Christopher Tomlinson

The Democrats invited partisan politics into the city of Westminster long before 2021, but it was not until the Republican Party pushed back in this election that Democrats start screaming bloody murder.

The morning after the Academy Awards ceremony, many critics argued that several films, actors, and filmmakers were snubbed. Nobody can say that Carroll’s Board of County Commissioners were snubbed during the 2021 session.

Dillon’s answer to the question about how Westminster can be more welcoming to McDaniel students was that he would bridge that gap by developing ways to get kids from the campus to downtown and by working with businesses to offer incentives to encourage students to visit their establishments.

Throughout May, residents of Hampstead, Manchester, Mount Airy, New Windsor, Sykesville, Taneytown, Union Bridge, and Westminster will elect council members, and in half of these towns, they will select the mayor. If you live in the cities of Taneytown or Westminster or one of these towns, then these elected officials make decisions that affect your water and sewer, local taxes, roads, zoning, trash, and public safety.

Democrat legislators may be hesitant to be supportive of a song by The Police based on the multiple pieces of anti-law enforcement bills their caucus has filed this year.

Rather than working to pass legislation and provide resources to help Baltimore City’s less fortunate citizens escape a world of poverty and crime, these public officials spend their time passing legislation and pursuing policies that please progressive activists and the far left.

In “Gone with the Wind,” Scarlett O’Hara screams “As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again!” before the intermission starts. Unfortunately, Maryland taxpayers may find themselves starving after paying for these bills that were passed despite vetoes by the governor.

Carroll County’s District 5 Delegation, Sen. Justin Ready, and Dels. Susan Krebs, April Rose, and Haven Shoemaker, are taking the field with bills that they plan to carry into the end zone before the clock runs out on the session, April 12.

The only thing more disappointing than the low voter turnout is the lack of candidates in these races. In some towns, the incumbents run without a single challenger, as was the case in Manchester in both 2017 and 2019.

I hope to see the following foul pieces of purported public policy meet their demise this Session.

My first wish is that Maryland’s Republican voters can select a nominee in the primary to run in the General Election who is a strong conservative, but not so far-right that he or she will be unable to attract independent and Democrat voters.

Chesapeake estimates that it will cost approximately $4 million to design and construct four multi-purpose fields, the bare minimum number of fields needed to attract weekend sports tournaments. Of those fields, one field, if not two fields, will be turf, and the remaining fields will have “first class” grass surfaces.

The only thing more disgusting than eating Brussels sprouts is the thought of elected officials telling private businesses what to serve and trying to force feed children government-approved foods.

With the COVID-19 pandemic consuming the airwaves and news headlines, talk of the opioid epidemic has fallen by the wayside. Unfortunately, just because folks are not talking about it as much, opioid abuse continues to be a major problem across the country and in Carroll County.

As usual, this election leaves us with a cornucopia of local winners and downright jive turkeys.

For elementary and middle schools, it is far easier to find certified teachers. Hiring high school teachers, who teach credit-bearing courses, is much more difficult because CCPS has to find educators qualified to teach specific classes such as secondary science, foreign languages, or Advanced Placement courses. Hiring a new first grade language arts teacher is one thing, but finding a new German II teacher is an entirely different matter.

Recent events have shown us how important of a role the local Board of Education plays in our lives. Under the leadership of the Board President Donna Sivigny and Vice President Marsha Herbert, the school board has made some tough and courageous decisions.

While California has 18 times the number of electors that Wyoming has, California’s population is 66 times larger than Wyoming’s. As a result of this discrepancy, a small state such as Wyoming carries much more weight in the electoral college than it does in the popular vote.

Board of County Commissioners President Stephen Wantz spoke for most of Carroll when he told Sheriff Jim DeWees, “We’ve got your backs and we will continue to have your backs” at the Sept. 3 commissioners meeting.

The vice president delivered a fiery speech highlighting the triumphs of Trump’s first term and underlining the importance of this election. After speaking for 40 minutes, the veep ended his speech and the night appeared to be over. Suddenly, “Hail to the Chief” came over the speakers, a tune played for only one person.

Last week was National Smile Week. Although it might be far easier to frown over the sour and dour headlines that bombard our brains on a daily basis, let us instead look at a few positive things happening in Carroll County that are worth smiling over.

Not only does the data obtained by the Census help the federal government allocate $675 billion to local governments, but the information gathered helps the Maryland General Assembly and Carroll’s Board of County Commissioners assess whether congressional, state legislative and commissioner district lines need to be redrawn.

Opinion column: Compare the debacle that was June’s primary to the governor’s vision for the general election to grasp how the governor’s plan will “suppress” the votes of Marylanders in November.

When can we expect an angry mob to show up and demand that we expunge any mention of Francis Scott Key from Carroll County?

Calls for significant cuts to police budgets or to abolish departments altogether are not solely the rantings of anarchists, but are instead being discussed by the mainstream media and adopted by elected officials all over the United States, including many in Maryland.

Even with Carroll County’s Board of Elections pulling off this primary election with little to complain about, I hope that in November things return to normal and that all voters are able to go to the polls and get up close and personal with those running for office.

The pandemic shut practically everything down in Maryland for more than two months. With Maryland looking to reopen, local elected officials find themselves making tough decisions on what is best for their constituents, and some of those decisions are better than others. Although we are unable to sit back and enjoy America’s pastime, here is my post-game analysis on which local leaders are hitting home runs and which ones are striking out.

I recommend voting for Maryland’s only Republican congressman, Rep. Andy Harris, a major ally of President Trump in Congress, who helped pass recent groundbreaking legislation.

The Democrats in Annapolis need to get on board and change their theme and not override a veto of the Blueprint bill. For the foreseeable future, the focus of the General Assembly should be on damage control to right the ship of Maryland’s economy.

Although the Sheriff's Office is still fully operational, the agency has had to change its standard operating procedures for the time being and has adopted new measures to protect its deputies, employees, and the

There were several victories that conservatives across Carroll and the state should celebrate. “Our biggest victories are what we defeated,” said Del. Susan Krebs.

The thing that caught my attention that morning was a proposed amendment to House Bill (HB) 209 by Republican Del. Dan Cox of Carroll and Frederick counties regarding the Plastic Bag Reduction Act of 2020. This ridiculous piece of legislation bans stores from providing customers with plastic carryout bags across the entire state.

House Bill 1628 would expand Maryland’s sales tax to include almost all services in an attempt to raise $2.6 billion each year to pay for the overhaul of Maryland’s education system as recommended by the Kirwan Commission.

Democrats in the Maryland General Assembly are dropping bad bills like busy beavers dropping trees, Christopher Tomlinson writes.

Baltimore’s problems are not isolated, and we cannot ignore them, Christopher Tomlinson writes.

Those opposed to the ordinance often refer to it as the “English Only” ordinance, but that is hardly an accurate description.

Comcast dropped coal in customers’ stockings in December and notified us that the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) channel would no longer be a part of the basic cable channel lineup

For myself and others who have an interest in national, state, and local politics and government, our gift will be arriving this April when Maryland’s primary election kicks off.

As Christmas Eve in Carroll County fast approaches, another important day will arrive soon thereafter. On Jan. 8, the 2020 session of the Maryland General Assembly will convene in Annapolis.

Thanksgiving Day is near, and Republicans in Carroll County have many reasons to give thanks.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich found a way to make national headlines last week when he decided to disrespect members of law enforcement not only in his county, but nationwide.

Supporters of the Kirwan commission will soon find themselves waiting in the dark for $4 billion that, like the Peanuts' Great Pumpkin, might never materialize.

Once Comcast locks the Westminster service center's doors on Oct. 19, it plans to pull Carroll County from its channel lineup.

In May, the staff at the Westminster branch of a network of pregnancy support centers was informed by their parent organization that the Westminster branch would be closed on June 30 — permanently.

Last month, a community meeting held in Eldersburg to discuss the decision by Baltimore to decommission seven fire roads or fire trails in Liberty Reservoir that was done with zero notice and left many residents seeing red.

The bills that you pass each and every year have real consequences and the disheartening news out of Hampstead is a shining example of those consequences. Your actions have directly contributed to an international business leaving Maryland that will take nearly 100 jobs with it.

Our county is often recognized for its agriculture and manufacturing, but an up-and-coming industry is quickly coming to a head in Carroll — craft beer breweries.

No time for fooling around — International Clown Week is almost over. I would like to recognize some Maryland jokers who have recently outdone themselves when it comes to buffoonery.

The initiatives put forth by all of those leading the fight against the opioid epidemic are clearly working, but what new strategies and approaches is our community working on and planning to execute next?

In Carroll County, commissioner government “Loyalists” repeat and rehash the same myths about charter government. It’s time to put these fables to the test.