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June 23, 2021

The Talbot Spy

The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Talbot County Community

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Easton Incumbents Unopposed in May 4 Election

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Easton voters go to the polls Tuesday, May 4, to vote for council president and town council members for Wards 2 and 4.

The three incumbents — President Megan Cook, Ward 2 Councilman Donald Abbatiello, and Ward 4 Councilman Rev. Elmer Neal Davis Jr. are unopposed.

All three are seeking a full four-year term to their respective positions:

• Abbatiello won election in May 2019 to serve the last two years of Pete Lesher’s term. Lesher won election to the Talbot County Council in November 2018 and vacated his town council seat.

• Cook was elected town council president in a special election after the death of John Ford.

• Davis was appointed after Cook became president, vacating her Ward 4 seat.

The election will be held from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Easton Firehouse, 315 Leonard Rieck Drive, in Easton. Absentee ballots must be returned to the town office by 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 4.

Easton has staggered four-year terms for elected officials, with elections every two years. In 2023, voters will choose a mayor, and town council members for Wards 1 and 3.

This article has been corrected from its original publication.

Cook to be Sworn in as Easton Council President

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Megan Cook will be sworn in tonight as the president of the Easton town council.

Cook defeated fellow Councilman Ron Engle in the July 9 special election to serve out the remainder of the term of John Ford, who died Feb. 4.

Cook has represented the town’s 4th Ward for more than a decade.

Engle, the town’s Ward 3 councilman, has served as interim council president since mid-November.

 

Easton Urges Shoppers to Follow COVID-19 Precautions

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Among reports of entire families out shopping at grocery stores and customers congregating in aisles talking with friends, Easton officials are urging local residents to follow precautions against COVID-19, including social distancing.

Councilman Ron Engle said the town had received numerous complaints about shoppers stopping to speak to one another, blocking aisles and making it difficult for others to shop safely.

Easton also has gotten reports of entire families heading to the stores to shop, which violates the spirit of the governor’s executive order allowing Maryland residents to leave home to shop for essential supplies, such as food.

Engle, acting town council president, said Easton does not want to get the police department involved in managing people shopping in stores. A person who is found guilty of violating the governor’s emergency orders may be subject to a year in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.

“We’ve received numerous complaints the past week regarding several businesses allowing large crowds within their establishments in violation of the state’s social distancing order,” Engle said at Monday night’s council meeting.

“In a number of reported instances, groups of people have been observed mingling and talking in groups in the aisles of these establishments,” he said. “This makes it difficult for other shoppers to get past these groups and dramatically increases the degree of exposure to all those involved.

“Gov. Hogan has given local health officials authority to close/modify essential businesses for not following social distance regulations,” Engle said. “We have raised these complaints with the county health department which has this responsibility. We will move on this as quickly as the process lets us.

“Secondly, there is something we can all do regardless of action from the health department,” he said. “I want to raise the issue of the spirit of the executive order that allows certain businesses to remain open during these dire times. It would appear that many are using these open businesses for social connecting as well as shopping for their families.

“One easy and appropriate fix for this is for families to limit the number of family members present for shopping to 1 or 2 people,” Engle said. “People should also employ a high degree of courtesy to their fellow shoppers and citizens.

“They should not congregate in aisles, which violates the social distancing rules, and they should not interfere with other shoppers’ ability to traverse the shopping lanes without increased exposure or inconvenience.

“We would rather not involve our police department in social management. They are currently stretched too thin to respond to complaints of this nature.

“All of the health experts predict an extremely severe couple of weeks ahead,” Engle said. “We need to be practicing as many health practices as social distancing and shelter in place as we can to try to reduce the incidence of this deadly virus.

“This will help protect not only ourselves and our families, but all the citizens of Talbot County and the Town of Easton.”