OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.COM
JULY 21, 2023
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
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FIREFIGHTER BARGAINING
OC officials advance amendment, will keep discussing contract detail – Page 12
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Council OKs $175K wind turbine study Resort officials hope to find new ammo to fight acres of windmills planned offshore By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (July 21, 2023) Ocean City Council members are holding strong on their stance against visible wind turbines off the coast of the resort. So much, that they agreed this week to spend $175,000 on an environmental consultant to take a deep dive into impending project plans and impact statements. “There’s no amount of money that I wouldn’t approve not to see wind farms in Ocean City,” Councilman Tony DeLuca said before making his motion at a meeting Monday to hire SLR International to review US
Wind’s Construction and Operations Plan for turbines off the coast, and prepare comments in response to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Draft Environmental Assessment. After some discussion, which included explanations of why the consultant is necessary and reiterations of city officials’ objection to the proposed project, council members voted unanimously to approve the contract. City Manager Terry McGean said the bureau, which is responsible for approving offshore facilities in federal waters, is reviewing US Wind’s plan to construct up to 125 wind turbines as close as 13 miles off the coast of Ocean City. The turbines, which city officials have not been shy See RESORT Page 4
School board battle becoming personal McComas, Addis mix it up as county’s budget politics still linger in background
STEWART DOBS0N/OCEAN CITY TODAY
PERCHED
A Carolina chickadee strikes a pose, or a perch, behind canna lilies in an Ocean City flower garden. Small as these birds are, at around a third of an ounce, chickadees aren’t afraid of much, including photographers who get close enough with their lenses to see the sparkle in their eyes.
By Hunter Hine Staff Writer (July 21, 2023) Simmering disagreements between Worcester County Board of Education members Katie Addis and Elena McComas broke out into the open last Tuesday, with McComas accusing Addis of tarnishing fellow members’ reputations since she was elected last November. When the floor opened to board member discussion, Addis countered that McComas, who joined the board in 2016, had been unprofessional and had embarrassed herself at that
body’s June 20 meeting. “I find it interesting that the very board member who indicated that I had too much to say during board comments, and called my comments manifestos, decided to have his own manifesto last meeting. Apparently these manifestos are catching on.” McComas had alleged at the June session that Addis smeared her on social media by calling her a “porn lover” (presumably in a dispute over curricula or contents of certain books in the schools), while Addis denied having said or written that and then chastised McComas for turning to personal attacks (the existence of such a post has not been confirmed). “For the past year, during your See ADDIS Page 8