20040728 Time to change Frederick county government gazed

Time to change Frederick county government

Gazette editorial from July 28, 2004: Time to change Frederick county government

Unfortunately, I do not have the URL for this Gazette editorial available. I will paste the entire editorial in this post for a reference source for future discussion about the future forms of government in both Carroll and Frederick County… Perhaps there has come a time for Charter government in both Carroll and Frederick Counties. Kevin Dayhoff November 8^th, 2006

Time to change our county government

Many questions tend to surface every election.

Among them are these two: Should we give a pay raise to our county commissioners to compensate for the long hours they put in for what is supposed to be a part-time job? Should we change our form of government?

These questions may seem unrelated, but they are not. The form of government we have in Frederick County has a lot to do with the kind of leadership we elect, and what we expect of those leaders, as well as what we are willing to pay them.

These two issues will not go away given that our once rural and small county is growing into a major metropolis. As the population continues its climb, and the demands put on the five board members follow suit, the time has come for a change in the county's form of government.

Under our current form of county government, commissioners receive $30,000 a year for what is supposed to be a part-time job, but all five work at least 40 hours a week, and some put in many more hours. They meet twice a week year-round as a body to debate policy and make budgets, but each member also serves as a liaison to county departments, and they all attend public functions as commissioners and interact with residents every day.

County residents have repeatedly voted against a change in government, most recently in 2002 when residents voted against code home rule, a decision we supported because it was not a form of government suitable to the needs of our population.

But in a 1997 Mason-Dixon survey for The Gazette, 78 percent of the 411 residents polled favored a charter government that included a county executive and council. We believe had the voters been given that option in 2002, they would have chosen it.

Maryland allows three types of government for its counties: commissioner, code home rule and charter. In a nutshell, under the commissioner form of government, board members who are elected at large must present legislation to the county's eight-member delegation to the Maryland General Assembly. The delegation, not our county commissioners, chooses whether to take the bills to the full assembly in Annapolis, which must approve any new laws or taxes.

Under code home rule, commissioners remain, but they have a little more power to propose and enact legislation, and power to levy taxes and borrow money through issuing bonds, although both are regulated by the General Assembly.

In a chartered government, the county has a system that most resembles our national system, with an executive and a legislative body. Under charter, local voters create and approve a document that describes how the government will run, including how many seats would be on the council; whether or not they would be at-large, districts, or a combination; whether or not there would be an executive branch; what checks and balances would exist, and more.

The approval of the charter means the voters agree to be governed by the document.

A wise man once said, "The form of government is only as good as the people we elect to serve us. If we elect idiots, we get idiotic government no matter the form of that government." Whatever our form of government, we need to elect good people who have the interest of the voters at heart.

But with the growth that has come, we do not just need good people, but a better form of government, more suited to the growing demands of county residents.

Our commissioners lead a county of 2,000 employees, with an operating budget of $330 million. We pay a county manager to run the day-to-day part of the government, but rely on five part-time people, making $30,000 a year, to run a county this size.

A $330 million company would pay its executives significantly more, and would expect them to work full time. We realize, of course, that there are some differences between government work and the private sector, so we are not advocating a six-figure salary, but we should recognize that the job of county commissioner is not part time. We should call it what it is, a full-time job, and make the pay equal to that to attract good talent that does not have to work second jobs to make ends meet.

The Frederick County delegation to the General Assembly tells the commissioners to delegate their work if they have too much, but it's not that simple. This commission form of government has existed in Frederick for 153 years, and what was state of the art a century ago is obsolete today.

Frederick County needs to control its own destiny, not be tethered by legislators who are looking out for the state's interest. While state and county interest might coincide most of the time, the two can conflict.

It is time for Frederick to have a charter form of government, where the voters decide how the government operates. Our commission form of government has too much oversight by the General Assembly, and local wishes can be overridden by eight people, the county's delegation to the General Assembly.

And beyond them, laws we want must then be approved in the General Assembly. That's too much control in too few hands and by too many people who do not have a lot to do with our county. We have reached the point of maturity, and should govern ourselves.

According to "Home Rule Options in Maryland" by Victor K. Tervala, the state has two procedures to adopt a charter. Neither is easy, and both can take years. Of the nine charter governments in the state, most have used the original method, and that would be our preference.

The process is thus: county voters request the creation of a charter board via petition (with 10,000 of the county's registered voters, or 20 percent); commissioners nominate five people to draft the charter, or petitions would have to be circulated to nominate the board; at the next general or congressional election, people vote whether or not to create a charter board with the members presented; if the charter board is approved, it has 18 months to draft a charter and present it to the commissioners; people would then vote on it during the next general or congressional election.

The process is long and complicated, but good government is the result of thoughtful and deliberate movements.

We call on Frederick County residents to bring a petition to change the nature of our government.

To do so this fall would take a monumental, grassroots effort. The county commissioners would need to nominate a charter board by Sept. 22, no fewer than 40 days before the Nov. 2 election. Alternatively, five people could be nominated via petition (signed by no fewer than 2,000 registered county voters, or 5 percent of the voters) by Oct. 13, no fewer than 20 days before the election.

Even if we are not successful this fall, we call on the residents to continue the process until we have the kind of government that reflects the needs of our county.

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Subject: Third Annual Pennsylvania Avenue Block Party

Subject: Third Annual Pennsylvania Avenue Block Party

Contact Person: Josie Velazquez

Click here for more past posts on the annual Pennsylvania Avenue, Westminster, MD block party.

For Immediate Release:

Local residents to attend the Third Annual Pennsylvania Avenue and Cigarettes and Tobacco Prevention Block Party, July 18, (2004) from 4 PM to 8:30 PM.. This is a Come and Meet Your Neighbors get together. Enjoy multi-cultural foods made by the local residents reflecting the ethnic diversity of the neighborhood. Bring a dish and share a dish.

There will be educational and fun activities for children including a booth presented by the Carroll County Department of Health to inform children about the hazards of smoking cigarettes. The Westminster City Police Department has some special events planned. The Westminster Fire Department will have equipment on hand for viewing. Voter Registration will be available

Prizes will be awarded for Chalk Scape, a game where children draw on the sidewalk. Chalk will be provided. Dress your pet to win a prize in the pet parade. A Moon Bounce and a misting tent for hot weather will be lots of fun for the kids. There will be free art activities for children and parents. .

Community sponsors of this event include Kiwanis Club of Greater Westminster, Dutters Florist,and Gizmos Art.

This event is unique to our community and shows the spirt of good fellowship among our diverse community, the city, service group, county departments, and local business.

Pennsylvania Avenue block party Sunday July 18 2004

Pennsylvania Avenue block party

Friday, July 16, 2004

The Third Annual Pennsylvania Avenue and Cigarettes and Tobacco Prevention Block Party on Sunday from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Westminster.

The event includes multi-cultural food dishes made by residents and educational activities for children provided by the Carroll County Health Department to inform children about the hazards of cigarette smoking, said Pennsylvania Avenue resident Josie Velazquez. Free art activities, a pet parade and a moon bounce will also be featured at the block party, she said.

The Westminster Fire Department will have equipment on display, she said, and the city police department will also be sponsoring an event. Voter registration will also be available, Velazquez said.

Pennsylvania Avenue will be closed to traffic between Union Street and James Way during the block party, she said.

- Greg Guenthner Carroll County Times

20040716 PA Ave Block Party cct

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20040715 Heavy Metal Garage Band in Westminster finds Home

Heavy Metal Garage Band in Westminster finds Home

(c) July 15th, 2004 (Long Version) by Westminster Mayor Kevin Dayhoff

The City of Westminster has recently had go-round with a homeless heavy metal garage band that has been making quite a racket. It seems that this band has attracted all sorts of attention with a lot of banging, pounding, and other sorts of new age type, grunge band, discordant and percussive sounds and other theatrics.

Rowdy “Bands” are nothing new to Westminster and they have had an interesting history in our community. On October 4, 1926, a concerned citizen presented facts concerning the "routy" behavior of students who were "marching in a body with a drum, making loud noises, disturbing the peace and obstructing traffic.” Two of the “band members” involved were arrested and taken to jail, but were released by the police justice without penalty. The Westminster Common Council ordered police officials to put a stop to such behavior on the streets and make arrest of all offenders in the future.[1]

Westminster has a history and tradition as a cultural and artistic regional center as well as a mercantile center for commerce for industry, law and government. Private – public partnerships has been the foundation of many improvements in Westminster. Certainly there must be something that we can do as a community to help this band out and give it something productive to do besides making all this noise.

Westminster was founded in 1764 by William Winchester, on property called “White’s Level” that he had purchased in 1754 at the age of 37. He called it “Winchester”. Up until an act of the Maryland General Assembly in 1768, Westminster was named “Winchester”. The layout of the town was recorded on August 31st, 1768. “White’s Level was shrewd purchase as it was located along the road west as were many other towns, at 10 mile intervals along the road.

Back in those days, 10 miles was approximately the distance that a horse and wagon could travel in a day. In the early days of Westminster’s Main Street was lined with many hotels for travelers to stay and have a meal on their travels. No doubt there was entertainment provided for the guests by way of singing, various musical instruments or traveling troubadours. There were also many taverns and saloons in town. Entertainment in Carroll County had its critics. In an anonymous travel account from 1854 it was noted that the travelers “found the poorest entertainment which they had met.”

Various forms of “entertainment” were made illegal on June 20, 1839, by the city fathers including, disturbing the peace by shouting, malicious ringing of doorbells or throwing stones against any door, fence, or gate. The fines ranged from $1.00 to $5.00. On July of 1840 a town law was passed that it was unlawful to "fly kites" on Main Street. Violators were fined not less than 25 cents nor more than $1.00 for each offense. An 1842 ordinance was enacted to make "cock-fighting" unlawful where violators paid $20.00 for the first offense and $25.00 for their second offense. Then their first fine would be doubled for every other offense. On November 12, 1857, a Westminster Police Officer (then known as “Bailiffs”), by the name of Mr. James Keefer lost his job for his neglect in complying with ordinance number (9), which related to the fast driving of "buggies".

In the mid 1800s there were as many as seven hotels in Westminster among the 40 or so businesses that lined Main Street. Art and culture was important. Several circuses would visit yearly on Fairground Hill and public gatherings were a regular event at the other end of town on “The Commons”, an area now known as McDaniel College.

In 1858 The Odd Fellow’s Hall, at 140 East Main Street was dedicated. In 1863 the Westminster Library was located in the Odd Fellow’s Hall and open to the public every Friday. Frederick Douglass delivered an address there in October 1870 and many Western Maryland College functions were held in the Odd Fellow’s Hall.[2]

Not everyone liked the entertainment provided at the Odd Fellow’s Hall. According to Chris Week’s “The Building of Westminster”, during the Civil War there a show there featuring derogatory impressions of Lincoln, Grant and other national leaders. The next day morning, the decapitated body of the entertainer was found in a rear stable.[3] Even 150 years ago, Carroll Countians took entertainment and politics seriously.

Between 1857 and 1952 there were 40 bands incorporated in Carroll County. Records of the Westminster Municipal Band go back as far as the 1860s.

In 1893 it was incorporated as the “Westminster City Band”. According to Sandy Miller, the Director of the Westminster Municipal Band, “the band is now officially celebrating 111 years of sharing music in Carroll County and the surrounding tri-state area”. Band Director Miller was very helpful in filling me in on the rich history of the Westminster Municipal Band – for it seems our “Garage Band” is the Westminster Municipal Band.

The band has undergone many changes throughout its 111 years. The uniforms have changed color, from tan to Green and Gold. The name also changed in 1950 when the band reorganized as the “Westminster Municipal Band” and the City of Westminster pledged financial support to the group. The Color Guard was formed in 1961 and really sets our band apart from the other bands.[4]

From the beginning, the band has been a totally volunteer organization. Those who participate are involved because of their love of music and the opportunity to share that love with the community. Members range in age from 14 – 80 and there are no auditions or membership fees.

A big part of the band’s success is that it functions as a family. The group literally has many members of the same families as members of the band. Other family members attend band functions as our “groupies.”

The Westminster Municipal Band regularly participates in local Firemen’s parades; Memorial Day and July 4th celebrations in and around the Carroll County area. The highlight of the Band’s playing season is the yearly trek in June to Ocean City for the Maryland State Firemen’s Association Convention. As the “Official Band of the MSFA”, the band leads the parade each year down Baltimore Street.

One big part of the band’s success is the relationship we have built with the City of Westminster which has provided some financial support to the band since the 1950’s while the Band provides musical assistance and entertainment at many City events.

The Band and the Westminster Fire Company have a long history together as well, with many Fire Company members in the Band and the Color Guard. In the early part of the 20th century, and again near the end of the century, the band met for their weekly rehearsals at the Westminster Fire Hall located on Main Street.

In 1998, after the Fire Company moved to its new building on John Street, the Band was again looking for a new home. That search ended, again, with the help of the Westminster Volunteer Fire Company. The Fire Company was in possession of the old Plumbing, Heating Supply Co building on John Street, and wasn’t using the space. An agreement was reached and the band moved to 40 John Street in January, 2001.

In the spirit of the many private – public partnerships that have made Westminster successful, The Westminster Municipal Band, The Westminster Fire Department and the City of Westminster have joined forces to give the Band a long term home.

In the spring of 2003, the Fire Company demolished the back portion of the building, but left the area the band rented standing. It was decided that the Band, working with the City and Fire Company, could renovate the existing storefront to better accommodate the band’s needs. Members of the Band, Fire Company and the City have provided much of the labor, while the City has worked to provide a portion of the funds needed by way of a downtown rehabilitation grant fund.

While much work is still needed to finish, big changes have already happened. A garage is being added outside to house the band’s equipment truck. New water lines had to be run into the building and two new restrooms roughed-in. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC is also needed as well as drywall work. Finish work will include painting, flooring and placing ceiling tiles.

So yes, all the pounding and banging and carryings–on going on John Street is the Westminster Municipal Band branching out and exploring the art of not being a heavy metal garage grunge band – but rather a performing troupe bringing themselves up from their own bootstraps and rolling up their sleeves and making themselves a long term home.

Won’t you please give the band a helping hand. We’d hate for them to be homeless and end up marching around town aimlessly with a drum, making loud noises, disturbing the peace and obstructing traffic and getting arrested. We want them to practice so they won’t suffer the fates of critics. The renovations will enable the Westminster Municipal Band to have a place to call home for a very long time. And if you hear anyone complaining about all that pounding and banging in town – tell them to go fly a kite.

The band is looking for donations to help make up the difference in costs. If you are able to donate, please contact band President Greg Wantz at 410-848-8852; c/o Westminster Municipal Band, PO Box 11, Westminster, MD 21158; or president@westminsterband.com.

The Band thanks the Mayor and City Council of Westminster and the membership of the Fire Company for all of their time, energy and efforts to get this project off the ground and to see this project through to completion.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the band, please contact Director Sandy Miller at 410-857-0344 or e-mail director@westminsterband.com.

History of Westminster Police Department obtained from the Westminster Police Department Website

[1] Abstracted from a History of the Westminster Police Department taken off the Westminster Police Website on August 7, 2000.

[2] “Carroll County Maryland – A History 1837-1976”, Nancy M. Warner, Carroll County Bicentennial Committee 1976

[3] "The Building of Westminster in Maryland", Christopher Weeks, Fishergate Publishing Company, Inc. Annapolis, MD 1978

[4] “Westminster Municipal Band” By Westminster Municipal Band Director Sandy Miller, July 12th, 2004

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(c) Kevin Dayhoff

20040712 Westminster Municipal Band History by Sandy Miller

Westminster Municipal Band History

By Westminster Municipal Band Director Sandy Miller

July 12th, 2004

Incorporated in 1893 as the “Westminster City Band”, the band is now officially celebrating 111 years of sharing music in Carroll County and the surrounding tri-state area, but there are records of a Westminster Band dating back as far as 1860.

In 1916, many members of the band went into the Maryland National Guard under the heading "First Regimental Band of Maryland National Guard" and were sent to the Mexican Border. Then in 1918, the band went to France for WWI. After the war, those returning members and those who remained behind reformed the band into the "Westminster Band".

The band has undergone many changes throughout its 111 years. In the early part of the 1900’s the uniforms were tan but then the 1950’s saw the colors changed to our trademark Green & Gold. Another name change also happened in 1950 when the band reorganized under the name of the “Westminster Municipal Band” and the City of Westminster pledged some financial support to our group.

The Color Guard was formed in 1961 and this group sets us apart from the rest of the crowd when the band is marching down the street. A very significant change occurred in 1984 when women were granted membership to the band.

From the beginning, the band has been a totally volunteer organization. No one in the band is monetarily compensated to participate. Those that do participate are involved because of the love of playing music and sharing that gift with the community.

While many members live in the Westminster area, there is quite a few that travel some distance to participate in the activities of the band. Members travel from Baltimore County, Harford County, Howard County, Frederick County, York and Adams County, Pennsylvania and even from as far away as Connecticut and Minnesota. This organization makes members for life!! Members of the band range in age from 14 – 80 and there are no auditions or membership fees.

A big part of the band’s success is that it functions as a family. The group literally has many members of families as members of the band – fathers & sons; fathers & daughters; husbands & wives; brothers & sisters; mothers & sons – there are many combinations of familial relationships found in the band. But even more importantly, any person who expresses an interest to become a part of this organization is immediately an integral part of the total band family.

A strong support system of the band is the family members who do not actively participate as a uniformed member, but attend all of the band’s functions by sitting in the “groupie” section of the crowd.

The Westminster Municipal Band works very hard in the community to provide instrumental music entertainment for men, women and children of all ages. The band regularly participates in many of the local Firemen’s parades; Memorial Day celebrations in Westminster & Taneytown; July 4th festivities in Kingsville, Catonsville and Havre de Grace; and concerts in and around the Carroll County area.

The band has traveled in the Tri-State area of Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania participating in many large well attended parades for various events. The highlight of the Westminster Municipal Band’s playing season is the yearly trek in June to Ocean City where the band participates in the Convention activities for the Maryland State Firemen’s Association. Highly touted and proclaimed the “Official Band of the MSFA”, the band leads the giant parade each year down Baltimore Street.

Another part of the band’s success is the relationships we have built with the City of Westminster and the Westminster Volunteer Fire Company. As stated above, the City of Westminster has provided some financial support to the band since the 1950’s.

The Band and the City have worked hand-in-hand on many projects throughout the years i.e. the Christmas Tree Lighting held every year, the Westminster Christmas House Tours, and other events scheduled by the City where the Band could provide musical assistance and entertainment. The Band and the Westminster Fire Company have a long history together as well.

In the early part of the century, the band met for their weekly rehearsals at the Westminster Fire Hall located on Main Street. Many members of the fire company participated in the band also. In the middle of the 20th century, the band moved to the second floor of the “Old Stone House” located on Liberty Street in downtown Westminster. It was a great home for the group, but after the sale of the Farmer’s Supply Co., the band negotiated renting the 3rd floor of the Westminster Fire Company for Monday night rehearsals and some storage space.

In 1998, the Westminster Fire Company moved to its new home on John Street and with the help of the City, the band was then able to move to the old Armory on Longwell Ave. While this space served the band well, as did the Fire Company space, the band was again on the third floor. Unfortunately, this made it difficult for some of the older members to attend rehearsals so the band began searching for a place to rehearse that was on ground level.

And that search ended, again, with the help of the Westminster Volunteer Fire Company. The fire company was in possession of the old Plumbing, Heating Supply Co building. The Westminster Fire Company wasn’t using the space so members of the band approached the members of the Fire Company with a proposal to allow the Westminster Municipal Band to rent the showroom portion of the storefront. An agreement was reached and the band moved to 40 John Street in January, 2001.

In the spring of 2003, the Fire Company notified the band that demolition of the back portion of 40 John Street would be occurring but the area the band rented would be left standing. After much discussion with the City of Westminster and the Westminster Vol. Fire Co, it was decided that the Band working with the City and Fire Company could renovate the existing storefront to better accommodate the band’s needs. Members of the band will provide much of the labor, while the City is working to provide a portion of the funds to make this happen.

Work has begun and much work is still needed to get to the finished product. As a non-profit organization, the band’s funds are tied up in the day-to-day expenses and operations of the group. The band does charge fees for the concerts and parades it participates in, but the money is turned around to pay for rents (rehearsal and garage space), electricity, insurances, instruments and instrument repairs, music, uniforms, office expenses, and truck expenses.

This project is a major renovation to the inside and outside of the building. On the outside, a garage is being added to the building to house the band’s equipment truck and because of the demolition, an interior wall is becoming an exterior wall.

Inside, the restrooms were lost in the demolition so new water lines had to be run into the building and two new restrooms roughed-in. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC is also needed as well as drywall work. Work will be completed to update the current uniform storage area, equipment storage area, and the alcove leading to the garage. Finish work will include painting, flooring and placing ceiling tiles.

The renovations will enable the Westminster Municipal Band to have a place to call home for what we hope will be a very long time. While the City of Westminster is working to fund as much of this project as possible, the band is looking for sponsorships and donations to help make up the difference in costs. If you are able to give a donation to help us accomplish this goal, please contact band President Greg Wantz at 410-848-8852; c/o Westminster Municipal Band, PO Box 11, Westminster, MD 21158; or president@westminsterband.com.

Members of the band, Westminster City officials and employees, and the Westminster Vol. Fire Company have already given a lot of time and energy to get this project off of the ground. The band thanks the Mayor and City Council of Westminster and the membership of the Fire Company for all of their time and efforts as we work to see this project through to completion.

The band provides a very valuable service to the community. We give our friends and neighbors the chance to share their love of the musical arts by participating in a concert and parade band setting. If you are interested in becoming a member of the band, please contact Director Sandy Miller at 410-857-0344 or e-mail director@westminsterband.com.

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20040706 McDaniel College and Westminster Good Partners for Over 137 Years

McDaniel College and Westminster – Good Partners for Over 137 Years

The long version of my Westminster Advocate column for July 6th, 2004
by Kevin Dayhoff, Westminster Mayor (1,262 words)

Some time ago, about 4 o’clock in the afternoon, approximately 90 campers dashed down College Hill and headed east on Main Street.

Several friends joined them, over at Westminster Mayor Michael Baughman’s shop, as they galloped through Westminster, across the railroad tracks, charging to the other end of town - only soon to be seen, retreating back through town shortly later.

In the ensuing melee that followed, the Carroll County State’s Attorney, C. W. Webster, was among several local prominent citizens that were captured and released the next day.

This experience on June 29th, 1863 perhaps marked the first foray into Westminster from our good neighbors on The Hill, McDaniel College.

Of course, over time the event has been called “The Battle of Westminster” or otherwise known as: “Corbit’s Charge”. With some help from my friend and historian, Tom LeGore, perhaps I need to tell the rest of the story.

It’s a good story about a partnership that has been enormously beneficial to everyone in Westminster and McDaniel College for over 137 years. A relationship that got off to an exciting start and continues to be exciting many years later.

Around 12 noon, on June 28th, 1863, The First Delaware Calvary arrived in Westminster where they were immediately directed to the highest elevation in and around Westminster - a hill just outside the western end of Westminster, known then as “The Commons”.

The Commons was a 12 acre patch of land which had a commanding view of Westminster’s Main Street, and all the roads which led to New Windsor, Taneytown, Uniontown and Gettysburg.

The 1860s were an exciting time for Westminster, then a small rural farming community of approximately 1,900 residents and about 40 businesses.

The 1860s saw the Western Maryland Railroad come to town June 15th, 1961 when the railway line from Owings Mills was completed to Westminster.

According to “Carroll County Maryland – A History 1837-1976” by Nancy Warner; F. R. Buell, who later founded McDaniel College (then known as Western Maryland College) in 1866, opened the “Westminster Male and Female School” in April 1860.

The first library in the County, the Westminster Library, was incorporated in September 1863 and was open to the public every Friday afternoon at the Odd Fellow’s Hall and several circuses visited town at Fairground Hill – “charging the “huge” sum of 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children…”.

In the 1860s, The Commons or “Old Common” as it is referred to in “The Formative Years” written in 1982 by Samuel Biggs Schofield and Marjorie Cowls Crain; commanded – as it does today, a logistical presence over the local community. It looms on the horizon from most any vantage point in Westminster.

According to “The Formative Years” which referred to James W. Reese’s history of the college: it was the west end playground of Westminster. Political meetings were held on The Hill, as were the Annual Independence Day Ceremonies.

It is also where the great questions of the day such as preservation of the union, free trade, protective tariffs and internal infrastructure improvements in the community, were discussed by local citizens eager to learn more about their responsibilities as the local community and the nation grew.

It is only fitting that Western Maryland College was founded on The Commons in 1866 by Fayette Buell. On May 1st, 1866 Fayette Buell received a deed for eight acres of The Commons” from Edward and Margaret Lynch and William and Matilda Miller for $4,580.00. Over 137 years later, the College on the Hill still commands a inspiring presence, teaching and debating the great questions of the day.

According to a short history posted on McDaniel College’s web site in October 2002: as with many new ventures, financing was slow to materialize, but Fayette Buell did receive generous financial support from several of Westminster’s community leaders including: Isaac Baile; the Reverend James T. Ward, of the Methodist Protestant Church, who would become the College’s first president; and John Smith, president of the thriving Western Maryland Railroad and a resident of nearby Wakefield Valley, who became the first president of the College’s Board of Trustees.

The College was named after the Western Maryland Railroad, perhaps at the suggestion of one of its benefactors, John Smith. This was the first of many collaborations between Westminster’s community leadership and the College on the Hill.

Westminster Mayor Michael Baughman later became a member of the Western Maryland College Board of Trustees.

“The Formative Years” reports that the first foundation stone of “Old Main”, the first building on campus, was laid on August 27, 1866. Upon its completion, “Old Main” joined other prominent buildings in town such as the Odd Fellow’s Hall, built in 1854 in the middle of town at 140 East Main Street and the Carroll County Courthouse, built in 1838, which formed the bookend to the college at the other end of town.

On June 29th, 1863, approximately 100 soldiers of the First Delaware Calvary were camped at the Commons on the Hill. 90 of those soldiers engaged General J. E. B. Stuart’s Confederate Calvary totaling over 6,000 men, in Corbit’s Charge, and changed the course of history.

Today, compared to the 17,000 citizens of the city of Westminster, McDaniel College’s 400 employees and 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students continue to change the course of history with about the same odds.

Now, in 2004, students, employees and faculty are usually the ones galloping down the Hill and the charging is done with a credit card. The employment exchange works in both up and down the Hill, as the college is an excellent employer, with close to 400 employees and a payroll of over $24 million per year.

In a presentation by Dr. Ethan Seidel on March 7, 2002, concerning the economic impact of McDaniel College on Carroll County, he estimated that students at McDaniel College spend over $4 million a year on and off campus. Dr. Seidel further elaborated that it is estimated that McDaniel attracts over 100,000 visitors per year to Westminster, many who come to attend the Raven’s summer camp during August.

These visitors are estimated to pump over $1 million into the local economy. In the last decade, McDaniel College has spent approximately $5 million a year in capital improvements.

In addition to McDaniel College’s contribution to the economic vitality of the City of Westminster, the College provides a pool of students for employment and as interns for many businesses and governments.

The students, faculty and staff venture off the hill regularly, providing expertise to businesses, non-profit organizations and to government boards and commissions. Their volunteer time has added greatly to the quality of life for the residents of Westminster and Carroll County.

Many members of the community regularly retreat up to the College on The Hill, for educational and cultural activities, such as Common Ground on the Hill, Theater on the Hill, and an on-going program of concerts, speakers and of course, college classes.

This cultural contribution adds greatly to the soul and quality of life we know as the City of Westminster.

So, by now I hope you understand how important the charging and retreating is to the City of Westminster,

So by now I hope you understand how much we approve of today’s charging and retreating by campers on The Hill, - however; please bear in mind we still don’t approve of any “catch and release” of the Carroll County State’s Attorney.

© Kevin Dayhoff, Westminster Mayor