BERLIN — Incumbent Bud Church is being challenged for a fifth term as a County Commissioner in November by Berlin Councilman Zach Tyndall. The Dispatch caught up with both candidates this week to discuss their campaigns.
Bud Church
Worcester County Commissioner Bud Church hopes the knowledge and experience he’s acquired through decades of public service will again earn him a role in county government.
Church, who is serving his fourth term as a county commissioner, is the republican candidate seeking the District 3 seat in this fall’s election. He faces democratic challenger Zack Tyndall, a town councilman in Berlin.
Church says he likes serving the county and isn’t ready to give up the job.
“I will continue to serve as hard as I have,” Church said. “I’m available 24/7. I take the job very seriously. I enjoy being a county commissioner and I’d like to serve at least one more term.”
Church, who runs Coldwell Banker Bud Church Realty in Ocean City, spent 10 years on the Worcester County Board of Education before running for county commissioner. He said his initial decision to run was spurred by the county’s redistricting, which made him realize just how well he knew District 3 and its residents.
Church was elected in 2002 and has retained his seat ever since. He served as president of the Worcester County Commissioners from 2010 to 2014 and has served as the county’s representative on the Maryland Association of Counties (MACO) Legislative Committee and has been a member of several MACO subcommittees. He’s also a member of the Salisbury Wicomico Regional Airport Commission and the Atlantic General Hospital Board of Directors.
While he never intended to spend 16 years as a commissioner, Church says he’s come to love the role.
“Number one, I enjoy it,” he said. “Number two, I feel like I do a pretty good job. Number three, every time I think I might not run people say to me ‘Bud please run for another term.’”
Church said key issues for him have remained the same through the years. His primary concerns are education, emergency services and quality of life.
“The school system is my number one initiative,” he said. “I’ve always felt that education is the foundation for our county, state and nation.”
He noted that while the county had an excellent school system, he wanted to make sure it stayed that way. In the immediate future, he hopes to see education officials increase promotion of Worcester Technical High School and its various trade programs.
“What I’m noticing in my business right now is because the economy is booming — and I hear this almost every day — we do a number of rental properties and we’re looking for electricians and they’re too busy. We’re looking for plumbers and they’re too busy. We’re looking for carpenters and they’re too busy.”
Church said emergency services was also a top priority. He said that as a realtor, he’d noticed that while the school system was often a deciding factor for young families looking to purchase a home, healthcare was a priority for the older people looking for homes.
“We have the facilities at almost any neighborhood and location to provide healthcare,” he said, referencing the hospital and various satellite offices. “We provide a lot of our fire companies with a good bit of money and they do an excellent job. Providing the volunteer fire companies with what they need is a lot less expensive than having paid firemen. I don’t think we could hire enough paid firemen to do what the volunteers do.”
Church is also committed to protecting the Eastern Shore’s quality of life. He said he made a habit of voting in favor of conservation easements.
“I want to maintain the quality of life we have,” he said. “I don’t want every street or every corner paved.”
When asked why he was the best candidate to represent District 3, Church cited his experience, knowledge and desire to serve the citizens. He said he spent countless hours researching in advance of important votes, attending community functions and supporting education initiatives.
“I participate in every event I can,” he said. “These are the people who put me in office. I feel I owe them the responsibility and respect to attend these functions.”
Zack Tyndall
Berlin Town Councilman Zack Tyndall wants to bring what he calls a unique balance of education and experience to county government as he seeks election to the board of county commissioners.
Tyndall, a lifelong Berlin resident who has served as a town councilman since 2016, is running as the democratic candidate for the District 3 seat currently held by Worcester County Commissioner Bud Church.
“I believe coming from municipal government I have a unique understanding of our community’s needs…,” Tyndall said. “I think I have the right balance of education and experience to lead our community.”
Tyndall, a fourth-generation Worcester County resident, says he’s been a public servant since he was in high school.
“I am running for county commissioner because I believe in the future of Worcester County,” he said. “My wife and I are growing our family and this is where we want to raise our children. Currently, I serve as a town councilmember for the Town of Berlin where I work diligently to ensure the voices of my constituents are heard. I evaluate issues based on their facts and make the best decisions for the people I represent.”
Tyndall, who has a master’s degree in business administration, is active with the Maryland Municipal League and serves on the Hometown Emergency Preparedness Ad-Hoc Committee. He says he’s also enrolled in the Academy for Excellence in Local Governance, a professional development program through the University of Maryland School of Public Policy.
One of the key issues Tyndall is focused on is education. He said he was concerned about funding for education as well as student safety. He has a specific goal of seeing attendance increase at Worcester Technical High School. Tyndall said the skills and knowledge he gained participating in the county’s vo-tech program as a teenager served him well.
“It saddens me to see the school’s not being used to its full potential,” he said.
Tyndall also expressed an interest in increasing funding to Wor-Wic Community College.
“Last fiscal year, the county commissioners reduced funding for the school which ultimately led to tuition increases this year for all students,” he said.
Tyndall added that he was also concerned about the opioid epidemic, which he helped battle during his time as a paramedic, and the local economy. He believes the county needs more jobs.
“We need year-round employment so we can keep our talented residents here and working in our local economy,” he said, adding that he wanted to reduce burdensome regulations, increase business zoning and expand tax incentive enterprise zones.
Tyndall said he was also dedicated to funding local nonprofits and ensuring there was adequate affordable housing in Worcester County.
When asked why he was the best candidate for the District 3 seat, Tyndall said the county was at a tipping point.
“It’s time for a fresh face and it’s time to elect a commissioner that will fight for the people he represents,” he said. “We need someone that’s focused on Worcester County’s future, not a commissioner that’s already talking about retirement before starting a new term.”
Tyndall said despite Church’s 16 years in office, the job market was still seasonal and that locals were still leaving the county for better jobs elsewhere.
“We continue to lose talented resident in search of year-round jobs outside of the county and we continue to miss out on opportunities because he is unwilling to work with people who have different opinions,” Tyndall said.
