OPINION: COMMISSIONER MIKE HEWITT IS A POLITICAL TRAIN WRECK IN SLOW MOTION

A POLITICAL TRAIN WRECK IN SLOW MOTION

BY JOHN E. O’CONNOR

For nearly 10+ years, Mike Hewitt has operated as a one-man circus of contradictions, talking tough on conservative values while spending like a liberal lobbyist at a taxpayer-funded buffet. Now, as he floats the delusional idea of challenging Delegate Matt Morgan in the North End of St. Mary’s County, Hewitt is also working behind the scenes to install his hand-picked successors on the Board of Commissioners. He’s not just giving advice, he’s handing out his “blessing” like some self-appointed kingmaker, as if the entire future of St. Mary’s depends on who kneels at his political altar. It’s laughable. It’s offensive. And it’s precisely what we’ve come to expect from a man who confuses ego with leadership.

Let’s not mince words, Hewitt has made a career out of spending your money on pet projects for his inner circle. He was one of the loudest, most relentless advocates for funneling more than $15 million in public funds into the YMCA’s coffers, an organization that already holds millions in private assets. No other YMCA in the state has ever received such an obscene amount of public money. It was a massive, unjustified payout with no fiscal guardrails, no precedent, and no shame. Even worse, Hewitt is tied to a group that may have direct influence or financial interest in the very YMCA project he helped bankroll. That’s not leadership, it’s insider dealing in broad daylight.

But the cash giveaways don’t end there. Hewitt also pushed a $25,000 bond bill for the Elks Lodge #2092, an organization with which he’s personally connected. That’s right: taxpayer dollars funding a private club while critical county services struggle to get basic resources. It’s textbook cronyism, dressed up as “community support,” and the voters should be furious.

And while Hewitt pretends to be a champion of public education, the truth is that he has spent more than a decade attacking it. He’s harassed the superintendent, publicly humiliated school leadership, and waged open war on union employees simply for doing their jobs. His obsession with control has turned the St. Mary’s County Board of Education into a political punching bag, one he’s used to score cheap points instead of achieving real outcomes.

But it doesn’t stop at policy. Hewitt’s treatment of female county staff has been abusive and demeaning. On multiple occasions, he has reduced senior county executives to tears, sometimes in their own offices, sometimes immediately after closed sessions. Staff have reported feeling threatened, belittled, and demoralized. He has been known to intimidate employees by implying that their jobs were at risk if they didn’t comply with his demands. That’s not authoritarian leadership, it’s toxic behavior. No elected official should get a free pass for emotionally abusing the very professionals who keep the government running.

This behavior isn’t a rumor. This isn’t spin. The record speaks for itself. Ten + years’ worth of meeting minutes, video footage, and budget votes show a man more concerned with building monuments to himself than serving the public. He’s scapegoated employees, bullied staff, rewarded insiders, and wasted money while pretending to be a fiscal conservative. It’s a con, and the county’s been paying the bill.

And now, the same Mike Hewitt thinks he’s fit to take on Delegate Matt Morgan? A proven conservative, a principled leader, and one of the most respected public servants in Southern Maryland? That’s not just misguided, that’s delusional. Hewitt couldn’t hold a candle, let alone light one, against Delegate Matt Morgan. It’s not even a competition on a substance or record.

But here’s the thing we should want him to run. Not because it would be a real race, but because sometimes it’s good to watch a man implode under the weight of his own ego. And if Mike Hewitt files, that’s exactly what we’ll see—a political train wreck in slow motion. Bring popcorn.