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During the holiday season, there are showings of different versions of Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Although the story itself is a classic, the various remakes are awful.
So, forgive me for making a reference to that story in the title of this article. I promise you I am not Ebeneezer Scrooge (though some may think I am). I will not tell stories of strange ghosts I have seen although I am sure there are some in Oxford!
The title is merely a way to organize the story of my hometown, Oxford.
For the most part, Oxford's past was a tranquil one. It's been a town where one could walk the streets safely at any time of day or night. Everyone knew just about everybody else. I used to listen to my mother-in-law rattle off names of people, who they married, who their children were, etc. without missing a beat. Oxford was a quaint, working-class town that was blessed with good people and beautiful shorelines. Sadly, we lost some of those good people in 2024. They can never be replaced but they will always be fondly remembered.
Things have gotten rockier in the past twelve years, when the focus of Oxford changed. Many people had discovered its beauty in the 70's and began moving here. That's not to say they were all bad people. Many of them came to Oxford to embrace it, not change it. I moved here in 1975 to live with my husband and never left. He has lived here his entire life.
But when some people come from outside a town, they bring with them a different ethic, different goals, different views. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, just different. Since 2012, it seems the focus has changed from doing what is right for ALL the PEOPLE of Oxford to doing what is lucrative for SOME people of Oxford. Some saw Oxford as a wealthy town and an opportunity to cash in on some of that wealth while citizens weren't paying attention. After all, such a small friendly town couldn't have problems, could it?
Yes, it could.
There were problems because it became okay for the town to grant some people building permits that went against code and deny others permits that were within the code. Lot coverages that were strictly followed for some were not for others. The Town Charter became, like the code in Pirates of the Carribean "merely a suggestion" that didn't necessarily need to be followed if a certain person or group didn't want it followed. There were people who didn't want it followed.
We all know where the story goes from there. Nepotism, secrecy, sudden suspect "retirements" of town personnel, bid favoritism, alleged election irregularities, unauthorized changes in the Town Charter, unethical hiring processes, stacking of town commissions and committees to favor certain groups and faulty grant management that allowed contractors to slide by and get paid without finishing jobs. Many citizens wanted answers to troubling questions. Those who gained from the status quo called those citizens "divisive."
In the present, things seem to be getting better. The past three Town Meetings in 2024 were calm with a perceived collegiality between Commissioners and citizens. A new town manager, Holly Wahl, has been hired. She comes with extensive qualifications and a record of holding people to rules/law and making sure all citizens and all businesses, big and small, pay what they are supposed to pay and do what they are supposed to do.
Some of the favored, powerful few in Oxford may not support this change. Remember, they have gotten power, prestige and perks from the town for twelve years. People who enjoy power and favor rarely give it up easily. They may not want an ethical, qualified administration.
But the three Oxford commissioners conducted a national search, hired Wahl and feel confident that she will get our town back on track. She has an impressive resume. Citizens need to meet her, give her time to get settled, and allow her to do the professional job she was hired to do. As Commission President Norm Bell commented to the Easton Star Democrat:
“We’re confident that we hired the right person,” Oxford Commission President Norm Bell said. “We were delighted to talk to her. We’re very comfortable in her experiences and how they can help the town. And that’s what we based the decision (on).”
Bell went on to describe the situation that Wahl corrected in her previous job:
Bell said his understanding of the water and sewer bill issue is that people weren’t paying annual water and sewer bill connection fees. He said that when Wahl took on her position in Chesapeake Beach, she saw that as a problem and made sure the town started collecting that money.
He didn't mention that some of these people opposing Wahl were large developers. As many know, developers often attempt to influence town governments to give them special breaks that are worth millions of dollars. It's alleged that these developers worked to get a new mayor elected in Chesapeake Beach, one who was loyal to them, not the citizens. Wahl resigned.
Oxford's next town manager faces controversies on western shore | Local | stardem.com
Which brings us to the "future" of Oxford. The new town manager begins next Monday, January 6th. Knowing our town, she will get a friendly, warm welcome!
In light of the new year, here are some things that need to happen to set our town on the right path. Some of them are already in the works. This is my message of positive, open, honest change for our town.
First, the future brings better access to information for town residents. A new Facebook Page for posting all the Public Information Requests and results from those requests has been created at:
(13) Oxford Maryland 411 | Facebook
Residents can go there and see the documentation provided by PIA requests to the town. It's a great way to find information many have not been aware of.
In this new year, one of the first things that Oxford needs to do is break up "entrenched power" in the town. All citizens, contractors, and employees need to get the same benefit of living/working in the town and follow the rules of the Oxford Charter/Code. Committees and Commissions which are "stacked" with members of the entrenched power need to be reconstituted with a wider, more representative base of the citizenry. Those who are on the committees need to understand that they are bound by the Oxford Charter and Code and the oath they took when taking office. If they can't or don't do want to accept that, they need to be removed regardless of their wealth, prestige, and time on the committee/commission. Their opinions should not override what the rules and laws say. A standard, fair selection process needs to be implemented for these committees, one that is open to everyone who is qualified.
The town needs to have a forensic audit of the past ten years. Not only is this standard procedure when hiring new administrative staff, it is also something that must be done based on the responses from citizen PIA requests. Town PIA responses reveal sloppy, lazy bookkeeping at the least and possible financial malfeasance and wrongdoing at the worst. All while the town has a structural deficit of over a half million dollars. It's time to find out what happened. All monies spent in grants and otherwise need to be accounted for by showing who wrote "checks," who received the money and how the disbursement fits under town or grant allowable expenditures.
Oxford needs to get a grip on spending. The town is a refuge of well-off retirees so many in past administrations apparently viewed Oxford as an ATM for garnering favor and giving money to random causes without adequate resident input. While the focus of grants should have been on relieving flooding, grants were submitted to create bike paths, carelessly "restore" a beach, install free EV charging stations, and destroy a decades old baseball field.
There were some needed grants such as the wastewater treatment plant grant, but other spending seems superfluous. Money given to the Oxford Community Center, Oxford Museum, and other non-profits in town needs to be carefully examined. The only non-profit funding that must be continued is that given to the Volunteer Fire Company. Their service directly impacts the safety and security of the town.
The difficult question is whether the money for the others directly benefits all the citizens of the town, especially since some of these organizations already have strong endowments and philanthropic donations to cover their operations. We are not against helping businesses and non-profits in town, as long as the taxpayers have a direct say in who and how much. This should not be the decision of just a few because this leads to favoritism and cronyism.
Besides, giving away money when you are running a large structural deficit is counterintuitive. Maybe providing support in the form of fundraisers would be more practical. When the town is running a surplus, then these donations can resume upon taxpayers' approval.
Oxford needs to mitigate the town's flooding problem as much as humanly possible. It's no secret that there were plans created years ago to alleviate flooding. These plans had been hidden from the public and were virtually ignored. In the past year, Commissioners have become serious about the problem and have discussed the installation of two or three smaller pumps in flood prone areas that would cost the town less and could be installed by town maintenance staff instead of by GMB, a contractor that has selectively had just about every town contract in the past ten years, and who promoted much larger and fewer pumps at a higher cost. Also, Commissioners discussed purchasing a "trailer pump" which several other towns are using. This pump can be moved where it is most needed during flooding. These are steps in the right direction.
While the FEMA grant to raise homes is laudable, it doesn't address the problem for residents who cannot afford the process. Many residents have nowhere to go if their homes are lifted. And, the process is NOT free. Residents must sign on to extensive personal expense themselves.
Flood mitigation throughout the town needs to be prioritized because of potential for property damage and loss of lives.
The town needs a more visible, active police presence. Currently, Oxford employs Chief of Police Chris Phillips and Sgt. Brandon Bobbick. Former Chief/Officer Eric Kellner left his employment with the town in October. The current schedule for forty hours of work appears to be that the two officers do two twenty-hour days a week each, a schedule that was set up under Kellner's guidance. This schedule might work for EMT's or professional firemen who react to calls, but it doesn't address the need for a town police deterrent every day of the week. The forty hours needs to be distributed on a daily basis.
A Public Information Request to the Talbot County Sheriff's Department last month revealed that the town asked for support from the Sheriff's Department. Currently, four 8-hour days a week are staffed at additional cost to the town by the Talbot County's Sheriff Department. Based on information from the Talbot County Sheriff's Department, this totals approximately 180 hours in November, December, and part of January at the cost of $75.00 an hour per officer.
Residents have complained that they "used to see town police" patrolling town or sitting at various places in town tracking speeders or other traffic violations, but not anymore. One reason given is that the force is currently understaffed. An advertisement for a third officer has been posted. Chief Phillips has stated that the town needs to participate in a specific police retirement program (LEOPS) to attract applicants. While LEOPS would help in recruitment, if he wants support for LEOPS and additional officers, citizens need to see the police trucks patrolling town regularly, stopping speeders, watching for drunk and impaired drivers, and preventing crime as much as possible. Isn't that the point of a town police department? (Side Note: Many citizens lobbied for Phillips to be named Chief last Spring. I was one of them who gave my support. This is NOT an indictment of him but a message that the current schedule and police practices are simply not working.)
Here are the police stats for the previous month and for 2024:
Police Statistics for 11/8/24 to 12/8/24. The column on the far right is year to date. Note that there were 31 tickets written for traffic violations in 2024 after 256 warnings given by three officers.
The Strand Project needs to be completed as it was contracted. At the December 16th meeting of the Town Commissioners, Commissioner Katrina Greer shared discoveries by industrious town residents that the contractor for the job, Underwood and Associates, was paid in full for a job they didn't complete. The town brought in the Maryland Department of Environment, DNR, National Wildlife Federation, and the Army Corps of Engineers. MDE and the Army Corp of Engineers are the two permitting bodies for projects such as the Strand. They noted that the project had not been completed according to the description submitted for the permit, thus potentially putting it out of compliance. The elevation of the "islands" in the plan and the presence of the "sand bar" in the project must be corrected by April 18 by the contractor. This includes all the planting of trees and other plants that were promised but not completed. These are critical to keep sand on the beach from being lost. This loss of sand has already been noticed by residents.
It's sad that we had to destroy our Shoreline to support a "restoration" that isn't restoring anything except a contractor's bottom line.
The Strand Project problem points out that these State and Federal grants have not been properly monitored to make sure that the town isn't being cheated by less than ethical contractors and that EVERY penny spent is accounted for. Any grants going forward need careful oversight by the staff and Commissioners.
Oxford must address the water/sewage billing system. The current system is complicated to use, can be manipulated (and has allegedly been manipulated) by town staff, and does not create sufficient long-term data for the town to use in making decisions regarding water and sewer usage and rates charged. All this needs to be updated and we need to make sure that everyone in town, citizens and businesses alike, are paying accurate water bills.
One of the most important changes needs to be in the town's election system. Whether by accident or by design, it's clear that the town's recent elections have NOT been conducted according to the Town Charter. No one, not the town manager, current commissioners, or the current election board, has the right to change the election procedures for the town without a change in the Town Charter. There were clear discrepancies between what is in the Town Charter and what was done during last year's election, especially regarding voter eligibility. It may be time for some new faces and ideas on the Oxford Election Board.
There are other items that need to be addressed. New staff needs to be hired. The Town's Website needs to be updated and made use friendly so that information can be shared in an accurate and timely fashion. The hill behind the community center needs to be tested for soil toxicity. This will all take time.
2025 could be the year that Oxford puts some problems behind us. It will take a while for the new Town Administration to get things going in the right direction, and Ms. Wahl must be given a grace period to change how the town operates. After twelve years, it may take a while.
The rest of us, Commissioners and citizens, also need to do our part in making sure we move forward. While we need to know what has happened in the past, we also need to be vigilant and keep our eyes focused on what is going on in our town and how we can make things better.
And let's not forget we have an election for a commissioner's seat coming in June.
Happy New Year Oxford!
