Moms For Liberty fields candidates in elections

JIM JOHNSON

Voters need to know that three candidates for the Talbot County Board of Education are backed by Moms For Liberty, a group that has raised questions across the country and stirred controversy with its views.

I don’t think it was a coincidence that none of the three candidates — Ann C. O’Connor in District 2, Karla Wieland-Cherry in District 5 and Kerry Gunshenan in District 6 — submitted a questionnaire the Star Democrat sent to candidates seeking their opinions on why they are running for the Board of Education and their stances on various issues.

Other candidates in the race submitted the questionnaires and their answers were published in the newspaper this week. This is a common practice in elections to give voters insight into how to cast their ballot.

The Associated Press, in a July 2023 story, described Moms For Liberty as a “parental rights” group that has sought to take over school boards in multiple states.

The group has been accused of harassing community members, advancing anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation and fighting to scrub diverse and inclusive material from lesson plans, according to the AP story.

Moms for Liberty advocates for various conservative causes in education, such as opposing critical race theory and advocating for school choice. They often mobilize parents to attend school board meetings, petition policymakers, and advocate for changes in curriculum and policies.

Whether Moms for Liberty poses a threat is a matter of perspective.

Supporters argue that they are exercising their democratic rights to advocate for their beliefs and values, particularly in education, where they feel their voices have been marginalized.

Critics raise concerns about the group’s impact on public education, the potential for polarization within communities, and whether their advocacy could lead to the undermining of public institutions and democratic processes.

“‘Parental rights’ is an appealing term, but voters have caught on to the reality that it is fueling book bans, anti-LGBT efforts, pressure on teachers not to discuss race and gender, whitewashing history, and so on,” said political analyst Larry Sabato, a politics professor at the University of Virginia and founder and director of the Center for Politics, who was quoted in a November Washington Post article. “Parents may want more input in the schools, but as a group they certainly aren’t as extreme as many in the Moms for Liberty.”

Here in Talbot County, I wish the local candidates had taken the time to write about their stances on issues. There is no doubt that there will be voters in Talbot County who agree with them. In some districts, that may be a majority. Yet few people know what these candidates stand for.

The fortunate thing: Due to only two candidates running in each district, all of these candidates will be on the ballot again in November. Only District 2 will be on the May 14 primary ballot. In that district, three candidates will be listed, but Connie Loveland said that she has withdrawn from the race, albeit too late to have her name removed from the ballot.

The November election will give these candidates another opportunity to tell voters what they stand for. I hope they take it. Before voters cast their ballots, they deserve to know where candidates stand.

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Talbot County this week celebrated the businesses that keep our region’s economy thriving. It was an inspirational event.

“Our goal is to connect the business community with resources that will help them succeed and grow, and to tell the stories of business leaders who are doing extraordinary things,” said Cassandra Vanhooser, director of Talbot County’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

Before the awards, Chris Pilkerton, former acting administrator and general legal counsel for the U.S. Small Business Administration, talked about the value of small businesses in the county. He should know. His wife, Amanda Cook, owns the Tilghman Island Baking Company in Tilghman where the couple live.

“Talbot County’s small business community actively seeks out ways to work together to support each other and their businesses,” Pilkerton said. “That type of environment creates real opportunities for new and existing companies.”

He praised the county’s economic development efforts.

“I have had the opportunity to travel through many states and counties throughout the country and meet directly with local economic development officials,” he said. “In my experience, the team within Talbot County is uniquely supportive of their small businesses and is accessible to help with so many topics as they come up.”

Pilkerton is right. The team led by Cassandra Vanhooser continues to provide much needed support for businesses both small and large in Talbot County. We are lucky to have such talent here.

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A Washington Post story this week showed alarming data for the Eastern Shore, sea levels are rising quickly along the Gulf coast and Atlantic seaboard. The story documented the change in coastal sea levels between 2010 and 2023, in some cases more than 8 inches in the past 14 years.

“Since 2010, it’s very abnormal and unprecedented,” said Jianjun Yin, a climate scientist at the University of Arizona who has studied the changes. While it is possible the swift rate of sea level rise could eventually taper, the higher water that has already arrived in recent years is here to stay.

“It’s irreversible,” he said in the story.

The study included Cambridge, which has seen a 2.8-inch sea level rise since 2010. That was the only Eastern Shore community listed in the story.

This increase should not be a surprise to people in the area. A friend with a home on the Choptank River in Cambridge has pumped out his basement multiple times this year, not due to heavy rains but because of high tides.

Just over a week ago, Oxford announced a pair of federal grants to address the rising sea levels. One grant of $2.6 million is to raise 14 Oxford homes. Residents in those homes agreed to covering 10% of the cost for their home to be elevated. The other 90% of the cost will be paid by the federal government. Lewis said one of those 14 homes is currently being elevated.

Commission President Tom Costigan turned to the residents in the room, “I hope you all appreciate just how gigantic this is.”

Many towns on the Eastern Shore are taking steps to deal with this problem. As shown by the sea level increases reported in this week’s Washington Post story, there is no time to waste.

Jim Johnson is the Star Democrat executive editor. Reach him at jjohnson@chespub.com.

JIM JOHNSON