OC Today-Dispaatch NOVEMBER 15, 2024
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Sobering legislative outlook Plaintiff drops With state facing billion-dollar budget gap plus $3 billion hole in transportation funding, OC chamber lobbyist says money for local projects could suffer. PAGE 12
Short-term rental hearing Resort’s planning commission will take a look at proposed regulations for residential neighborhoods. PAGE 66
houseboat suit against resort Operator challenged City Council decision not to allow vessel to be used as short-term rental. Now it’s gone from Dorchester Street marina. PAGE 16
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NOVEMBER 15, 2024
OC Today-Dispatch
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OC Today-Dispatch
Judge Gerald Purnell retires from District Court bench By Brian Shane Staff Writer (Nov. 15, 2024) Judge Gerald V. Purnell, the Eastern Shore’s first African-American District Court judge, has retired after an 18-year career on the bench. His last day was August 31, according to online records. Purnell was appointed by former Gov. Robert Ehrlich and began his judgeship in 2006. Of the seven people who applied for the job, he was the only African-American applicant. He also served since 2013 as the administrative judge for Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties. His successor in that role has been named as Judge Melvin J. Jews, out of Dorchester County, according to the state judiciary. Prior to becoming a judge, Purnell served from 2003 to 2005 as a deputy state’s attorney in Dorchester County. He also was legal counsel to Ocean City’s Board of Zoning Appeals from 2001 to 2002, according to online records. A 1978 graduate of Bucknell University, Purnell earned his law degree in 1978 from the Antioch School of Law, now part of the University of the District of Columbia. Moving forward, it could take
months for Gov. Wes Moore to name a replacement. A judicial nominating committee first must accept applications and narrow down the candidates. Then the committee would hold one-on-one roundtable interviews before eventually giving their shortlist to the governor for review. Applicants’ names are a matter of public record. While three applicants already have been vetted at the state level as applicants for an District Court opening – local attorneys Michael Farlow, Regan Smith, and David Gaskill – other candidates may express interest and apply once the vacancy is formally announced. Maryland’s governor last appointed a new District Court judge for the Eastern Shore in 2022, when Gov. Larry Hogan named Cathi Coates to fill the opening created by the retirement of Judge Daniel Mumford. Coates became the first woman ever named to the District Court bench in Worcester County. The list of applicants to succeed Mumford in 2022 included Coates, Patrizia Coletta, Farlow, Gaskill, Steven Rakow, Smith and Kristina Watkowski. After vetting the applicants, the Judicial Nominating ComSee JUDGE Page 6
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