Should Wicomico eliminate executive position? Idea splits residents at hearing

Residents of Wicomico County were split during Tuesday's public hearing on a proposed charter amendment to be put on the ballot to move away from the county executive system of government.

The special session, held at the Wicomico County Civic Center, included a bevy of comments that backed County Executive Julie Giordano for what supporters called "improvements" to the county. Detractors cited the increasing costs requested by the Office of the County Executive for salaries and other expenses in the department as well as the often contentious and subsequently litigious breakdown of the relationship between the two parties.

"The executive position is worth fighting for whether I'm in it or not," said Giordano. "The two branches of government create a balance of power and a check and balance system. The (county council) has created a whirlwind of uncertainty that has affected our employees and morale of this county. You have created instability in our government."

Giordano added such "power grabs" by the council could impact the county's bond rating, which it uses as leverage to raise money for municipal projects.

"We have a county council that is willing to ignore the vote of the people, ignore the latest review of the charter committee and try to change the very fabric of our government. Four of them have stated they won't run again, so their thought is to leave the county in the hands of four new councilmembers and an unelected bureaucrat," Giordano said.

Finally, she cited her 80-hour work week in her efforts to fulfill her duties, which "has accomplished more in 18 months than the county council has in a decade," she argued.

Giordano stated if the measure makes it to the ballot and the position is dissolved, she will run for county council.

More on past presidential visits Why at least five of the last six US presidents have come to one Western Maryland airport

Supporters say move to eliminate executive would 'usurp the power'

Although residents voted to move to a county executive system 18 years ago in an initial election to change the county charter, many argued enough time has passed to assess if it was still the right fit.

"I'm here to ask you to vote 'no' on moving the referendum forward," said Linda Luffman of Delmar. "Over 57% of Wicomico County voters voted to put the office in place. By going moving forward with this, you're taking away the votes of all those who voted for this system of government. The people already decided on this, and 18 years ago is not that long ago."

Other residents characterized the proposed ballot issue as outrightly taking the power away from the public that elected the members of the Wicomico County Council in the first place.

"The three forms of government were set up to protect our freedoms. I think what the (county council) is trying to do is usurp the power that was set up by those forms of government. Since the first county executive, there have always been issues between the two, and I think the public will speak up again and want a county executive," said Barry Beachum, a resident of the county.

More on swimming and bacteria levels Are swimming hotspots safe from high bacteria levels? Here's who's testing them find out

County resident Tom Taylor said he initially voted against the county executive form of government, but now supports keeping the office.

"I voted against the county executive 18 years ago because I didn't want to spend more money on more useless government," Taylor said. "I changed my mind and I want to stick with the county executive, because I believe she's doing a great job for the community. I've seen what a string county administrator can do, so please vote 'no' on this referendum."

Residents like Dave King suggested that any changes to the county charter of this nature should come from the public directly in a petitioned referendum rather than being launched by the county council.

Dectractors say executive post too 'expensive' for the county

Support for the ballot initiative to eliminate the executive post came from county residents who questioned if the expense of having the position was worth the issues growing in scope between the two county entities.

"Add the referendum so the voters can decide if we still want the county executive form of government for our small county," said Joe White. "We're currently the smallest county in Maryland by population to use this form of government. The excessive and increasingly expensive funding of this form of government is not worth our taxpayer dollars. Our executive branch is growing in budget by 15% in FY25 after an initial growth of 20%."

White noted that was far from sustainable for the county.

Others like resident TJ Mumford added that while he initially voted for the move to the new type of government, he has since changed his mind, saying it has become a financial boondoggle.

"Years ago, I voted to establish this type of government and the vote was well-intentioned," Mumford said. "It was cast to create fiscal responsibility, a responsible government and a positive addition to the county council. Unfortunately, none of this has occurred. This has resulted in threatened lawsuits and wasted financial resources."

While some public comments centered on negative experiences with Giordano herself, others highlighted the overall negative impact of the office.

"I'm embarrassed by what has occurred between the council and the county executive," said Holly Campbell. "I help move in to and out of this county every day and I listen to what they say about why they want to stay or leave. Our county ranks very low in a number of categories. I know what it's like to be treated badly by executive government, and I feel the Shadow Hills community has been treated like dirt."

Campbell noted many in the public are unaware of how the county executive fails to listen to constituents.

Former county attorney Robert Taylor added the issue should be put on the ballot since many only disagree "because it was already decided," he said in his comments.

"There's now at least 35% to 40% of the electorate that wasn't here in 2004 in this county. We've had two charter review commissions, and they didn't want to touch the issues since they didn't want to second-guess voters. So let's give the voters a chance to look at it again, since we've had 18 years of experience," Taylor said.

More on new businesses Sugar Water open at Washington Inn, Centre at Salisbury retail hub | What's Going There

What comes next?

The County Council will now further debate the issue of putting the elimination of the county executive post on the ballot before putting the measure to any kind of vote.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Wicomico council proposes cutting executive post, splitting residents