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Frederick County hears statements from 14 applicants for two vacant supervisor seats
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Summary
At a special Board of Supervisors meeting Oct. 1, 2025, 14 applicants spoke for up to five minutes each seeking appointment to two vacant seats; candidates emphasized managing growth, school capacity and fiscal options; the board adjourned without making appointments.
The Frederick County Board of Supervisors convened a special meeting Oct. 1, 2025, to hear statements from 14 applicants seeking appointment to two vacant supervisory seats. Applicants addressed growth pressures, school capacity, fiscal management and local land‑use priorities; the board adjourned without announcing appointments.
Why it matters: Applicants repeatedly flagged rapid residential growth and related strains on schools, emergency services and roads — issues that will shape any appointment and the county’s short‑term policy agenda. Several candidates also suggested policy tools the eventual appointees and the board could pursue, from comprehensive planning to state legislative changes for new revenue options.
Most applicants framed growth as the county’s central challenge. Joseph Crane, a former Army Special Forces officer, said the county must “proactively address” what he identified as an anticipated growth of 12,000 homes to avoid overburdening infrastructure and schools. Blaine Dunn, a 10‑year incumbent seeking the chair role, warned the county has been running annual operating shortfalls and cited a $250,000,000 figure when describing county debt and the need for new revenue streams or a referendum on sales tax options. “We need to generate enough revenue to meet our expenses,” Dunn said.
Several applicants described local public‑service strains. David Kern, with 22 years in county fire and rescue, tied personnel and service needs directly to population growth. John Lamanna and others urged a multi‑year strategic plan to guide development and spending. Candidates with development backgrounds acknowledged potential conflicts of interest: Jason Akins said such conflicts “is going to happen” given his private‑sector real estate work but said they had been rare during his planning commission service.
Other themes included farmland preservation and rural identity. Paige Feliciano and Gary Krause emphasized conserving farmland and encouraging agritourism; Krause opposed large hyperscale data centers and proposed compact business hubs that he said would protect rural character.
Community and historical concerns also surfaced. Michael Faison, who said he serves as president of the local NAACP, urged the board to address neglected African American cemeteries and proposed tools such as a 3‑D model or app to make growth‑planning data more accessible to commuting residents.
Procedural note: Mr. Bolhofer, the parliamentarian, set rules limiting remarks to five minutes and prohibiting questions or debate from the board during the forum. Clerk announcements recorded two applicants who were absent and named alternates called to speak. The transcript contains no record of board deliberation or vote on appointments during this session.
Next step: The meeting ended after a motion to adjourn by Supervisor Liro, seconded by John Lamanna. The board adjourned without making appointments; the timeline for selecting appointees or scheduling further deliberations was not specified in the transcript.
