Letter to Editor: Regarding a Dan Watson Candidacy for Talbot County Council

A number of people have urged me to run this year for County Council.  In fact, I have considered it, because the pro-development regime that has controlled Talbot for many years needs to be overthrown.  Integrity must be restored.  Developer influence must be curtailed.  And new guardrails to protect Talbot’s unique character for the long run must be established.  It will take bold leadership to make that happen.

If I run, it will be as an Independent candidate in the General Election next fall–assuming I can find some 300 Talbot citizens willing to sign a Petition of Candidacy, which is the only path for an Independent to get on the ballot.  And the goal would not simply be my election, but helping to seat a solid majority of at least 4 reform-minded candidates, irrespective of party.

THE COUNCIL NEEDS REFORM AND A ROCK-SOLID MAJORITY.

In Talbot, the great challenge of our time is reining in unbridled development.  For over a decade, the Council has been controlled by a 3-person pro-development majority that listens too closely to the lawyers and engineers fronting for developers.

That group is led today by Chuck Callahan, with Keasha Haythe and Dave Stepp as his pocket votes.  This Council’s tolerance for dishonesty is forever symbolized by Lakeside.

It is not pre-ordained that pro-development interests must always sit in the majority while opposition voices remain the minority.  People have just gotten used to it, even though names sometimes changed.  (Tonight Mr. Lesher will play the role of Dirck Bartlett, Ms. Mielke in for Laura Price, and the Frank Divilio part will be performed by Mr. Stepp.)  Fruitless are the days of two white-hat Council Members losing vote after vote to three allied with developers.  

Other issues will matter in the campaign—public safety, for example.  But land use decisions, so susceptible to “influence,” are the ones that will forever shape the future of Talbot County.  Screw it up, and you can’t unscrew it.

WHY RUN AS AN INDEPENDENT?

First, matters before the County Council very rarely involve national “party” issues.  The economy, gun control, the War Department don’t come up in the Bradley Room.  Talbot has no oil or rare earth minerals, and local issues are almost never red vs. blue.  On the most important of those—pace and conditions of development–I believe Republicans and Democrats alike want both restraint and transparency.

Second, if the goal of this campaign is to assure election of 4 or 5 of the best reform candidates regardless of party, the person leading that effort cannot credibly come from inside one party.  Best that such leader be Independent.  And 22% of Talbot voters are unaffiliated; never has one even run for local office.

(Full disclosure:  I was a lifelong Democrat, family roots going back to FDR.  I registered Republican a few years ago for the sole purpose of voting for Dirck Bartlett in a primary where every single vote was essential.  I switched to unaffiliated a few years ago consistent with setting up the bipartisan efforts described below.  Let it also be said plainly that I abhor Trump and virtually everything he stands for–which has nothing to do with Talbot’s land use issues.)  

Third, running as an independent feels comfortable, having founded two successful bi-partisan County organizations—The Bipartisan Coalition For New Council Leadership and The Talbot Integrity Project (“TIP”).  

As a reminder, spurred by The Bipartisan Coalition, in 2018, citizens ousted the then-sitting, pro-development Council President.  And TIP’s RESET LAKESIDE initiative in 2022 resulted in the election of three endorsed candidates, each of whom had confirmed their opposition to that dreadful project.  

(Triumph turned to ashes when Keasha Haythe, a Democrat, promptly turned coat, refused to follow through, and joined with Councilmen Callahan and Stepp in supporting the Lakeside developer through numerous votes in a 3-year battle—notwithstanding that the County and State both ultimately acknowledged that Lakeside’s initial approval had been illegal.)

Those earlier experiences completely inform the campaign envisioned for 2026.  Lessons learned will strengthen it.

WHY DISCUSS THIS NOW, AND NOT IN JUNE?

Because the filing deadline for primary election is February 24th.  People must act soon.  (Info here.)

Surely not everyone is willing to roll over to the developers.  There are readers motivated by a love of the Talbot County, who wish to protect its unique character for the long term, and can bring integrity and wisdom to the challenges and opportunities of growth.  Surely in this political year 2026, there are folks with the courage to engage on local problems where they can make a difference.  Maybe fixing issues roiling our Nation begins at home.

Whether Democrat or Republican, if you want to protect Talbot from the onslaught of unchecked development, consider running.  Especially younger folks—you and your kids are the inheritors of what’s coming, good or bad.

Know that you will not be running alone.  Support exists—organizational, tactical, financial.  Other candidates will join the chorus.  In a year that promises record turnout, many voters will already be coming to the polls with reform on the minds.  Most importantly, know that there are a ton of voters—red and blue—for whom integrity and controlled growth are the key local issues.  (Williams was ousted in ‘18; TIP candidates won three seats in ’22, Lesher top of the list by far.)  People like me will step up to help, if you have the courage to run.

WILL THIS WORK?

It can work, but success depends on many things–beginning with the candidates who have the gumption to step up.  (See above.)  

No matter how compelling the logic, and how much Talbot would benefit, the idea of 5 like-minded candidates–not necessarily of the same party–helping one another, or at least running in parallel, is unprecedented and not guaranteed.  Many details need to be worked out.  Self-interested Central Party Committees, who as a rule act tribally, may try to impede it.  But I believe we can find a way to skin the cat.

And we do not even know yet which incumbents will run.  Burn out happens.  Other demands intrude (like running a business or foundation).  Interest can wane.  (We do know that Pete Lesher intends to file.)

So, if you’re on the right side of these issues, consider running.  And if not you, then encourage that younger friend or neighbor you know would be a strong candidate!  Spread the word.

Dan Watson
Easton

PS. Whether or not you can step up as a candidate, if you’d like to support an initiative like this as it develops later in the year, email me at [email protected].