BERLIN — With West Ocean City booming, Worcester County Commission hopeful Michael Maykrantz wants to help his community maintain its heritage as the population continues to grow.
A career fire fighter and paramedic with the Town of Ocean City, Maykrantz is emphasizing public safety and community planning in his bid for the District 3 commission seat, which is currently held by Commission President Bud Church, who has held his seat since 2002.
Maykrantz never expected to get involved with politics. But having watched the population in his district spike in the last decade, he wants to take a leadership role in the county to make sure that the continued transformation of West Ocean City is a positive one.
“I have a broad sense of what’s going on in the community and the county,” said Maykrantz, who serves as the Vice President of the West Ocean City Association, “and I feel like I would be a good representation of some of the issues that should probably be addressed or maybe some progressive things, moving forward with some different things.”
Because of his background as a fire fighter and paramedic, serving with the Ocean City Fire Department (OCFD) since 1989 and serving in the Career Fire Fighter Paramedics Association of Ocean City as its long-time president and union officer since 1999, Maykrantz has a keen interest in public safety. As a commissioner, he would push for better emergency response coverage in West Ocean City.
“We don’t have a staffed ambulance crew in West Ocean City,” he noted.
Instead, the area is covered by Ocean City with a contract from Worcester. The fractal response of an ambulance into West Ocean City is between seven and nine minutes, according to Maykrantz. Placing a staffed ambulance across the bridge could cut that time in half, he predicted.
“The bottom line is that is just too long for an ambulance to get to somebody’s house,” Maykrantz said. “That’s just a political thing between the town of Ocean City and the county about how it’s going to be paid for.”
Maykrantz would also like to see further extension of county water services into West Ocean City, primarily to improve fire hydrant coverage. At the same time, an extension of water services for the hydrants would allow more residents the option of hooking up to county water.
Another public safety focus Maykrantz would want to explore is how the impact funds generated by the Casino at Ocean Downs could be used to improve infrastructure in West Ocean City. Currently, Ocean City, Berlin and Ocean Pines, as well as Worcester at large, receive a portion of the casino’s revenue which is generally applied to public safety, roadwork and the like.
Though West Ocean City is heavily impacted by the casino, the community receives no funds directly, and Maykrantz would want to consider devoting some of the county’s cut to improvements in the area such as the addition of a staffed ambulance.
In addition to public safety, Maykrantz’ main concern is fostering growth in his district while fighting sprawl and protecting West Ocean City’s “maritime and cultural heritage.” The population in the area has spiked 38 percent between 2000 and 2010, according to Maykrantz, and fragmented development is a danger.
“The growth will continue but we can start to manage it now so what the community looks like in 20 years will be more of a coordinated effort than individual pieces,” he said.
As the district booms, Maykrantz would like to see more affordable housing built.
“It’s bad that a person can get approved to buy a house but they can’t afford to buy one in the community,” he said.
Maykrantz also favors a greater emphasis on alternative energy in the county as well as supporting locally produced food and the consideration of community recycling. One special project that Maykrantz wants to examine would be a potential community center at the north end of the county. It could include space for aquatics and sports, and Maykrantz envisions a public/private partnership to develop the center.
Whether any of these projects are developed, Maykrantz believes that he has experience and community ties that will help his district and the county.
“I have a well-rounded view, I think, of the issues out here and what people feel,” he said, “how people feel the county ought to move forward in this area so we can continue to have our lifestyle.”
As a commissioner, he wants to be involved with updating the County Comprehensive Plan. He also hopes to work to dissolve any feelings of contention between Berlin, Ocean Pines, Ocean City and West Ocean City. None of the areas should have an “adversarial relationship,” said Maykrantz, but too often squabble over jurisdiction or funding.
Maykrantz has filed for District 3 as a Democrat. As it stands, he will face incumbent Church in the general election next fall. However, because filing is still open, Maykrantz could potentially face another Democrat in a primary election this June.