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August 16, 2013
The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch
Page 43
The Dispatch
Forever In Memory Of Our Founder, Dick Lohmeyer (May 25, 1927-May 5, 2005) The Dispatch, Serving Greater Ocean City Since 1984, Is Published By Maryland Coast Dispatch Inc. Weekly On Friday Mornings MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 467 Berlin, Md. 21811 PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 10012 Old Ocean City Blvd. Berlin, Md. 21811 PHONE: 410-641-4561 FAX: 410-641-0966 WEBSITES: www.mdcoastdispatch.com www.facebook.com/thedispatchoc J. STEVEN GREEN Publisher/Editor editor@mdcoastdispatch.com
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
New Parking Fees Will Hurt OC Rentals
Editor: The goal to increase revenue for the Town of Ocean City via paid onstreet parking is not going over well with Ocean City vacationers. Visitors this summer season have shared with our Ocean City rental staff that if the town continues to move in the direction of paid on-street parking that they have invested their last dollars to the OC economy. Several vacationing families have mentioned to us that they have other choices and these are folks that have been vacationing in Ocean City for many years. I heard Ocean City vacationers say this week when checking out that they had experienced the paid parking situation in north Ocean City while on vacation this past week. These families along with other vacationing families shared that they have had boycotted businesses, primarily one well-known established Ocean City restaurant, because they heard and/or read that the business was in favor of onstreet paid parking. Whether it is the sequester, the weather or possibly competitive vacationer destinations or a combination thereof impacting our vacationers, we have seen the vacation rentals in our Maryland beach rental operations decrease 5 percent as compared to last year, the first decrease since 2006. Several friends that are real estate brokers in Ocean City have shared that they are experiencing similar downturns in their mini-week and weekly summer vacationer business. In light of this development, it will be highly counterproductive to implement fees, such as the on-street paid parking, that will anger and discourage vacationers from visiting Ocean City. Finally and respectfully, our town leaders should always seek compromises. The current political divisiveness is very disturbing and rather the subsiding it seems to continue to ratchet up. Let’s get a grip; we have our town’s future at stake. Jim Waggoner Ocean City (The writer is the vice president of Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.)
Between The Lines
By Publisher/Editor Steve Green
Md. Comptroller Peter Franchot was joined by other local elected officials yesterday in Ocean City to once again stress the importance of Maryland schools adopting a uniform post-Labor Day start. Currently, all 24 Maryland public school systems start ringing their bells before Labor Day. Worcester County starts Aug. 26. Two school systems – Frederick and Prince George’s County – actually return on Monday, Aug. 19. While this is not a new pitch, what was different about this week’s initiative is Franchot was armed with an economic impact report compiled by the Bureau of Revenue Estimates. According to the report, Ocean City will see an estimated 29,417 new day trips, 14,206 new overnight trips and approximately $33.5 million in new economic activity. The report finds, “Due to this increase in economic activity, over $930,000 in new wages would be generated. Ocean City would see a significant amount of new wages because of its large number of seasonal employees. This wage increase is not necessarily correlated with new jobs because it is likely that seasonal employment would be extended to accommodate the larger summer vacation period.” A task force has been formed to address the issue and is expected to make a recommendation to the General Assembly in the next session, which starts in January. This needs to happen in Maryland, and it will surely help our tourism-based area. School calendars will need to be shifted dramatically and it’s possible winter vacation breaks will have to be shortened as a result, but I think it’s worth it and will favorably impact all corners of Maryland. There has been much debate over whether certain people are being too negative about current affairs in Ocean City or if some are being too optimistic with their heads buried in the sand. Some of this week’s letters to the editor touch on that debate, and Long and Foster Vice President Jim Waggoner’s letter raises some huge concerns. In his letter, Waggoner, who has been at the helm of the company’s rentals for years, maintains renters are barking about paid parking and have concerns the city will be further expanding paid parking in the coming years. Read his letter for more on that. At this point, I think the Ocean City Mayor and Council needs to address this issue proactively. It will probably never happen, but it seems logical to me with all the uproar over paid parking inevitably being broadened throughout the resort for the council to simply issue a public pledge that next year there will be no more paid parking areas. The council cannot go beyond that because there is an election in 2014 that could shake up the seats, but it’s an easy move for this council if it sees fit. Just issue a press release far and wide that Ocean City will not add any paid parking to town in 2014 and that it will not be a discussion during budget season. That will help dispel some of these concerns that apparently are negatively impacting the rental market as well as other industries. On similar lines, it will likely be September before we know if Ocean City voters will be weighing in on the recently added parking meters. City Clerk Kelly Allmond said this week the Board of Elections is scheduled to meet next week to review the 1,700-plus signatures on the petition and that results will come in three weeks most likely. If the minimum amount is reached, the paid parking areas added this year will be removed, and the council will have to decide on when the referendum vote will be held – in a special election or during the fall election of 2014. The latter I hear is favored.
NEWS DEPARTMENT
SHAWN J. SOPER News Editor Sports Editor
ssoper@mdcoastdispatch.com
JOANNE SHRINER Staff Writer
joanne@mdcoastdispatch.com
TRAVIS BROWN Staff Writer
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SALES DEPARTMENT
TERRI FRENCH Account Executive Entertainment Editor
terri@mdcoastdispatch.com
JEANETTE DESKIEWICZ Account Executive
jeanette@mdcoastdispatch.com
MANETTE CRAMER Account Executive
manette@mdcoastdispatch.com
ART DEPARTMENT
CINDY WARD Art Director
art@mdcoastdispatch.com
JENNIFER T. O’BRIEN Graphic Artist COLE GIBSON Graphic Artist Webmaster
BUSINESS OFFICE
PAMELA GREEN Bookkeeper Classifieds Manager
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No Beach Alcohol Campaign Needed
Editor: When I was a cop, one of the first things taught was the difference between the letter and spirit of the law. The letter of the law dictates everyone gets arrested for every infraction of the law all the time. Charge everyone and let the judges dispense the mercy. If all police departments enforced the laws by the strict letter of the law, their police officers would not be issued warning books or be able to exercise discretion when performing their duties. I know of no such department. The spirit of the law is what allows police officers to have warning
The Maryland Coast Dispatch (USPS #015125) is an official and legal newspaper for Worcester County. Periodical postage paid at Berlin, Maryland, and additional mailing offices.. The Maryland Coast Dispatch, 10012 Old Ocean City Blvd., Berlin, Md. 21811, is published weekly on Friday mornings, 52 weeks a year. Subscription rates are $75 per year, $55 for six months. POSTMASTER: Please send change of address to Maryland Coast Dispatch, P.O. Box 467, Berlin, Maryland 21811. Maryland Coast Dispatch offices are located at Route 346 and Graham Avenue, Berlin, Maryland.
books and discretion. It is what allows those troopers working speed enforcement on Route 50 to pull over and ticket the most egregious of speeders, while allowing those going six, seven, eight or nine over the limit to continue on their way. Where I worked there was a huge outdoor pavilion where national music acts would come and perform before nearly 10,000 fans. One such band, The Grateful Dead, was an especially testy concert to work because of the Dead Heads and the drugs this swarm of fans brought with them. Now we knew possessing marijuana was/is illegal and we could smell it burning everywhere. The police officers present, in their limited numbers, could drive themselves batty searching for and looking to arrest the thousands of fans who were sitting calmly and discretely smoking a joint and watching the concert, or we could, and did, exercise discretion, not to mention good judgment, looking for those patrons who were there to deal marijuana and harder drugs, become intoxicated and disorderly, or show absolute-
ly no good judgment by openly smoking their joint in front of us. Our mission was not to let the few goofballs ruin the concert experience for the majority or allow them to create a personal or public safety problem. I see this alcohol consumption on the beach in Ocean City issue pretty much the same way. I, and most, understand the spirit of the law: Don’t allow people to become intoxicated, rowdy, ruin it for the people around them, and create a personal and public risk going into the ocean intoxicated. I doubt Ocean City really wants to prevent the guy who is spending his one week’s vacation time, and $5,000 for a week in Ocean City with his family, from discretely enjoying a few cans of beer between playing with the kids or grandkids in the sand. My experience is the seasoned lifeguards in Ocean City get this. They only intervene when someone is drinking openly from a can or bottle as if no prohibition exists. If you discretely pour it in a cup and don’t act like an idiot, they know what you are doing, but like a good cop exerSEE PAGE 44
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