Why Voters Should Choose Me
for County Commissioner President: 

Submitted by Michael L. Hewitt
Candidate for the Democratic Party nomination

The office of County Commissioner President is one of the most important positions in County government.  The President should represent all aspects of the county population, be knowledgeable of challenges facing our community and possess the ability to perform the duties of the office efficiently and effectively.  The voters need to know the candidates background, experience and vision for the County before Election Day.

My background in St Mary’s County started just over forty three years ago when my family moved here from Auburn, Maine.  Born the fifth of eight children to a career Navy family, I attended public schools, graduating from Great Mills High school and St Mary’s College of Maryland.  My wife Elaine and I have been married for twenty eight years and live in Hollywood, MD.  We have two grown children, Matthew and Kristina that attended public school in the county and have both graduated college.  We own a family operated business that my father started over forty years ago and we have run it for the past twenty seven years.

My community involvement started almost twenty years ago when my children started attending school.  Like many parents with young children we joined the Parent Teacher Association of the local elementary school.  In 1994 I was asked to join the Budget Advisory Committee to the Board of Education.  It was soon after that I was elected to the first elected school board in over 100 years.  I served on the Board of Education from 1996-2000, holding the position of Chairman, Vice Chairman and board member. While on the Board I served on the Calendar, Audit, Growth Management and Ethics Committees.  My service also includes the Maryland Association of Boards of Education, a statewide organization composed of members from all twenty three counties and the city of Baltimore.  I served on their Executive Board and the Budget and Planning Committee.  My most recent service has been on the Great Mills High School Enhancement Study group and the Family Life & Development committee.

Prior to being elected to the Board of Education I served on the St Mary’s County Planning Commission.  During that time, I also served on the State Highway Administration Route 235 Focus Group and the FDR Boulevard Focus Group.  In 2001, I was appointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals and was reappointed in 2003 and recently completed my term on December 31, 2005.  Since that time I have been a candidate for St Mary’s County Commissioner President.

I’ve had extensive involvement with civic organizations in our county.  I am a member in good standing with the Rotary and Optimist Clubs, the Elks, Moose, Masonic and FOP #7 Lodges, the Chesapeake Chapter of the Boumni Temple Shriners, the Calvert County Marine Museum Board of Governors and the American Planning Association.  These groups provide scholarships to our students, funds for many charities and many hours of volunteer work in our community.

My business, county and community experience make me a uniquely qualified candidate for Commissioner President.  My service on the Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals and Board of Education afforded me valuable insights in education, land use, growth and budgetary issues.  I write asking for your vote for Commissioner President.  My campaign motto is “A centrist approach that is focused on solving problems that affect the quality of our daily life”.  My goal will be to improve the quality of life for all residents of our county.  When elected I will stand for approachable, bipartisan and common sense government.  I will promote unity among local, state, and federal representatives regardless of political party affiliation and provide ideas for funding challenges in education, police protection and social services.  I will seek tax relief for the elderly, poor and disadvantaged and ensure safe schools, adequate public facilities and equal access to government services.

Our success as a county should be measured by the quality of life we provide our citizens, the quality of education we provide our children, our commitment to the environment and our wisdom in spending and decision making.  I look forward to finding meaningful ways to help St Mary’s County in a manner the serves our shared desires to live in safe neighborhoods with excellent schools, an environmentally friendly infrastructure and economic opportunity for all.  I hope you will join me in building a better tomorrow.

Your consideration of my candidacy is greatly appreciated.