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RIDGELY – The public comment period of the Ridgely Town Commission’s March 2 meeting focused largely on town officials’ performance – both good and bad. Ridgely residents Anna Mansfield and Jamie Romph spent their allotted three minutes voicing concerns about transparency and the commissioners’ handling of town business.
Mansfield opened her comments by referencing a prepared statement read by Ridgely Commissioner John Hurley at February’s Town Commission meeting, in which he addressed members of the public who questioned why they were not updated when new Caroline County Sheriff’s Office deputies were assigned to cover Ridgely, pointing out that the town does not formally introduce all outside contractors to the public. “Last meeting [you] decided to do a speech…because I expected you, our elected official, to know which police officers are assigned to dedicate the coverage to Ridgely,” Mansfield said, “I expect this because the officers are the ones working 40 hours each per week that will need to interact with our residents daily. They will need to come into our town hall, our school, our businesses, often, if not daily.”
“I think you already know that this is not in the same level of town and community involvement that any other contractor would have,” she continued. “People want to be heard. Most importantly, people want to be represented. Not only do you not represent those that elected you, you also chastise the public for having voices,” she finished. Commission President Brad Sears thanked Mansfield for her input.
Resident Jamie Romph approached the stand before the commissioners next, concentrating his comments specifically on town staff employment contracts, which he received via a Public Information Act request to the town last September. Romph described the contracts, and compensation, of Ridgely’s two office staff, Stephanie Berkey and Melissa Leonard, as well as Director of Operations David Crist, as “out of control.”
“You need to get control of this spending. We are not the ATM for three people,” Romph said after reading aloud the total compensation paid to all three staff members in fiscal year 2024. He also addressed two aspects of Crist’s contract specifically: the use of a town-owned vehicle for personal use, and lifetime hunting rights to certain restricted property.
“Now, I'm not opposed to the Director of Public Works having a truck to take home during the plow season, fixing things, but to utilize a Chevy Tahoe to go all over the place at his will when he decides he needs to do it is wrong,” Romph said. As for the hunting clause, “You have provided him lifetime hunting privileges to town owned property…So I'm curious to how you justify that,” he said.
In contrast, another resident who spoke after Mansfield and Romph said she was there to say thank you to the town for their assistance with her yard debris following the late February blizzard. “I appreciate commissioners, I appreciate the public works, I appreciate the police and plus our clerk treasurer, I really do,” she said. After acknowledging that the previous commenters have the right to question their government, she finished, “I want you to know I'm here for the good, not for the bad.”
In a statement submitted to Caroline Review.News specifically focusing on Romph’s comments, Commissioner Sears said, “Ridgely’s staffing model is built on operational continuity and institutional knowledge…The Commissioners of Ridgely remain committed to transparent, accountable governance and to the fiscal discipline that has produced the county’s most competitive municipal tax rate structure. We welcome scrutiny, and we welcome the facts; however, we will not remain silent in the face of unfounded attacks on the Town’s dedicated and hardworking employees.”
