This letter is in response to your article from the Washingtonian magazine about Mr. Paul Prager. Although I’m grateful for all the jobs that have been created for the local people by Mr. Prager’s new businesses, I will admit I was a little insulted that the Washingtonian article gave credit to Mr. Prager for “transforming sleepy Easton into a very active getaway.”
Having lived in Easton for the past 30 years, I never thought of Easton as a “sleepy town” that needed transforming and certainly not to an “active get away”. I have always loved the hometown ambiance of Easton. I raised my family of 3 sons in Easton. We were a Saints Peter & Paul School and Easton High School family. I also worked in Easton for 30 years at several locations including Talbot County Health Department and Channel Marker Day Program (for people with mental health issues) and also Easton Point Marina. I am sure Mr. Prager has worked very hard to achieve all his success in becoming a multi millionaire who owns a $19 million New York apartment and also 1,000 acres of farmland in Talbot County.
I also know that Mr. Prager is not the only millionaire living in Talbot County. In fact Easton has been rated the 10th highest small town in USA with the highest number of millionaire residents. Needless to say there is a lot of money to spend in Easton. So here is my problem. There are several other financial statistics about Easton to report, such as the fact that 20% of Easton residents live below the poverty level and according to Maryland state statistics 9% (1500 people) of Easton population are homeless at the current point in time (PIT). Knowing this makes it hard for me to believe that some people in this town are going to upscale restaurants and paying $37 for a lunch entree and $2,000 for a bottle of wine when $37 is more than 1 family of 4 who lives under the poverty level has to spend on groceries for the week and $2,000 is more than twice as much as a person who works 40 hours a week at minimum wage for a month earns.
Now I also know from the Washingtonian article that Mr. Prager generously donates upwards of $5 million a year to local charities including public and private schools, hospitals, YMCA, Rotary club, Talbot Historical Society and the arts. What I don’t understand is how anyone can spend so much money on ridiculously expensive food and drink knowing that there are so many people living only blocks away in abject poverty even worse homeless without hope. Who can spend millions of dollars on property, vehicles, planes, clothes, shoes and furnishings knowing that there are hundreds of children in Talbot County going to bed hungry every night. Both Christianity and Judaism teach about being “my brother’s keeper” in the Old Testament Genesis 4:1-13. Even people who do not identify with any specific religion accept the policy of “treat others as you would like others to treat you” as being a desired societal norm.
So to close, I guess the actual purpose of this letter is to thank Mr. Prager and all the other millionaires in Talbot County for all their economic investments they have made in our county but also to remind them of all the needy residents of Talbot County who need affordable housing, education, food pantries, affordable health care, reliable transportation, mental health services, addiction recovery and to ask them to consider donating more to these needs before they open more restaurants that serve $2,000 bottles of wine and $37 lunches.
Kathy Meehan
Easton
Morris Ellison says
Very much agree.
Robert C Jones says
Thanks you, Kathy Meehan, for your thoughtful and heartfelt reminder about what should be our community-wide priorities. Oh yes, I know that one response is apt to be that those elite amenities trickle down at minimum wage to workers who supposedly make six figures a year on unreported, non-taxed tips. Right; working in a tiny bistro a few nights a week for half a year. Health care? Fuggedaboudit! After all, that is the burden that people in every other developed country struggle to endure.
Having raised over $100 million from philanthropists during my career, I can say that none of them felt the need for such self-promotion or the hyperbole of personally turning a town the size of Easton around.
As a 20-year area resident and cake-eater, I submit that outdoor eating to poorly amplified music doth not an “active” getaway make. But it is good for investors and developers.
Francine De Sanctis says
Thank you to Ms Meehan for presenting a balanced view of the economic reality in Talbot County, as well as many other counties in Maryland and throughout the country.
Using wealth to better the lives of those who are not as fortunate is something we all strive for. However, expecting recognition for those acts of generosity neutralizes any kind deed. The magazine’s reporter apparently presented their own single focus and did not feel it was necessary to do further research into the accuracy of the content.
Rick Holeman says
Could not agree more. Prager would like to make Easton another Greenwich Connecticut. Port Street and dock with high rise buildings, yacht basis, and restaurants only for the rich while crowding out the middle class and watermen.
Essentially, Federal Street is for citizens making over $200k per year in Talbot County. Less than 25% of our population. At least it only represents 25% of downtown.
Anne Stalfort says
Wonderful letter. We should all be more aware of those around us who are trying to survive without the basics of life: housing, food, and health care. Thank you Kathy for reminding us what makes a community thrive. In this new year, let’s all do more to help those in need.
Jay Corvan says
Kathy we appreciate your take on this article. It’s a little frightening ( and depressing) that one person would want to own his own town. It is by no means the first time this has happened. The Vanderbilt’s and Ashland North Carolina comes to mind. The du Ponts and Wilmington Delaware area around Longwood Gardens, and Winterthur is another.
It’s not necessarily a good thing to have one person own so much but private ownership is something that is tough to deny inherent purchase power, when someone has the money to do as they please, you can’t easily stop them. It’s one of the big drawbacks to capitalism.
And local people don’t always know why wholesale ownership by one individual would not be a good idea. This is an aspect that harkens back to the robber baron period of our national history. As long as good things result it’s fine. But what if someone had a bad idea and lots of money to pursue it!
But, This reminds me of what franchise owners and big box stores do to small towns. Franchises buy up properties and build large retail outlets , work through the short 5-7 year cost cycle to pay back the costs of the building itself , then once they meet their make break fiscals , they build bigger stores leaving the old ones empty so others in competition with the franchises won’t go into business as competition. This leaves stores vacant unoccupied and unsightly . Towns who have seen big ventures like this and have been burned by unoccupied buildings ( and Unmaintained) and ( Easton has had three Lowes phases) finally have enacted performance bond requirements that guarantees the building occupancy will always be fully occupied or the bond is forfeited. This is something that Easton should consider doing . What happens when Mr Prager doesn’t want to be here and or can’t be here. What happens if half the stores and properties he owns are vacant? It may not happen but what if it does? What recourse does the town actually have? It would be a tumbleweed town if that were to happen.
This imperialist style ownership is generally not good for towns because it may increase short term property values ( not always a bad thing) but it also means that local people will be forced to find affordable property elsewhere to purchase if property values skyrocket. Also kids won’t have the ability to inherit their parents house if they can’t afford the municipal and county taxes.
Yes the reality is that Easton should not be “sold” or marketed as a whistle stop for millionaires. It’s a sure way to doom its future, to gut it’s liveable character. It’s a great place to Live because so many residents know each other. Open the whole town as a bed and breakfast and watch people move away. Fast.
It reminds me of what happened in Westchester County New York, and in Long Island too, where whole towns became “virtual gated communities “ and the community spirit was essentially destroyed. Nice place to visit , no place to actually live. One must realize that type of property ownership means that wealthy people who generally have four to five residences and can’t live in all of them, won’t be living here very much so that will be a large down side to this scheme.
Easton should ask Prager to help in places the city needs help, planning for growth, funding public infrastructure. And mr Prager should help us all plan for a better future, not just another way for money to be exchanged by the wealthy, or to turn our town into a revolving bed and breakfast outlet for zillionaires.
I’m sure Mr Prager has good intentions but making money off a town image that is part of our legacy should concern us. What he should be doing is building the stuff no one can afford to build that is necessary , real open air farmers markets, theatres, open air auditoriums to add culture diversity and civic facility to the area. That’s what benefactors have always done.
Marjorie Merriweather Post built a civic arts pavilion,etc… helping people and improving their lives should be job one for those who are lucky enough to be wealthy. Gentrifying the neighborhood pricing housing out of affordable range should be the last thing we would encourage as a town.
I applaud the potential for this man’s vision but I worry it’s more about personal inflation than actually accomplishing what needs to be done. Owning things is only part of the challenge of life. Leaving a place better than you found it for everyone should be the challenge.
Jay Corvan
local architect
Harriett Page says
Mr. Corvan,
And I thought I was the only one in Easton who shares your view. Well thought out response re Prager and what he doing TO, not FOR, Easton.
Harriett Page