OC’s Useless Approach
Editor:
So, from what I am reading, the OC officials are still not thinking about cancelling all of these vehicle shows, which everyone I’ve spoken to wants to be done, but, wondering how to better police them. Stupid. Useless.
Of course, you know why the OC elected officials aren’t thinking of doing the right thing and cancelling the classic car shows, motorcycle shows and getting tough with these H2OI cars? From what I am told, elected officials in this town also have ownership of hotels, restaurants and shops in this town. So, they talk from both sides of their mouth. They cry “the city is under siege” but are still thinking about lining their pockets.
I also understand the city officials are not the only ones at fault. It sounds like the elected officials in Annapolis are not willing to enact laws to get tough with these punks that invade our city. Amazing how politicians from other parts of the state are charged with determining how to keep OC safe. Bring them down here for these events and let them see first hand what goes on.
Dumb.
Well, if these shows are, sadly, going to be allowed to be held, here are my suggestions as to the security measures that need to be implemented.
- On Coastal Highway, both north and southbound, from around 15 Street to the Delaware line, for these vehicle shows, build jersey walls on both side allowing only one lane of traffic in each direction. Then, have a “buffer zone” alongside this for buses, emergency and police. Let these drivers just sit in traffic all day taking hours to go one block and burning gas.
- During these vehicle weekends, supplement the OCPD with Maryland State Police, Worcester and Wicomico police and any other county police plus, and most importantly have the governor activate the Maryland National Guard. Have all these officials waiting in the “buffer zone” for the entire route.
- If anyone in the single lane begins to gun their engines causing loud backfires or burns rubber or attempts doughnuts, you pull them over into the buffer zone for ticketing.
- When ticketed, since this is a “special event zone,” you have a no tolerance policy. Summons should be starting at $750 up to $1,000. You also immediately impound the car. You have tow trucks on call to impound these cars to a lot where they are impounded till the event is over. In addition to the summons, the drivers pay the towing charge and the impound lot charge. They cannot get their cars till fines are paid and not until the work week begins.
- Finally, impose a curfew in Ocean City for the weekend starting at midnight until 6 a.m. The only people allowed at are emergency vehicle and people going to/from work.
Now, in addition to getting tough on these out of control drivers, it is also going to be tough on us, the tax paying, property tax paying citizens of Ocean City.
Since the city officials don’t have the “guts” to just cancel these vehicle events, us OC residents will be held hostage in our own homes for the weekend.
For the inconvenience of being forced to stay in our homes here in OC, every resident of Ocean City should be given a $500 voucher to be used for up to 90 days following the end of the event. This $500 voucher could be used in Ocean City hotels, restaurants and shops, the very ones the elected officials of this town have partial ties and ownership of in OC. Since they don’t want to do the right thing and just cancel all these shows because they are concerned about losing business in their hotels, restaurants and shops, then they can make a list of participating hotels, restaurants and shops and reward us taxpaying citizens of OC for having to endure all these animals that come in to town for these vehicle shows.
In my 69 years, I’ve come to learn that, if you want to hurt someone who has wronged you, you hit them in the pocketbook and wallet. Surrendering money is the hardest punishment you can inflict.
I guarantee you that, if you install all the measures I’ve listed above and keep them in place for all these events for three to four years, they will go elsewhere.
R.E. Derencz
Ocean City
x
Rockfish Partnership Needed
Editor:
It is truly a great pleasure to live by one of the greatest estuaries of the United States. It provides food, livelihoods and recreation for many of its inhabitants and neighbors. Now one of its treasures is being threatened. Our rockfish (striped bass) are ensuing threats to their existence and all our state’s inhabitants are threatened with it. There is no doubt that there are many faults to go around. This is not to point fingers as who’s to blame but instead to note that all must share in this recovery effort. Both the recreational and commercial fisheries should share in the recovery equally. The population of our striped bass will suffer long term if this is not addressed immediately.
Living in the Maryland coastal bays area, we have a somewhat tailored view. Recreational fishermen on the coast have a much smaller area to fish. We have a fishing limit of three miles into the Atlantic Ocean. Not many statistics exist for the coastal bays. Our keeper fish are 28 inches minimum (with a slot). Chesapeake Bay’s is 18-28 inches depending on the time of year. In the past several years, Marine Resource Information Program (MRIP) reported catch limits are declining with future stock spawn severely reduced. There are year-round rockfish in the coastal bays and local anglers know where they are. MRIP interceptors are not to go to private docks nor are they allowed to go on the water. In addition, they (the interceptors) are not used in the off-season. Currently MRIP has no catch statics for the Atlantic Coastal Bay area.
In order to provide numbers, MRIP is currently using New Jersey figures for the Maryland Atlantic Coastal area. This is not correct nor accurate. New Jersey catches far more striped bass then the recreational anglers on the Md. Atlantic Coast. Using the N.J. catch data inflates our catch numbers, thereby penalizing us.
We at the Atlantic Coast Sportfishing Association (ACSA), helped the Md. Department of Natural Resources capture data for a Recreational Harvest Estimate Project in 2011. In order for the coastal bays catch to be recognized, we need our local anglers to provide catch data approved by Md. DNR. The ACSA is more than willing to be of assistance again. If you would like to discuss this further, we at the Atlantic Coast Sportfishing Association are available.
We also believe that both the recreational and commercial sectors should accept the same percentage reduction in catch. We must all work together to restore and preserve striped bass.
Ron Smith
(The writer is the president of the Atlantic Coast Sportfishing Association.)
x
Name Calling Shameful
Editor:
Jorge Delgado announced he is going to enter the Republican primary for Congressional District 1 and challenge Congressman Andy Harris. Shortly after Jorge’s announcement, Andy Harris went on the Mike Bradley radio show and attacked Jorge as a Rhino, a carpet bagger, a Washington insider, an establishment plant and Never Trumper. All of these are totally false. There is not an ounce of truth to any of them.
Jorge and his wife Catherine live in my neighborhood in Caine Woods. Jorge is from Maryland and a lifelong conservative. Jorge was the chief financial adviser to Senator Corey Gardner of Colorado and has worked with a number of other Congressional Republicans. Jorge is a strong supporter of President Trump and has worked to defend and grow the Senate for President Trump, and prevent Chuck Schumer from becoming the majority leader. He helped grow the Senate from 51 to 53 seats, despite a “blue wave in 2018.” He worked for a senator who helped confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, 100-plus federal district court judges and all of President Trump’s nominees. Jorge Delgado organized and ran President Trump’s 2018 Wheeling, W.Va.’s event.
This young gentleman who has held a number of congressional staff positions has pride and principles and a passion for our state of Maryland. He has a proven record of being a strong conservative throughout his professional career and has always supported our Commander and chief.
It is disgusting to see what is happing in Washington, and how our President is being treated. This has been a circus lead by elites, the mainstream media and radical democrats. It is young energetic conservatives like Jorge Delgado, who needs to take on the system and these socialists who are eroding the values in this country. We are in a new era; it is time the Republican Party wakes up and recognizes the urgent need for us to counter these angry democrats.
Our congressman has been around for a decade, it’s clear he can’t go toe-to-toe with Nancy Pelosi, the squad or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. We need leaders who are going to defend our president, show enthusiasm and pride for our country and bring common sense back into the discussion. Those who know Jorge Delgado know he believes in liberty, freedom and most importantly the constitution. He is the right person for this exact moment. I applaud his courage to take on the system, that clearly doesn’t want to see any change, and are doing nothing to support our party or protect our president.
Greg De Marco
Ocean City
x
Home Tour A Huge Success
Editor:
On behalf of the Art League of Ocean City, thank you to everyone who made this year’s 15th Annual Sand Castle Home Tour a record breaking year. The proceeds from this event continue to provide sustaining funds to support our nonprofit mission of promoting artistic expression and appreciation for the creative arts in our community, and help to keep the Ocean City Center for the Arts free and open to the public. The tour showcases the many beautiful residential communities in our area, as well as the builders, decorators, contractors, restaurants, and others who provide amenities that support our local economy and the arts.
It truly takes a village to run this event, and we are so grateful to the 314 volunteers who worked as docents during the tour. Many return to help each year, and some are representatives from other non-profits in the area.
We would like to thank Maryland’s First Lady, Yumi Hogan, for again being our 2019 honorary chairperson. Our gratitude also goes out to the gracious homeowners who opened their doors for the tour: Dorothy Mooney, Harry and Gina Holmes, Pamela Mason, Barry and Ruby Spector, Tom and Debbie Clark, Tim and Bonnie Moore, Andy and Cathy Jones, Sue and Mel Braun, Kari Story, and Pete and Cheryl Szymanski. Thank you, as well to our Home Tour committee members — Mary Ellen Rosenblit, Ryan Wilde, Karen Hunter, Katy Durham, Nancy Fortney, Marian Bickerstaff, Eileen Salafia, Sheila Harding, Emmy Challenger, Linda Kessinger, Debbi Dean-Colley, and Elaine Bean — who worked many months to coordinate the tour.
Thank you to the florists who provided spectacular arrangements for the homes: Debbi Dean-Colley and Su Fiske of the Art League, Bleached Butterfly, Flowers by Alison, Kitty’s Flowers, Ocean City Florist, Ocean Greenery Florist, Inland Bays Garden Center, Ocean Pines Garden Club, The Barefoot Gardeners, and the Worcester County Federated Garden Club. We are grateful to all of the artists who painted the fabulous home portraits: Jim Adcock, Nancy Ellen Thompson, Robin Foreman, Kathy Bohs, Rebekah Simonds, Sandy Glassman, Tinsel Hughes, Ellie Scott, Gerilyn Gaskill, and Cheryl Wisbrock. Thank you as well to Atlantic General Hospital for the blue booties, and Blue Water Development for the tour bags.
Our appreciation goes out to our valued media partners — Ocean City Today, Maryland Coast Dispatch, Coastal Style Magazine, and Delmarva Public Radio — and to the 50 local businesses who advertised in the tour book. We thank the restaurants that provided gift certificates for our raffle: Blu/Embers, Bonfire, Fager’s, The Hobbit, Hooked, Longboard Café, Liquid Assets, Marlin Moon, Mio Fratello and Sello’s.
Finally, to the 1,000 people who took the tour, thank you for coming. We hope you enjoyed the beautiful residences of our area and look forward to seeing you at the Ocean City Center for the Arts on 94th street, and in September 2020 for the 16th annual Sand Castle Home Tour.
Rina Thaler
(The writer is the executive director of the Art League of Ocean City and Ocean City Center for the Arts.)