EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER | APRIL 2026
Cover Photo by Trevor Newcomb, Director of Buildings & Fcailities.
SPRING IT ON!
April is here and so is the Spring weather!
As the season warms, Town events and projects are also heating up! In the past month we can look back on a productive Career Fair at Easton High School, a major conference attended by our IT and Finance Departments, and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Potato Races. While our team didn’t take home the trophy this year, we are still so proud of them for putting on a competitive race!
We’re also sharing updates on EPD’s hilarious submission to the Talbot Interfaith Shelter’s 10th annual Lip Sync Contest, and on a certain Town Planner who has been all over the news cycle discussing changes to our South Downtown subarea.
As always, I want to thank each of you for your hard work. Let’s keep this momentum going and accomplish even more with a “Spring” in our step!
Megan Cook
Click HERE to see Rick’s video interview!
Employee Spotlight
RICK VAN EMBURGH | TOWN ENGINEER
Meet Rick Van Emburgh! Rick serves as the Town Engineer and he has been with the Town of Easton for 11 years now!
As Town Engineer, Rick supervises all of the Engineering work done in Town, from concepts to permitting to construction. In addition to his Engineering duties, Rick also serves as the Director of Public Works, overseeing work done across all of Public Works, including Sanitation, Construction, Maintenance, and the shop.
In his free time, Rick enjoys hanging out with his wife, Sharon (the Town Attorney), and his two college-aged children. Rick enjoys attending their sporting events and activities, and taking trips with them out on his boat when the weather is warm. Rick also serves with the Masonic Temple of Easton, holding a position as an officer of the lodge!
EXPLORING CAREERS
Town of Easton Attends Easton High School Career Fair
Thanks to Career Counselor Danielle Haley and Easton High School for having us out to their Career Fair in March. It was great to see so many bright young minds exploring their potential future careers!
Mayor Megan Cook, Town Engineer Rick Van Emburgh, and Assistant Director of Public
Works Kody Cario all attended and discussed Town of Easton career paths with inquiring students.
“I really enjoyed talking with the students today — it’s exciting and encouraging to see so much potential here in our community,” said Mayor Cook.
Day
Easton
.
. .
NOT A SPRINT
Marathon Service Company wins 2026 St. Patrick’s Day Potato Races
This year’s St. Patrick’s Day Potato Races saw a flood of new teams, an extremely competitive set of races, and an unexpected champion crowned.
Twelve teams came out for this year’s races, and the competition was at an all-time high. Town of Easton, Easton Utilities, and EVFD were among those tacing for the trophy.
Races took place with three heats of four teams, with the win-
ner of each heat advancing to the championship race.
The Tater Titans, the Town of Easton team, featured Nick Johnson, Carolinne Kahane, Josh Maxwell, and Mark Turner. Their heat left them in familiar territory, slightly behind and racing fast in the final leg to take the win.
Ultimately, it wasn’t meant to be this time. Disaster struck right at the finish line and our team had to sit out for the final. Mar-
athon Service Company, who narrowly lost last year’s championship to the Town of Easton team ended up coming through for the win in the championship leg. Unusually, a slow and steady approach worked out well for them with them winning the race a full leg ahead of their opponents.
Congratulations to Marathon Service Company for their win! It was well deserved and hard fought after the narrow finish last year.
While our Tater Titans didn’t take home the trophy, they put up a great fight and will be back for more in March 2027!
BACKSTREET’S BACK!
EPD records a lip-sync battle performance for the ages
Easton Police Department just crushed it with their submission for the Talbot Interfaith Shelter’s 10th annual Lip Sync Battle!
They pulled out all the stops for a comical rendition of “I Want It That Way” from the Backstreet Boys as performed by the cast of Brooklyn 99. Click the photo above to see the full video recording of their performance.
Show your support and vote for the Easton Police Department here:
https://secure.qgiv.com/event/lsb2026/team/1021159/
EPD and more than a dozen other teams have raised over $100k of a $150k goal!
In addition to the online videos, a live show will take place Saturday, April 18th at the Talbot County Community Center. Doors open at 6 pm and the Lip Sync extravaganza begins at 7 pm!
If you wish to attend the live event, donating and purchasing tickets through EPD’s link helps them to reach their goal and proceeds will go to supporting the efforts of Talbot Interfaith Shelter.
MAN OF THE HOUR
Amid growing interest on the future of the 14-acre site of Easton Memorial Hospital, Town Planner Lynn Thomas has had a mini-media tour laying out next steps for the site.
In interviews with WBOC, MCTV, and the Talbot Spy, Lynn details the Town’s involvement with the current hospital site’s looming sale and redevelopment.
Click the images to watch his interviews and head to our Engage Easton page for more details.
ENGAGING EXPERIENCE
Town Employees attend, speak at CentralSquare Engage Conference
Members of the Town of Easton IT and Finance Departments attended CentralSquare ENGAGE 2026 conference at the National Resort & Convention Center in Washington, DC. The event saw over 1,400 public sector professionals from hundreds of agencies. Hosted by our finance software vendor, CentralSquare Technologies, the conference focused on helping government and public safety organizations improve operations through technology, training, and collaboration.
The event featured more than 200 sessions, including hands-on training, product demonstrations, and real-world case studies. One session, highlighting real life users, had our
IT Director Scott Messick as an on-stage speaker to share his experiences.
Themes included the use of AI and cloud solutions in government, improving system integration across public safety departments, and increasing efficiency with limited staffing. Attendees also participated in networking events, an expo hall, and keynote presentations centered on innovation and leadership.
ENGAGE 2026 emphasized practical, actionable solutions and gave our teams tools and strategies they could take back to their agencies to enhance performance, streamline workflows, and better serve their communities.
Carol Callahan, Messick enjoy Conference at
Callahan, Joey Faulkner, Jill Sherwood, and Scott enjoy their time at the CentralSquare Engage at the National Resort in Washington DC .
Congratulations to Ashley Ostrowski for winning the Employee Newsletter Cover Photo Contest!
Ashley now has a $25 gift card to Royal Farms for her submission that landed on the March cover of the Town of Easton Employee Newsletter.
You could be the next winner by submitting your potential cover photos to gmueller@ eastonmd.gov. If your submission is chosen, you too will win a $25 gift card!
Birthdays
Marleni Baltazar-Aguilar
Kody Cario
Matthew Cordrey
Jake Gale
Gregory Hall
Eric Kellner
Jon Mcdougald
Trevor Newcomb
Kaylan Rinehimer
Jill Sherwood
Frank Sova
Michael Thume
Calvin Walters-Parker
Michael Young APRIL
Anniversaries
APRIL
Clarence Gould - 52 years
Andrew Griffith - 3 years
Jennifer Kellner - 18 years
Timothy Lyons - 28 years
William Murdoch - 3 years
Tyrone Pinder - 3 years
Alejandro Saldana - 1 year
Recipe
BATTER UP!
Creative Cupcakes to Utilize leftover Easter Candy
(Feature Impact) Once the Easter baskets are put away and the main course is cleared from the kitchen, you can liven up the dessert table or send guests off with a thoughtful treat thanks to these Chocolate Easter Egg Cupcakes. Moist cake, creamy frosting and chocolate-coated candies combine for a seasonal sweet that’s sure to impress.
To find more dessert ideas that satisfy chocolate lovers - and all your loved ones - visit Culinary.net.
CHOCOLATE EASTER EGG CUPCAKES
Recipe adapted from A Classic Twist
Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes
Cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened and cubed
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2-3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
2-3 drops brown food coloring egg-shaped chocolate-coated candies
To make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 12cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
In bowl of electric mixer, sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In medium bowl, whisk egg, buttermilk, water, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Mix dry ingredients on low speed 1 minute.
Add wet ingredients. Mix 2 minutes on medium speed and scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Mix 1 minute on medium speed.
Divide evenly among cupcake liners. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool cupcakes on wire rack.
To make frosting: Using paddle attachment of electric mixer, whip butter 8 minutes on medium speed until pale and creamy. Add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract and salt; mix on low speed 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and mix 6 minutes until frosting is light, creamy and fluffy. Add food coloring and whip 1 minute.
Pipe frosting onto cupcakes and top with eggshaped chocolate-coated candies.