48 Ocean Pines PROGRESS
OPINION
June - Early July 2014
Bunting, Helvey would make a dynamic Snow Hill duo COMMENTARY
M
edia endorsements are probably over-rated as to how influential they are in helping to shape voter turn-out and election outcomes. Given entrenched polarization and the unwillingness of many to consider viewpoints outside their political comfort zones, it’s a wonder that endorsement editorials are even noticed nowadays except by those most plugged into the process – the candidates themselves. The Progress has for the most part eschewed the endorsement business in recent election cycles. Sometimes it seems as if, to coin a phrase, there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between candidates. In many cases it simply doesn’t matter much (except to the candidates) who prevails once the votes are counted: The level and quality of representation and governance outcomes are more or less the same, regardless of who wins. In the case of one contest for Worcester County commissioner, however, the normal inclination not to endorse would amount to cowardice and journalistic malpractice. These are public, paid positions, after all: Worcester County’s government oversees a lot of what happens in Ocean Pines, including water supply and wastewater treatment services, not to mention what size check property owners write to the county to cover property and local income taxes. Three candidates are vying in the June 24 Republican primary in Ocean Pines’ District 5, with the winner to face a Democrat in the November general election. One of the three, Grant Helvey, has many sterling qualities and viewpoints about government generally, along with a keen understanding of county budget issues. His is known for his zealous aversion to government acquisition of private property for public use, a position which is perfectly rational but mostly not relevant in Worcester County, which is hardly a hotbed of governmental land purchase overreach and disputes over eminent domain abuse. County budget and tax issues trump any other consideration in the current economic environment. There’s also a Republican primary contest in the Northern District 6, which includes a portion of Ocean Pines (west and north of Ocean Parkway from the North Gate to the Wood Duck Isle sections south of Route 90). In this instance, there is one candidate, incumbent commissioner Madison “Jim” Bunting, who is head and shoulders above his primary competition, a retread former commissioner who’s looking to reprise some glory years in Snow Hill during which she accomplished nothing that comes to mind. Together, Helvey and Bunting would constitute a formidable team in Snow Hill representing Ocean Pines and the interests of taxpayers throughout the county.
No OPA member ramp fees From Page 47 policing by the OPA. On occasion tempers flare when boaters compete for access to the ramp. If regaining control over this amenity requires some weekend staffing, then so be it. It would be another minimum wage, part-time, summer-only job with no fringe benefits. The expense would be modest. In a June 4 work session of the Board of Directors, a group of Carriage Lane residents asked their elected representatives for better facility management, with ideas including an electronic gate to better control access and OPA staffing to monitor boat ramp usage and parking issues. While imposing ramp fees was mentioned as a possibility, the group as a whole seemed agnostic on
In District 5, all three Republican candidates probably would serve acceptably in Snow Hill, but Grant Helvey has been campaigning tirelessly as a dedicated fiscal hawk, someone who not only could be counted on to avoid raising county property and income taxes. He also would be aggressive in trying to cut the spending that makes no-tax-increase pledges credible. There is every reason to believe that he would join Bunting in a strong alliance that would dissect and trim staff spending proposals and work together to streamline county government, cutting the deadwood back where necessary and possible. Neither Helvey nor Bunting proposes to decimate county government or to defund the county’s school system; they simply are joined at the hip in wanting to right-size it. It’s Helvey who has taken up residence at the intersection of Ocean Parkway and Manklin Creek Road in recent weeks, waving to motorists with his “no tax increase” pledge signage. It’s Helvey who appears to have a modest lead in the sign wars along Ocean Parkway, indicating support for his candidacy from those willing to allow his signs. It’s Helvey who’s made a major commitment to communicating with his potential constituents through direct mail and other means. It’s altogether possible that his competitors would make an effort to restrain the county budget to the extent it’s possible to do so, given, among other factors, “maintenance of effort” requirements for education spending, roughly half of all county outlays. But Helvey sought out the Progress to make his case and he made a good one. He didn’t wait for the normal outreach that might be expected during an election season. It’s clear that Grant Helvey has a solid handle on county budgetary minutiae; he had obviously educated himself by consulting extensively with perhaps the most effective, well-informed and right-thinking county commissioner serving in Snow Hill, District 6’s Bunting. Helvey grasps what Bunting does and what some
of Bunting’s colleagues apparently do not: Because of the irresponsible drawdown of the county’s so-called budget stabilization fund, the time when that fund is depleted of resources is fast approaching (2018 according to Bunting), and that means the county is only a few short years away from facing some strong budgetary headwinds if policy-makers hope to maintain the county’s traditional low-tax environment. Not to mention what the drawdown could mean for the county’s superlative credit ratings that help keep the county’s borrowing costs much less than they would be otherwise. That’s an important consideration as a new Showell Elementary School is the next priority for the county’s school system capital budget. Bunting, directly responsible for county-funded drainage improvements in sections of Ocean Pines that are part of his district, deserves reelection on the strength of those improvements alone. Contrast his relatively low-cost engineering solutions with what, at the time, was the competing Ocean Pines Association proposal for a million-dollar-plus solution, including the possible purchase of the Beauchamp Road property that used to be the Pine Shore North golf course. Only a bank decision declining the OPA board’s $1.4 million offer prevented that disaster from happening. Bunting not only made major improvements to poor drainage conditions in Section 3, but he also almost single-handedly reversed the traction that had been gathering for a major OPA expenditure to “remove” excess stormwater from Ocean Pines. His solution took advantage of an existing stormwater pond in the nearby River Run subdivision. Similar idea to what OPA management had in mind, but at much less cost. Bunting, quite properly, is not taking sides in the June 24 District 5 primary, but it’s clear from his body language that he would be pleased if Helvey emerged victorious. At times, Bunting has been a lone voice for a fiscal sanity in Snow Hill, arguing for lower pay increases for county employees against the inclination by his colleagues for more generous raises that have the result of accelerating the drawdown of the budget stabilization reserve. Bunting’s position is that automatic raises for county staffers, including teachers, need to be more limited until such time as the county’s economy gains a stronger footing with higher real estate values and a more robust retail economy. Helvey would be a guaranteed ally of Bunting’s when those issues will be reprised in future budget deliberations. The Progress is pleased to endorse Grant Helvey and Jim Bunting in the June 14 Republican primary. – Tom Stauss
whether the OPA should impose them. At least one individual was adamant in his advocacy for the imposition of fees, and of course he’s entitled to his opinion. But the directors should appreciate the fact that the group was not there to lobby for more nickel and diming of OPA property owners who happen to be boaters. No doubt if the work session had been called to discuss the possibility of imposing fees on OPA members for boat ramp usage, an entirely different group of residents would have showed up to weigh in with their views. Their views with respect to fees are the ones that should truly matter the most, as they are the ones who would be asked to pay more for the privilege of living and owning property in Ocean Pines. The electronic gate option has a few administrative challenges. OPA members who want to use the boat
ramp would need to obtain a swipe card from the OPA membership office to gain access; and what’s to stop a property owner to lend his swipe card to a guest or friend? That sort of thing happens all the time at the Beach Club and the parking passes purchased by some OPA members. Perhaps some sort of bumper sticker or windshield decal could be issued along with a swipe card to add another means of controlling who comes and goes and parks their boat trailers in the adjacent parking lot. OPA members could receive their swipe cards and decals for no charge, while outsiders would pay for the privilege. Some who have been getting a free ride might decide to go elsewhere, which is OK, too. That means less waiting by OPA members who want to use the ramp for its intended purpose. – Tom Stauss
There is every reason to believe that Grant Helvey would join Jim Bunting in a strong alliance that would dissect and trim staff spending proposals and work together to streamline county government.