EDITORIAL: St. Mary’s County Commissioner President Randy Guy Retired on Duty While Tax Increases Loom

St. Mary’s County Commissioner President Randy Guy Retired on Duty While Tax Increases Loom

By John E. O’Connor
Executive Editor
THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY

Critics say St. Mary’s County Commissioner President Randy Guy has checked out during his final term, leaving taxpayers to fend for themselves against a barrage of reckless, liberal policies. Now, with the board contemplating yet another property tax hike to fund raises for the local school union, many ask if Guy is merely riding out his retirement. At the same time, his colleagues push through a progressive agenda that mirrors big-city Democrats.

Taxpayers have endured a relentless string of tax increases under this board, and the latest proposal is just more of the same. Year after year, property taxes have climbed, squeezing middle-class families and driving up the cost of living. The commissioners have done nothing to curb spending or promote fiscal responsibility. Instead, they’ve relied on the same tired liberal playbook: tax more, spend more and ask questions later. For a board of so-called conservatives, this looks a lot like progressive big-government overreach.

The St. Mary’s Commissioners Board
has abandoned core conservative principles.

One of the worst ideas yet has been the taxpayer-funded daycare program. Embattled Commissioner Alderson, who has yet to live up to a single campaign promise, is the brainchild behind this fiasco. Despite offering no evidence to support the claim, he seems to believe that kicking out the previous school and replacing it with a daycare will somehow help with recruitment. Instead of working to incentivize small businesses or make it easier for private daycare providers to thrive, the board decided to compete directly with them. They’ve taken tax dollars from hardworking business owners, only to turn around and use those funds to undercut their livelihood with a government-run facility. It’s an insult to private enterprise and another example of the government sticking its nose where it doesn’t belong.

And it gets worse. The first lawsuit for child abuse, negligence, or injury at this taxpayer-funded daycare will land squarely on the backs of the people who funded it: the taxpayers. This isn’t just bad policy—it’s a liability waiting to happen. When the lawsuits start rolling in, it won’t be the commissioners paying the price; it’ll be local families already stretched thin by years of unnecessary tax hikes.

This board has abandoned core conservative principles. Rather than shrinking government and empowering private businesses, they’ve expanded programs and taken more from taxpayers. It’s starting to feel like they’ve taken a page right out of the liberal Democrat playbook, and hardworking residents are the ones paying for it. The commissioners aren’t solving real issues like fixing roads or investing in public safety—they’re busy pushing an agenda that looks more and more like what you’d see in Washington, D.C., or California.

And where is Commissioner President Randy Guy in all of this? Nowhere to be found. He’s either asleep at the wheel or doesn’t care. Residents elected him to be a leader, to fight for them, and to stand up to this kind of big-government nonsense. Instead, he’s letting it all happen without a word, leaving the rest of the commissioners to shove these policies down the throats of local families.

As Guy’s term ends, voters wonder how much more damage this board will do. From endless tax increases to irresponsible spending, this isn’t the leadership they were promised. It’s a blessing and a great relief that term limits will help drain the swamp, but voters must take care of the rest of the pick-pocketing collaborators at the ballot box. If taxpayers want real change, they’ll need to clean house and demand true conservative leadership that puts the people—not the government—first.