RICHARD ADDIS 

              With every passing generation, our government, local and federal grows beyond its means. As government grows, so does its powers which inversely limits the power of the citizen and restricts the individual liberty and God given freedom we are all guaranteed.  Our state and federal constitutions are clear concerning limited and restrained government where it shall have no powers that the people do not have themselves.

             The past two years is a prime example of the government's abuse of these powers. Vaccine and mask mandates, private business closures and restrictions on the right to freely travel are the results of politicians that no longer work for the people or abide by the constitution. Our current commissioners sat idly by as the state exerted multiple executive overreaches on its people for fear of loosing state funding. To put it bluntly, they sold our God-given rights for the prospect of grant money.  As your County Commissioner, I will never allow our citizens to be subjugated by an out-of-control government. I will stand between Annapolis and our private business to ensure that not one lively hood is labeled as “non-essential”. I will work with our local Sheriff and States Attorney to ensure the constitution is being applied and preserved in Worcester County.

              The idea of licenses or permits to engage in an otherwise free activity is repugnant to our state and federal constitution. Recently, our current administration passed legislation to enact a rental license program that saddles burdensome fees and regulations on landowners whom for decades rented their properties with no issues. Now that right has been taken from them only to be sold back at a premium.

              Another issue our county is faced with daily is the loss of land rights. Farmers and homeowners alike being forced to abandon property due to obscure rules and regulations that deem their land as nontidal wetlands and critical areas. Landowners have been forced to create “conservation areas” on cleared, useful land, severely impacting their property values and income potential. What is listed above only represents a fraction of the overreach our government has participated in.  While some form of accountability is needed to ensure our waterways and open areas remain clean and inviting to wildlife, the measures that have been enacted are burdensome and expensive to our citizens. The idea of government having complete control over private land ownership is unconstitutional.

              I ask anyone to name an activity that they can do in our county that does not have a law, rule or regulation that governs it. How can we consider ourselves to be a “Free People” when every action is governed? This is just a small sample of the issues facing our citizens brought on by a bloated bureaucracy. My ultimate goal as County Commissioner is to limit the involvement our local government has in private citizens’ day-to-day life.