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They had been talking about changing the Oxford Charter regarding elections since January. They wanted to tighten up the language on who could vote and who couldn't. They wanted to decide where people could and could not register.
"We need to get it done NOW before the next election," was the mantra.
So, what happened on March 10th at the Oxford Town Commissioners meeting was a bit of surprise.
In a small town like Oxford, elections often come down to just a few votes. Last Spring was no different. With questions about the actions of former Town Manager Cheryl Lewis being a huge issue for many residents, allowing Lewis and the staff she hired to handle the security of the election, especially absentee ballots, became a problem. Then, when the town refused to have poll watchers, follow the town charter or to be open about absentee ballots, suspicions grew.
When the Commissioners decided to change the Town Charter regarding voter eligibility to force all voters to register with the Talbot County Board of Elections in order to vote in the Oxford municipal election, it was controversial. Since Oxford has many part time residents, this could limit voting only to those who considered Oxford their main "domicile." Part-time property-owning residents who were registered to vote in other jurisdictions would lose that right according to state and federal election laws. The only leeway would be if the town decided to have a "municipal log" where part timers could register to vote in the Oxford Town election.
The Commissioners created Resolution 2501. Here is a copy of the resolution:
February-25_2025-Commissioners-Meeting-Agenda_Final.pdf (go to page 28 for resolution)
During a meeting on February 25 and a workshop on March 3, Commissioner Katrina Greer proposed that the town use the Talbot County Board of Election registration list to deem voters eligible to vote in Oxford but also have the town's office/election commission maintain a "municipal log" for those who were part time residents/property owners so they could vote. She said to do otherwise was to "disenfranchise" some voters.
Greer also pointed out that other jurisdictions in Maryland use municipal logs to allow part-time, property-owning residents to vote.
This brought concerns about whether or not the town's Election Board and office administrative staff could handle a municipal log that may contain an estimated five to ten part time residents/property owners.
There were comments and questions regarding how long residents had to live in town to be eligible to vote, whether children of residents who attended college but lived in town the rest of the year would be eligible to vote, and whether renters should have the right to vote.
On March 10, 2025, at the regular meeting of the Commissioners of Oxford, Resolution 2501 was proposed again. Commissioner Katrina Greer stated that she thought the Resolution had been "rushed" in order for changes to be made at least 75 days prior to the election in June. Her suggestion was to create rules and guidelines for the Oxford Election Board to follow instead of dealing with changing the charter. She stated that even though the Charter had rules in place for the last election, those rules had not necessarily been followed. Creating rules/guidelines for the Oxford Election Board would assure transparent, correct election processes and rekindle the public's trust in town elections.
In somewhat of a surprise, Resolution 2501 was tabled by a vote of 2-1. The only dissenting Commissioner was Tom Costigan.
With the Resolution tabled, the issue now became the rules/guidelines for the Town Election Board.
Oxford is a town that relies on many appointed Boards and Commissions to help with processes and policies that are not handled by the administrative staff. The Election Board is one of those powerful boards.
The Oxford Boards and Commissions are the volunteer bureaucracy of the town. They decide zoning, who can build and what they can build, ethics rules for elected officials and appointed volunteers, as well as how town elections will be conducted. All appointments are made via application and then chosen and approved by the Commissioners of Oxford. Sounds okay on the surface, but many times people who serve on these commissions and boards begin to think they can make up the rules as they go along, often to favor some citizens and punish others. This was on display at a recent Historic District Commission meeting:
Oxford Historic District Commission Ignores Regulations - The Easton Gazette
One would think that if a member of a volunteer committee violates rules or acts in a biased way, they could easily be removed by the Commissioners. In reality, Commissioners often protect these volunteers and some of the "volunteers" threaten to sue if they are dismissed. This causes a long, drawn-out process that leaves volunteers in these positions to continue their unfair actions. Some members on Boards for extensive periods of time appear to be unable or unwilling to make fair decisions due to personal preferences, disinterest or lack of knowledge. Others seemingly relish holding their "power" over fellow citizens. Those members unfairly put good, honest volunteers under suspicion.
When it comes to the Election Board, there are currently TWO positions open as two members' terms expire this year:
Pam Baker April 1, 2025
Pat Jessup July 1, 2025
Phyliss Rambo April 9, 2026
Jody Ware April 9, 2026
Margaret Munsch April 23, 2026
Karen Saum April 23, 2026
The town announced two positions as open at the March 10th meeting. Citizens can apply with this application:
Board-and-Commission-Volunteer-Application.pdf
People hope that these applications will be considered more objectively some in the past when Commissioners decided to leave people on Boards "for continuity's sake." This usually translates into "we want the status quo" or "this person does what WE want."
Besides, doing the same thing over and over is the definition of insanity, or in this case, complicity.
Elections at any level are important and it is important that the public perception is that they are run correctly without any bias or favoritism. Hopefully, the Commissioners can create rules that will ensure this happens.
Remember, continuity in bad policy is just BAD POLICY. Oxford is ready to turn the corner on that philosophy.
