Star Dem: Profile for Election
This article was originally published here.
Michele Dappert is running for her first term on the Talbot County Council. She graduated from Easton High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in digital communications and political science from Emerson College.
Dappert previously served as a member of the Talbot County Democratic Central Committee and is currently vice president of the Talbot County Democratic Forum.
Dappert is a Democratic candidate.
Why are you running for county council?
I have a vision of Talbot County where everyone is able to live, work, and retire in dignity, security and prosperity. At 31, I am a part of the next generation of leadership in Talbot. This gives me a unique perspective on the impact that decisions made today will have on the long-term future of our community. My experience in digital strategies, communication and technology make me uniquely qualified to lead an overdue modernization of county systems. As a tireless advocate for our home, I have been involved as a volunteer and advocate since I was at Easton High.
Preserving our unique way of life takes dedication and civic engagement. It means listening to new voices from every walk of life in our county. It means modernizing our infrastructure to fight the challenge of rising sea levels; it means advocating for competitive pay for teachers, all public safety officials, first responders and other civil servants. It means prioritizing smart growth policies, which balance the conservation of green spaces and public waterfronts, with the promotion of housing policies that ensure seniors can stay in their homes and young families can afford to live and work here.
I am running to help this vision come to fruition and because in this new time, we need new solutions to ensure our community thrives.
What specific issues will you prioritize if elected?
Managed growth and housing affordability: Because the next County Council is responsible for writing the Comprehensive Plan, decisions need to be made that will channel growth towards infill, where there is already town infrastructure to support them. Further, we must do more to ensure that the plan’s “Housing Element” takes into account all types of housing needs. – from ensuring adequate workforce housing that is well-maintained to ensuring seniors are able to “age in place.”
Clean water: We need to remain diligent and committed in cleaning up the Chesapeake. Our 600+ miles of shoreline is a vital part of the fabric of our community and there is not a tributary in the Chesapeake Bay that is not on the E.P.A.’s list of impaired waterways. This problem is exacerbated by failing wastewater treatment systems at the Preserve for Wye Mills, as well as infiltration problems in the Region II system in St. Michaels. We must fix the problems at these plants, promote the conservation of agricultural land, implement soil conservation programs, and encourage the implementation of building “living shorelines” that help clean the water while providing habitat for oysters, crabs and fish. Our vital industries, public health and environment all depend on our promotion of a resilient community.
Modernization of county services: Anyone who has been to the county’s website knows how hard it is to find answers about routine government activities. Transparency is hard to come by with the outdated navigation and search functions. Permits are backlogged in all sectors.
With the last council having secured the funding for broadband access to every address in Talbot within the next 5-7 years, the next question is how we can leverage it: for economic development, for the promotion of telehealth, for improved services to all of our community.
Do you want growth for Talbot County? What does that look like?
Growth and development. Particularly those in sensitive/critical areas must be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. That document, which was created with extensive citizen input, provides for the necessary balance between safeguarding our natural resources and the need to continue well-paced growth that matches public facility capacity. We do need to address critical needs (such as affordable housing) and Talbot County has a right to expect the modernization I’ve mentioned – such as upgrading all our wastewater plants to the enhanced nutrient removal standards that today’s technology allows.
“Smart Growth” also means reaffirming a commitment to promoting communities that are “walkable and bikeable” — just as much as we want the Chesapeake to be “fishable and swimmable.” And I seek growth that minimizes the cost of development that can go unaccounted for, such as congestion and pollution. All of these factors improve our quality of life.Several new housing developments are coming to the county in the coming years, and many community members worry about the lack of affordable housing. What’s your plan for addressing the lack of affordable housing in Talbot County?
Talbot County ranks as the least affordable housing market in the entire Delmarva peninsula (when you compare median income to median home price). It is not enough to have developers coming in adding units: skyrocketing demand and a lack of partnership with unified goals between the county and the municipalities have created an environment where prices have soared and the service workers in our community cannot afford to live where they work. The council needs to define unified requirements that incentivize developer-supported infrastructure and seek the redevelopment of distressed and abandoned properties to increase the supply of units. This should be done in partnership with the towns, where the facilities exist and the zoning code often allows for the development of denser homes.
What should the county do to improve transportation infrastructure?
Critical transportation needs are to elevate roads that are vulnerable to flooding. I also want to see pedestrian signals added to all signalized intersections with pedestrian crossings to improve safety, and to examine green/alternative forms of transportation to make Talbot County more accessible. Fleet vehicles that are county owned could be sourced to promote a healthier environment as well. The county also must continue to keep an open dialogue with the state for the roads that are state owned., to articulate local priorities (such as the recent improved signals at Route 50 and Route 322)
Environmental protection and climate change are at the forefront of voters’ minds. What steps, if any, should the council take to mitigate climate change?
Sea level is predicted to rise a minimum of a foot by 2050. Critical infrastructure located in high-risk flood areas (such as the wastewater treatment plant in Tilghman) or along narrow one-way roads. More has to be done by the county to transition county facilities out of these dangerous areas; build up road elevation and encourage the implementation of “green infrastructure” that will reduce flooding and sequester carbon. The county also must accelerate efforts and prioritize practices that plant more trees, improve soil health, install forested buffers near streams, fencing livestock out of streams and planting cover crops. These are cost-effective ways that can curb farm runoff.
What is the status of public safety in Talbot County? What can be improved?
Recruitment and retention of qualified professionals is a challenge faced in all sectors of public service in the county from the sheriff’s office to the jailhouse employees to social workers and every public service employee in between. EMT/paramedic pay, for example, is one of the lowest in the state and in Cordova and Oxford, volunteer firefighters average age is above 60. We must ensure that these funding challenges are met to ensure we can recruit top talent. Improving retention, the next step, can be done with a renewed focus on ensuring public safety officials make better wages in good working conditions, have better access to housing they can afford and clean waterways.
What changes would you like to make to the Talbot County budget and what do you think resources should be going to?
Talbot County, like many rural county’s resources, are constrained. With top priorities remaining education, public safety, and improvements to county infrastructure, we must rise to the challenge of funding both competitive pay and quality services. Our local government’s strong reserve of funds have us well prepared to face these challenges. I am concerned about the impact on our finances that both inflation and state requirements will have. The county is going to have to come up with creative solutions to address gaps in funding while maintaining responsible finances that are shared equitably by all stakeholders in the county, or suffer a lack of services as a result.
How will you support public education in Talbot County?
I know how critical educational programs are always in danger of being defunded. When I was at Easton High myself, I presented in front of the school board in favor of fully funding the Laptop 1:1 initiative. There’s no question that Talbot County can and must do more. The maintenance-of-effort is no longer sufficient, with the passage of Kirwin.Priorities for educational funding must include competitive pay for staff, support for social emotional learning, and updates to technology. Demographic shifts, as locally recognized, must also be taken into account by the county when allocating budget, specifically to expand the services and increase the salaries of support staff. With 24% of students enrolled in TCPS identified as Hispanic/Latino, there is also an increased need for English Language Learning teachers, and a more diverse staff overall that better represents the student body.
What more should the county do, if anything, to support and encourage economic development?
Economic development goes hand-in-hand with attracting talented workforce - and we know that people already are attracted to the quiet luxury of Talbot’s shores. The county has a robust track record of providing funding for infrastructure that supports commercial development, including for the new Mistletoe Hall Business-Commerce Park. Sustaining this and other efforts is of vital importance to the long-term prosperity of the community.
The median age of Talbot County is 51 years old. What plans do you have to support our county’s aging population?
Rural communities on the Mid-Shore face unique challenges to improving healthcare outcomes and providing more support for our aging population. As our residents age, that includes doctors, so when a doctor retires or a practice closes, we frequently face a challenge in finding care for their patients. Top barriers to care are a lack of quality providers, lack of transportation services, gaps in care coordination and inadequate health insurance. The county government needs to explore incentives to bring specialists to communities with the greatest need, as well as find ways to utilize the upcoming broadband expansion to enable telehealth.
Finally, the Talbot County Council can choose to have a more collaborative relationship with the health department, outside of the mandated twice a year reports. The health department, which is technically a state department, is a key part in the continuum of care in the county and includes a broad range of services – including meals on wheels, mental health, senior care providers, and the hospital. While the TCC does not have direct oversight on all of the entities, there is a benefit to meeting with them all periodically for work sessions – with an eye to expedient facilitation and improved care coordination.
If you elect me to the county council, I will strive to implement these and other important policies to serve the needs of our entire community.The Star Democrat questionnaire was sent to all Talbot County Council candidates to allow them to share their perspective on various county issues in their own words to better inform and educate voters. This series will continue until answers from all county council candidates who responded have been published.
