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Joe White, District 5 candidate, emphasizes water and sewer, homeownership and low taxes
Summary
Joe White, a Wicomico County businessman and candidate for County Council District 5, told Bridging the Gap he would prioritize expanding water and sewer access, protecting homeownership, keeping taxes low and growing volunteer-led recreation if elected.
Joe White, a businessman and local media producer running for Wicomico County Council in District 5, told host Dave on Bridging the Gap that protecting homeownership and expanding water and sewer service would be central to his agenda.
"Home ownership is is huge for me," White said, describing sections of Parsonsburg and Chesapeake Heights where newer septic and well spacing rules leave some properties unable to replace systems. White said those constraints threaten housing in parts of his district and called for more community engagement in county planning.
White told the program he attends county council and water-and-sewer advisory-board meetings and pointed to the county executive's capital improvement plan, which he said lists about $15,000,000 in the first year and forecasts pipe installation in places like Parsonsburg in roughly four years. "My background in environmental science, I think, will be key for me to be a part of that," he said.
On governance, White said he initially wanted "Question A" to go to a referendum but now supports the county's executive form of government after voters evaluated the change. He complimented the county executive's recent fiscal-audit process and said the administration has shown progress on transparency.
White described himself as conservative and expressed concern about policy changes from Annapolis he described as a "very liberal agenda," but he said working constructively with county officials matters. He named County Executive Nicole Giordano and Councilman James Wynn as participants in recent town halls and said he would meet with Giordano if invited.
The candidate recounted a town-hall effort on a needed traffic light at Railroad Road, saying community pressure prompted the State Highway Administration to add turn signals after initially planning only the pole. "We really pressed them on that," he said.
White said recreation and youth programming have been a priority of his volunteer work; he is director of the Pittsville Jammer soccer program and described efforts to expand programming outside Salisbury using school and park facilities.
Asked whether on-air disagreements on his program Open Agenda would carry over into governing, White said he welcomes debate and would not surround himself with only "yes people." He said his campaign is independent and that he intends to represent the whole county if elected.
White did not announce endorsements or file formal policy proposals during the interview. He said he plans to continue attending council meetings and town halls and would accept invitations to meet with county leaders as part of campaign outreach.
