Once again, the Talbot County Council is preparing to vote on a proposal that should never have made it this far. Bill 1622, the latest attempt by Councilmembers Lynn Mielke and Pete Lesher to curtail vacation rentals, is not new legislation—it’s a reheated version of the same deeply flawed idea your fellow citizens, neighbors, and friends spent the summer opposing.
Let’s be clear: this is a solution without a problem. The number of short-term rental licenses in Talbot County has remained steady for years. Verified complaints? Fewer than ten in nearly a decade. A decade.
The Planning Commission—our own appointed experts—spent months studying this issue, held multiple hearings, and delivered thoughtful recommendations. Their conclusion was unmistakable: there is no justification for this bill.
None. In fact, they suggested reforms that were also ignored.
Yet their expertise—five experts, all our own fellow citizens, appointed by the County Council itself —has been ignored.
Equally troubling, Councilmembers Mielke and Lesher fail to recognize the substantial monetary contributions and tax revenues that vacation rentals quietly generate for Talbot County year in and year out—revenue that flows directly into county coffers and supports vital public services such as infrastructure, schools, law enforcement, volunteer firefighters, first responders, and public safety.
That income benefits every resident, not just property owners or visitors. By attacking a proven and already heavily regulated segment of our local economy run by residents—your neighbors—they threaten to eliminate an important stream of local revenue without offering any plan whatsoever of their own to replace it—except, perhaps, the likelihood of higher property taxes on already struggling homeowners to make up for what will be a profound shortfall.
What Bill 1622 will do, however, is very real. It will damage our local economy, threaten tourism, and jeopardize the livelihoods of countless residents—cleaners, landscapers, restaurant workers, pool servicing companies, and small business owners—who depend on the steady rhythm of our vacation rental market.
And now, the Council plans to present and vote on this measure over the Thanksgiving holiday, when many citizens are least able to attend or speak out. That timing alone speaks volumes.
Talbot County and the people who love and care about it deserve better than politics by ambush. We deserve transparent, evidence-based governance that strengthens our community, not divides it.
I urge every resident who loves and cares for this County to speak up now:
Attend in person:
The meeting is on November 25 at 5:00 p.m., in the Bradley Meeting Room beside the Courthouse, Talbot County Courthouse, 11 North Washington Street, Easton, MD.
The agenda, once posted, will be available here:
https://talbotcountymd.gov/
Call or leave a message:
Contact the County Council office at (410) 770-8001. You may leave a message for any Council member by calling this number and asking to record or forward your comment for the public record.
Email the Council directly:
- Chuck F. Callahan — [email protected]
- Keasha N. Haythe — [email protected]
- Pete Lesher — [email protected]
- Lynn L. Mielke — [email protected]
- Dave C. Stepp — [email protected]
- Tell your elected officials that this bill must be defeated in no uncertain terms. Let’s protect the economic health, fairness, and common sense that make Talbot County such a special place to live.
“Vote NO” on Bill 1622.
Keith Alan Watts
Tilghman Island
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