Lower Eastern Shore, Md. – The Coastal Association of REALTORS® (Coastal) is pleased to announce its endorsements in the upcoming 2018 county elections.

 

Worcester County

 

       

(From left) Coastal Vice President Joseph Wilson, REALTOR® and Incumbent Worcester County Commissioners Candidate Bud Church, Coastal Director Austin Whitehead, RPAC Chair Rick Proctor, and Coastal President Joel Maher.

 

Coastal endorses longtime REALTOR® and incumbent Bud Church for reelection to the District 3 seat on the Worcester County Commissioners. Church is a REALTOR® Emeritus, meaning he has been a member of Coastal and of the National Association of REALTORS® for over 40 years. He has served as president of Coastal and as president of the Maryland REALTORS®. Church has pledged to remain a forceful advocate for personal property rights, while providing a commonsense approach to preserving the unique environment and quality of life for the citizens of Worcester County.

 

       

(From left) REALTOR® Linda Moran, Worcester County Commissioners Candidate Joshua Nordstrom, Coastal Director Austin Whitehead, and REALTOR® Shawn Kotwica.

 

For the District 1 seat, Coastal endorses newcomer Joshua Nordstrom. Nordstrom brings a lot of leadership experience and energy to the table. He is focusing his campaign on infrastructure improvements to attract new businesses, as well as education, tourism, and the opioid crisis. Nordstrom supports the elimination of wasteful spending over property tax increases, and he feels homeownership is important for economic prosperity as well as personal growth and self-esteem.

 

       

(From left) Incumbent Worcester County Commissioners Candidate Chip Bertino and Coastal Vice President Joseph Wilson.

 

For the District 5 seat, Coastal endorses incumbent Chip Bertino for reelection. Earlier this year, Bertino played a key role in the protection of USDA mortgage availability in Ocean Pines. He is focusing his campaign on limiting the size of county government, education, private property rights, low property taxes, and transparency and availability to his constituents.

 

Wicomico County

 

       

(From left) REALTOR® Michael Weisner, REALTOR® Bill Martin, REALTOR® and Wicomico County Council Candidate Suzanah Cain, Coastal Director Austin Whitehead, and Coastal Director Brandon Johnson.

 

Coastal endorses longtime REALTOR® and newcomer Suzanah Cain for the District 4 seat on the Wicomico County Council. Cain has been a REALTOR® for almost 20 years and is strongly invested in her community. She wants to see Wicomico County offer a quality education to students from pre-k through college, and she wants to retain college graduates by boosting the local economy with more job opportunities. She wants to maintain low property tax rates and encourage homeownership through increased resources for first-time buyers. She is also focused on affordable housing, expansion of the county’s airport as a hub for economic activity, and increased transportation options.

 

       

(From left) REALTOR® Bill Martin, Wicomico County Council Candidate Bill McCain, and Coastal President Joel Maher.

 

For one of the two At-Large seats on the County Council, Coastal endorses longtime appraiser member Bill McCain. McCain has been a member of Coastal for over 30 years and has a lengthy civic resume, which includes prior service on the council from 2006 to 2010. He is a strong advocate for adoption of a Strategic Plan to ensure the future success of Wicomico County. His other top priorities are increased funding for the Board of Education, creation of a county public sewer system, and construction of a new Sheriff’s facility.

 

       

(From left) REALTOR® Bill Martin, REALTOR® Michael Weisner, Coastal Director Brandon Johnson, Incumbent Wicomico County Council Candidate John Cannon, and Coastal Director Austin Whitehead.

 

Coastal endorses incumbent John Cannon for the second At-Large seat on the County Council. Since taking office, Cannon has worked to find conservative solutions to county challenges so Wicomico can prosper to its fullest potential. His top priorities if elected are availability of pre-k, creation of a county public sewer system, economic development, stormwater management, and the opioid crisis. Cannon believes the county and its residents will see continued positive growth if the council supports its educational system, ensures residents feel safe, keeps the tax structure low, supports incentives for commerce, defends against overregulation, and improves entertainment and public venues.

 

       

(From left) REALTOR® Bill Martin, Natalie Kilmer, Incumbent Wicomico County Council Candidate Marc Kilmer, Brian Kilmer, and Coastal President Joel Maher.

 

Coastal endorses incumbent Marc Kilmer for the District 2 seat on the Wicomico County Council. Kilmer supports a favorable tax and regulatory environment to attract businesses and families to Wicomico. If reelected, his top priorities will be responsible use of taxpayer dollars, protection of private property rights, education, and focus of county government on core functions like roads. He wants to continue working to ensure future generations grow up in Wicomico County with a great education system, strong economy, and safe streets.

 

       

(From left) REALTOR® Michael Weisner, REALTOR® Bill Martin, Incumbent Wicomico County Council Candidate Larry Dodd, Coastal Director Austin Whitehead, and Coastal Director Brandon Johnson.

 

For the District 3 seat, Coastal endorses incumbent Larry Dodd. Dodd aims to continue to improve quality of life for the citizens of Wicomico County, while also fighting for businesses and preventing unnecessary regulations. His campaign is heavily focused on education as well as public safety, creation of a public sewer system, and affordable homeownership. Dodd would also like to work with organizations that assist renters in purchasing their own homes. He believes that every strong community is full of proud homeowners who participate in their Homeowners Associations.

 

Coastal has elected to not make an endorsement in the race for Wicomico County Executive, but wishes all candidates the best of luck.

 

Somerset County

 

       

(From left) REALTOR® Linda Moran, Incumbent Somerset County Commissioners Candidate Randy Laird, Coastal Director Austin Whitehead, and REALTOR® Shawn Kotwica.

 

Coastal endorses incumbent Randy Laird for the District 5 seat on the Somerset County Commissioners. Laird is focusing his campaign on tourism, economic development, education, and safety. He is a supporter of the American dream of homeownership and is opposed to property tax increases that place a burden on his constituents. Laird supports decreased regulations on development to boost the affordable housing stock in Somerset County.

 

Endorsement of political candidates is a key element of Coastal’s advocacy efforts. Coastal works with these candidates to protect not only the private property rights of homeowners, but also one of the largest economic engines on the Lower Eastern Shore – the real estate industry. Campaign contributions are made from the REALTOR® Political Action Committee, which is funded by local REALTORS® and affiliate members.

 

“Through these endorsements and campaign contributions, we help these candidates get their message out to the voters,” said Coastal President Joel Maher. “We wish our candidates the best of luck, and we ask that everyone get out and vote on November 6.”

 

For more information, visit www.coastalrealtors.org.

 

More about Coastal Association of REALTORS®

 

The Coastal Association of REALTORS® is fortunate enough to represent over 1,000 real estate professionals in Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties. These members are engaged, informed, and active in their communities. They support the American dream of homeownership, as well as the purchase and use of all types of real property. They are local. They are accurate. They are trusted. They are REALTORS® and affiliate members.

 

For more information on Coastal REALTORS®, visit www.coastalrealtors.org. The term REALTOR® is a registered collective membership mark unique to real estate professionals who are members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribe to its strict Code of Ethics.

 

MEDIA CONTACT: Sarah Rayne / 410-641-4409 / sarah@coastalrealtors.org