Jay Fergusonjay@deepcreekvacations.com301-501-0420
Menu

BYU student credits faith for surviving boat mishap at Deep Creek Lake

Jay’s note: This happened while I was out of town on vacation and I didn’t see any articles or anything about online, but it was in the Deseret News today. What a great story – must read.

By Sara Israelsen-Hartley, Deseret News

PROVO — While his peers purchased textbooks and studied their class schedules for another fall semester, BYU senior Dane Brock said a prayer of thanks that he still had a right leg to take with him to classes next year.

In fact, for the 24-year-old who nearly died three weeks ago when he was run over by a boat while swimming, each new day is worth celebrating.

Brock’s optimism and faith kicked in just seconds after he realized he’d been hit by a boat while vacationing at western Maryland’s Deep Creek Lake on Aug. 27.

He’d been swimming hard near the edge of the safe-swim zone and between splashing and breathing never heard the roar of the motor. The impact from the propeller shoved him under the water and as he floated to the bloodied surface, he knew he needed immediate help.

“I don’t think they knew how serious it was, they just kept apologizing,” he said of the boaters. “I told them I appreciated them apologizing but they needed to get me in the boat or I was going to drown.”

Read the rest here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Do It All specializes in cleaning services in Garrett County & @ Deep Creek Lake. Give them a call (301-501-0217) or visit the website – competitive rates and quality results from a locally owned & operated company!

Savageman Triathlon this weekend – #1 toughest in the world

Time for the ‘toughest triathlon in the world’ – the SavageMan! I am participating for the first time with the Railey Realty Aid Station at the top of ‘Killer Miller’ hill. Sveral of our agents are racing and participating in the event, which is really exciting. I have heard so many stories about how exciting it is to be involved and to cheer on these world class athletes, so my family and I will be there Sunday morning to get involved and ring some cowbells…

Here is the schedule of events and the main website (lots of cool photos to check out):

2010 SavageMan Triathlon Festival Schedule of Events

Friday, September 17
*30.0 athletes are strongly encouraged to pickup packets and rack bikes on Friday
3:00 – 9:00 PM 30.0 and 70.0 Packet Pickup at Garrett County Chamber of Commerce
3:00 – 9:00 PM Volunteers Check-In at Garrett County Chamber of Commerce
3:00 – 7:00 PM 30.0 Bike Racking at Transition Area

Saturday, September 18

SavageMan 30.0 Triathlon
6:30 AM Transition Area opens
6:30 to 8:30 AM 30.0 Packet Pickup at Oak Pavilion
6:30 to 8:30 AM 30.0 Bike Racking
8:45 AM Mandatory Athlete Briefing
9:15 AM Transition Area Closed
9:30 AM SavageMan 30.0 Triathlon Race Start
9:50 AM First athlete on bike course
11:00 AM Swim cut-off time
10:50 AM First athlete on run course
11:30 AM First athlete finishes!!
1:00 PM Bike cut-off time
2:00 PM SavageMan 30.0 Course Closed
2:00 PM Awards Ceremony
5:45 PM “Champion” Fundraiser private reception with Dave Scott at Wisp Resort
6:30 – 8:30 PM SavageMan Carbo-Load Dinner
SavageMan 70.0 Triathlon
1:30 – 6:30 PM 70.0 Packet Pickup at Oak Pavilion
3:00 – 7:00 PM Mandatory 70.0 Bike Racking
3:30 PM Mandatory Athlete Briefing #1
4:30 PM Mandatory Athlete Briefing #2
5:45 PM “Champion” Fundraiser private reception with Dave Scott at Wisp Resort
6:30 – 8:30 PM SavageMan Carbo-Load Dinner

Sunday, September 19
SavageMan 70.0 Triathlon
6:00 AM Transition Area Opens
8:15 AM Transition Area Closes
8:15 AM Spectator Shuttle Departs for Westernport Wall
8:30 AM SavageMan 70.0 Triathlon Race Start
8:55 AM First Athlete on Bike Course
9:30 AM First athlete encounters Westernport Wall
10:10 AM Swim cut-off time
11:25 AM First athlete on run course
1:00 PM First athlete finishes!!
3:00 PM Bike cut-off time
3:30 PM Awards Ceremony
5:00 PM SavageMan 70.0 Course Closed

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Do It All specializes in cleaning services in Garrett County & @ Deep Creek Lake. Give them a call (301-501-0217) or visit the website – competitive rates and quality results from a locally owned & operated company!

Garrett County's 40% was the highest voter turnout in Maryland

While Maryland had the lowest voter turnout on record, that was not the case for Garrett County, where 40% of registered voters turned out to vote Tuesday. Specualting, but perhaps there was a reason that so many good folks showed up at the polls this election to let their voices be heard?

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Do It All specializes in cleaning services in Garrett County & @ Deep Creek Lake. Give them a call (301-501-0217) or visit the website – competitive rates and quality results from a locally owned & operated company!

Garrett board unsure of when to replace Raley

Commission candidate could vote on new member’s appointment for his former seat
Megan Miller
Cumberland Times-News Cumberland Times-News Fri Sep 17, 2010, 07:59 AM EDT

— OAKLAND — The decision on whether or not to close Bloomington and Kitzmiller Elementary schools will be made by the Garrett County school board after months of study and recommendations from the public, advisory committees and school administrators.

But the outcome of Tuesday’s primary election could bring another major factor into play — the selection of a replacement for board member Jim Raley.

Raley, a Republican, appears poised to become a Garrett County commissioner. He won a decisive primary victory in District 2 over incumbent Fred Holliday, and currently faces no opponent in the November general election because no Democrats filed for the seat.

If Raley vacates his seat on the board of education, Maryland code dictates that the county commissioners will appoint a replacement to serve out the remainder of his term, through 2012. The appointee could come from anywhere in the county, because Raley’s seat is designated for a member-at-large.

The question is whether the current commission or the newly elected commission — which would include Raley and at least one more new commissioner — will do the appointing.

So far, it’s a question with an unclear answer. County Administrator Monty Pagenhardt said he has spoken with Superintendent Wendell Teets and the current commissioners about the issue. County officials will discuss the matter with an attorney, and will likely consult the state board of education as well.

The process of making an appointment would probably be triggered by Raley submitting his resignation from the school board, Pagenhardt said.

The current commission has generally appeared supportive of school officials’ efforts to examine school closures as a way of cutting spending and managing the budget. But the new commission will likely include at least two members who have taken positions against school closures.

Raley has been an outspoken opponent of closing the schools. And in District 1, both Republican candidate Gregan Crawford and Democrat Eric Robison have also taken strong positions against the measure. Crawford, speaking of the potential impact on Garrett communities, told the Times-News that the schools need to remain open “at all cost.”

If the school board appointee opposes school closures, it could create a close vote on the divisive issue.

In recent months, Raley and fellow board member Charlotte Sebold have often sided together on votes related to the issue. In August, the two opposed the schedule for considering possible closures, which forced board President Donald Forrester to cast a tiebreaker vote that passed the measure 3-2.

Three members of the board of education are up for re-election in November, but two, Forrester and Thomas Carr, are running unopposed. In District 3, incumbent Rodney Durst faces a challenge from Rodney Reckart.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Do It All specializes in cleaning services in Garrett County & @ Deep Creek Lake. Give them a call (301-501-0217) or visit the website – competitive rates and quality results from a locally owned & operated company!

Letter to Editor: Officials not acting to protect Deep Creek Lake

Interestinbg points in this letter to the editor of the Cumberland Times:

To the Editor:
Cumberland Times-News Cumberland Times-News Fri Sep 17, 2010, 08:00 AM EDT

— Three strikes in baseball means you’re out. Many worldwide religions regard the number three as having important significance.

Three times this year sewage has spilled into Deep Creek Lake.

The first sewage spill went largely unreported. Since there was never any official estimate given the only thing to work off of are estimates made by private home owners. Some of these are as high as 65,000 gallons.

The second spill was reported at first by the Cumberland Times-News with estimates of 45,000 gallons of raw sewage entering the lake. A recent spill was estimated at 6,400 gallons, even though the original estimate issued by the Deep Creek Lake POA was 9,000 gallons.

In one summer season it appears that over 116,400 gallons of raw sewage have entered Deep Creek Lake. This coincides with the largest fish kill ever reported in the lake watershed.

As a real estate agent and small business owner I, like many lake residents, depend on the lake’s recreational value to sustain small business growth.

More importantly, I look to Deep Creek Lake to provide our area with an important natural resource: both recreationally and ecologically.

Gorgeous migrating birds, (bald eagles and herons included) unique freshwater fish, and exciting freshwater mammals, (such as beavers) all make this resource and the surrounding streams their home.

On the recreational side, Deep Creek Lake has introduced countless visitors and residents alike to just how much fun and enjoyment Mother Nature can offer.

Though, as a citizen watching sewage literally run into our lake, I fear that those in the positions to maintain lake water quality have failed on multiple occasions.

Just as BP, Halliburton, and Trans Ocean failed to maintain an operational and secure oil well in the Gulf — the Garrett County commissioners and Department of Public Utilities Sanitation Division have failed to maintain a viable and safe sewage system at Deep Creek Lake.

This failure has threatened not only the health of the lake but public health as well.

To add insult to injury they failed not once, not twice, but a total of three times. In doing so, they have put many lake area businesses in jeopardy of large scale profit losses and endangered the health of local residents and visitors alike.

This goes without mentioning the tremendous toll these spills have taken on the lake’s aquatic life. To me this is unacceptable.

As residents and business owners we have two choices. We can quietly allude ourselves to the false pretense that everything is being done by our current elected officials to maintain lake quality and preserve our natural resources. Or we can face the stark reality that something needs to change.

As sewage fills Deep Creek Lake and wind turbines dot our once picturesque mountain landscape are we not forced to ask, have our elected officials kept the lake area and Western Maryland’s best interest at heart?

Perhaps we need to ask all elected county officials to exit their offices since new representatives have been chosen to hopefully make far better choices and offer much more efficient management of Western Maryland’s crown jewel, Deep Creek Lake.

Jeremy Gosnell

Oakland

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Do It All specializes in cleaning services in Garrett County & @ Deep Creek Lake. Give them a call (301-501-0217) or visit the website – competitive rates and quality results from a locally owned & operated company!

Commission will have new look

Two longtime Garrett incumbents defeated
Megan Miller
Cumberland Times-News Thu Sep 16, 2010, 08:01 AM EDT

— OAKLAND — Regardless of the outcome of the Nov. 2 general election, the makeup of the Garrett County Commission will be very different next term.

Longtime incumbents Ernie Gregg, a 24-year veteran of the commission, and Fred Holliday, who served for 12 years, were both eliminated in Tuesday’s primary by first-time commission candidates.

Gregg was defeated for the District 1 seat by Gregan Crawford, who garnered more than 55 percent of the votes cast. In District 2, Holliday lost to four-term board of education member Jim Raley, who took more than 61 percent of the votes cast.

“I think there’s an anti-incumbency out there and I think the voters feel the commissioners were no longer listening to them,” Raley said Tuesday. “That’s really the direction this whole thing took.”

Both Gregg and Holliday also attributed their losses partly to the anti-incumbent mood that appears to be sweeping the nation.

Raley currently faces no challenger in the general election, because no Democrats filed for the District 2 seat. The Democratic Central Committee has the option to nominate a candidate to put on the general election ballot by Oct. 4.

In District 1, Crawford, who could not be reached for comment, will face Democrat Eric Robison in November. Robison ran unopposed in the primary.

The only commission incumbent to make it through the primary was Denny Glotfelty in District 3, who faced the largest number of primary election opponents. Glotfelty beat out three other Republicans — Bob Gatto, Louis Newcomb and Tim Thomas — and secured more than 41 percent of the votes cast.

He will face Democratic challenger Bill Welch in the November general election. Welch easily dusted off his primary opponent, George Falter, and won more than 75 percent of the votes cast.

Glotfelty said he was surprised by the outcomes of the other commission races.

“Whoever they put in in the other districts is who the people want, and we’ll do the best we can for Garrett County,” he said.

In the Republican race for sheriff, Robert Corley took nearly 58 percent of the votes cast to defeat Larry Gnegy and advance to the general election. Corley will take on Democrat Skyler Hebden, who ran unopposed in the primary.

In a four-way Republican race for register of wills, incumbent Rita Watson won handily with nearly 64 percent of the votes cast. Watson’s nearest challenger was Traci Royce, with more than 22 percent, then John Sines, with nearly 10 percent, and Bryan Paugh, with less than 4 percent. No Democrats filed for the office.

In November, four candidates will square off for three open positions as judge of the orphans court. Republicans Clifford C. DeWitt, Wayne Wilt and James F. Margroff took the most votes and will advance to the general election, while Democrat Everett B. Deberry ran unopposed and will automatically ad-vance. 

In the general election, the three candidates who receive the most votes — regardless of party — will win.

The November general election will also include nonpartisan races for three seats on the board of education.

Two incumbents, Donald Forrester in District 1 and Thomas Carr in District 2, are running unopposed. Incumbent Rodney Durst filed to retain his District 3 seat, but faces a challenge from Rodney Reckart.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Do It All specializes in cleaning services in Garrett County & @ Deep Creek Lake. Give them a call (301-501-0217) or visit the website – competitive rates and quality results from a locally owned & operated company!

Garrett schools may be closed

Board scheduled to vote in March on Kitzmiller, Bloomington Elementary fates

Megan Miller
Cumberland Times-News Thu Sep 16, 2010, 08:05 AM EDT

— OAKLAND — Kitzmiller and Bloomington elementary schools could be closed permanently at the end of the 2010-11 school year, depending on the outcome of a March vote by the Garrett County Board of Education.

Schools Superintendent Wendell Teets formally recommended the two elementary schools for closure during Wednesday night’s school board meeting, which was held at Southern Middle School to accommodate the approximately 80 members of the public who gathered for the announcement.

“I deeply regret the necessity of these recommended actions,” Teets said. “None of us wants to be in this position or could have anticipated these actions even two years ago.”

Teets presented his recommendations as an information item for the board, which is not scheduled to vote on the issue until March. None of the board members commented on the proposal.

The recommendations, Teets said, are based on input from all central office staff within the school system.

“These schools have the highest costs of operation per student and low attendance,” he explained.

Teets said that, in the current school year, it costs $425,761 to operate Bloomington Elementary and $409,405 for Kitzmiller, for a total of $835,166.

Under the proposal, Bloomington students would be moved to Broad Ford Elementary, and Kitzmiller students would attend Yough Glades Elementary.

Four people gave public comment on the issue after Teets’ announcement, including Piedmont, W.Va., resident Greg Harvey, who pointed to the towns of Piedmont and Westernport as cautionary tales of what can happen in the wake of community school closures.

Harvey said he grew up in Bloomington and now operates the Tri-Towns Basketball League out of the school facility. “It is going to be an effect on the community along with the kids in the school,” he said of the proposed closure. “We need to give families a reason to come to these places, not a reason to leave. … Anything we gain by closing that school financially, this county’s going to lose.”

Longterm financial concerns are the reason the measure is necessary, according to Teets. He said repeatedly that the closures would help the school system reduce spending without eliminating programs that benefit all students countywide.

“If we had sufficient funding to meet our … needs, I would not be making any such recommendation this year,” he said.

Garrett County Schools are facing a $1 million state funding reduction for the second year in a row. That’s because two years ago, the state changed its aid formula to be reflective of counties’ enrollment, and Garrett’s enrollment is steadily declining.

As of Sept. 8, Garrett County is down 99 students compared to September 2009. Teets said state figures project the decline to continue through 2019.

The school system forced a $700,000 carryover from the last fiscal year to balance this year’s budget, but it’s unlikely to be able to accomplish that again for the upcoming year.

While Garrett County schools stand to receive about $832,000 over the next four years in federal Race to the Top funding, those dollars are dedicated specifically to innovation and improvement programs.

Teets said he will appoint advisory committees for Bloomington and Kitzmiller within the next week. The committees, made up of parents, school representatives and community members, will report back to Teets and the school board after assessing the pros and cons of school closure through areas like building condition, transportation, student relocations, and the impact on the surrounding community.

The board will also conduct public hearings in November at both of the schools being considered for closure. The hearings schedule will be set in the board’s October meeting.

Contact Megan Miller at mmiller@times-news.com.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Do It All specializes in cleaning services in Garrett County & @ Deep Creek Lake. Give them a call (301-501-0217) or visit the website – competitive rates and quality results from a locally owned & operated company!

Forty percent of registered voters turn out at polls

Megan Miller
Cumberland Times-News Thu Sep 16, 2010, 08:00 AM EDT

— OAKLAND — Forty percent of Garrett County’s registered voters cast ballots in a primary election that included several contentious races, especially for seats on the county commission.

County board of elections Director Steve Fratz said voting went smoothly on election day for all precincts, with no major candidate or voter problems.

That includes voters from the Elbow precinct, who saw their polling place relocated from the Savage Mountain Youth Center near Lonaconing to the same accommodations as the neighboring Avilton district, the Avilton Community Center.

Frantz said about 19 of 105 registered Elbow voters cast ballots in the election, and he received no comments Tuesday on the move.

Overall, Fratz said he had expected an even higher voter turnout, because the county saw several hotly contested primary races and made a strong showing in early voting.

“For early voting, we were one of the leaders (statewide), at 4.5 percent,” he said. “I thought that might have been a barometer.”

But the turnout was comparable to that of the 2006 primary, which was about 41 percent. Voter turnout is typically stronger in a presidential election year.

In Allegany County, by comparison, about 35 percent of registered voters cast ballots in this year’s primary.

Election officials will canvass absentee ballots Thursday. Fratz said there are 265 absentee ballots, and the only county race that could be impacted by that number of votes is judge of orphans court.

On Sept. 22 officials will canvass any late absentee and provisional ballots. The election results will be certified on Sept. 24.

Garrett County’s first-ever early voting period attracted 735 voters. Fratz said he expects analyses to show that most of those voters were not first-timers, but instead have a history of voting regularly in past elections.

He estimated the total cost of the early voting period to be between $10,000 and $15,000, which falls to the county for payment.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Do It All specializes in cleaning services in Garrett County & @ Deep Creek Lake. Give them a call (301-501-0217) or visit the website – competitive rates and quality results from a locally owned & operated company!

Official Election Results

County Totals

Election Summary Report
Gubernatorial Primary Election
State of Maryland, Garrett County
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Summary For Jurisdiction Wide, All Counters, All Races
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS 09/14/10
22:25:11

Registered Voters 16256 – Cards Cast 6431 39.56% Num. Reporting 20

GOVERNOR / LT. GOVERNOR DEM
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Cusick-Lang 192 16.08%
Jaffe-Jaffe 86 7.20%
O’Malley-Brown 916 76.72%

COMPTROLLER DEM
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Franchot, Peter 954 100.00%

ATTORNEY GENERAL DEM
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Gansler, Douglas F. 937 100.00%

U.S. SENATOR DEM
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Garner, Christopher 149 12.37%
A.Billy Bob Jaworski 67 5.56%
Mikulski, Barbara A. 874 72.53%
Scaldaferri, Theresa 27 2.24%
Taylor, Blaine 56 4.65%
Taylor, Sanquetta 7 0.58%
Young, Lih 25 2.07%

U.S. CONGRESS 06 DEM
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Clark, J. Casey 403 35.95%
Duck, Andrew 718 64.05%

HOUSE OF DELEGATES 01A DEM
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Stanton, James R. 989 100.00%

COUNTY COMMISSIONER 001 DEM
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Robison, Eric V 843 100.00%

COUNTY COMMISSIONER 003 DEM
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Falter, George Jr. 254 24.28%
Welch, Bill 792 75.72%

JUDGE ORPHANS COURT DEM
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Deberry, Everett B 911 100.00%

SHERIFF DEM
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Hebden, Skyler John 687 100.00%

DEM CENT COMMITTEE DEM
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Diliddo, Andrew Andy 629 15.80%
Duck, Patricia 668 16.78%
Duck, Timothy 654 16.42%
Goldsborough,William 763 19.16%
Hovis, Jeff 617 15.49%
Neary, Zelma M. 651 16.35%

GOVERNOR / LT. GOVERNOR REP
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Ehrlich-Kane 3636 74.48%
Murphy-Ryman 1246 25.52%

COMPTROLLER REP
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Campbell, William H. 2185 61.20%
Girard, Armand F. 399 11.18%
Madigan, Brendan 986 27.62%

U.S. SENATOR REP
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Alexander, Joseph 495 13.09%
Asbury, Barry Steve 158 4.18%
Cohen, Neil H. 267 7.06%
Dempsey, Stephens 249 6.58%
Graham, Samuel R. Sr 314 8.30%
Kimble, John B. 203 5.37%
Kump, Gregory L. 84 2.22%
McAndrew, Daniel W 170 4.49%
Rutledge, Jim 560 14.81%
Vendetti, Eddie 54 1.43%
Wargotz, Eric 1228 32.47%

U.S. CONGRESS 06 REP
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Bartlett, Roscoe G. 3601 77.71%
Janda, Dennis B 110 2.37%
Krysztoforski, J. 256 5.52%
Taylor, Steve 426 9.19%
Wilson, Seth Edward 241 5.20%

STATE SENATOR 01 REP
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Edwards, George C. 4396 100.00%

HOUSE OF DELEGATES 01A REP
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Beitzel, Wendell R. 4120 100.00%

COUNTY COMMISSIONER 001 REP
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Crawford, Gregan T. 2677 55.49%
Gregg, Ernest J. 2147 44.51%

COUNTY COMMISSIONER 002 REP
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Holliday, Frederick 1886 38.58%
Raley, James M. 3003 61.42%

COUNTY COMMISSIONER 003 REP
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Gatto, Robert Glen 1576 31.74%
Glotflety, Denny 2058 41.44%
Newcomb, Louis R Jr. 789 15.89%
Thomas, Timothy E. 543 10.93%

STATE’S ATTORNEY REP
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Welch, Lisa Thayer 3717 100.00%

CLERK CIRCUIT COURT REP
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Buckel, Sondra R 4160 100.00%

REGISTER OF WILLS REP
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Paugh, Bryan Steven 200 3.99%
Royce, Traci L 1107 22.06%
Sines, John Keith 501 9.98%
Watson, Rita L 3210 63.97%

JUDGE ORPHANS COURT REP
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Beard, David C. 1999 18.79%
DeWitt, Clifford C. 2749 25.84%
Knust, Aria 295 2.77%
Margroff, James F. 2061 19.37%
Sanders, Fred 1401 13.17%
Wilt, Wayne 2133 20.05%

SHERIFF REP
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Corley, Robert E. 2890 57.96%
Gnegy, Larry 2096 42.04%

REP CENT COMMITTEE REP
Total
Precincts Reporting 20

——————————————————————————–

Bolden, DeCorsey 2768 16.53%
Butscher, Brenda 3237 19.34%
Miller, Timothy W. 2646 15.81%
Parsons, Arzella T 2955 17.65%
Sheahen, Thomas P. 2330 13.92%
Umbel, Ruth Hinebaug 2805 16.76%

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Do It All specializes in cleaning services in Garrett County & @ Deep Creek Lake. Give them a call (301-501-0217) or visit the website – competitive rates and quality results from a locally owned & operated company!

Holliday, Gregg ousted in Garrett County

Veteran leaders defeated in upsets
Megan Miller
Cumberland Times-News Wed Sep 15, 2010, 07:56 AM EDT

— OAKLAND — Voters ousted two longtime Garrett County Commission incumbents in major upsets in Tuesday’s primary election, according to unofficial returns released last night.

Twelve-year veteran Fred Holliday and 24-year veteran Ernie Gregg, the current commission chairman, both lost their bids for re-election to first time commission candidates.

Gregg was defeated for the District 1 seat by Gregan Crawford, who garnered more than 55 percent of the votes cast.

Gregg attributed his defeat largely to the anti-incumbency mood nationwide, and congratulated Crawford for running “an honorable campaign.”

“I was a commissioner elected for 24 years,” Gregg said. “I did my best to serve the public and made the decisions I felt were in the best interest of the public, and I appreciate the support I’ve had over the years.”

In District 2, Holliday lost to four-term board of education member Jim Raley, who took more than 61 percent of the votes cast.

“I think there’s an anti-incumbency out there and I think the voters feel the commissioners were no longer listening to them,” Raley said when reached at his home. “That’s really the direction this whole thing took.”

Holliday declined to comment on what he viewed as the deciding factor in his race, but said an anti-incumbent mood could be part of it.

“I congratulate Jim on a well-run campaign and I wish him luck and I wish the county luck,” he said. “As long as the county does well, that’s good, and that’s where my heart is.”

Denny Glotfelty was the only incumbent commissioner to survive the primary. In the District 3 Republican race, Glotfelty beat out three challengers and secured more than 41 percent of the votes cast.

“I’ve always said I run for the people, not against anybody,” Glotfelty said. He, too, was monitoring the election results from his home, and said he was surprised by the outcomes of the other commission races.

“Whoever they put in in the other districts is who the people want and we’ll do the best we can for Garrett County,” he said.

Glotfelty will face Democratic challenger Bill Welch in the November general election. Welch easily dusted off his primary challenger, George Falter, securing more than 75 percent of the votes cast.

In District 1, Crawford will face Democrat Eric Robison in November. Robison ran unopposed in the primary.

Raley as yet faces no opponent in the general election, since no Democrats filed for the District 2 seat.

In the Republican race for sheriff, Robert Corley took nearly 58 percent of the votes cast and defeated fellow Republican Larry Gnegy. Corley will take on Democrat Skyler Hebden, who ran unopposed in the primary, in the November general election.

Contact Megan Miller at mmiller@times-news.com

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Do It All specializes in cleaning services in Garrett County & @ Deep Creek Lake. Give them a call (301-501-0217) or visit the website – competitive rates and quality results from a locally owned & operated company!