(2/1) Thurmont Mayor Martin Burns’s
citizens’ poll on the Myers farm annexation
request has been called a “push poll,” “scare
tactics” and “not fully addressing the
concerns” of those against the annexation.
Yet, despite the naysaying, residents
responded in record numbers opposing the Myers
farm annexation.
Burns read the results of the poll at the
end of the Jan. 30 town meeting. The mayor
sent out 5,500 ballots by mail and it could
also be downloaded from the Internet. Burns
received 1,487 ballots by the end of the
voting period.
“That’s more votes than a town election,”
Burns said. “That’s more than the planning and
zoning survey.”
The results were 984 against the
annexation, 446 for the annexation and 57
voters who were indifferent. By percentage,
that’s 66 percent against, 30 percent for and
4 percent indifferent.
Thomas Cromwell with the Catoctin Area
Planning and Preservation Association, said of
the results, “It’s good, of course. It
supports what the planning and zoning survey
indicated that 85 percent of residents want to
maintain the small-town character of
Thurmont.”
CAPPA had sent out its own letter, after
the mayor’s survey went out, emphasizing all
the negatives of the Myers farm project and
some members were openly critical of the
mayor’s poll while it was circulating.
“I am very happy CAPPA’s one-sided flyer
had absolutely no effect,” Burns said. He
explained that by the time CAPPA sent out its
flyer, he had already received over 800
responses to the poll question and the
percentages between support and non-support
had remained the same throughout the
month-long response collection.
Developer Tom Hudson said before the meeting
that he would follow through with the project
and see how the commissioners eventually vote
on it.
“I’d certainly been happier if it was 66
percent for and 30 percent against,” Hudson
said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us to
figure out what needs to be done to change
people’s minds.”
Though not expected to vote when the final
Myers farm annexation vote is taken, Burns has
said he would support the residents’ position.
He did point out that he had not used scare
tactics in the poll. While the town will
“aggressively” pursue grants or alternate
funding, Burns said, “It is factual if we
don’t get any funding for the sewer system,
your rates could go up.”
Some critics complained that the annexation
would be a “lollipop” annexation, connected to
the town by only the highway. Burns said that
it is possible the town could annex Catoctin
High along with the Myers farm should the
request be approved. “If we annex the school …
the contiguity issue is moot,” Burns said.
Resident Don Tyler told the commissioners,
“There’s merit on both sides from what I
hear.” He also pointed out that he has heard a
lot of disrespect going back and forth between
the two sides. In the end, he said that if the
commissioners “purge yourselves of your
personal position and vote accordingly what’s
best for the citizens,” he would support the
decision.
The final decision on the Myers farm
annexation request is not expected later this
month.
Results of the mayor’s
poll on the Myers farm annexation
Total
In-town
Out-of-town Businesses
Approve
446 (30%) 437(30%)
9 (21%)
2 (18%)
Disapprove 984 (66%)
951(66%) 33 (79%)
8 (73%)
Indifferent 57 ( 4%)
57( 4%) 0 ( 0%)
1 ( 9%)
1487
1445
42
11
Source: Thurmont Mayor Martin Burns
