Captain Craig died this week. Like most locals, I have a few fond memories of him.
Over the years, I most often came in contact with him at the Phillips Beach Plaza with his wife, Virginia, and daughter, Mary Dale, but my most recent personal contact with the captain came after one of the Ocean City Beach Patrol’s memorial races held in his honor. I was on the beach taking pictures and spoke with him briefly, enough to get a quote from him about the event and his years of service on the beach. After the article, I heard from Craig, who was a little concerned about how his quotes would be perceived. In the article, he talked about how differently the patrol is operated currently compared to years ago. He was worried the comment would be interpreted as him thinking the patrol was better years ago without all the technology and other advancements used today.
Whether that was the case, I do not know, but I found it compelling that he wanted me to know he thinks today’s patrol is a wonderful operation and was merely marveling at the advances over the years. He did not want to be confused with other “old-timers,” to borrow a phrase from Insider. While he understood the huge contrasts, he wanted to be clear he was not viewed as one of those who thought things were always better in the past. Consequently, he asked me to consider publishing a clarification of his views. He wanted it made clear he admired how the patrol had changed and grown over the years. I always found that interesting.
The priorities seemed a bit out of order at City Hall this week. During this week’s meeting, about an hour was spent talking about this pesky Boardwalk sign ordinance, while only about 15 minutes was allocated to the Boardwalk bike hour change, which was addressed on the preceding page. Regarding the Boardwalk signs, I did not go back and count officially, but this paper has published probably 50 stories on Boardwalk signs in the last 10 years or so. This sign ordinance is relevant only if it’s enforced. The key is making sure all operators are subject to the same rules. That’s been a problem for a long time on the Boardwalk. Some businesses are allowed to put sandwich board signs on the Boardwalk even though they are located a block away, while oceanfront businesses are subjected to stringent requirements. Some businesses set up displays 20 feet in front of their stores, while others abide because they have been warned by the city. There needs to be consistency, and it’s my hope this latest ordinance achieves that. Enforcement is critical, and it will be evident early in the summer if the tweaking of the law has made any difference.
The county’s public school budget was approved this week by the Worcester County Board of Education. It will now essentially be ignored until the state’s Department of Education rules on a waiver from the County Commissioners seeking permission to ignore the state’s Maintenance of Effort law. While that hangs in the balance, it was interesting to look over some literature handed out during a couple meetings in Newark, specifically some numbers. Here’s a few to chew on:
–11,907: Average amount of money public schools spent to educate each child in fiscal year 2006.
— 2,584: State aid per pupil in dollars given to Worcester in last year’s budget. It’s allocated based on the taxable wealth base of the county. Only Talbot receives less at $2,336.
— 5,535: Statewide average.
— 10,457: Dollars per pupil Baltimore City receives from the state.
— 76: Percentage of last year’s school budget funded by the county, compared to 18 percent from the state and 6 percent from federal sources.
— 71: Percentage of white students in Worcester County schools, compared to 23 percent, black; 4 percent, Hispanic; and 2 percent, Asian.
— 1,192: People employed by the school system.
