Taneytown Mayor Christopher Miller says his focus on transparency will continue in new year
Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of stories talking to Carroll County mayors about the past year and looking ahead at plans for 2024.
The City of Taneytown faced many changes in 2023, including electing a new mayor, Christopher Miller, in May. Miller said he would focus on promoting more transparency in city government and has faced criticism from other elected officials in the process.
During the last several months, Miller has sparred with members of the City Council over some of his proposals and actions, including his firing of the city’s longtime attorney, Jack A. “Jay” Gullo Jr., in November.
Miller said at the time that the move was to force change in the climate and culture of city government. Gullo had served as the city’s attorney for about 20 years. Council member and Mayor Pro Tem James McCarron said in November that the council had asked Gullo to conduct an investigation into Miller’s “difficult behavior,” and accused Miller of firing Gullo to avoid that investigation.
The council approved of Miller’s actions in hiring a new police chief, however, after the city spent almost a year trying to fill the role that former Chief Jason Etzler vacated in November 2022. Etzler was placed on administrative leave on Oct. 24, 2022, before ultimately resigning.
The city would not comment on the reason for Etzler’s exit; however, in September, a former Taneytown police officer filed a lawsuit against the city claiming that he was fired after he reported seeing Etzler sexually harass a female employee while Etzler was serving as the chief.
In November, the City Council approved Miller’s choice to replace Etzler, Adrian Baker, who was sworn in as the new police chief that month.
We asked the mayor, who co-owns Laughing Coffin, an e-sports and competitive gaming center on Broad Street in Taneytown, to reflect on the past year and look ahead to 2024.
What were the city’s top accomplishments in 2023?
We’ve come out of our shell a bit and have become more active with both the state and county, and are taking the initiative to initiate these contacts, build these relationships and maintain them for the benefit of our residents. Collaboration with those around us only furthers what we can do for our residents here. I believe we’ve also changed the focus a bit in regards to responsiveness, trust and fostering transparency to the residents in regards to what the city is working on and addressing concerns brought before us. Retaining talent among the city is a newer climate change that I’ve also been working towards, showing appreciation not just for the excellent work of our employees, but also community leaders and organizations throughout Taneytown. Realizing that we can’t do this alone has been a significant change for the Taneytown government.
An eye on public safety: While there have been hiccups over the past few years, the initial months that I spent in office were focused on working with our police department, the state and the county, to further enhance public safety. We’ve worked on officer retention, brought on a new chief with a wealth of experience (who has already begun initiating new public safety initiatives), have been working collaboratively with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office (a newer culture shift here), and have worked with the state to work on pedestrian safety issues on the state highways that go through our town. We’ve also expanded crossing guard services to help supplement what has been identified as increased traffic and pedestrian safety issues. Delays on lights to allow pedestrians to cross safely, and additional pedestrian signage with the support of the state.
When working with the sheriff’s office we brought our policies up to date and cleared out a backlog of evidence-related items. We’ll continue to work on the relationships that have been fostered and collaborate with our partners at the state and county to continue working on issues in public safety as well as supporting our department here.
Another key item that has been worked on in 2023 has been business relations. I’ve been working with the department head for Taneytown Economic Development to make as many appearances as possible, hearing the concerns that our businesses have here, and have been working towards making sure our long-standing businesses are receiving the recognition they deserve. I am looking to make this one of my main priorities for 2024.
Parks and recreation has made significant strides on a number of projects such as Bollinger Park, the Memorial Park expansion, and a splash pad for 2024. Recently our director was able to secure a grant of $800,000 that will be used towards our Memorial Park expansion, which will increase the capacity, and help facilitate additional recreational activities.
Darryl Hale, the department head for Planning and Zoning, has been continuously working on the numerous projects that are being presented to Taneytown. In regards to this, we had some successful proposals that have been presented for new businesses such as a lumber and hardware store, which is much anticipated by the residents there. We’ve also worked to address shortcomings in code enforcement. Once again showing the city’s prerogative of working in support of our residents here, and being proactive on the issues that we face.
One of the major milestones for the city was the start and near completion of the Roberts Mills and Broad Street rehabilitation project, which has significantly reduced 1/1 (when stormwater and groundwater enter the wastewater system) in our sewer system. This used American Rescue Plan Act funds, which will in turn not only save the town money, but also allow us to remain in compliance with changing Maryland Department of the Environment requirements and limits. In a recent meeting with MDE, which I had the opportunity to partake in, it was acknowledged that strides that we have made and the change in approach that we’ve taken when it comes to maintenance, which is proactive rather than how things used to be run, which was reactive.
Overall one of the major accomplishments that Taneytown has accomplished in 2023 is a wealth of talented staffing and knowledge at the city, and making sure that we’re working on not only attracting that talent, but retaining it and acknowledging it. This shift in culture not only provides better services to our residents, but also prepares us for the future.
One more major accomplishment that I have to mention is the relationship that has been built between the city, businesses and nonprofits in the area. There are many people struggling in the area and thankfully the community in Taneytown and Carroll County is stronger than ever when it comes to helping each other. Making sure we’re not only aware of these organizations, working with them on drives like food drives and toy drives, including them in our planning and support structures, and facilitating their growth and services here in Taneytown is important. We do not have all the solutions at the city level, but we can at least point you in the right direction for help. Making sure that we’re inviting and supporting these organizations is important as well as recognizing what they do here for our residents, something I’ve been proud to have been able to work on in 2023 and will continue to do in 2024.
What are the top priorities and issues the city is facing in 2024?
For me, two of the top priorities for Taneytown in 2024 is the continued expansion of services offered through the Taneytown Police Department, to help address public safety concerns and issues – and then to work closely with our economic development director to make sure 2024 is a year of economic development for Taneytown. That means working on not only attracting viable businesses to Taneytown, that primarily serve our residents, but also working on retaining those businesses and our existing businesses once here. Revitalizing our Main Street and working on addressing issues that are brought before us by our Main Street Committee and expanding the way in which this committee interacts with the city, is one of those economic
priorities as well. These will be two of the top focuses for me in 2024, which in turn should help enhance the resident experience here. This also includes addressing public safety issues, such as pedestrian safety issues, which go hand in hand with our economic development around sections such as our Main Street. However, our focus will be the economic development and public safety enhancement of Taneytown as a whole. We’ll be looking to address concerns throughout the entire stretch of business in Taneytown, and help them facilitate their business here, as well as all the neighborhoods, and working with community partners to address the concerns and public safety issues that are being experienced throughout the town. I look forward to working with the city manager, the chief (of police) and the economic development director on initiatives, as well as council members who will be looking to accomplish work for those here.
How would you describe the city’s relationship with the county government?
When I originally came into office Taneytown seemed to have built itself its own island of seclusion, preferring to try to address problems by themselves instead of working with partners such as the county and state. When I inquired regarding this I was told “why would we work with the county? That ruins our autonomy,” or the “county doesn’t want to work with us so why should we work with them.” I found both of these to be untrue. The county government was very inviting, and I’ve had the pleasure of talking with the commissioners multiple times on issues faced here, establishing and fostering a lasting relationship between the city and county, working with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, attending forums and meetings with Carroll County Economic Development, and many other county functions. The city was welcomed with open arms to further collaborate. I’ve personally been watching the work that the commissioners have been doing and believe they have been very friendly in regards to the municipalities. Staff has also been working closely with multiple agencies at the county, and so far it has been a pleasant reception. Cities are not giving up autonomy by working with their counties, especially not Carroll County. Fostering the relationship between municipal and county governments is going to be key for all involved moving forward, especially as state and federal entities see budget constraints. We’re all in this together to serve the residents, and we should be working collaboratively at all levels. I believe here in Carroll County the relationship between municipalities and the county is one of mutual collaboration and respect.The county also supports agencies and organizations that are crucial to the residents in municipalities like Taneytown, where the city government can simply not offer it all.
How do you see the city/county working relationship going into 2024?
As state and federal budgets tighten, it will become more crucial than ever for all forms of government to be working collaboratively for the benefit of those we represent and serve. In 2023, I believe this level of collaboration was demonstrated by the county, and I expect that to continue into 2024. Whenever I have an issue that requires a county response, or when we’re in need of additional resources or help, I have found the county to be responsive and assist in the needs of our municipality. I look forward to the continued collaboration with the commissioners, Board of Education and the multiple agencies and organizations throughout the county, to make sure we’re serving our residents and addressing their needs as best we can. Leveraging the resources of all partners, and making sure we’re a collaborative partner as well, will better serve those here in the long run. When meeting other municipalities since coming on board as mayor in May, I have realized that many municipalities do not share the collaborative nature and relationship that we have here in Carroll County, where the focus of those here is on the residents and how we can best serve them, instead of power and jurisdictional struggles.
