As a town we are not sure what you know about St. Michaels. I would like to provide an overview of the past to the present.
Historically, St. Michaels was a poor declining seafood processing town. A decision was made several decades ago to shift to a tourism economy which brings us to what keeps the town thriving today. We are one of the top tourist destinations in the Mid-Atlantic region. Some of our highlights are a fabulous assortment of shops and art galleries, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, The Inn at Perry Cabin, beautiful marinas that are packed with guests throughout the boating season, and more excellent restaurants per capita than anywhere else on the Eastern Shore. The success of the town has driven up real estate prices with some ‘in town’ properties without waterfront selling for more than $1 million. It’s not uncommon for first time visitors to like what they find so much that they head straight to a real estate office and buy a weekend or even a permanent home before the end of their visit.
Our town has suffered recently. Four of our five commissioners in a closed session on June 24th made the decision to fire our town manager, Jean Weisman. It was abrupt and without explanation to either our community or Jean. She served this town for more than 37 years, the last ten as town manager. You can read the many accolades in previous Talbot Spy postings. This decision has created a distrust of the commissioners. They campaigned and were voted in on a platform of total government transparency. They have failed us miserably.
At the last meeting we heard that the commissioners were taking the town in a “new direction”. The treasurer, Tad DuPont, stated his displeasure with the way the town was going, …”too much public drinking, noise from loud music and too many tourists.” He wants things to go back to the way they were and he will not explain this “new direction” he is planning for the town which we all suspect will negatively impact the businesses and tourism that helps the town thrive.
As a town administrator, you know that every town in Maryland is required to have a Comprehensive Plan that lays out the town’s values, its vision, its long term objectives and the paths for achieving those objectives. St. Michaels has a current Comprehensive Plan. I was part of that Planning and Zoning Commission that spent a year and a half projecting the future needs and direction of the town. I encourage you to read it. I suspect the Commissioners’ current “new direction” might be in conflict with it.They are not willing to speak about it to either the residents or the businesses which need to focus on their own business plans.
The town’s goal has been to promote tourism and attract investors willing to invest in tourist resources. That goal has been achieved. However, four of our five commissioners have recently declared war on the business community. They want a quieter less frequented town.
People love St. Michaels and feel welcomed when they visit. COVID has accelerated tourism as people have sought refuge from the larger cities. They come here to celebrate national holidays and festivals with us. Many choose St. Michaels for family reunions and weddings. Corporations hold conferences and retreats using our facilities. You will be confronting a division of attitudes about St.Michaels by two sides that love this town but want a different future. Whoever manages St. Michaels will need to recognize and work to resolve the deep divisions we now have and clear the major distrust of our town commissioners.
It would be my pleasure to share more about our town with you over a cup of coffee at one of our charming coffee shops.
Paulette Florio
St.Michaels
Bryan Hines says
Paulettes comments are well said and on the mark. My wife and I have lived full time in St Michaels for eight years. We knew it was a tourist town when we bought our home, which was one of the many reasons we moved here. The Town Commissioners are taking a negative approach to tourism and are now restricting parking on streets used by patrons and employees of some of the towns most popular restaurants. If this is the “new direction” they keep talking about……I don’t like it. Neither the business owners in town that I have spoken with. I believe it is time the Commissioners clearly state their views on the “new direction” so the residents have a clear understanding of their goals.
Christopher Thomas says
Brian, all fairness, 100% of the on-street parking spot removals has been beacuse of emergency vehicle access. The planning commission made those recommendations not to spite tourism, but to ensure that fire apparatus and ambulances could get to where they need to. That said, the planning commission also created two (and soon to be a third) parking lots to replace the overall inventory.
I’m as critical as anyone about the recent happenings (see my comment in the previous article), but on-street parking removal is not part of the “new direction” that no-one understands, it’s just a safety issue. Water St was impossible for much of the time for vehicles 95-100″ wide.
-Chris Thomas, Planning Commission Member and President of SMFD
Deirdre LaMotte says
I love what Chestertown did: free parking everywhere downtown. Not only are we thriving with tourist, but we locals
love the “welcome all” approach to making access to downtown easy. Having Maryland bands come for street
parties has brought together all races on many occasions. Is that not that the goal of all “living locally”?
William C. Harvey, II TOSM-BZA says
As a recent past US president has said, “Elections have consequences.” That quote is especially true for the Town of St. Michaels.
The Commissioners of St. Michaels (COSM) election results from July 13, 2020 saw two incumbent commissioners removed and replaced by two new commissioners who received a super majority of votes as compared to those commissioners they replaced. Thus, the town residents were the ones who elected for “change i.e., new direction.”
Votes on the more controversial issues before the prior COSM tended to be 3 to 2. Now the votes on similar controversial issues are 4 to 1. Given that the two new commissioners’ terms do not end until 2024, the current prevailing voting block on the COSM will be in charge for several years.
As residents, “we don’t know, what we don’t know” regarding Ms. Weisman’s recent termination. Nor are we likely to learn much more given the legal protections afforded to both the COSM and the Town’s employees, past and present.
I personally enjoyed working with Ms. Weisman and hope she finds time to enjoy life now that her’s is not so hectic. While I would have liked to seen her termination handled differently, I give the current COSM the benefit of doubt that they took such action with sufficient cause.
The recent SMPD’s K-9 Max matter demonstrates that, despite whatever differences may exist among the Town’s residents, we can bring about good results with the current COSM when intelligent stakeholders put forth a set of reasons with the aim of persuading others that an action or idea is right or wrong. The results of the COSM’s meeting of July 14 demonstrates such, as the lack of communication and miscommunication among the COSM and Town staff that led to K-9 Max’s early retirement was reversed.
It is my fervent hope that the some of the more vocal residents among us cease with the ad hominen attacks on current commissioners, put aside whatever differences they may have, and engage in good faith dialog with the COSM and Town staff to bring about the best St. Michaels has to offer to its businesses, residents and visitors alike!
Change is always happening but sometimes it is more evident than others. Now may be such a time.
Let’s work together to make changes to St. Michaels’ direction and future something we can all be proud of so that we continue to relish this very special place!
Michael Estrella says
Mr. Harvey is correct when he says that elections have consequences. One of our recently elected commissioners got a taste of those consequences recently after he let it be known that he was looking at stopping some of the playing of live music here in town. A number of residents spoke up and spoke out to let him know how bad an idea they thought that was. Perhaps if he had shared his new musical direction with the public before the election all this uproar and attacks on his idea wouldn’t have transpired.
Mr. Harvey is also right on the need to limit or even eliminate attacks on current commissioners. I would encourage everyone to look at and listen to the recordings of the COSM meetings. At the tail end of one of these meetings in late March it is possible see what seems to me to be one of our male commissioners verbally attacking one of our female commissioners. He also seems to be displeased with our town manager and others over their seeming failure to defend him during a meeting that occurred two days earlier. Maybe if he had talked about his new musical direction before he was elected, perhaps all this could have been avoided too.
Mike Estrella
St. Michaels
Suzie Hurley says
Excellent Paulette! You go Girl! You are so right on!
DANNA MURPHY MURDEN says
I would like to know when public drinking started being allowed. Having been associated in that business in the town many years back we had to make sure a customer never walked out the door with a drink. I have been more than surprised at some of the sights I have seen all long Talbot St. since public drinking. And it seems to be steadily increasing.