(12/30) Greetings Citizens of Walkersville, Happy New Year. I hope you had a safe and happy Holiday Season with lots of time spent with family and friends. First let me extend my sincerest gratitude for all of the support you have shown me and my family during the latter part of 2022. Your support and encouragement are overwhelming, and are what fuels us to take the next steps in returning to my seat as Town Commissioner. Many of you are aware of what transpired last fall regarding my removal as your elected Commissioner. Ultimately my fellow Commissioners opted to not excuse me from two Town Meetings in a row and chose not to accept my attendance by phone in the third, thus removing me from my Commissioner’s seat. They upheld their choices during the public hearing I requested to appeal their original decision.
This left me with two choices: file a legal appeal through Frederick County courts, or wait for a special election. While I am confident I would have won in court, I could not justify funding a legal case with our family budget. A wise friend suggested I consider whether it is more important to be right, or to be successful. I am confident in my "right" choices, but my ultimate goal is to again, successfully serve as your Commissioner for the Town of Walkersville, if you so choose. Therefore, I waited for the Town to announce a special election, and by the date of this printing, I will have again registered as a candidate for Commissioner of Walkersville. I humbly ask for your support and vote on February 13 at Town Hall.
After nearly two years of searching, I am thrilled to be working in my new position as a flight instructor for a major airline! Training was rigorous but you want your pilots to be the best they can be, which means that we as instructors have a huge responsibility as well. My current schedule is no different than when I was first elected in 2018 while I was an airline pilot. To clarify, my work schedule is flexible and largely controlled by me. Flight instructing happens seven days a week, as does airline flying. It is a non-traditional lifestyle but the only one our family has known, so it is normal to us. Serving as your commissioner is a top priority for me. In addition, I have a full-time job, I serve in the Air National Guard, and Celeste and I have two sons who actively participate in events at Walkersville Middle and High Schools and other area sports and organizations.
Regardless of the demands on my time (no different from any other adult with a job and/or kids out there!), I have always been and will continue to be effective in serving as your elected Commissioner. Our family’s involvement in numerous schools and activities make me more accessible to a larger cross section of our town population. I have one of the best response rates of any elected official to citizens’ concerns via any form of contact. I regularly bring citizens’ issues before the board and, with the exception of Commissioner Bailey, I have presented more new initiatives to the board than any other representative. My biggest accomplishments include a 12.5% property tax reduction and the creation of the Walkersville Wire which is now utilized multiple times per week and changed how our Town Office communicates with our citizens.
Speaking of Commissioner Michael Bailey, I would like to thank him for his exceptional service to our Town. As someone who also puts his family first, I cannot fault him for his intent to resign at the end of January as his family relocates. This is a significant loss for the rest of us. He has been instrumental in many new initiatives to make progress in Walkersville, not only of his own but also as a supporter of projects and initiatives I have presented. We have not always agreed but he has always been able to explain his reasoning and challenge me to improve upon my own ideas. He is a trusted friend and I will miss him.
As a result of his pending move, Walkersville is now in a dynamic situation. There is already a special election scheduled for the spot the other Commissioners felt I vacated. With your support, I am confident that I can win this election. Candidate registration opened on Monday, December 19th and closes January 17, with voting taking place on February 13 at Town Hall. But now there is another open seat to fill, and a few options to consider.
Commissioner Baker, at the December Town meeting stated several options for filling Commissioner Bailey’s spot, several of which involve an appointment. This is not an appropriate approach, as none of these options protect voters’ choice. They include:
- Appoint a runner up from the 2021 election (the voters clearly chose 5 others).
- Appoint the second-place finisher from the upcoming special election. I find this to be shortsighted. Without ranked choice voting this would not work. Whoever the citizens choose in the special, they are not choosing a second candidate. By only voting for one candidate in this election, a second choice candidate will not be legitimately chosen out of these votes. If you were allowed to vote for up to two, the second place finisher would numerically be the second choice. This will not be the case here.
- Appoint someone else from Walkersville. I can’t even explain how bad an idea this is. While this option is legal under the code, it disregards all public opinion and discredits our ability as voters, to make the best choice for our next Commissioner. Period.
The only reasonable solution Commissioner Baker stated would be to hold another special election. This is by far, the best option. An election protects our rights to elect our next Commissioner to represent all of us to the Town of Walkersville. I have heard arguments against having two special elections this spring, due to the cost. The Town Commissioners chose to spend over $8,000 of our tax dollars (legal fees, etc) to remove me from office and hold the upcoming special election. I don’t think an additional $1,000 is too much to invest in protecting our democracy and the right to vote. Actually, I think it is a disservice to not spend that additional money to allow our voices to be heard. Please contact your Commissioners through Town Hall to request that another election be held to fill this additional open seat!
I hope to see you at the polls on February 13!! Please request an absentee ballot through the Town of Walkersville if you are not able to vote in person, keeping in mind the weather can be unpredictable in February. If you have questions or suggestions, as always please feel free to reach out via michael.mcniesh@hotmail.com or my Facebook page. I look forward to hearing from you and hopefully serving you again soon as your elected Commissioner of Walkersville. Again, my family and I sincerely thank you for your support, encouragement and tireless efforts to maintain our great town and protect your rights as its citizens.
Happy New Year, Walkersville!!
