BERLIN – After considerable soul searching and input from family, friends and colleagues, Worcester County Commissioner James “Bud” Church this week has decided to forego a run at the House of Delegates District 38-C seat and instead will seek re-election locally.
Church, who has served as the Worcester County Commissioners’ District 3 representative since 2002, said this week he has spent considerable time and energy recently considering a run at the District 38-C House of Delegates seat. The seat is currently held by Delegate Mary Beth Carozza (D-38C), who has already filed for the State Senate District 38 seat in the upcoming election in November.
Church said he attended a homeowners’ association meeting last week attended by around 65 of his current constituents and a straw poll of the attendees showed around a 50-50 split between him seeking the House of Delegates seat or staying home and seeking re-election to the Worcester County Commissioners’ District 3 seat. Similarly, he said at a fundraiser he attended over the weekend, of the 50-60 attendees, about 75 percent expressed a desire for him to stay local and continue to address unfinished business in Snow Hill.
Finally, on Sunday Church met with his immediate family members who told him they would support whichever direction he decided. Perhaps the clincher for Church was his wife laying out the option of spending three months in snowy, rainy Annapolis in the middle of winter or remaining home with his family and continuing to serve the people of Worcester County. With the support of his family, friends, constituents and colleagues, he ultimately decided to seek re-election to the Worcester County Commissioners in District 3, which encompasses much of West Ocean City and portions of Berlin.
“After long and hard consideration, I have decided I can serve the citizens of Worcester County better at the local level than at the state level,” he said. “I am going to try to do it one more time. This will be my last.”
Church has won the County Commissioners’ District 3 seat four times including three times beating worthy challengers and one time uncontested in 2010. He served as president of the County Commissioners from 2009 to 2014. Church has not yet filed for the County Commissioners District 3 seat but there are already challengers for the position. Those who have already filed for the seat are Republican Gary Millhoff and Democrat Zackery Tyndall, currently a Berlin councilmember.
