Thurmont candidates discuss growth, infrastructure, resident engagement ahead of election

Oct. 20—Five of the six candidates for Thurmont's Board of Commissioners voiced their opinions on growth, pressing infrastructure issues and community engagement during a candidate forum on Thursday evening.

The room was filled with Thurmont residents and elected officials, with some attendees having to stand, as candidates answered questions about their beliefs and how they will serve the town if elected.

The candidates present — Marty Burns, Grant Johnson, Bob Lookingbill, Ed Schildt and Christopher Stouter — sat at the front of the room where Thurmont holds its weekly town meetings. Bill Buehrer did not attend.

The six candidates are running for two seats on the Board of Commissioners. The seats are currently held by Buehrer and Wes Hamrick. Hamrick is not running for reelection.

The election will be held on Oct. 31 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Guardian Hose Company activities building at 123 E. Main St.

The Thurmont Lions Club, a local civic service organization, hosted the forum.

All of the candidates spoke about their stances on growth for the town and on the annexation the Board of Commissioners voted to approve in 2022.

The annexation would have rezoned more than 16 acres of farmland along Thurmont's borders for high-density residential development. Residents voted 834-157 during a referendum in January to reject the annexation.

Schildt was the only candidate at the forum who favored the annexation. He said he still had concerns about traffic patterns and stormwater management due to the annexation, but he wants "sustainable growth" to help generate tax revenue and thought the annexation would have supported that.

Burns, Johnson, Stouter and Lookingbill said they opposed the annexation and rapid, dense growth for the town. Lookingbill said he believes fast growth would only exacerbate issues the town currently faces.

"Growth will give you quick money ... but it won't solve your problems going down the road," he said. "That's why I think slow and steady, take your time, think it through and go with that."

Johnson, in his first run for public office, said development is one of the most pressing issues in Thurmont. He advocated for affordable housing for older adults and more spaced-out single family homes.

Burns also said growth is an important issue in the town, as well as the presence of PFAS compounds, also known as "forever chemicals," in the town's water system. These compounds are difficult to break down and can persist in the environment and people for an unknown period.

Stouter said Thurmont's most pressing issue is maintaining roads. He said many Thurmont roads are dilapidated, and he hopes to find grant money to refurbish roads like North Carroll Street and Woodside Avenue.

Lookingbill brought up multiple topics that commissioners need to address, including "forever chemicals," repairing the town's main electric substation and refurbishing sewer systems.

The candidates also discussed what they believe are the most important infrastructure projects. Stouter brought up repairing roads again and also mentioned revamping Thurmont's main electric substation on Moser Road.

"A lot of electric vehicles are starting to show up, so we need to make sure that when we do these upgrades that we make sure that the new upgrades can handle, say, 30% of the town gets an electric vehicle and plugs it in every night," Stouter said.

Schildt echoed Stouter and agreed that fixing roads in Thurmont, particularly North Carroll Street and Woodside Avenue, should be prioritized. Burns and Johnson also agreed on addressing road repair and also brought up mitigating the presence of PFAS as a crucial infrastructure issue.

When asked about how they would engage residents and ensure transparency, Burns and Lookingbill both expressed interest in creating a commission to gather community feedback for the board.

Lookingbill also emphasized keeping meetings open and rarely talking behind closed doors, to be transparent with residents.

Stouter said the town does a great job being transparent with residents through its website and having the budget available.

He said if changes are made to the budget or there's a major change on a project, the town could publicize that widely online. He suggested creating a "highlight reel" for each town meeting recapping the most important topics.

Johnson was open to sending out polls or surveys to residents with project ideas and schedules. Residents could mail those back to the town offices, and commissioners could decide how to proceed with projects based on residents' feedback.

"That really shows the voice of the town and what direction they want things," Johnson said. "Something comes back unfavorable, then you kill it and go on from there. It's highly favorable, you pursue it and that would be money well spent."