In an unprecedented action yesterday afternoon, Town of Easton officials posted a special alert addressing false claims about the town’s budget transparency, ward boundaries, and housing policies on their website. The town office was compelled to respond to this misinformation resently sent to residents making misleading claims in the run-up to the May 6th election.
Here is the page in full.
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In the wake of the upcoming 2025 Easton General Election, we have become aware of misinformation spreading regarding the Town Office, the budget process, ward zones, and inclusionary housing. Below we address the false claims we have encountered, followed by factual explanations with dates, documents, and links to verify them.
FALSE CLAIM: The line by line budget is not available to the public.
The FY 26 budget draft is currently online and available to the public, and has been accessible on our homepage since April 17, 2025. Mayor Cook gave her full budget presentation at the live-streamed council meeting on April 21, where she announced how to access the files, and video of this presentation along with a direct link to the full line by line budget was posted to social media on April 23. Last year’s budget presentation was also livestreamed and publicly delivered, with the budget also available on the Town Website.
FALSE CLAIM: This is the first time in 30 years a budget has been reviewed line by line.
Each year budgets are thoroughly and painstakingly reviewed for several months ahead of the Mayor’s budget presentation. Articles are gone through line by line, and department by department numerous times before a budget is finally settled on to present.
Town leadership meets regularly with the Mayor and Town Manager to discuss budget items in detail, cutting and adjusting as necessary to achieve a balanced budget. Additionally, each department head takes part in a public budget workshop (which is also recorded and available on the website) in which council reviews their budget with them ahead of the final presentation.
Prior budget workshops (dating back to April of 2022) are still available to view on our Agendas & Minutes page.
FALSE CLAIM: The Town has concealed information about ward boundaries, and only recently made a ward map available.
The Town of Easton has had a ward map available on their website since August 2022, shortly after the creation of the current website interface.
Since then the ward maps have been shared on social media in advance of local elections to help residents. The “Eye Over Easton” interactive map has ward location features, and was released on February 16, 2023, hosted on the Town of Easton website. Eye Over Easton launched alongside a tutorial video, and its creation was promoted on social media and picked up by several local media outlets including The Talbot Spy, and a television segment on WBOC TV.
In an effort to make things even easier on residents, an Interactive Ward Map was created in advance of the 2025 General Election. This map bypasses all additional Eye Over Easton features and exists solely to identify the town’s ward boundaries. After receiving feedback from residents about ease of use, the Interactive Ward Map was quickly designed and expertly put together by our Planning and Zoning staff, and was made available on April 30, 2025.
Residents who are not active online or on social media are encouraged to come into our offices on 14 S. Harrison Street, or to call us at 410-822-2525 where we will be happy to assist anyone with locating which ward they are in, or to help them with any other issues we are capable of assisting them with. We have an excellent front office staff that are friendly and helpful to anyone who comes through our doors.
FALSE CLAIM: Ward Boundaries were gerrymandered in an attempt to influence elections.
By state law, voting wards must maintain a threshold of population variance below 10%. In 2022, the Town of Easton voted unanimously to approve Ordinance No. 792 which reestablished ward boundaries in Easton to maintain accordance with the law.
This ordinance was not passed in secret, with a public hearing held on Monday, December 19, 2022 at the Town Council Chambers. To notify the public, a public hearing notice was sent out to run in the Star Democrat, the local paper of record, in the Sunday, December 11, 2022 edition. Additionally, a public workshop was held on November 21, 2022 prior to the town council meeting. That meeting was also livestreamed and recorded and can be viewed here.
Ward zones have not been adjusted (other than land annexations) since this 2022 ordinance.
FALSE CLAIM: The Inclusionary Housing Ordinance requires high density housing in every Easton neighborhood, and will directly affect existing neighborhoods throughout Easton.
The discussed Inclusionary Housing Ordinance is currently in a draft stage, and has not been voted on or formally discussed in detail at a Town Council meeting. Further discussion is pending until the release of the Affordable Housing Task Force report, which is just one of several recommendations. The draft of the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance can be viewed here.
The current proposal posits that a developer producing new units designate 15% of their allotted units to be reserved for middle-income housing. These lower-cost units would not differ in appearance from the others, and would not detract from the visual element of the design.
As an incentive, upon agreeing to include these allotted lower cost units, a developer may utilize a 20% density increase to offset the cost of the lower priced units. Provisions are in the state statutes that enable local jurisdictions to approve inclusionary zoning legislation as well as density bonus incentives.
Even as a draft, this bill only affects new developments with seven or more residential units or the redevelopment of properties that produce seven or more residential units. Because less than seven units would be a fraction, developers of six or less new units would simply pay a fee. It does not affect any existing planned unit developments, and has been introduced largely to provide workforce housing to people who work in Easton, including police officers, firefighters, and teachers.
Town of Easton offices are transparent about our policies and procedures, and should be used as a resource for the public. For more information about the Town of Easton, please visit our website at eastonmd.gov, please visit us on our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, give us a call (during business hours) at 410-822-2525, or come in to our offices at 14 S. Harrison Street.
The town’s ongoing efforts at openness. Residents can visit eastonmd.gov or Town Hall for assistance and information.
Pat Murphy Sheehy says
Dear Editors,
Thank you for the article citing the recent false claims about the town’s budget transparency, ward boundaries, housing policies and other election misinformation. In today’s environment it is refeshing to see each falsehood clearly stated and the facts following so clearly. You do your readership a service to provide this information cutting through any editorialization to the FACTS ONLY.
Appreciatively, Pat Murphy Sheehy, Royal Oak, Md.
Clara Kelly says
Yes. Thank you Town of Easton and thank you Talbot Spy. Several quotes from George Washington are apropos:
“Truth will ultimately prevail where there are plans taken to bring it to light.”
“If we mean to support the liberty and independence which have cost us so much blood and treasure to establish, we must drive far away the demon of party spirit and local reproach.”
“Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.”
“I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is the best policy.”
“Truth involves a proactive commitment to extract it from the shadows.”
Clara Kelly says
Yes. Thank you. A few quotes from our nation’s first President seem appropriate for this election cycle:
“I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is the best policy.”
“There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily.”
“Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains taken to bring it to light.”
“Few people have the virtue to withstand the highest bidder.”
Dick Deerin says
Shame on those individuals and organization that spread these falsehoods. We are better than that. Looking forward to an honest and efficiently run election.
Ginna Tiernan says
Thank you for the article. Why are the people responsible for this misinformation not identified?
Carol Voyles says
Thank you, Mayor Cook, Town of Easton and Spy, for this breath of fresh air. Facts still matter, and you made our day.
Michael Pullen says
Facts matter. Whoever spread the lies debunked here doesn’t deserve your vote. If a person is willing to lie to grasp personal power, they have already abandoned your trust, the only reason you can support any candidate. Willful deceit matters, too.
It’s simple. Liars can’t be trusted and don’t deserve your vote.
Richard Skinner says
From whom did these false claims emanate?
Clara Kelly says
Here is an article Mayor Cook submitted to The Talbot Spy which prompted the Town to address misinformation:
https://talbotspy.org/the-need-to-call-out-gunsallus-falsehoods-by-megan-cook/
JANE WARD says
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for posting the Talbot Spy site.
Blair Potter says
Yes, Mayor Cook’s article was an excellent and informative rebuttal. I would encourage anyone with questions to read it as well as the Spy’s clarification above.
Rick Hughes says
When you stand for truth and conscientiously serve the community you don’t need to resort to lies or bankrolling other candidates to run just to split tickets! Don Abbatiello (Independent), Robert Rankin (Republican) and Rev. Elmer Davis (Democrat) have all run honest campaigns. They don’t agree on everything, but they will work together, with civility: FOR EASTON. Return Abbatiello and Davis to the Town Council, elect Rankin in Ward 2, and send Gunsallus and the Keefes home with their lie-filled mailers. Easton deserves better!