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May 21, 2025

Talbot Spy

Nonpartisan Education-based News for Talbot County Community

5 News Notes

Candidate Forum Scheduled for 1st Congressional District Election

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A Congressional forum will be held Sunday, October 6, at Chesapeake College for candidates running in this year’s general election for the U.S. House of Representatives in Maryland’s 1st Congressional District. The Eastern Shore Chapters of the League of Women Voters are sponsoring the event, which is free and open to the public. 

The forum will take place from 1:30pm-3:00pm at Cadby Theater, Chesapeake College, 1000 College Circle, Wye Mills, MD.

All candidates certified by the State Board of Elections have been invited: 

Andy Harris (R-Dorchester County) 

Blane H. Miller III (D-Harford County) *

Joshua W. O’Brien (I-Harford County) *

Glenna Heckathorn, Co-President of the League of Women Voters of the Mid-Shore, will moderate. Additional questions will be taken from the audience via notecards. 

Voters are encouraged to attend and learn more about the candidates and their positions on issues that affect the Eastern Shore. The 1st District includes all of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, plus part of the Western Shore.

The League of Women Voters chapters hosting the forum represent Queen Anne’s County, Kent County, and the Mid-Shore (Caroline, Dorchester and Talbot Counties.) 

For further information contact the League of Women Voters at 443-646-3338, [email protected]

The League requests that no campaign literature or paraphernalia be taken into the forum room while the event is taking place.

*Candidate has confirmed participation.

The League of Women Voters takes no position on or endorses any candidate or political party for this or any other election.

 

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

John Lewis, Headmaster of Gunston School, will be speaking about “Artificial Intelligence and Disinformation.

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John Lewis, headmaster of Gunston School, will speak about “Artificial Intelligence and Disinformation” at the Queen Anne’s County League of Women Voters Annual Dinner May 7.

The Queen Anne’s County League of Women Voters invites the public to its Annual Dinner and Meeting.  The speaker at this event will be John Lewis, Headmaster of Gunston School in Centreville.  His topic will be “Artificial Intelligence and Disinformation.” The Dinner will take place at Prospect Bay Country Club in Grasonville from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7.

John Lewis is a graduate of Georgetown University and holds an Ed.M. from Harvard Graduate School of Education and an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University.  He has been Headmaster of Gunston School since 2010.  His previous experience was with the Ranney School in New Jersey, as well as in schools in Singapore and Ecuador.

The evening will begin with a cash bar from 5:30-6 p.m. followed by a brief business meeting and dinner after which Mr. Lewis will speak. There is a choice of entrees. The cost per person is $45.00.  Those planning to attend need to RSVP and select their entree before April 30 at LWVQAC.org.  For questions, email [email protected].

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

US District One Forum by League of Women Voters

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The Leagues of Women Voters of the Midshore, Queen Anne’s County and Kent County will sponsor a forum for candidates for the US District One Congressional race. The forum will be held on October 27th from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the Kent Island High School,  900 Love Point Rd., Stevensville, MD 21666. Andy Harris (R), Heather Mizeur (D), and Danial Thibeault (Lib) have agreed to participate. The event will be recorded by The Spy and will be live streamed to the League’s facebook page, facebook.com/lwvkcmd. After the forum, a recording will be available on the League of Women Voters of Kent County website; kent-lwvmaryland.nationbuilder.com .

During the forum, the candidates will be given 2 minutes to introduce themselves and will answer three questions from the League that they have received in advance.  The audience will have an opportunity to participate by submitting questions for the candidates on cards collected by League members. The program will conclude with closing statements from each participant.

The forum will be filmed by the League of Women voters and by those who have been granted permission by the League. No other recording will be permitted. Campaign signs, literature or clothing that indicates support of a candidate will not be allowed in the forum room.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization dedicated to promoting informed and active citizen participation in government; it does not support or oppose any political parties or candidates for office.  

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

League of Women Voters to Host County Council Candidate Forum

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The League of Women Voters of the Mid-Shore will sponsor a forum for candidates competing in the Dorchester County Council election. The forum will be held on Monday, October 17 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Weinberg Intergenerational Center at Chesapeake Grove, 108 Chesapeake Street, Cambridge, MD. It is free and open to the public.

The following candidates from Districts 1, 3, and 5 who are running against opponents have been invited to participate in the forum:

District 1 – Rob Kramer, Jr. (R) and Jay Leonard Newcomb (D)

District 3 – John Edward James, Jr (R) and Ricky C Travers (D)

District 5 – Mike Detmer (R), Zia Ashraf (D) and David Beverly (I)

Debate topics will cover issues that are important to residents of the county, including: budget priorities; law enforcement and crime in the county; transparency of council deliberations; and the relationship between the county manager, the council and county staff.

After a welcome by the moderator, candidates will make opening statements and respond to questions posed by the moderator and members of the public. The latter will be collected on notecards and read by the moderator.

For questions about the forum contact Glenna Heckathorn at 571-217-3874 or Kathi Bangert at 443-646-3338 or email to [email protected].

The League of Women Voters does not endorse candidates for this or any other election.

The League of Women Voters of the Mid-Shore is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Membership in the League is open to all citizens of voting age.

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

News from the League of Women Voters

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The Leagues of Women Voters of Midshore, Queen Anne’s County and Kent County will sponsor forums for Senate candidates for MD District 36 and Congressional Representative candidates for US District 1, on June 26, in person at Chesapeake College, Cadby Theatre. They will also be streamed on facebook. Forums will be held from 1:30 – 3:00 pm for MD Senate District 36 Republican candidates and from 3:15 –4:45pm for candidates for the Democratic nomination for US District 1.

The League of Women Voters sponsors forums for contested races only. In each forum, candidates will be given an opportunity to introduce themselves and will answer two questions from the League that they have received in advance.  The audience will have an opportunity to participate by submitting questions on cards collected by forum workers. The forum will finish with closing statements from each participant.

The forum will be filmed by the League of Women voters and those who have been granted permission by the League. No other recording will be permitted. Campaign signs, literature or clothing that indicates support of a candidate will not be allowed in the forum room.

The League is a nonpartisan political organization dedicated to promoting informed and active citizen participation in government; it does not support or oppose any political parties or candidates for office.  

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

League of Women Voters Annual Meeting

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The League of Women Voters of the Mid-Shore invites all who are interested to their Annual Meeting on Sunday, April 24, 2022 at Third Haven Meeting House, 405 S. Washington Street in Easton, Md.  The local League will be celebrating its efforts over the past year and gearing up for the start of the new fiscal year.

The League of Women Voters is devoted to the conduct of free and fair elections and to making sure that voters are well informed about the issues and candidates.

The guest speaker will be Matt Pluta, Choptank River Keeper and Director of River Keeper programs at ShoreRivers. Mr. Pluta will speak on “Water Quality Threats on the Eastern Shore: Development Pressure and Wastewater Issues.”

All are welcome to attend the meeting.

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

LWV Maryland Will Help Voters Navigate the Elections Safely

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The League of Women Voters of Maryland is springing into action, in response to the Governor’s July 8th order to the State Board of Elections to carry out a traditional election process this November, while also mailing every active registered voter an absentee ballot request form. This decision runs contrary to the advice of local election officials who reported that many election judges have already declined to serve due to concerns about COVID-19. Election officials also noted the additional administrative costs and potential delays caused by the processing of absentee ballot request forms, and recommended that ballots be mailed to voters to ensure a safer and more seamless process. This will unfortunately create challenges for voters and poll workers — chief among them the risk of exposure to COVID-19 at in-person polling places.

Regardless of our views about this policy choice, our highest priority now is to support voters with the information they need to successfully and safely obtain and cast their ballots.

Here is our 2020 Election Protection Plan:

Voter Empowerment — As we have done for the past 100 years, we will continue to empower voters by providing them with unbiased nonpartisan candidate and ballot issue information via our trusted Voters’ Guides, Vote411.org, and candidate forums.

Advocacy — LWVMD will continue to advocate for the safety of poll workers and voters in coordination with a broad coalition of voting rights groups – Everyone Votes Maryland.

Accountability — We will continue to monitor and communicate with the State Board of Elections to ensure every voter’s needs are considered as this election plan progresses.

Grassroots Coordination — 15 local LWVs throughout the state will continue to collaborate on the ground in their communities and provide critical election resources and information.

While we are ready to provide Marylanders with the tools they need to participate in our democracy in November, we remain concerned that this decision leaves us open to the possibility of another emergency shift in the election process should there be a second wave of widespread COVID-19 cases in Maryland in the fall.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

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

St. Michaels Candidates Answer Questions at Virtual Forum Moderated by LWV

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https://www.facebook.com/athomeinstmichaels/videos/2709159285987345/

The League of Women Voters of the Mid-Shore hosted a forum July 7 for the eight candidates for four seats on the St. Michaels Town Commission. The election will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, July 13, at the town 0ffice at 300 Mill Street, St. Michaels. The term of office for the three top vote winners will be four years, expiring in June 2024. The term for the fourth top vote winner will be two years, expiring in June 2022.

This video is about two hours long.

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

Pre-Primary Candidate Forum for U.S. Congress MD District 1

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The Leagues of Women Voters of Queen Anne’s, Kent, and the MidShore are holding two back-to-back forums for candidates for the U. S. House of Representatives, Maryland District One, on Sunday, March 22.  The three Democratic candidates will take part in first forum which will begin at 2 p.m. The second forum which will feature the two Republican candidates will begin at 3:45. Both forums will be held in the Cadby Auditorium at Chesapeake College which is located at the intersection of Routes 50 and 213.  The forum is free and open to the public.

All the candidates for the First District in Maryland have agreed to participate.  Republican Congressman Andrew Harris, the incumbent from Baltimore County, is challenged by Jorge Delgado from Worcester County. The three Democratic candidates are Allison Galbraith from Harford County, Mia Mason from Frederick County, and Jennifer Pingley from Cecil County. Candidates will answer questions from the League and from the audience.

The League requests that there be no electioneering, campaign literature or paraphernalia  inside the hall.  Candidates are asked to place their signs outside the building and distribute their campaign literature and paraphernalia after the forum.

The forum will be streamed and recorded on the Facebook pages of QACTV, the League of Women Voters of Kent County, and the League of Women Voters of Queen Anne’s County. Pam Ortiz from the Kent County League will moderate.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government.  Membership is open to all citizens, men and women, of voting age.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here

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

League of Women Voters Event on November 12

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The results of a state-wide study of Civic Education in the public schools of Maryland will be presented by the League of Women Voters on November 12, at 4: 30pm at the Talbot County Free Library in Easton.

In 2019 the Maryland State Department of Education initiated a new curriculum framework for Social Studies. Each county is developing ways individual schools will implement the new approaches. To study the extent of civic education, League members researched 13 of Maryland’s 24 school systems and followed up with interviews with local school districts’ Social Science department heads and classroom teachers.

Members of the Mid-Shore League of Women Voters, comprised of Caroline, Dorchester and Talbot counties, met with six school staff members who supplied curriculum information and gave interviews. At the November 12 meeting, League members will share their findings and invite discussion from the community, especially parents, public school administrators and teachers, and Board of Education members.

Civic education for participation in public life by our young future voters is especially timely in today’s political climate, the Mid-Shore League co-convener Pat Comella observed . She hopes that this will be a good opportunity for communities to become involved in supporting civic study in school and participation in local civic events; and is looking forward to the conversation .

Putting it in a historical perspective, Comella said that the 100th anniversary of the League of Women Voters of the United States will be celebrated next year. The organization was established following the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote and thus serve as partners in framing public policy. To have an informed and voting populace was deemed essential to the health of democracy and is a foundational principle of the League.

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