Small Town; Big Drama, Important Lessons
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Austin C., 12 years old, rolled down the passenger side window in his mom's car to shout something to the man sitting on the bench in the town park.
"Mr. Dave, you've got this!" he said as he gave a big smile and a thumbs up.
The man on the bench was Dave Donovan and he was running for a town commissioner's seat against the incumbent Tom Costigan in the small town of Oxford, Maryland. He waved and smiled back.
For the young man, it was a chance to give encouragement to the candidate, someone his parents and many in the small town supported. For Donovan, it was just the kind of lighthearted moment he needed. The three-month commissioner's race had been quite contentious, and Donovan had just been subjected to a last-minute smear campaign from the supporters of his opponent. Quite frankly, Donovan, who had been to nearly all of the homes in the town of over 500 people, was running low on energy and election day was less than twenty-four hours away.
On election day, Donovan won the race. By 44 votes.
It may seem to be a small margin, but with 402 total votes cast, it was a landslide.
The history of Oxford, Maryland was one that included many commissioner's races in it's over 300-year history, many that only had one candidate, especially prior to the last ten years. In fact, it was difficult at times to find people who would run at all, even though they could earn the position just by signing up.
Oxford, with its historic and charming tree lined streets and beautiful shorelines, had always been a waterman's town. Somewhere in the early 70's it became a town that attracted wealthy retirees trying to escape the cities of Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Baltimore as well as other urban areas. Rather than choose the more commercial St. Michaels, these people chose the quiet small-town atmosphere of Oxford. Slowly, due to home prices, middle class families found themselves priced out of the town. What had once been a thriving, energetic town comprised of families with children started looking like a retirement destination for talented "A" type executives, ex-government employees and businesspeople.
Most of the people who moved here just wanted to be part of the community and the small-town atmosphere. They wanted to sit on the Strand Beach and watch sailboats while enjoying the breezes off the Tred Avon or venture to the town park to read a book while drinking coffee. Or they wanted to visit a local restaurant to have meals and drinks with friends. And everyone enjoyed a town where one could walk safely and enjoy waves and greetings from other residents. There were tourists, especially during Oxford Day and the July 4th fireworks, but not in the droves other tourist destinations saw.
Some volunteered for different organizations, especially the fire department and the auxiliary.
But, as is with many human endeavors, some of those people wanted full and complete control of the town for themselves, forming small cliques while shunning "part timers" and "short timers." Some arrived in town and saw an opportunity to shape Oxford into a town that would benefit them, not everyone. They were the entrenched power who prospered by the manipulations of a town office friendly to their desires and willing to play favorites.
Beginning in 2023, the sudden "retirement" of the longtime respected Chief of Police increased interest in what was going on in the town. This made elections fierce, sometimes nasty, as different groups fought for the future direction of the town. Two suspect town staff "retirements," a controversial town manager, a strange departure from one commissioner's seat and replacement with the landslide loser of a recent race, murky financial procedures, the destruction of a historic beach as well as the town's baseball field, and the reckless hiring followed by the sudden firing of a man charged with exposing himself to children had caused the town to almost explode in frustration. Citizens wanted accountability from their commissioners. They wanted to be heard.
The election in 2024 was filled with sign stealing, street fights, yelling matches, and allegations of election irregularities. Once the election was over, the town settled down for a bit before another commission seat had to be filled. Graciously and with good intentions, everyone agreed to work together, even the candidate who had lost by only 12 votes.
That lasted for less than a year.
In 2025, another election for a three-year seat ignited dirty campaign tactics and a last-minute smear campaign by those who supported the incumbent Tom Costigan who had decided to run again. He had been in office since 2023 and played a role in most of the incidents that tore the town apart. He was a favorite of those who had held power for so long.
Costigan, a man who many times seemed irascible, angry, and unhappy at town meetings, still ran on this divisive "record". With humorous quips from time to time and showing up in person with a clipboard at town maintenance projects, he seemed to care about what was best for the town. However, he talked about community and unity during his campaign while never bothering to actually talk and listen to many of the dissatisfied people he supposedly wanted to serve. Instead, he was inclined to dismiss them as a "small group with an agenda." Costigan supporters spread vicious attacks online about Donovan and his supporters 48 hours prior to election day.
Donovan, an accomplished lawyer and former CEO, who with his wife had moved to town over three years prior, saw the town's mistakes and wanted to help solve problems and make the town more responsive to citizens who asked questions and shared ideas. He strongly advocated for transparency and openness in town government. While campaigning, he walked the town, knocked on doors and talked to people, even those he knew wouldn't vote for him. People, even those supporting Costigan, described him as honest, smart, respectful, and extremely likable.
Donovan won decisively.
The election results were reported the next day in a local paper, The Star Democrat. Donovan wins Oxford commissioner seat | Local | stardem.com
Quotes in the article from the candidates were enlightening as they showed the extremely different attitudes of the two men.
Donovan said, “Honest to God, I think this is a win for everybody in Oxford. There’s still a small number of people that may be upset by this, but I also believe that those people are just as important to the outcome as anybody else in town, and I will represent them as if they voted for me. I hope that I can earn their trust.”
Costigan's attitude was the polar opposite to Donovan's. He said he was disappointed with the results of the election and in some ways disappointed with the people of Oxford. “I’ve served in this town for 15 years, and they decided to bring on somebody new. I understand that, that’s their choice,” Costigan said.
One was ready to serve everyone. The other was bitter and angry at voters; they "disappointed" him. He seemed to think that his time in town meant he was entitled to the position regardless of whether he had done a good job as a commissioner or not. It was as if the election was completely about HIM, and not the citizens of the town.
The "small group with an agenda" that Costigan railed about turned out to be 223 people, more than half the residents of the small town. Yet, he couldn't even respect that result.
Remember Austin, the young Donovan supporter? His parents were part of the 223 voters who came from all political affiliations, all areas of the town, all races, all economic designations. Austin's Dad spent his childhood in Oxford and had been involved in helping the town with various projects. He was building his family's dream home in the town. Austin's Mom was born in Ukraine and came to the U.S. sixteen years ago. She has lived in town for two years. They both love the town and wanted "business as usual" to change.
They involved Austin in the process, taking him to town committee meetings, to the candidate's forum, and talking to him about what was happening and being said and WHY things were the way they were. In the candidate's forum, Austin wrote a question for the candidates regarding the "redesigned" Oxford baseball field and if he would ever be able to play baseball on it. It wasn't one of the questions selected to be asked. Still, he had participated in his own way.
This election in a small town teaches young people like Austin some important life lessons. Truth, humility, hard work, accountability and listening to the ideas and concerns of others are meaningful actions. Judging people by character rather than political party is imperative. Smear campaigns, deflection, denial of one's mistakes, and phony, meaningless slogans are divisive, unethical and ultimately ineffective.
The kids watch us, and they learn.
The election teaches us too. It means if we all pay attention to the truth, the end result will be the chance for a small town to get itself back on track and truly unify.
Now, Oxford is ready to start a new chapter. We hope that with new attitudes, new ideas, new vision instead of division, the damage of the past will fade. We hope that truth will be the habit rather than the exception. Make no mistake, we will hold our elected officials accountable.
We hope we have learned the lessons of a small-town election. Who knows, maybe we can extend those lessons to other elections as well.
All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.” – Galileo Galilei
SPECIAL NOTE: Some have commented from time to time that being a town commissioner is a '"thankless job" and we should applaud those who take on that role. We do. However, if one is going to run, they must understand the responsibility they have to the town. No one is perfect, but events and actions must be acknowledged and considered fairly. That's all people expect. When one's words and actions show otherwise, the public has the right to express their opinions.
The Tall Tales Campaign Signs Tell - The Easton Gazette
Tom Costigan And The Town Of Oxford: A Video - The Easton Gazette
Fact Checking Costigan At The Oxford Candidates Forum - The Easton Gazette
Oxford Election: Moving Forward Or Living In The Past ? - The Easton Gazette
