(4/2023) March 16 marked my 100th day as your County Executive. My team and I have spent the first few months meeting with staff and stakeholders to better understand where we’ve been and the course the county is currently set on. I have been so impressed by the dedicated work of our county staff at all levels, and I look forward to building a bright future with our amazing public servants.
Each one of us has a responsibility to do what we can, with what we have, where we are, to make our community a better place for all.
Our administration starts in a strong position thanks in large part to our first County Executive, Jan Gardner, who led the transition from a county commissioner form of government to a charter government. County Executive Gardner left the County on solid financial footing, and we are well positioned to continue to build a government that meets the needs of a growing and increasingly diverse population.
When I took office, I appointed a Transition Team, co-chaired by Rick Weldon and Toni Bowie, to identify the community’s priorities that my Administration can address over the next four years. We brought together more than 130 residents who gave freely of their time and talent to set shared goals for our administration.
Transition Team members served in committees that focused on seven key areas: Economy and Jobs; Education and Workforce Development; Government Innovation; Housing and Quality of Life; Public Health and Human Services; Public Safety; and Sustainability, Infrastructure and Transportation. The core values of inclusion, accountability, and sustainability guided the team’s work.
The team included people from all parts of Frederick County. For example, from the Emmitsburg/Thurmont area, members included Mark Long, Sarah Laird, Eric Soter, Sister Roberta Treppa, and Sam Roop. The Woodsboro/Walkersville area was represented by Linda Thane-Morgan, Stephen Heine, Jon-Mikel Bailey, Jeff Griffin, the Rev. Ronnie Henry, Mary Ann Brodie-Ennis, Veronica Henry, Shannon Aleshire, and Joel Rensberger.
The Transition Report was community-led and government-informed. Members spent 12 weeks examining data, hearing from county staff, listening to experts, and drawing on their own lived experiences. They also read through the nearly 200 responses submitted through our website dedicated to the transition. The site was viewed over 3,200 times. In the end, the team generated a report that offers 64 recommendations to guide the actions of Frederick County Government.
Broad themes emerged throughout the report.
- Build on a strong foundation.
- Be intentional about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
- Engage stakeholders, and identify and eliminate barriers to participation.
- Use data to inform decisions, drive outcomes, and measure progress.
- Understand the impact of decisions.
- Break down siloes within Frederick County Government and within the community.
- Innovate and "fail forward." In other words, be bold.
- Invest in people because they are a valuable resource.
The full Transition Report can be found online at FrederickCountyMD.gov/Transition. The report is the beginning of the process, not the end. We will use this document to hold ourselves accountable as we continue the important work of serving our community." In the coming months, we will publish a tracker on our website, so everyone can see our progress and stay engaged. And we will ask the Transition Team to reconvene annually for a public meeting to receive updates and continue to lend their energy and expertise to our work.
I look forward to continuing to bring people together as we implement their recommendations. Together we are shaping Frederick County’s future.
A final note: Expanded Transit service to Emmitsburg and Thurmont begins this month. We heard your requests and added rides and days of service. There will be two round trips between the towns and the City of Frederick every Saturday, and late-morning shuttles on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Remember, it’s free to ride Frederick County Transit!
