Many people have asked me why I am running for the position of Town Council President in the September 12th special election. My answer is quite Simple, Easton has been my home for over 23 years. After serving eight years as a Councilmember from Ward 1, I am aware of the challenges that our community faces, and I want to help the Town make the right decisions on issues that will have a major fiscal impact on all the citizens of Easton.
- I WILL SUPPORT LEGISLATION THAT PROTECTS AND PRESERVES THE RURAL CHARACTER OF OUR COMMUNITY BY:
- Proposing legislation for the adoption of an Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) that makes developers pay for infrastructure costs incurred by their projects.
- Managing growth by emphasizing new innovative housing solutions in the core of Easton. I believe that adaptive reuse of vacant commercial and second story buildings downtown provide another housing solution opportunity.
- Supporting new projects that are in scale and compatible visually with surrounding neighborhoods.
- Rejecting projects that are too big, dense, disruptive, and out of character in our community. Two recent examples are the proposed Popular Hill and Maryland Health Club projects on Oxford Road.
- I WILL BE YOUR VOCAL ADVOCATE FOR A NEW REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER TO BE BUILT NOW!
- It is a fact Memorial Hospital in Easton has reached the end of its life cycle. Discussion of a new Regional Medical Center began prior to 2010. It is imperative for the health and welfare of the citizens of the Mid-Shore that a new Regional Medical Center begin construction in 2024.
- A new Regional Medical Center in Easton will give a big boost to the physician and medical professional recruitment efforts of the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton.
- I WILL BE YOUR VOICE AT TOWN HALL AND IN COUNCIL MEETINGS
- A recent example was my opposition to the former Administration’s push to charge Easton baseball, football, and lacrosse teams fees to use the fields and lights at Northeastern Park. I contacted individuals with these organizations and urged them to come to the Town Council meeting to voice their opinion. As a result of my efforts, the proposal was defeated and in turn saved those teams thousands of dollars.
- I introduced and then the Council passed a resolution to require all major purchases by the Town of Easton of $50,000.00 or more present at least three bid proposals.
- I believe that we have a very professional Police Department. Unfortunately, due to policies of the past Administration the Easton police pension fund is not comparable to the Maryland State Police Retirement Plan. Because of the differences Easton has trained and lost a considerable number of young officers to surrounding Police Departments offering better benefits. This issue needs a solution now before we lose more officers to other Police Departments.
- I supported the Easton Volunteer Fire Department by voting in favor of acquiring a new Fire Engine which cost 1 million dollars. I also voted in favor of remodeling space at the Fire Station to create a Day Room so volunteer Firemen & Women have a comfortable place to rest between calls.
I am the most qualified, experienced candidate running for the office of Easton Town Council President. My eight years on the Town Council, thirty-eight years in Executive Management and service in Leadership positions on local, state Boards and Commissions has prepared me to serve the citizens of Easton as your NEW Town Council President. I ask you to cast your vote for Al Silverstein for Council President on September 12th at the Easton Firehouse between 7AM and 8PM. An absentee ballot may be requested from Town Hall by calling 410-822-2525.
Your thoughts, comments and suggestions on my candidacy are always welcome and appreciated. Please call me at 410.253.9178 or email them to [email protected]
Al Silverstein
Easton
Reed Fawell 3 says
I don’t know this fellow, but I like what he says and the way he says it – plain, straight-forward, fact based positions so you know where he really stands, unlike the norm of many politicians around here, such as the prior Mayor’s pitch that told me nothing I could rely on.
Bonnie Morro says
In his recent press release, Al Silverstein stated that he will “protect and preserve the rural character of our community.“ Yet while sitting on the Town Council he voted for legislation that would allow the possibility of big box stores such as Home Depot to build on the East side of Route 50. This property is currently farmland and not within the Town limits. It is notable that when he was president of the Chamber of Commerce, that organization was generally support of just about any kind of growth. I question Al’s commitment to managed growth.
Holly Wright says
These are sentiments expressed by Tom Alspach the Talbot Preservation Alliance in a last minute smear campaign against Al in the mayor’s race. As I wrote in responses in the Spy and Star Democrat, “anti-development groups have often been accused of inflexibility and a lack of creativity in putting their elitist aesthetic concerns over the problems of everyday working people for convenient goods and services at affordable prices”. Given dissatisfaction with the existing home supply monopoly, town planning staff reminds me that this was done by adding another exemption to the code, in this case for GSF limit for home supply retailers only.
The current concern is over mega residential projects and Al has promised to propose legislation for the adoption of an Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance which is well known and used by communities to link the existence of adequate local facilities to the approval of individual projects. This is more than Democrat Pete Lesher has done though he publicly stated in January that he would work to change the rule book for development including an Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance. Crickets.
Abby Lewis says
These are sentiments expressed by many concerned Talbot County residents. Would someone please advise Mr. Silverstein that it’s Poplar Hill, not Popular Hill?
Abby Lewis says
These are sentiments expressed by many concerned Talbot County residents. Would someone please advise Mr. Silverstein that the correct spelling is “Poplar Hill” not “Popular Hill”?
Tracy Ward says
It is nice to see the specifics. While above retail housing is a great way to activate downtowns, it is expensive due to code issues (usually non resolvable), including the appropriate need for sprinkler systems. That said, the State of MD has in the past supported grant funding for these kind of initiatives. In terms of truly supporting either affordable or middle income housing, this is important to know: it costs the same to hook up (to utilities) a new $1M home as it does a $20K unit. There is embedded inequities there and it would require policy changes at the Easton Utility level to make those changes. I believe this is worth looking into. Lastly, many developers avoid Easton (and Talbot County) due to a range of resolvable reasons. When they avoid a county prices automatically will rise. Deeper investigations have revealed why these issues persist. Additional action items would be advised there as well.