects available under the Biden administration. Do you remember when the worst thing Trump did to Maryland was kill the plan to build a new FBI building in Greenbelt, MD?

3- The debate about the so-called $5 billion “Surplus” handed over to Moore by Hogan is a waste of time. Lots of Federal COVID-19 money flowed into the state, which camouflaged weaknesses in the state’s economy. I assume Hogan did not know this was a fading Covid hangover surplus. I also realize Hogan had nothing to gain by reframing the reality of the surplus while running for the Senate. Also, our business-oriented Governor Moore, the General Assembly, and an accountant should have recognized the bogus nature of the surplus sooner.

4- Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The expensive 10-year education reform plan is a financial problem. Democrats own this plan. It was recently funded for two years ($70 million next year and $100 million the year after). Beyond that, it will be funded through the state’s General Fund, which, according to a recent Maryland Matters article, has a projected deficit of up to $3 billion by fiscal year 2030. How Moore handles this issue will be another big test. You can’t do everything. In its current form, the plan is tough on rural communities with limited resources that have been further strained as the state has pushed down other costs to the counties.

5- Medicaid Costs. As reported in the Baltimore Sun, Maryland’s share of Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIPS) covers roughly 1.6 million people, including long-term care coverage for low-income children, pregnant women, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities, costing about $4 billion annually. The big unknown is how federal cuts to entitlement programs will impact Maryland and other states, especially if the GOP forces states to bear more of the expense.

6- Bond Rating Fiscal Status. A fellow Spy columnist, David Reel, recently focused attention on Maryland’s fragile bond rating, highlighting Moody’s downgrade of Maryland’s fiscal outlook from stable to negative. The Moody downgrade said, “Maryland ranks near the top for risk from changing federal priorities and policies.” Maryland Matters said, “The report highlights three factors: Federal unemployment, existing budget deficits, and concentrated federal grant funding.” It might be a while before Maryland’s AA bond rating bumps to AAA. Standard and Poors issued a negative outlook for outstanding revenue bonds issued by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDAT), which finances new transportation projects like bridges, tunnels, and the rebuilding ($1.8 billion estimate) of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. What will happen if Trump pulls federal funding for the Key Bridge?

Things will likely worsen before they improve, especially if Trump drives us into a recession. The current budget cycle sidestepped more painful future cuts to the Blueprint Reform plan. Democrats must take a scalpel to the plan during the next budget cycle. With so many unknowns, Governor Moore will have to be tighter on controlling costs and veto bills from the General Assembly, controlled by his party, that the state cannot afford.

One of the best things Marylanders can do to help themselves is help Democrats win the House in the midterm elections and stop Trump’s reckless actions that will hurt Maryland.

Hugh Panero, a tech and media entrepreneur, was the founder and former CEO of XM Satellite Radio. He has worked with leading tech venture capital firms and was an adjunct media professor at George Washington University. He writes about Tech and Media and other stuff for the Spy.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

In Search of a Democratic Party Pulse by Hugh Panero

April 21, 2025 by Hugh Panero

After any painful defeat, there is an understandable period of mourning and reflection, followed by resilience and renewed energy to return to the fight. Many of us are upset by the Democratic Party’s lack of creativity, strategy, leadership, and action. An older woman attending a town hall meeting held by a Democratic congressman summed up how many of us feel during a Q&A: ” Why aren’t you angrier?”

Where is the opposition party? Democrats are handicapped and leaderless. The GOP slimly controls all three branches of government with a President who has grabbed more presidential power than anyone in history, not in a wartime setting. Former leaders, Biden and Harris, are persona non grata, ugly reminders of how poorly the 2024 presidential race was handled, and a fresh leader has yet to emerge.

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is ineffective, and Ken Martin, Chair of the Democratic Party, is invisible. Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies and other prominent Democrats land a few verbal blows during committee debates that go viral. This includes Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD-8th) and Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30th) in the House, as well as Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut, among others.

However, these political blows remind me of the basketball player on a team down by 30 points who executes a creative, in-your-face dunk and taunts the defender, who, with a smile on his face, simply points to the lopsided score on the Jumbotron.

Trump’s unchecked second term has lived up to the apocalyptic predictions. The assault on free speech and universities, illegal deportations, attacking judges, defying courts, the use of executive orders, the weaponization of the Justice Department to punish former colleagues and law firms whose clients Trump dislikes, and the cruel and thoughtless gutting of government. And now the Tariff War.

Whatever happened to Trump’s promise to end the Ukraine War on day one, lower inflation, and reduce our daily costs, such as eggs, among other broken promises? As Trump approaches 100 days in office, things will only worsen as he further damages our economy and turns the US into a global villain. Trump is not a person playing a well-thought-out economic chess game between Nations, but more like Marvel’s Incredible Hulk running around smashing things.

Here is a thought: whenever I start a new DIY project I know little about, I watch a lot of YouTube videos. All Trump had to do was search for a video tutorial on “How does the US bond market work, and how critical is it to fund the U.S. government’s growing debt?

For decades, our bonds were considered the safest investment haven for retirees and others balancing their portfolios, seeking to offset stock market volatility, as well as a safe place for foreign governments to park a significant amount of money. No longer. When Japan sold its US bonds due to Trump’s poorly conceived reciprocal tariff increases, it triggered stock market chaos and global economic uncertainty. The Japanese felt our bonds were neither a haven nor safe.

Keep in mind that China holds a significant portion of our debt. Trump has managed to create an unprecedented scenario where both bonds and stocks are simultaneously under threat. Seeing bond prices dramatically dip and yields increase, Trump announced a 90-day pause on his new tariff increases, reducing them to a baseline of 10%. To look tough in the face of his dramatic about-face, he increased tariffs on China, which responded in kind.

China is a bad actor on many fronts, but before you poke that bear, Trump should have considered what America’s future looks like if we are alone in the world with no friends. Fighting with every country simultaneously, including an island inhabited by Penguins, is not a great plan. Trump’s tariff war with friend and foe has caused enormous wealth destruction. We stopped watching the news a while ago, and now we can’t look at our 401(k)s.

Even Trump’s billionaire suck up friends are having a WTF moment watching their guy take down the US and potentially the world economy. Trump reminds me of the mentally unstable golf course groundskeeper Carl Spackler from the movie Caddyshack, played by Bill Murray. Carl was so obsessed with killing that gopher that he detonated plastic explosives, destroying the golf course.

More members of the MAGA faithful, who naively thought Trump’s second-term retribution tour would not negatively impact them, will soon feel the pain. If they need help obtaining Social Security benefits, unemployment compensation, or support from the Veterans Affairs, they will be affected by massive government layoffs. Imagine what it will be like to call the IRS to resolve a problem–no one will be there to answer the phone.

Democrats have recently shown faint signs of a pulse. With no clear party leader, several people have stepped into the void. Senator Cory Booker’s 26-hour speech on the Senate floor effectively framed Trump’s Hulk-like destruction, which was widely shared on social media; Congressman Raskin, a few weeks ago, spoke on the Eastern Shore in place of Andy Harris, who had refused to hold a town hall meeting to avoid angry constituents. Democratic candidate Susan Crawford won a highly contested seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, despite Musk’s $21 million investment aimed at defeating her. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen’s recent trip to El Salvador to meet with deported Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia was a thoughtful way to keep the spotlight on the Trump administration’s ugly and defiant handling of his deportation despite the Supreme Court directive. The large “Hands Off” demonstrations, attended by hundreds of thousands of protesters, were impressive, as were Bernie Sanders’ and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s well-attended “Fighting Oligarchy” rallies. While these successes are encouraging, Democrats must articulate a broader strategic plan and a better sales pitch, especially in the wake of the 2024 debacle.

How will Democrats defend Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, which the GOP needs to cut to fund Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy? When did tax cuts for wealthy Americans take priority over helping children with severe disabilities who rely on Medicaid, now threatened by billionaire Elon Musk and the GOP?

Cranky Democratic political strategist James Carville, in a recent NY Times editorial, explained that the faltering economy is what voters care about, presenting a massive opportunity for Democrats to make their case. Democrats need to build on their recent life signs. There was discussion about establishing a war room and a shadow cabinet to enable a swift and relentless response to the day’s issues. Why not send the party’s best communicators around the country? Let Bernie & AOC focus on fighting oligarchs, but have others, such as Josh Shapiro, Pete Buttigieg, Andy Beshear, Gretchen Whitmer, and Newsome, barnstorm the country discussing other vital subjects, like the faltering economy.

Democrats need more than just a faint pulse, and it starts with getting angry, like the woman at the town hall meeting suggested. Until then, stop sending me the same old fundraising text messages and prove to me and others that you have a plan.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Susan and Barry Koh: A Tribute to Good Mid-Shore Neighbors Who Made a Difference by Hugh Panero

March 5, 2025 by Hugh Panero

Next week, Barry and Susan Koh will depart Easton, leaving a legacy of what it means to be a good neighbor and community leader. This local power couple was instrumental in creating Temple B’Nai Israel, the spiritual center for the Jewish population in Talbot County. In addition to nurturing the spirit, they also nurtured our cultural needs with Chesapeake Music, which has presented world-class chamber music events and performances for many years, today with a residency at the Ebenezer Theater.

The next time you attend B’Nai Israel services or social events, like the lecture series the Kohs helped create, or find yourself soaking in the sounds at a chamber music performance at the Ebenezer Theater in downtown – you can thank Barry and Susan.

Barry and Susan are good at many things, but most importantly, they know how to get things done. They are highly detail-oriented and have vision, which is a rare combination. They helped raise millions of dollars to build the Temple, which has been a vital place of worship; especially today, helping Jews and people of other faiths, make sense of the Israeli hostage crisis and war in Gaza.

About 100 people recently attended an event at the Temple to show their gratitude and appreciation to the Kohs. Recently retired Rabbi Peter Hyman, who the Kohs recruited to become the first full-time Rabbi for the Temple many years ago, recited the Proverb, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” He added, “The Kohs showed vision and dedication, and we are all better off because of their efforts.”

Speaker after speaker described their dedication, how effectively Susan recruited new members to the Temple, and how Barry used common sense and an engineer’s scientific approach to problem-solving to move projects forward. Others talked about how the couple recruited and charmed talented people to become involved with the Temple and Chesapeake Music. The general theme was that saying no to Barry and Susan was hard. They are also forward-thinking, and with their departure in mind, helped create a succession plan ensuring that what they built over two decades would endure.

After an hour or so of people saying wonderful things about them, Barry and Susan got their chance to respond at the podium. In Barry’s familiar humorous and self-deprecating style, he opened his remarks saying, “Now for the Rebuttal,” generating laughter from the crowd. Barry and Susan went on to thank many people, talk about volunteerism, and how meaningful it was for them to be part of the Temple family over all these years. They also encouraged people to get involved. Barry and Susan are models of effective volunteer leadership and community involvement.

The Kohs are a unique couple. They met when they were nine years old while attending camp. They have been married for 64 years and are best friends. Barry has NYC roots as I do. He attended the Bronx High School of Science and graduated from Columbia University with an AB in Science and a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He later got his Master’s degree from the University of Maryland in Mechanical Engineering and a PHD in Thermal Engineering, minoring in Nuclear Engineering from Cornell University. Based on his resume, I listened carefully whenever Barry explained how things worked.

Barry served in the Navy on Admiral Rickover’s staff, described as the father of the US nuclear Navy. After several executive jobs in the nuclear industry, he formed Koh and Associates, a company that focused on radioactive waste management, euphemistically called environmental restoration.

Susan had a 36-year career as a teacher and administrator. She attended Barnard College in NYC. When I asked her why Barnard, she told me with a twinkle in her eye that she needed to keep an eye on Barry, who was attending nearby Columbia. Susan’s teaching and administrative career included stints in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and other places. Susan took time off to raise children and jumped into more volunteer work later in life.

When deciding where to move two decades ago, Susan said she preferred moving to New York while Barry wanted to be on the Eastern Shore to enjoy fishing and boating. When I asked her about the move she said, “Barry was right. Easton was the right choice”. Susan’s only requirement was not to live on an isolated street, preferring a home where she could open her front door and yell “Help!” if needed, and someone would hear her. Well, for 16 years my wife and I have lived across the street from Susan and Barry and are one of the couples on our street who would happily respond.

There was never a call for help. Instead, I would call her for advice on various subjects. Our best conversations with Barry and Susan happened while walking our dog Ella. We would run into them on the street, driving back from one of their many meeting or Barry’s daily early morning swim at the Y. We talked about kids, politics, life, and neighborhood affairs. I will miss calling Barry to ask if his internet is down and to complain about the service. I will miss seeing Susan cleaning up her yard, which set a high standard for us, and watching Barry strut around in his cool Bronx High School Science bomber jacket. I will not miss my wife saying, “Why can’t you dress nicely like Barry.” I will also miss seeing Barry taking his pretty boat “Daybreak” out at sunrise for a long day of fishing with buddies; a few I imagine who could not say no to the invite.

Susan and Barry are off to Rye, New York, where they will be closer to their children and grandchildren. They both say they will miss the caliber of people with whom they have developed friendships during their 19-year tenure in Easton. They will find new people and contribute their unique skills to making their new home a better place. I will miss them, as will all the people they have touched.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

The Death of TikTok by Hugh Panero

January 20, 2025 by Hugh Panero

On Sunday evening, TikTok, the popular social media platform, was executed in the US. Since 2016, swiping through endless short-form videos on your smartphone customized to your tastes has been a guilty pleasure for 170 million active users in the US.

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TikTok’s death may be short-lived. Trump announced on Sunday that he intends to bring the service back to life by executive order once he takes office to allow more time to find a 50 percent US investor.

TikTok uses a sophisticated recommendation engine algorithm that determines what content you like and lulls you into an addictive, viral, mindless stupor. Before you know it, minutes turned into hours.

After using the app for a long time in the bathroom, some users need help exiting due to trouble walking, and others experienced Carpal TikTok syndrome caused by excessive swiping (okay, I made that up). Others constantly bombarded family and friends with their favorite videos, whether they wanted to see them or not.

However, on Sunday, users were greeted with a message: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now.” Adding, “we are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned.” It is reported that the service is preparing to reinstate service after assurances there will be no repercussions.

TikTok burst onto the scene eight years ago, catching social media behemoths Meta (Facebook, Instagram) and Google by surprise. It became one of the hottest social media companies and created a new group of loyal, young, social media content creators and influencers.

My TikTok scrolling featured short movie clips (“You can’t handle the TRUTH”), videos of dogs, babies, and babies playing with dogs, professional comedy bits, and funny videos created by users. TikTok has a dark side. It contributed to our political chaos by spreading untruths like all the other major social media platforms. However, for the US government, the scariest thing about the platform is that it is owned by a Chinese company ByteDance.

Unfortunately for TikTok, its enormous popularity (2 billion+ active users worldwide), and murky Chinese ownership put a large target on its back. Mark Zuckerberg began stealing elements of TikTok and incorporated them into his Instagram platform to compete. The call to ban TikTok was one of the only issues Democrats and Republicans could agree on. In a bipartisan effort, in 2024, Congress passed legislation to ban TikTok unless a new owner could be found. The vote was 353-65 in the House and 79-18 in the Senate. And the other two branches of the government, the executive and judiciary branches, have supported and reaffirmed the legislation.

Sunday, January 19th was established as TikTok’s execution date, not by lethal injection but for an app just as bad —pulling the plug and shutting down the app. The bill was challenged in court. Even the Supreme Court got involved, quickly dismissing the argument that the legislation and ban infringed on TikTok user’s free speech.

It is acceptable for US citizens to give away all their data for free to greedy tech companies, but a line has now been drawn regarding having a relationship with Chinese spies. Years of being trained to let tech companies know everything about them has led many to shrug off the risk of a foreign tech platform having access to their data. The shutdown is especially painful to thousands of users who created businesses and make a living on the platform. Many also feel that targeting TikTok, regardless of the real risk of Chinese data mining and foreign propaganda influencing tens of millions of US citizens, is actually part of a US tech bro plan to eliminate a social media competitor and create a fire sale for the company.

TikTok fans with a sense of humor, anticipating the January 19 breakup deadline, flooded the site with romantic goodbyes from or to their Chinese Spies, with Whitney Houston singing “I will always love you” in the background and other variations on the breakup theme.

TikTok’s competitors spent millions convincing politicians on both sides of the aisle to ban TikTok. Tech billionaires like Musk and Zuckerberg also made personal appeals to their newest BFF, Trump. Ironically, it was only a few years ago that US tech companies were angrily grilled by Congress for pushing untruths about the 2016 election, among other issues, and threatened with regulations that never happened. TikTok offered the perfect Chinese villain to deflect attention away from them. It also helps that the tech billionaire class is throwing millions at Trump, kissing the ring with front-row seats at the January 20 inauguration. How times have changed?

Trump has dramatically changed his position on TikTok. In 2020, he aggressively called for its ban due to National Security concerns. Now, he wants to facilitate its resurrection. More recently, he suggested the Supreme Court hold off banning TikTok to let him find a US buyer. His attitude change coincided with his effective use of social media and its biggest stars like Joe Rogan (Trump has 14 million TikTok followers) to win the White House. So why kill such a valuable political weapon that the Democrats are so pathetic at using? The Democrats, seeing Trump’s recent maneuvering to be TikTok’s savior, now also support a shutdown postponement. It’s stuff like this that makes you hate politicians.

Lastly, Trump’s billionaire buddies have voiced interest in buying TikTok, and Jeff Yass, a GOP mega-donor, owns a significant share of TikTok’s parent, ByteDance. Another billionaire, Frank McCourt, and Project America, think TikTok is worth $20 billion and want to buy it despite the fact you are not buying the algorithm that is the heart of the service, just the US operations. The Chinese appear unwilling to part with that intellectual property and are not racing to sell. The Chinese may like the idea of the US banning a media platform after years of being criticized for their heavy-handed censorship and control of all media touching their citizens.

Products have been banned in the US for decades for public health reasons but not a social media app for national security concerns. All I wanted was a few videos of dogs being sweet to babies. I guess I will have to get my fix somewhere else.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Dogs rule despite who wins this election by Hugh Panero

November 6, 2024 by Hugh Panero

It will be a tough week for everyone, and I can no longer think or talk about politics. I would rather discuss dogs and why I like them more than most humans. In these challenging times, we can learn a lot from our canine pals, such as unconditional love, persevering through hard times, living in the moment, the pleasure of a good meal, loyalty, and the benefits of having no sense of time.

Instead of catastrophizing the outcome of this election, find a friendly dog to play with, whatever side you are on, because life will go on, and dog escapism is healthy. I intend to spend more time with my dog, Ella Fitzgerald, a white Whoodle who is part Wheaton Terrier and Poodle.

Ella is relentless. All she wants to do is play frisbee, and I am happy to turn off the TV, leave my iPhone on the table, and toss a few. If you have a pulse, you can join us. All humans are welcome. She will place her red frisbee at your feet and slowly back up, preparing for a long toss. It is 45 minutes of not thinking about the outcome in Pennsylvania.

Ella provides this service to all. I regularly look out my window and see her red frisbee floating by, tossed by the UPS or Fedex guy, a landscaper, plumber, electrician, or one of the many others who come to my home. They are seduced by Ella’s impressive vertical leap and joy as she snatches the frisbee out of the air, completing the human-dog aerial partnership.

I once saw my neighbor Mike on his bike, slowly rolling by our property. With Ella’s frisbee secured in her mouth, she tracked him behind our invisible fence like a diligent border patrol agent. My dog-savvy neighbor, understanding the security protocol, dismounted, crossed the invisible fence onto my property, and played with her for half an hour.

I am all in on our dog. I lower her car window so she can stick her head out, even if it’s freezing outside, and I toss her treats for no reason. Acquiring a Pup Cup is part of our ritual, and at my daughter’s wedding, we even offered signature drinks named after our dogs. The “Ella Fitzgerald” was a Spicy Paloma.

Each morning, Ella jumps onto our bed and belly crawls to me or my wife for a morning scratch. If we do not comply because we are sleeping or pretending to be asleep, she will nudge her cold, wet nose under one of our hands to press the point. We eventually comply.

My relationship with Ella can be humbling. During our morning walk, she occasionally has difficulty completing her number two evacuation and stares at me with a pathetic look, asking for assistance. I check her back door, and inexplicably, I find myself pulling grass out of her butt using one of my doggy bags. I laugh at myself, my inner voice saying, “You used to run a media company, and now you’re pulling grass out of your dog’s ass.” And I am ok with that.

Ella is all love, and returning it in kind to her and your other human or dog friends will help you live longer. She has few bad qualities. Ella does not beg for food or chew on stray socks. She does gently sticks her snout in everyone’s crotch for a head scratch, catching a few humans off guard. Her periodic barking is designed to warn us about murderous squirrels, foxes, and the occasional deer that wander onto our property. She is very trusting and enthusiastically bolts into the vet or groomer, looking for affection, blissfully ignorant of prior bad experiences. If only humans could harness this skill.

She was not bothered when hearing false reports of immigrants eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio. She knew it was BS. She is terrified by the low-battery chirping sound from one of many smoke detectors. We are usually asleep, and upon hearing it, she flies into our bedroom and stands on my chest, shaking, her tiny tail in the “danger” pose. My wife quickly takes her outside while I hunt for the chirping culprit with a replacement 9 Volt battery and a ladder in hand, wondering if I will survive the climb—anything for Ella.

Instagram and TikTok have also incorporated my love for dogs into their customized algorithms. My content stream is filled with cute dogs playing with babies (the tech companies know about my new grandson, Zev). To keep me hooked, they send me videos of dogs at the airport waiting for their soldier human to return from an extended tour of duty. The dog loses it when their best friend in camo shows up. The most recent gut-wrenching video was about a sickly man who had been battling cancer for a year, losing over 60 lbs. When he reunited with his dog, the animal did not recognize him at first and barked at him for a few minutes until the dog’s smell superpower identified who he was and then overwhelmed him with affection.

I rely on my extensive dog friend network to help me cope during these ugly times. There is Diasy, an energetic chocolate Lab who lives up the street and visits regularly. Upon seeing me, she accelerates from zero to 20 mph pretty fast, and before you know it, I am covered with licks and hit with lab body bumps. Another dog pal from the hood is Remy, an older, heavyset Lab who does not like other dogs but loves me (or at least I think so). Remy provides relief from any bad news day. My next-door neighbor’s dogs include Cassie and Huck. They showed up the other day, emerging from the bushes, sensing my need for companionship with Election Day approaching. All these dogs remember my history of treat-giving. If I am not outside, the dogs sit outside my front door and wait for treats.

My newest dog friends, Scruffy and Casey, are small Aussie Doodles. They are brilliant and direct. Scruffy bangs on a small bell to signal when he wants to go out, and when Casey sees me, she drops onto her back and sticks her leg up in the air, beckoning for a belly rub. She is a tad forward, but I comply. All my dog friends are reflections of their human patrons. You can tell a lot of people by meeting their dogs.

A dog is your best friend for part of your life, but you are their best friend for their entire lives.

I miss my daughter’s dogs, Frankie and Otis (Ella’s half-brother), who moved from DC to the West Coast a few years ago. I helped raise Otis; clearly, this grumpy, judgmental fellow spent too much time with me.

When we go to Seattle to visit my daughter, son-in-law, and grandson, one of the highlights is the crazy happiness displayed when these dogs realize who we are despite living on opposite coasts. I also miss my dog pals who have passed away, like Dexter, Biddie, Dizzy, Anebel, Lizzie, and Maxie, to name a few.

Unlike politicians, dogs do not switch parties, lie, or suddenly turn on those who love and support them. So, if you’re having a tough time at this moment in history, find a great dog to play with or come to my house, pick up Ella’s red frisbee, and toss it high and long.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Fear and loathing at the Washington Post and LA Times by Hugh Panero

October 29, 2024 by Hugh Panero

The news that the Washington Post and LA Times billionaire owners told their management not to endorse one of the presidential candidates caused a loud, primal media scream.

Both newspapers have described this 2024 Presidential election as one of the most consequential in history. Despite that, the paper’s owners told their editorial staff to ignore tradition and not express an opinion. Why? Fear and greed.

The lesson learned is that billionaire saviors of struggling newspapers do not have the same commitment to the ethos or moral nature that these newspapers were built on. They are scared. Trump, the would-be Mussolini, has embraced full-crazy and made it clear that if elected, he has an enemies hit list that these tech bros billionaires do not want to be on.

Newspapers have been under assault for decades, losing ad revenue and readership to digital alternatives. Many newspaper groups fear rocking the boat with a Presidential endorsement. LA Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, who made his fortune in healthcare, has a not-so-healthy newspaper business, and he likely does not want to alienate his conservative readership and advertisers with a Kamala Harris endorsement.

The real drama was at the Washington Post. Jeff Bezos, the owner of the Post, appears to have made a last-minute decision to protect his more valuable non-newspaper business interests. It has been reported that a Harris endorsement was drafted.

The decision was particularly stinging coming from a newspaper of record for many of us. Since the announcement that the Post would not endorse a Presidential candidate, several staffers have resigned or stepped down from the company’s Editorial Board. According to NPR, “more than 200,000 people had canceled their digital subscriptions by midday Monday, according to two people at the paper with knowledge of internal matters, representing about 8 percent of the paper’s paid circulation of 2.5 million subscribers.” The number is rising.

Jeff Bezos today differs from the person who bought the Post for $250 million from Donald Graham in 2013. During the last decade, Bezos stepped away from day-to-day management at Amazon and divorced Mackenzie Scott (formerly Bezos), making her the third wealthiest woman in the US.

The Bezos I admired has vanished, and the person we see in the media today on his superyacht has gone full muscled cartoon tech-bro, self-absorbed with body image, bodybuilding, and his curvy, arm candy girlfriend. He is living his version of La Dolce Vita, armed with the most F you money in history.

In my head, I keep hearing the Simon and Garfinkle melody and lyrics to Mrs Robinson: “Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?” followed by “Where have you gone, Jeff Bezos? Where have you gone, Katharine Graham and Ben Bradlee?

I remember when The Washington Post’s courageous Publisher and Executive Editor risked going to jail for defying Nixon’s threats during Watergate. What happened to Bezos, the business guru with the odd laugh, who, 30 years ago, started Amazon and the digital retail business industry and changed the world?

Bezos’ business empire includes monsters Amazon (2023 revenue $575B), AWS ($91B), and the privately held space company Blue Origin. The Washington Post is a nat—a stray media dog with a rich history he saved from extinction, which has become an annoyance. The calculation was simple. If the Post endorsed Kamala, and Trump wins, then Blue Origin, which lags way behind Space X (revenue $2B), would be shut out from government space contracts — end of story. Bezos denied that the Post’s recent endorsement policy decision was related to his other business interests. Yeh Right! Eights days before the election. If you believe that I have a rocket ship to sell you.

Bezos’ biggest tech bro competitor is Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), Tesla, and wait for it… SpaceX. Elon will perform any manner of business fellatio to pleasure Trump, including barnstorming with the crazy (“They’re eating cats and dogs”) X-President and donating $120 million to the Pro-Trump America Super PAC. The PAC is sponsoring a voter turnout gimmick that awards a daily $1 million lottery prize to registered voters in battleground states who sign his petition supporting the 1st and 2nd Amendments. The program is currently under review by the DOJ. A Trump return to the White House would help Musk and SpaceX get the SEC, DOJ, and other government institutions off his back.

I do not know how much a Presidential editorial endorsement impacts an election. My guess is not much; it primarily contributes to helping build perceived momentum for the endorsed candidate. In the last Presidential election cycle, in 2020, Biden received 47 major newspaper endorsements (circulation 9.6 million), Trump received seven endorsements (circulation 863,000), and 44 newspapers did not endorse anyone (circulation 5.2 million).

I also do not know the best recourse if you want to punish these newspapers for their cowardice. Do you cancel your newspaper subscription in a town with few local news alternatives? Do you cancel your $140 Amazon Prime account?

The list of newspapers that do not endorse a presidential candidate is growing. It now includes the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, LA Times, USA Today, Minnesota Star Tribune, and Tampa Bay Times, among others. The New York Times stands alone among national newspapers that still have a policy of picking a Presidential candidate.

Part of me wants to take a tranquilizer and wake up on Wednesday, November 6, to a new, hopefully better world without daily polls, non-stop fundraising texts, cable news network talking heads, and narcissistic billionaires who inspire fear and loathing.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

The Awkward Gentrification of Bellevue by Hugh Panero

September 16, 2024 by Hugh Panero

In 2022, Talbot County first heard about a new fourteen-home luxury housing development in the Village of Bellevue, one of twenty-two unincorporated Villages in Talbot County. Bellevue stands out from other villages because it is a predominantly black community with a rich African-American maritime history. It is a quiet, off-the-beaten-path, peaceful community where people are neighborly.

The villages’ tranquility was shaken when Long Iron Investment Group, LLC, purchased a plot of land in Bellevue with beautiful waterfront views near the ferry in partnership with Paquin Design Build. The land had been on the market for a while. The Ripple family owned the vacant waterfront property, and the investment group waited patiently and eventually bought 15 acres of land for an estimated $2.4M, setting forth what could become the gentrification of Bellevue.

The development represented a traumatic change for this small, mixed-use waterfront community of about 100 residents and maybe 80, mostly small homes in what is called “Historic Bellevue.” Homes are one to two stories on lots ranging in size from .15 to .7 acres. Community trauma has morphed into a sense of helplessness and resignation. Four of the fourteen luxury homes have been sold. The largest can be 3500 sq ft on a 1.5 acre lot. Water views will be blocked. 100-year-old trees have been cleared and replaced by luxury homes designed for people in another tax bracket. From the project’s onset, there has been a lack of sensitivity and respect for Bellevue’s unique racial history.

What is happening in Bellevue is a cautionary tale for small, poorer communities that don’t have the time, talent, organization, or capital to organize an effective grassroots effort to slow down development they may not become aware of until it is too late, or how to negotiate with a stealthy, fast-moving developer armed with lawyers and other resources.

Residents in such communities are not well-versed in the complex regulatory processes involving land use and lot history. They do not attend Talbot County public regulatory or Council meetings. They do not have lawyers or other surrogates monitoring such proceedings over the years, nor do they have any inside information and get bulldozed and blamed for their ignorance.

The first phase of gentrification can begin with a name. Residents learned that the developer had named the project “North of Oxford” when ads appeared. It was an insulting embrace of the wealthy, white community a short ferry ride away, in place of Bellevue and its historical legacy – so much for community outreach and racial sensitivity. Change is inevitable, but this was too much, too fast. Bellevue was being erased. Imagine naming a development in Harlem, New York, “North of 5th Avenue”, or building luxury homes in Anacostia and calling it South of Georgetown.

After residents objected to the name and other elements of the plan at a public meeting with the developer at St Luke’s United Methodist Church, Bellevue’s spiritual center, Paquin appropriately renamed the project “Bellevue on the Tred Avon” and renamed streets within the development boundaries after historical references but rejected street names suggested by residents. The rebranding was also an effective public relations move to limit negative racially-tinged press from appearing in Google searches about Bellevue by potential home buyers. In a press release announcing the name change, Brent Paquin, Founder & President of Paquin Design Build, said, “Attending community meetings and engaging local residents plays a major role in fostering tight-knit communities,” oddly making it seem like the heated meeting resulted from planned community outreach rather than community outrage.

It was a sleeves-off-your-vest concession in response to the community backlash of Paquin’s own making. By the way, the last time a friend checked, the Homeowner’s Association (HOA), which will eventually take over management of the development once all the units are sold, is still called “North of Oxford.”

If Paquin read the 2017 Bellevue Master Plan, he should have known better. The Plan emphasized, “Although Bellevue is no longer a center of maritime commerce, the village’s significant African-American maritime heritage is still evident and an important historical context that should continue to shape its future.”

The Bellevue Master Plan focused on balancing the often competing interests of working watermen and new and old residents with the community’s historic African-American legacy. According to the Plan, Bellevue is within the County’s adopted Critical Area Boundary and designated as a Limited Development Area.

The Plan also references the Talbot County Center Design Policies regarding villages, excerpted from the Talbot County Comprehensive Plan, Chapter 9. According to 9.12, “New development and redevelopment in villages should be compatible with the existing character, in terms of land use, density, scale setbacks, mix of use, and general design to maintain their “unique sense of place’.” And added in 9.13, “New village residential development and infills should be designed to be compatible with and complement that of the adjacent or surrounding community. How does a 14-home luxury development with its own HOA align with these village policies?

The Master Plan provided a detailed history of Bellevue, showing why preserving its cultural heritage is so meaningful and emotional. Two seafood processing facilities, owned and operated by the Turner family, were two of three African-American-owned seafood packing houses on the Eastern Shore (the other being the Coulbourne & Jewett Seafood Packing Plant in St. Michaels). Bellevue first evolved around W.H. Valiant Packing CO., which operated a large seafood and vegetable cannery and packing house from 1889 to 1946. Later, the W.A. Turner and Sons Packing CO and the Bellevue Seafood Company operated from 1945 to 1996 and 1964 to 1998, respectively. The original Bellevue housing stock was for African-American workers at these plants. There even was a general store, gas station, restaurant, and community center.

However, here we are in the Fall of 2024, and the relationship between the community and the developer is anything but tight-knit. There has been litigation. Tensions have risen as residents sadly watched old trees get chopped down, docks and pools pop up, and the property excavation become more dramatic. All design suggestions made by the community to help better integrate the project with the community at large were rejected or ignored, and now, several luxury homes have appeared.

Community representatives also suggested creating a short pedestrian pathway for residents from the historic Bellevue community to the Bellevue Landing, where the public Bellevue Park and boat docks are located. The path would weave its way around the perimeter of the development. The Master Plan also recommended such a path. The developer’s help in making this happen would be a meaningful olive branch to the community and public safety measure, eliminating the need for residents to walk along Bellevue Road, which is regularly lined with trucks, boat trailers zooming in and out, and cars from the ferry. However, aspects of creating this pathway have stalled and should be revived.

The developer should also consider investing in the Bellevue Passage Museum, a new museum created by community members to preserve the Village’s important place in the African-American history on the Eastern Shore. The pathway concept has been incorporated into the Bellevue Passage Museum footprint, which would provide pedestrian access off Orchard Terrace. Imagine walking along the path, with access to the Museum and Bellevue Landing.

I know a lot of developers. Some see the big picture and find a way forward in a complex situation; others just want to bang out a bunch of homes, sell them, hand over management responsibility to an HOA, and move on. I hope the builder and the investors will do the right thing as they did regarding the name change.

The developer should meet with community representatives and find a reasonable way forward. Otherwise, when the builder packs up and leaves, the community will be divided: luxury homeowners with their HOA on one side and the greater Bellevue community on the other. If that fails, Representatives should meet directly with the Long Iron Investment Group investors, the people behind the curtain, who might be more creative in mending fences. If nothing happens, luxury home buyers interested in waterfront property should look elsewhere where true community harmony exists.

Donations to support the non-profit museum can be sent to the Mid-Shore Community Foundation Attention: Bellevue Passage Museum. Or use this Museum website link

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Mr. Biden, It’s Time to Hand Over the Keys by Hugh Panero

July 9, 2024 by Hugh Panero

Convincing a retired, aging parent with diminishing site and reaction speed, hearing, etc., to give up their car keys is tough. They’re sure they can still handle the road despite the tricycle they nearly flattened last week. Now, picture having that same heart-to-heart with President Joe Biden, the most powerful man in the world, about giving up the keys to the White House. Here goes.

Safety First: It’s More Than Just Doing Your Best

When we ask Mom or Dad to consider retiring from the road, we’ve seen them miss too many stop signs, take turns that make us cringe, and find several dents on the car. Driving and running for President isn’t just about “trying your best” – the risks are too high. For Joe Biden, if we don’t address this now, we might find ourselves handing over the keys to a sociopath who does not respect any laws. No car insurance will protect us from what is coming, and good intentions won’t keep the country from veering off into an ugly ditch that will take decades to escape. And whatever you do, Joe, please don’t take advice from Hunter. His decision-making record isn’t exactly inspiring.

The Dreaded Conversation: A Battle of Stubbornness and Denial

You sit with Dad, who you love, and delicately broach the topic. “Maybe it’s time to think about giving up the car keys,” Fearful of a loss of independence, leaving the big stage, and entering the twilight of his life, he scoffs, brings up his many driving adventures, and insists he’s got it under control and the best man for the job. Now, swap Dad out for Joe Biden in this conversation with decades of political mileage and successes. It’s hard to argue with the literal king of the road. You tell him he must see the bigger picture and show him recent polling data and his approval rating, which is difficult for any politician with a massive ego to absorb. You delicately tell the President that freezing in a debate “was more than just one bad night.” We have an opportunity to make a grand move.

It’s Not About Ageism, It’s About Safety

We’re not trying to ground Dad arbitrarily, but all things end, even driving. The same goes for President Biden. It’s not about disrespecting his legacy; it’s about ensuring the road ahead is clear and safe for all of us. Obama, Clinton, and others should ask The President to help find someone to take us forward.

The Alternative: A Dangerous Driver in Control

If Dad doesn’t give up the keys, we worry he will end up in a dangerous car accident and potentially hurt other people. In Joe’s case, we risk the country being handed over to the most dangerous driver, who said his driving theme would be revenge and retribution. We need a steady hand on the wheel, not someone who thinks crashing through guardrails, barriers, and road rage is a strategy.

A Moment to Transform the Democratic Party

Some have predicted that by leaving the race now, Mr. President, you will become a beloved statesman, reinvigorate the Democratic party, infuse young energy into the race, and cause the national news to focus on nothing else for weeks, building up to a Hollywood dramatic climax at the National Convention, when Democrats will rally around a new leader along with Independents and moderate Republican, resulting in a big November victory. At least, that is the dream – if it was only that easy.

Time to Reflect, But Not Too Long

Joe, you’ve been driving the car for decades, surviving personal tragedies and professional challenges with remarkable resilience. We understand that stepping out of the driver’s seat is a monumental decision that deserves a moment of reflection, even some pushback. But we only have a little time. The Democratic National Convention starts on August 19th, and if you decide to step away, there’s a lot to get done. So take a moment, but not too long – the clock’s ticking.
In Conclusion, For Everyone’s Sake, Let’s Find a New Driver

So, Mr. President, just like we lovingly suggest to our parents, it’s time to pump the brakes, step back, and offer your wisdom to the next person behind the wheel. So Kamala, Gavin, Gretchen (maybe even Wes), and everyone else — start your engines.

But if you or the Party cannot get there, we will still support you because, in the words of the Comedian Bill Maher, I will vote for Biden’s head in a jar of blue liquid” versus the other guy.

Why? Because of the horrible policies Trump has described enacting: In his first term, he added $3.9 trillion to the national debt, and extending the tax cut to his rich friends in his second term would add another $3.9 trillion to the Federal debt.

He has said he will reduce “legal” immigration at a time when the economy needs workers, raise tariffs across the board resulting in increased prices just as we are getting the economy and inflation under control, use regulations as a weapon, further diminish existing institutions, stack the Supreme Court with more far-right justices out of touch with the mainstream (Roe/Dobbs), end the independence of the Federal Reserve; abandon our allies; further undermine the rule of law, hire only people who swear loyalty to him rather than Country; and institute the Heritage Foundation’s, 2025 Presidential Transition Project, an authoritarian manifesto to dismantle government and vastly expand executive powers.

Hugh Panero, a tech & media entrepreneur, was the founder & former CEO of XM Satellite Radio. He has worked with leading tech venture capital firms and was an adjunct media professor at George Washington University. He writes about Tech and Media and other stuff for the Spy.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

The Mess in Oxford Gets More Messy by Hugh Panero

July 3, 2024 by Hugh Panero

George R.R. Martin, the prolific novelist (Games of Thrones), grew up in a small house in Bayonne, NJ, a peninsula just south of Jersey City. When asked what inspired his imagination to create fantasy worlds as a child, Martin said he used to stare out his living room window at the lights across the water and imagine a Shangri-La. He later found out he was starring at Staten Island.

I regularly bike down Bellevue Road to the ferry and gaze out at Oxford across the Tread Avon River. Oxford is the quaintest town on the eastern shore. It is a Chesapeake Shangri-la accessible by ferry, one of the oldest in the land, a short eleven-minute ride. Our favorite activity is taking friends, family, and out-of-town guests on the ferry to Oxford or boating to Capsize in our clunky pontoon boat for water-view dining and a tasty Creamery ice cream cone afterward. I have many good friends who live in Oxford.

Sadly, town mismanagement has tarnished Oxford’s tranquility, turning this picturesque town into a political mess. Earlier this year, an Oxford resident, Scott Rensberger, a TV journalist by trade, frustrated by a lack of transparency and accountability on several issues, began producing cleverly crafted and controversial video reports.

Having been stonewalled by the town regarding his home’s flooding issues, he began using his significant media and investigative skills to focus on a lack of transparency regarding the town’s governance. Why was Town Manager Cheryl Lewis’ compensation with bonuses (est $179,000), not a line item in the town budget, a fairly standard practice? Why was it so much higher than the same job in towns of a comparable size? What was the context of Lewis’ daughter being hired by the Town, among other issues? The lack of a coherent, satisfying response from the Town prompted Rensberger and others to file Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) submissions as a last resort to get information being withheld by the town. Where there is smoke, there is sometimes fire.

The reaction to Rensberger’s video reports was mixed. Many people applauded his efforts. Others were offended out of loyalty to those town officials singled out they had known for years. Another group could not handle the in-your-face social media content, which combined factual reporting with some needed entertaining snark and popular culture references to keep viewers’ attention since Rensberger could not get the key players to go on camera. This genre of independent grassroots journalism is not new, especially in places with limited local news outlets.

More importantly, the criticism of Rensberger’s videos was mostly about style rather than the substance of the central facts, which have not been disputed.

Oxford used to remind me of the 1950s black-and-white TV show Mayberry R.F.D. Today, it is closer to the more contemporary TV comedy series Schitts Creek, another small-town soap with its local drama and complex relationships.

Undoubtedly, Lewis has done some good things for the town during her long time in office. However, transparency was not her priority. When we learned that her salary, the highest of any town employee, was not listed as a line item in the budget or included on the town website, it should have been a red flag about transparency.

By the way, the current Town Manager job description shows a salary range of $90,000–$110,000 compared to Lewis’ base salary, which was about $164,000 (without bonuses). This indicates the Town is getting its Town Manager’s salary in line with the market rate and maybe using the freed-up funds to hire more staff.

Staying with this theme of openness, when the Lewis controversy erupted earlier this year, why didn’t the Town Commissioners immediately update the website and add a line item showing the Town Manager’s salary? And defend her higher-than-market compensation and daughter’s employment, explaining that it didn’t violate any ethics laws. And let voters decide if the Commissioners handled the issues appropriately when the Commissioner’s three-year terms expire and elections are held.

Instead, they stonewalled, I assume, waiting for things to blow over, for Lewis to retire in June, and hoping to hit the reset button with a new Town Manager. Things did calm down. Summer on the eastern shore has that effect. That ended last week when Oxford shockingly parted ways with its newly hired Town Manager, Micheal Calvert, only a week and a half before his scheduled swearing-in ceremony.

Rensberger, after doing some simple internet sleuthing on Calvert, forwarded to Town Attorney Lindsey Ryan a 1994 Washington Post story reporting that Calvert was charged with “Indecent Exposure,” a criminal offense, and “Prostitution,” a misdemeanor offense. Connecting the dots, I’m guessing this new information resulted in frantic conference calls, more diligence, and the decision to end the Calvert relationship before he was sworn in.

The Town quickly issued a “Dear Residents” statement about Calvert’s sudden departure, explaining, “We mutually agreed to the part-ways” with Calvert, adding that it was “not a good fit.” The statement also added to the PR word salad that because the Town’s background checks are confidential, personal records are not subject to disclosure – code for: “We will not discuss this in the future, and when we do, it will be in closed session.” This is unfortunate since it would be interesting to know the extent of the vetting failure as residents wait for an “interim” Town Manager to be named.

This should have been a squeaky-clean search process, but Oxford Commissioners chose not to hire a search firm that vets candidates as part of their statement of work. It has been reported that Commissioner Katrina Greer wanted to hire a search firm. However, Tom Costigan and departing Commissioner Susan Delean-Botkin did not, due to the cost directly leading to this egg-on-face moment. They preferred having their controversial outgoing Town Manager, Lewis, handle the search. How did that work out? Sadly, all Lewis or someone else had to do was ask the town’s police unit to do a criminal background check.

The Town of Oxford should thank Scott Rensberger.

Calvert’s sudden departure has generated a loud collective: “Are you kidding me? The Town Commissioners must clean up this mess, hire a search firm, and generally be more transparent and accountable.

Hopefully, Norm Bell, the incoming Commissioner, will bring a fresh voice and temperament to the Town’s governance and make Oxford more like Shangri-La than Staten Island. No offense intended to Staten Island.

Hugh Panero, a tech and media entrepreneur, was the founder & former CEO of XM Satellite Radio. He has worked with leading tech venture capital firms and was an adjunct media professor at George Washington University. He writes about Tech and Media and other stuff for the Spy.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Be Like a Cicada and the Catharsis of Dreams by Hugh Panero

May 29, 2024 by Hugh Panero

I recently dreamt I buried myself in the ground like a Cicada for the next four years, resurfaced alive and well in 2028, comfortably past this election cycle and the wars that rage in Gaza and Ukraine. I am not alone and believe this version of burying your head in the sand is a shared desire triggered by our ugly politics.

If Cicadas could send a scout, they might have buzzed by 2024. According to experts, Cicadas, which have survived for 1.8 million years, are buried underground and only surface en masse for a few weeks every 13 or 17 years. Being underground for the next four years sounds about right.

In my dream, I start my journey into the soil today, so I miss the remaining five months of the 2024 presidential election cycle featuring two aging dinosaurs, which appeals to me. I will miss the spectacle of bizarre and cringeworthy presidential debates, constant fund-raising emails and texts, news coverage designed to generate clicks, views, and advertising revenue, and the partisan network’s screeching. I will also miss the escalating hateful rhetoric, threats of a civil war, and, of course, a stressful election night and its aftermath.

My brood will also miss seeing how the country is governed for the next four years, led by either an unhinged, indited, revenge-oriented lunatic or a steadier lifetime politician, both of diminishing capacity heading for the eventual lame duck status. Trump will be 81 and Biden 85 at the end of the next presidential term. As an aside, the ages of the Founding Fathers on July 4, 1776, were James Monroe (18), Aaron Burr (20), Alexander Hamilton (21), James Madison 25, Thomas Jefferson (33), John Adams (40), Paul Revere (41) and George Washington (44). Just saying.

I would happily miss a few years of nonstop coverage of Trump’s many trials and those of his henchmen, as well as the endless babbling legal talking heads and cable anchors’ breakdowns of every mind-numbing legal twist and turn. I could do without the trial coverage altogether. Just tell me the verdicts when the trials and appeals are over.

For four years, I would also relish not hearing another word from or about the sleaziest cast of B-movie mob characters from Trumpworld who became household names thanks to cable news and social media—Stormy, Michael “The Fixer” Cohen, Rudy “Bankrupt’ Guiliani, and of course, the Don, the married bible salesman, who likes pornstars and former Playboy Playmates. We are all just worn down.

Lounging under moist dirt, I’ll miss seeing the frantic race to become the 2028 Presidential frontrunner, which will begin moments after the 2024 election is decided. Get used to hearing the term “Presidential Exploratory Committee” and being repulsed by an obscene amount of ass-kissing on Trump’s derriere by those entering the Republican field, less so on Biden’s butt from a gaggle of 2028 Democratic contenders.

I also dreamt that during my slumber, the current crop of nut jobs vaporized into political oblivion like former Congressman George Santos. They include representatives Majorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Bobert, and Matt Gaetz. I will also not miss seeing clips of Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) walking around the Senate looking like a physical education teacher in baggie shorts and a hooded sweatshirt about to teach gym class. I am all for supporting mental health issues, but please put on a pair of long pants. I could do with less extreme wokeness and more energy focused on practical solutions to important things like immigration reform.

I would also miss the grinding end to the War in Gaza and Netanyahu’s time as Prime Minister. The Prime Minister’s main job is to protect Israel. He failed miserably, allowing a Hamas sneak attack, resulting in 2000 dead and 200 hostages taken. His brutal response, killing 38,000+ Palestinians, flipped Israel from victim to villain for a generation of young people worldwide. Netanyahu’s self-interest is to keep the war going, delay a Commission to review his performance that will end his political career, and expose him to other domestic legal troubles. Someone has to negotiate a cease-fire, get the hostages back, and figure out how Gaza will be governed. It’s not easy.

Even while dreaming, I had no clear vision of how the war in Ukraine would play out. Putin would rather sacrifice another one hundred thousand soldiers than have his legacy include being defeated by the former comedian President Zelensky and his allies. I would not be surprised if the war raged on four years from now.

At the end of my dream, I rose from my underground habitat with millions of friends, forming a choir, and emitted a deafening high-pitched noise so everyone knew we had surfaced. However, unlike real Cicadas, there was not a lot of mating and mass dying a few weeks later. No one stepped on me, causing a loud crunching sound and I wasn’t swept up and put in the trash.

According to Psychology Today, psychologists either believe “dreams are nothing more than random brain activity that occurs while we sleep or, like Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, believe that dreams reveal a person’s deepest unconscious wishes, fears, and desires.” I believe dreams are Cathartic. Catharsis is defined as providing psychological relief through an open expression of strong emotions. The word is derived from the Latin, Greek word kathartikos or “cleansing.” Boy, I need cleansing after four years of President Trump, several years of a defendant Trump, and almost four years of Biden, who while the right choice has never been an inspirational leader.

When I finally woke up, I was happy to find myself, not a dead Cicada, and less cranky. I felt cleansed and ready to help “Make America Kind Again” and power through the next four years until we can all experience a fresh start in 2028.

Postscript: We are all looking for good news that makes us smile. Above is a video of my son Liam’s unique, sweet wedding proposal to his girlfriend Jess on Saturday. Liam is an MMA fighter and an athletic performance trainer for elite high school athletes. His girlfriend Jess was a D1 collegiate wrestler who now coaches wrestling at Marymount University. She comes from an accomplished wrestling family. The surprise proposal happened at the end of a wrestling clinic taught by her parents held at Liam’s MMA gym, where he trains and teaches Jiu Jitsu. Watch it until the end.

Also, in my April 28, 2024, opinion piece, “Let’s Retire the Word Retire,” I asked readers to suggest a better word to describe retirement. The winner was Inspirement.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

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