EASTON — Easton saw a heated election the last time the council president seat was up for grabs. This year’s race is no different.
Since campaigns for the three open Town Council seats began this winter, there have been stolen and vandalized campaign signs, tense debates on campaign finance transparency and, most recently, political mailers from Republican-endorsed candidates calling out Mayor Megan Cook.
The tenor of the election cycle — which culminates with voting Tuesday — is largely influenced by the race for Town Council president between incumbent Frank Gunsallus and current Ward 2 representative Don Abbatiello.
At a town hall Tuesday, both candidates offered thoughts on civility.
“In the past two years, the council members overall, have been almost always conducting themselves in a civil manner,†said Gunsallus. “There are times where debate may get heated. That is the nature of democracy.â€
“Arguing is fine, I get it. Disagreements occur,†Abbatiello said. “But it needs to be done in a respectful manner.â€
Ward 1 Councilmember Maureen Curry, who has endorsed Abbatiello, said the charged nature of this election isn’t normal for Easton. And it’s hurting the town, she says.
“Anytime you create an environment based on animosity, it becomes counterproductive, fairly quickly,†Curry said. “And I think that’s sort of where we are today.â€
Talbot County Republican Central Committee vice chair Shari Wilcoxon believes a reason the race is so intense is that it’s a fight to preserve Easton’s charm.
“People love our little town. It’s a jewel,†she said. “And we had a lot of people move here during COVID because they wanted to get out of the crud to come to this little town. A lot of us want to preserve that.â€
ENDORSEMENTS
As Gunsallus and Abbatiello square off, they have racked up endorsements from local politicians and even fellow council members.
Abbatiello received endorsements from Curry and, in a surprise to some, Ward 3’s David Montgomery, who had sided with Gunsallus on several contentious matters discussed by the council in the past year.
“It would be very hard for us to move forward productively for the next four years under that kind of leadership,†Montgomery said of Gunsallus.
Curry says Abbatiello’s experience and knowledge make him the best candidate. “He has the right temperament,†she said.
Meanwhile, Gunsallus’ main endorsements come from Republican leaders — the Republican Central Committee, Sheriff Joe Gamble, Sen. Johnny Mautz and Dels. Chris Adams and Tom Hutchinson.
Wilcoxon said the committee looked at values — not necessarily party affiliation — when endorsing Gunsallus and mother-and-son newcomers Lynn and Cameron Keefe, who are running in Wards 2 and 4, respectively.
“To me he’s a phenomenal leader,†Wilcoxon said of Gunsallus, citing his thoughtfulness and transparency.
“He’s not afraid to ask questions,†Mautz said. “ ... Sometimes, the questions may seem silly. And other times, they may reveal things that most people aren’t aware of.â€
Abbatiello and his supporters have denounced the involvement of political parties in the town’s election, which is nonpartisan and doesn’t list candidates alongside a party.
“I do not think that the Republican Party platform has anything to do with the issues that we face here in Easton, and so I don’t understand why the party has decided to intervene so strongly in a local election,†Montgomery, a Republican, said.
Mautz said while the election is performed as nonpartisan, it is political in nature. “Every election has got politics baked into it,†he said.
“I think that everybody fools themselves if they say it’s nonpartisan,†Wilcoxon said. “Everybody knows. Everybody knows everybody’s party. We can just cut the pretending, right?â€
Flavio Hickel, an associate professor of political science at Washington College, sees both sides of the argument.
“Broadly speaking, I don’t think it’s a good idea to allow for local party endorsements or to make nonpartisan elections partisan, because you are allowing partisanship to interfere in local town government,†Hickel said.
However, Hickel said knowing which parties candidates align with is informative for voters, especially at a local level.
“Most voters probably aren’t familiar with the candidates running,†he said. “ ... What party identity does at all levels of elections is it provides a very quick information shortcut for voters.â€
Curry and Montgomery’s endorsements have raised questions, too.
Wilcoxon said she views Montgomery’s opposition to Gunsallus as personal and said she believes Montgomery and Cook’s sponsorship of a campaign finance ordinance was “100%†an attack on Gunsallus’ campaign.
At the town hall Tuesday, Gunsallus spoke of council endorsements: “I would not want an endorsement from a fellow council member because I believe that that is out of bounds,†he said. Then he made a remark seemingly concerning Montgomery.
“And especially one of them, I would not accept it.â€
Montgomery disputed that claim, telling Âé¶¹´«Ã½ Friday that Gunsallus asked for his endorsement a few months ago, but that he declined.
Curry said she hadn’t before made an endorsement as a sitting council member, but that she gave a “great deal of thought†in endorsing Abbatiello.
In her eyes, the discourse around endorsements and political sides are making the campaign heated, instead of what she’d rather the election be centered on: issues such as growth and housing.
“There’s too much of the ‘he said,’ ‘he said,’ and he’s backed by this guy and he’s backed by this guy,†Curry said. “The issues have taken a back seat, and that’s wrong.â€
(2) comments
I don't know what Frank has done but it seems like a All Out Atrack and I would consider it Bullying. " People who live in Glass Houses shoukd not throw Stones ". A comment was made that some of The People who Endorsed Frank don't live in Easton etc. Well Megan appointed a Council Person who had lived in Easton for 3 months . No one is perfect and I know each Council Person has misspoken a time or two. This Election looks like A Middle School Election with all The Shade Throwing . The People need to look at or start coming to The Town Meetings. Some set there and say nothing but now that The Election is here The People fimally find out who their Ward Representative is . Look at what has not been done and Let Their Work Speak for them . Ward 4 Canidate Moonyene Jackson Amis Esq. Has Several Formulas for Several Issues that need to be addressed Immediately . She has Experience on The Council and is about Action . At The Avalon , most didn't have a lot to say on what could be done to ensure certain things for The Town of Easton. Some just Spoke Loud and Louder but really said Nothing of Substance. This Election has been alot .
Sheriff Gamble, Johnny Mautz, Chris Adams, Tom Hutchinson, and Shari Wilcoxon have one thing in common. They don't live in, pay taxes in, or vote in the Town of Easton.
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