BERLIN – The House of Delegates District 38C seat is up for grabs Tuesday, as four Republicans look to win the seat currently held by Mary Beth Carozza.
With Carozza’s decision to challenge Senator Jim Mathias for his seat, the race is wide open and will be decided in next Tuesday’s primary since no Democrat filed and four Republicans are on the ballot. District 38C is comprised of approximately 39,000 voters from Worcester and Wicomico counties.
Wayne Hartman, an owner of a rental property business in Ocean City, is a first-term Ocean City council person who previously served on the Worcester County Planning Commission and the Worcester County Technical Advisory Committee.
Joe Schanno of Berlin has never held elected office but is no stranger to politics, serving as the director of Gov. Larry Hogan’s Eastern Shore campaign in 2014 and currently serving as special assistant to the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Ed Tinus of Whaleyville has never held public office and lists his occupation as a master upholsterer and universal mechanical technician.
The Dispatch presented three questions to the candidates and asked them to respond in writing. Their responses are below.
The fourth candidate, Jim Shaffer, is still on the ballot but has unofficially dropped his campaign. Shaffer did not respond to emails seeking participation.
Why should districts residents vote for you as delegate? Please give at least three specific reasons.
Hartman: I have been a taxpayer in District 38C for 31 years. I own a business and have property in this district. Three generations of my family live in Worcester and Wicomico counties. I am the caretaker of my elderly mother and father (a World War II veteran). I have firsthand knowledge of senior issues, veteran concerns and healthcare. My children were raised here on the Eastern Shore. My daughter is a schoolteacher and my son owns a small business and is a volunteer fireman.
Being a small business owner, I understand burdensome government regulations. I know the cost of payroll and how government fees affect the bottom line. As a councilmember, I eliminated the requirement to obtain permits to perform many small jobs as well as reduce excessive fees in other areas.
With over a decade of public service, I have demonstrated my commitment to our community by serving on various boards, school committees, commissions and I am honored to have been elected to the Ocean City Town Council. I have a record of cutting taxes and fees while managing a city budget of $130 million.
Schanno: I grew up here in the district, raised in Ocean Pines and I had my first jobs in Ocean City as a young adult. I’m a product of the Worcester County public school system and have chosen to stay here in the district and continue to make it my home. To sum it up, I want to take my conservative, Eastern Shore values, working knowledge of state government and legislation, and track record of supporting local Republicans to Annapolis to fight for our district and its values.
I have spent the last three years working on the legislative team for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, helping to craft legislation, promote good legislation and defend against bad bills. I have a working knowledge of the General Assembly that will allow me to be an effective delegate on day one. I also more accurately reflect the conservative values of our district. I’m Farm Bureau endorsed, have an A rating from the NRA and have always worked for and supported Republican candidates unlike others running for the same position.
Tinus: For God, country and community. To serve with transparent, interactive, representation. We have the technology for all voters to securely be engaged with the political process. We will have an App for your smart devises. A vehicle that will drive you to the open doors of legislation in Annapolis, from the comfort of your own home. Download bills and take an active role with digesting the verbiage. Citizens and government working together interacting on your rights, laws, taxes. Returning more power to the people of our community, regardless of your party affiliation. To protect the services for our DD 214 Veterans as well our first responders they are my real hero’s. To serve with
honesty, integrity, and morals to lead us into a better Maryland. Praying that my Trust in God as a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus, guides me to represent you well. Amen.
Do you think your lack of experience in Annapolis and working with state legislators is a positive or negative? Please explain.
Hartman: I do have experience working with the state legislation. I understand the legislative process. In my capacity as an Ocean City councilman and member of the police commission, I have worked with state officials including the current legislators as well as the governor. Oftentimes, we work with the Legislative Committee members to enable legislation such as the Special Event Zone during motor events and to obtain funding for the expansion of the Convention Center to name a few. This will result in millions of dollars of new revenue for the Eastern Shore and the State.
My constituents have benefited from my positive working relationship with the Eastern Shore delegation, other legislators across the bridge, and the governor. I have a working knowledge of the process and have a proven record of legislative accomplishments. I believe that offers me an advantage in Annapolis.
Schanno: I have significant experience in Annapolis as a member of the legislative team for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. My job included reviewing legislation and building relationships with legislators in the State House. I know the process of legislation from the initial idea and drafting of a bill, to committee, finding allies and building support, to finally landing on the governor’s desk. I want to use this knowledge and experience working in Annapolis to the benefit of our district.
Tinus: We stand at the edge of a great divide. On one side is our traditional method of representation. Where Wayne H. offers his O.C. councilmen experience of regulations, fines and taxes that gives him the ability to vote for you in Annapolis. Remember the tax payers of Worcester County are paying the local share of the Inlet dredging? Joe S. stands on this traditional side also. Working as a Hogan appointed DNR agent to follow the leadership of Mr. Hogan. Mr. Hogan signed HB 1302 into law. The unconstitutional gun regulations. Joe states that he will protect your gun rights?
Ed Tinus offers the leadership into real effective change. Standing steadfast calling for the evolution of representation through technology. Where citizens and government work together for a better Maryland. Both parties do not want the loss of power to the voters for intervention. I never ask for donations therefore I am not beholden to any special interest. The voters will hold me accountable
How do you see your first legislative session in Annapolis playing out? Do you have a specific legislative bill of local importance in mind you plan on introducing?
Hartman: I believe the 2018 election will be a pivotal year in Maryland for Republicans. With the popularity of Governor Hogan, I am confident that he will be re-elected. In addition, with five new Republican Senate seats we can sustain the governor’s vetoes. This will change Maryland for many years to come.
As far as the upcoming legislative session, I have been listening to the voters as I knock on doors in Worcester and Wicomico counties and I understand what issues are important to them. I will continue the dialog after the election so that I can craft an agenda that is current and relevant to our values and needs.
To date, there have been several issues that have seemed to resonate with the voters and have been heard repeatedly. The first issue is tax relief for our seniors. Many states are more enticing to seniors and we need to work to keep them in Maryland. A tax break on a portion of pensions may be the answer. The second issue is school security. This has already been addressed with school safety officers, but physical improvements to the facilities utilizing technology to harden our schools needs to be implemented in conjunction with that. We also need to work to provide relief from the burdensome regulations on our small businesses and farms. The recently enacted ‘Paid Leave Bill’ is a prime example of that. It is important that all involved parties are at the table to craft legislation that will help the employee and not penalize the employer.
Schanno: Gov. Hogan has been an advocate for the Eastern Shore that we have not seen in 50 years. My first session will be focused on economic development and healthcare reform. As your delegate, I will introduce legislation to lower the sales tax to be competitive with Delaware. Our high sales tax makes it hard for our family farmers and businesses to compete. Through my time knocking on over 2,200 doors, I have found that healthcare is one of the most pressing issues to our community, from the retiree in Ocean Pines, farmer to the business owner in Ocean City, we all agree that healthcare costs have grown out of control.
As your delegate, I will introduce legislation to allow community hospitals including Atlantic General and Peninsula Regional Medical Center to cut the red tape allowing them to be caregivers first and bureaucrats second. I will also introduce legislation that expands local control of education and keeps those who run Baltimore City and the city’s history of failing education out of our area.
Tinus: 1. Voting integrity, every election cycle some of our votes are mishandled, lost, or simply not counted. The archaic method of voting has outgrown itself. The State Board of Elections does its very best trying to upload paper ballots to intergrade with our technology. A few basic measures can make your votes more secure with little cost. That all forms of photo I.D. from MVA will have U.S. citizen displayed. That your voting registration is swipe stripe coded on the bottom back. This way when you move your voting registration is automatically transferred. Even in the event of death as your license expires so does your voting status. The merchant processing equipment can be adapted to this I.D. process, minimizing the cost and time.
- Our Constitutional rights are undermined and disregarded. Example: Our new law for gun control HB 1302 violates several laws. Our representatives have overstepped the boundaries of what The Maryland Constitution allows them to enact law of this Constitutional nature. We the people through a popular vote must first amend the Maryland Constitution granting our General Assembly the right to do so. The Republic and society has no checks and balances in place to hold our elected officials accountable. With the Ed App, a new level of communication will allow the voters to have a voice of repeal. We must not make laws that break laws.
3. Protecting Social Security, restoring the Chesapeake Bay, funding our first responders and education needs. To reduce taxes through wiser spending.
