BILL COUTZ DREAMS BIG; CAMPAIGN $ SMALL, LATE AND LATENT Cecil County Council member Bill Coutz (R-2) has finally filed his campaign finance report that was due last week, with fines for his tardiness and a new treasurer and campaign chairman to replace two longtime supporters who resigned from his campaign. And while he...
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NEWS ANALYSIS The old political wisdom, “all politics is local,” is being turned on its head in the District 5 race for Cecil County Council, with the incumbent, Jackie Gregory, raking in Annapolis and Washington campaign donations while her opponent in the 2020 Republican primary election, Don Harmer, is relying on Cecil County supporters,...
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A CECIL TIMES Special Report (With legal footnotes) Cecil County Council member Jackie Gregory (R-5) has continued to collect a salary from county public schools in the current budget year, despite questions of county Charter and ethics rules barring Council members from paid employment with other county agencies. And she has also claimed reimbursement...
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NEWS ANALYSIS Cecil County’s community hospital, the more than century-old Union Hospital in Elkton, is merging with ChristianaCare in Delaware, bringing the struggling local hospital into the fold of the nationally recognized teaching hospital and trauma center that dominates health care in the First State. While many questions remain about the practicalities of the...
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HARRIS PSEUDO POLL—YOUR EMAIL FOR YOUR VOTE It was hardly a surprise when Rep. Andy Harris (R-1) voted against both articles of the impeachment resolution against President Trump in the US House on Wednesday (12/18/2019), since he had opposed the process from the outset and holds a staunch pro-Trump voting record. So it might...
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A CECIL TIMES Special Report Cecil County Councilor Jackie Gregory (R-5) delivered an impassioned defense Tuesday of her paid job as a substitute teacher in county schools while voting on budgets including education as a member of the Council, saying a state Attorney General opinion in a Carroll County case supported her dual roles....
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NEWS ANALYSIS Gov. Larry Hogan and Exelon announced on Monday (10/29/2019) a settlement of a longstanding feud over federal licensing for continued operations of the Conowingo Dam in Cecil County, with $200 million invested over 50 years in the Susquehanna River and Upper Bay areas for water quality improvements. But the deal, which will...
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NEWS ANALYSIS Which retirement account investment option would you prefer: 100% of $100,000 or 70% of $1 million? Seems like a no-brainer: $100,000 or $700,000 in your later-years pocket. But it took a while for the fiscal lightbulbs to be turned on at a Cecil County Council worksession on Tuesday (10/15/2019), after Councilor George...
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NEWS ANALYSIS After many weeks of political teasing, including a fundraiser guessing game about her plans, Danielle Hornberger, wife of a state Delegate, announced her plans to run for Cecil County Executive with a pledge to “rollback” tax increases imposed in 2017 by incumbent Alan McCarthy Both candidates are Republicans and will be seeking...
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Donald Harmer, a local liquor store owner and longtime leader of the county’s Parks and Recreation board, has filed to run for Cecil County Council in District 5, challenging incumbent Jackie Gregory, a frequent critic of county spending for parks and recreation programs. Both are candidates in the 2020 Republican primary. Harmer, chairman of...
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NEWS ANALYSIS It took a week for the official paperwork to be posted in state elections records, but Ewing McDowell’s candidacy for Cecil County Executive is now official: the Rising Sun farm businessman is in the GOP primary race. But another potential rival—Danielle Hornberger—is playing coy as her husband, state Del. Kevin Hornberger (R-35),...
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New Cecil County and federal aid for volunteer fire and ambulance services will boost funds for key first responders in the county, including a major federal grant for breathing apparatus for the Water Witch fire company in Port Deposit and new county funds for all local volunteer first responders to compensate for expanded demand...
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NEWS ANALYSIS Over four months before the filing deadline for 2020 primary elections in Maryland, Cecil County politics are taking an interesting twist, as multiple candidates emerge for County Executive, with the potential for a place-holder trying to scare others out of the race. And veteran County Council President Bob Meffley (R-1) has made...
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Cecil County Economic Development officials are asking the County Council to approve a list of 20 properties to be added to Enterprise Zones, which receive property tax breaks and other incentives to promote new business opportunities. But some County Council members worried that citizen objections to the proposed mixed-use Southside/Southfields development should be addressed...
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NEWS ANALYSIS The national shock and horror of last weekend’s mass shootings in El Paso, TX and Dayton, OH brought out the usual “thoughts and prayers” for the victims from a bipartisan roster of public officials, but that wasn’t good enough for State Sen. Steve Hershey (R-36), who represents Cecil County and three other...
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