OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.NET
SEPTEMBER 29, 2017
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
LIFESTYLE
WINE ON THE BEACH Annual Ocean City festival to showcase 13 Maryland wineries, today and Saturday – Page 37
FREE
City Council brings Bereano on board for turbine trouble Lobbyist contracted for year at $65K to slow wind farms
LISA CAPITELLI/OCEAN CITY TODAY
LEADING THE CHARGE Eli Knox-Tadli, grandson of Stephen Decatur Head Football Coach Bob Knox, holds hands with co-captain Sam Todd while he gives five to Tyler Corrus. The 3-year-old helped lead the team onto the field for their game against Kent Island last Friday. See story on page 31.
Homeless more visible this season Indigent population stable, but more frequently sighted on Boardwalk by tourists By Katie Tabeling Staff Writer (Sept. 29, 2017) Ocean City officials have made the homeless population a priority, now that residents and visitors have spotted them more frequently on the Boardwalk this summer. “We have a plan that’s ongoing, from an operations standpoint, on how we’re addressing this issue,” Police Chief Ross Buzzuro told the council during the Sept. 18 session. “We’ve been very proactive throughout the summer and that is something we’ll
continue.” Earlier this month, Mayor Rick Meehan and Councilman Wayne Hartman asked Ocean City Police to keep an eye on the people who camp out on the boards. The City Council received several complaints on the matter, raising questions whether the homeless population is rising or harassing behavior is becoming more apparent. But Bruce Young, who runs Shepherd’s Crook food pantry, said the homeless population has always been here — it’s just that more people see them. “Right now, I can walk down to the Boardwalk and see a few of them by the Caroline Street Comfort Station,” he said. “They like to go there to get
out of the sun and it’s a bathroom. I’d say there’s about eight homeless people that live here year-round that we serve. Traditionally, we see 50 of them between May and October.” Shepherd’s Crook operates like a supermarket out of a small space on South Baltimore Avenue, five days a week. Every morning, guests quickly sign in and line up in front of a volunteer to get their daily rations. Neat rows of canned and packaged food, and toilet paper and bottled water, sit on wire racks behind the volunteer station. Next to the food distribution center, there’s a card table filled with frozen breakfast sandwiches, hot coffee and iced tea. Some guests, including the homeSee FEW Page 3
By Katie Tabeling Staff Writer (Sept. 29, 2017) Resort officials hired prominent Maryland lobbyist Bruce Bereano earlier this month to help get out a simple message about wind farms: move them out of sight. “I’d rather have him working for us than against us,” Councilman Wayne Hartman said. “It’s important to make it clear that we’re not against the wind farms. It can be done in a way that works for everyone.” Bereano, who has lobbied state lawmakers for special-interest groups for three decades, is the second-highest paid lobbyist in Annapolis. He was interviewed and hired by the mayor and council during a lengthy closed session on Sept. 12. The vote to bring on Bereano was apparently unanimous. Bereano signed a one-year contract for $65,000, which expires on Aug. 31, 2018. The contract includes a cap of $750 for expenses, such as mileage and parking fees. Councilmen Tony DeLuca and Matt James said Bereano’s experience would be crucial in Ocean City’s fight to move the turbines 23 miles offshore. “There is one chance to do this right, and there’s no one better at a state and federal level,” DeLuca said. “He knows everyone in Annapolis, he has the reputation, and he’s the right man for the job.” “He’ll be helpful to get our stance out there,” James added. “A lot of people ask us [the council] why we’re against green energy – and we’re not. We just don’t want to see the turbines.” When the Public Service Commission (PSC) approved two wind farm projects off the coast of Ocean City, many voiced concerns over the potential visual pollution the turbines could create. The U.S. Wind project See VISITORS Page 4