“Truth will out.” Wm. Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice.
At the meeting on January 24th, the Talbot County Council effectively brought “Reset Lakeside” to a dead halt. That strong and accelerating effort by Talbot citizens to persuade the County Council to rectify via legislation past improprieties concerning the biggest project ever visited upon our County was led from inception in May 2021 by myself, since March 2022 through The Talbot Integrity Project (“TIP”), an entity I founded and head.
The Council’s monumental task of stopping the Reset effort dead in its tracks was accomplished by Ms. Haythe making a false but quite serious accusation against me personally concerning behaviors that, if true, would be reprehensible, staining not me alone, but TIP and anyone engaged in the effort. This matter should be conclusively settled up front, so that TIP’s credibility, its only coin, is restored and so that TIP’s next steps regarding Lakeside are not misperceived as being intertwined with a personal concern.
There was no subtly to the purpose of the personal denunciation made by a Council person from the Dias during the formal public meeting:
“I want to put on the record, and be clear to the Talbot County community…I just want to put this out to the Reset Committee and anyone that is working with him as part of this group, just to give you the truth…”
The accusation, “the truth” as told by Ms. Haythe, was this:
“I was in fact harassed, and bullied by Dan Watson, to the effect that I had to seek an attorney and send a cease and desist before the election, as well as contacting Sheriff Gamble because I was feeling threatened and in fear for my life….he was calling me late at night, texting and emailing.”
The specific episode to which I believe Ms. Haythe alludes occurred on the evening of November 2, 2022. It arose when I encountered a Maryland Campaign Finance Report released a few days earlier that disclosed that on October 4th, Ms. Haythe had accepted two campaign donations totally $10,000 from a major local real estate developer and his wife. Nothing, then or now, appears improper about the contribution itself, but its discovery in a public document—one generated for that very purpose–triggered a rather remarkable episode.
I did not act in a bullying or harassing manner at any time. At 7:04 P.M. I sent a text asking to meet for coffee the next morning. The encounter concluded after an eight-minute phone call which Ms. Haythe initiated just before 9 P.M. In that call I tried to express the importance of the community being aware of information on the public report; Ms. Haythe did most of the talking, seemed angry and unnecessarily defensive, and ended the call abruptly.
In a memorandum linked here, I have laid out chronologically and in detail all of the background facts as I know them that relate to Ms. Haythe’s accusation, linked in almost every case to documents that evidence the veracity of the statement. I hope you will read this closely. I hope you will look at each attachment, get the real picture, judge “truth” for yourself.
No one can challenge Ms. Haythe’s “feelings” of course; they were hers alone. But she described my actions as harassing, as bullying, as deeply threatening to the point that she “was in fear for her life.” She also asserted that I called, texted, and emailed her “late at night.” The facts tell a rather different story.
With 20-20 hindsight, I know I made some bad mistakes of political judgment, as the memo reveals. Misbehavior, however, was never the issue.
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO CORRECT THE RECORD:
Ms. Haythe’s sudden, rather shocking, accusation seems superficially to be a personal matter, an affront to Dan Watson’s character and judgment and self-control. But the obvious point was not to just to blunt, but to decapitate in one stroke, Talbot citizens’ efforts, working collectively, to seek changes on a matter of utmost importance through peaceful legislative action.
After a roomful of citizens behaved with impeccable manners at the prior meeting—and were ignored completely (here at 1:19:50)—the Reset Lakeside initiative had shifted swiftly to a more forceful email and phone campaign, an energetic Courthouse rally that spawned pointed video clips and written messages all for specific Council persons. Steam was building, and with more rallies slated…to come on the heels of the messages Mr. Smullen delivered at that very meeting. THAT was the effort the personal accusation clearly targeted.
Ms. Haythe’s accusation was not a stab at hurting my feelings—the point was to effectively puncture the political effort to “Reset Lakeside.” But legislation at the Council is not TIP’s only tool; litigation in the courts remains an avenue to achieve TIP’s goals…once credibility is restored.
FOREWARNED THAT SPEAKING UP IS A MISTAKE:
A number of people advised, in utmost seriousness, that I should just ignore all this and walk away, notwithstanding that the body politic, and not Watson alone, was the target. After all, the accusation bears the imprimatur of “governmental authority,” voiced by a Council person from the Dias at an official Council meeting! And even though the Council President had just severely admonished someone for reading a citizen’s comment that referred to a sitting Council member by name, Ms. Haythe’s blunt personal attack went unquestioned by Mr. Callahan or anyone else present, even Mr. Lesher. Not so much as a remark, then or since. (I do believe many of the “true facts” are known by various folks in the Bradley Room that night.)
They say you can’t fight City Hall. But one can stand up for oneself, and more importantly for the right of citizens to seek redress of grievances legislatively, without threat of retribution. It’s in the First Amendment.
NEXT STEPS:
Mr. Lesher and colleagues on the Council have declared “Reset Lakeside” dead, without even a vote on legislation demanded by constituents. Conveniently for them, no Council member can be held accountable. And Maryland has no recall protocol, so forget that.
As to Lakeside and its improper approvals, litigation remains. One obvious item: a suit against MDE was filed last spring and the next hearing is in April.
As to “restoring integrity to the County’s land use approval process,” there are forty-five long months till the next election. If voters care, and if they are patient, and if they remember…they can do better next time ‘round.
Dan Watson
Talbot Integrity Project
Angela Rieck says
Dan, No one has worked harder or with more integrity for the citizens of Talbot County than you. I am proud to have supported you and will continue to see you as a model citizen for your concern for our county. I am equally disappointed in the (in)action of the council; who have chosen to ignore the voters who strongly supported resetting Lakeside. Dan, I guess no good deed goes unpunished.
David Lloyd says
For sure we voters must do better next time around. Have to admit I am disappointed because I thought we had done pretty well this time. And, here’s hoping the litigation is appropriately successful.
Carol Voyles says
No one has worked harder than Dan Watson to focus our attention upon the issues presented by Lakeside.
But let’s also remember that a resolution to rescind Resolution 281 could be introduced by virtually any council member. Third party vesting seems a legitimate concern at this point, though.
Let’s be ready for any request for an additional permit.
Hugh (Jock) Beebe says
The saga goes on.
As Dan Watson describes the commentary from all sources seems to be evolving toward a focus on individuals and what they have or have not done. But the overall goal of greatest benefit to citizens of Talbot County remains: finding a way to preserve the unique and valuable qualities of our part of Maryland’s Eastern Shore and to ensure that further development will conform to the Planning Commission’s legally powerful plan.
Much emotion is displayed by Spy articles and many person to person conversations over the Lakeside issue. Perhaps this indicates there is a growing force of Talbot County citizen’s opinion that needs a home to become fully expressed without distractions of personal squabbles.
Could it be that NOW is the time to expand and reassemble the base that TIP has built so strongly through Dan Watson’s sustained, laudable effort to unify those seeking an outlet. Perhaps the next step we take should be to create an expanded Talbot Integrity Project with substantial funding, an actual physical office, and a small employed staff to gather relevant information and provide data to support decisions of a designated TIP Board of Directors seeking to steer its power toward “smart” development.
How about we send messages to Dan and see if this can happen?
Bob Wenneson says
Pete Lesher ended up between a rock and a hard place. I believe his heart was still supporting the desire to have this massive project for-the-first-time-ever be properly evaluated, but he serves in a council with a president immersed in decades-long ties to the local construction community and a council guided by a County Attorney that has several times now led the council into swampy waters (with litigation resulting). Mr. Lesher’s conflicted position I recognize. But, Ms. Haythe’s choice to level a personal attack I fail to understand. Her hyperbole-laced statements (“in fear of my life”?? Please…) is beyond any serious consideration and might be simply discounted or ignored were it not for her new role as a public figure and choice to level those statements in such a public manner. The best I can do in trying to understand this is to give it the same credence I give to her simultaneous utterance that “No promises was made by myself (sic) to any organization or individual when I was running for office”. Anyone with an interest can see the video record of the September 28 pre-election candidate forum at the Avalon when a completely different position was taken. Publicly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERt4J40BcM0
Andrzej W. Miziolek says
Back in May 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, it was Dan Watson who publicly called for a rally to protest this crime. On May 30, 2020 a protest rally was held on Marlboro Avenue which was well-attended by concerned citizens who lined both sides of the street. My wife and I were there with our protest sign and camera.
Many people active with the Move the Monument effort cite this George Floyd rally as the catalyst for their subsequent involvement as citizen activists. Citizen activists have more recently led the Plastic-Free Easton effort, and now are dealing with the Lakeside mess.
I echo what Angela Rieck has written about Dan. Hugh (Jock) Beebe suggests something interesting and more enduring. Having attended both the rally that Dan held on October 30, 2022 at the Rise Up Coffee facility, as well as the rally on January 21, 2023 at the Courthouse lawn, the level of concern and general unhappiness with the County Council is strong and powerful, and it appears that it is not going away. My wife and I counted about 70 citizens who attended the Courthouse lawn rally, in inclement weather.
Finally, I have spoken to many other Talbot County residents who have expressed their dismay and unhappiness with the County Council’s actions and inactions. The term most often used is that the voters felt that they were “betrayed”.