Last night the Avalon Foundation and the Talbot Spy co-sponsored a town hall gathering for the four candidates running for Easton Town Council President. With a full house in downtown Easton, and some 300 watching online, Spy Columnist Craig Fuller moderated the 90 minute conversation about the future of Easton..
We present the entire evening in full.
The election will be held of September 12th.
russell stone says
Mr. Fuller I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to moderate the Town Hall meeting last night.
Great Job.
Tyler Edwards says
Awesome job Frank – you are a breath of fresh air!
Holly Wright says
Easton needs someone who would be taken seriously in Annapolis lobbying for Easton and in discussion with University of Maryland.
We need strong savvy leadership in Easton to switch gears from the current doldrums and protect us from megadevelopments.
Shari Wilcoxon says
Frank Gunsallus did a great job at the debate!! We need his prudent approach to keeping Easton safe and a wonderful place to live.
Mayor Willey did a good job! But he’s 85 years old. It’s time for younger visionaries and Frank is that man.
Al Silverstein is 78 and is responsible for stores charging us $.10 for every bag, when they used to provide them as part of their cost of doing business. Annoying on every level! And last night Al said he moved here from Kanas at one time in the debate and Nebraska another time??? Very concerning.
Al Silverstein says
Ms. Wilcoxon please get your facts straight. I am 75 not 78. I lead Chambers of Commerce in both Nebraska and Kansas before moving to Easton 23 years ago.
I find it very interesting that a member of the Talbot County Republican Central Committe would be endorsing an Independent candidate in a non-partisan election. Respectfully Al Silverstein
Shari Wilcoxon says
Why Al?
Are you suggesting I cannot personally endorse whomever I want?
Frank is unaffiliated because he read George Washington’s Farewell address and he said political parties would make a circus of our Republic. Wise beyond his years. You’ve been in government too long and so’s Bob. I’m all about new energetic ideas and changing the leadership. Shaking things up with a proven leader.
BTW everyone I’ve talked to LOATHS the mandatory $.10 bag. What law gives the Town Council the right to require a merchant to charge the people? And we have YOU to thank for it. Your micromanaging, your way or the highway style isn’t popular with the merchants either. Many people are driving to St Michael’s to shop at Graul’s. Great job for the Town of Easton.
Hal De Bona says
Respectfully Ms. Wilcoxon, just consider purchasing a few multiple use bags. Aren’t there other more burning issues?
Shari Wilcoxon says
Hal, I’ve got a ton. And they crowd my car and trunk space. Very annoying. Many are upset bc they used the bags as trash liners (now they have to purchase them, more plastic?) and to pick up their dogs waste. Why not let the merchant decide if they want to charge their customers? Isn’t freedom of choice a good thing? Maybe you should ask around like I have. People aren’t happy.
Kenya Townsend says
My vote is still with Mr Gunsallus. He is bringing a new fresh ear to this Old town. He already has his head in the community with new perspective for a better Talbot County. He was the most informative in this conversation. In my opinion change is definitely needed.
John G Bunch says
Clearly the rising star was Frank G. “Dr” Andy Harris needs to be put out to pasture since last year. We need youth and vitality in our Elected Officials. How Gunslinging Andy avoided expulsion from The US House of Representatives is still a mystery to me.
1 Step at a time equals patience.
Michael Hawke says
You do realize Andy Harris is in the US House of Representatives and this was a debate for the Easton Town Council President right?
G.L. Fronk says
Great job Frank! Concise, number and factual driven comments…
Beth Shortall Gunsallus says
Knowing firsthand all of what you went through last year in Poland helping your family flee Ukraine as it got invaded, I am so proud to know you. You did an incredible job last night-so impressive, so passionate, so knowledgeable. Your spirit and pervasiveness shine through and I truly believe that you are the best candidate for this job. Congratulations on a wonderful debate!
Georgi Chauvin says
Frank Gunsallus is clearly the best candidate for the job. He articulated his points well and is an honest and trustworthy person who has done a lot to help our community and beyond. Frank is working hard for this and will work hard for Easton.
Clara Kelly says
What experience has Mr. Gunsallus acquired since losing the Ward 1 Counsel member seat to Maureen Curry this past May that he would like us to consider qualifies him to be President of the Town Council and potentially Mayor if Meghan Cook should become incapacitated or choose to leave office before her term expires?
While I agree we need to bring new faces aboard, I think it would be to our and Mr. Gunsallus’s benefit to sharpen his skills and become more familiar with many duties of council members during the next 18-20 months and then run for elective office.
And yes. Mr. Fuller and the Avalon did a great job last night! We are lucky to have this unbiased forum.
Noah matten says
Frank and kevin, thank you both for fresh looks on quagmires that have plagued our town in some cases for decades now. Frank you stood out for you bravado, one to lead the pack. I can only hope the other candidates can muster enough energy to stay competitive in the debate.
G.S Sauer says
Ms Wilcoxin—Al Silverstein is NOT responsible for Easton retail establishments charging a dime for every paper bag. The plastic bag ordinance was enacted as a result of support from former Mayor Willey, former Town Council President Cook, and unanimous approval by every member of the Town Council. When former Council member Silverstein made a motion to approve the ordinance, it was a formality as it was obvious it would pass unanimously. No doubt another council member could have and would have made the same motion with the same outcome. So, why single out Mr Silverstein? Now, a question for you: As a member of the Talbot County Republican Central Committee, why are you supporting a candidate that is NOT a Republican, but Unaffiliated, when there are actually TWO Republicans running for this office? If as a member of the Committee you are to support Republican candidates, why are you not advancing the mission of the Committee, on which you serve, to support the election of Republicans? If you wish to support a NON-Republican candidate, which is your prerogative as a voter, then perhaps you need to step down as a member of the Republican Central Committee.
Jane Bollman says
Shari Wilcosan, please get your facts straight. Bob Willey is 82 years old, not 85. The position of president of the Easton Town Council requires EXPERIENCE! While Frank Gunsalles’ background and character are admirable, knowledge of the complex workings of the town are essential to fill this position. I hope you will run for a seat on the Town Council to gain the experience that would allow you to make a significant contribution to the Town
Reed Fawell 3 says
I agree that the town hall meeting was very well done by its organizers and moderators, and all the candidates responded exceedingly well to the format and questions.
For me, the most original idea of the night came from Frank Gunsallus, namely, the effort to attract Primary Care Physicians to Easton and surrounds. Surely this is the most glaring gap in Easton and Talbot County’s health care system today. Everyone here deserves a single doctor to manage their overall health, and care, so as to keep them healthy, quickly diagnose emerging threats, and find and oversee the right specialist where necessary or advised. Finding the right Primary Care Physicians might be a daunting task given today’s health care marketplace, but if a search is done cleverly, Easton may sell itself as a primary care physician “sanctuary” with far more hidden amenities for such doctors than most other places.
Listening to the panel’s history of moderately priced new housing in Easton, it became increasingly obvious that the town of Easton west of Route 50 has a very limited capacity to expand such housing, a long existing reality that is only made far more difficult by the recent dramatic rise in new home construction and mortgage finance costs combined with the dramatic inflation of living costs on buyers and renters. In short, the discretionary income for most American’s today has been dramatically reduced.
In addition, the barrier of Route 50 dividing eastern Easton from western Easton is very difficult to moderate signals and bridges in the short and mid term. This suggests that the hyper focus on reorganizing the commercial areas of eastern Easton into a walk-able, fully integrated smart growth village serving all residents of eastern Easton is an old idea (in 2009 Comprehensive Plan), whose time has come for vigorous action. Importantly, a quick look at the map shows great potential for such a redevelopment integrated and linked into existing residential developments on the east side of Route 50. This has been done many times before in other places, so surely can be done here, with the right outside help and advice as well as a determined and focused effort by the town and the County too. The time to begin is now, and expect a twenty year+ time horizon to complete.
Reed Fawell 3 says
The design of this new village will create a sense and reality of a walk-able, and bike-able community that brings peoples, services, goods, and public spaces together servicing nearby residences in ways that reduce (that is eats) auto traffic instead of generating more traffic.
Reed Fawell 3 says
A new project is NOT Smart Growth unless it is at least traffic neutral. And the best Smart Growth places eat traffic. To neutralize and eat traffic, a place must closely and carefully arrange and integrate a wide variety of uses that are essential to, and compatible with, its communities and be synergistic with one another. In this way, Smart Growth uses feed and spark off one another seamlessly and endlessly, creating cumulative wealth, health, and value.
So, in a Smart Growth community worth its salt, 2+2 equals at least 7, for starters. And a Smart Growth community spins off it’s cumulative values far into the future. And it naturally improves itself with age, benefiting generations with health and wealth for ALL its citizens, physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spirituality. This is called vibrate place making. It attracts people of all ages from all over, because of the energy, balance and authenticity of it uses.
How may places like this do you know?
Reed Fawell 3 says
There is a collorary Iron Law of Development at play here. We cannot continue to build large housing subdivisions on the east side of Route 50 without integrating smart growth mixed uses directly into those subdivisions. Otherwise, such new single use subdivisions will poison Route 50 and rest of the town with unnecessary traffic that soon will create heavy congestion in the entire region like is found in Downtown Annapolis.
The rule here is – Never use an interstate or intrastate highway or by pass for your town’s main street. To do so is to destroy the livability of your town. This is particularly so in a place where the land intertwines not only with highways and by passes but also with rivers and streams. In such cases, the margins of error are very thin, as road net capacity is quickly overwhelmed. We will soon reach that point of congestion unless from now on we change our ways.
As a collateral matter, this Iron Law of Development is why Lakeside as now planned with 2501 small lot single use houses poses such an existential threat not only to the town Trappe, but also to the towns of Easton and Cambridge. Gridlock and heavy congestion on Route 50 will destroy the livability of all three towns in what otherwise is a place of unique beauty and livability.