AUGUST 14, 2025
FREE
BERLIN • NORTH WORCESTER COUNTY• OCEAN PINES
Incumbents return, station vote passes Pines voters approve OPA contribution to new southside station by 4-1 margin By Tara Fischer Staff Writer (Aug. 14, 2025) For the Ocean Pines Association, the board of directors will remain as is, as incumbents Monica Rakowski, Steve Jacobs, and Stuart Lakernick secured the most votes in this year’s election. In OPA’s 2025 Board of Directors election, four residents campaigned for the governing body’s three open seats. Incumbents Rakowski, Jacobs, and Lakernick will continue their tenure with the group, each serving three-year terms. Sole challenger Amy Peck fell short of breaking into the leadership team. Of the 8,500 Ocean Pines lot owners, 2,824 voted in this summer’s board election for a 33% turnout. To secure their positions, Rakowski obtained 2,085 votes, Jacobs received 1,935, and Lakernick, who had served as the body’s president the previous year, gathered 1,730. Peck, unsuccessful in her run for OPA office, garnered the lowest number of ballots with 1,464. Furthermore, a referendum asking Ocean Pines citizens to support the community’s contribution of up to $3.4 million toward a brand new South Station for the Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department passed. For this, 2,145 ‘yes’ votes were cast (80%), overriding the 537 ‘no’ ballots. The effort to build a new firehouse on the neighborhood's south side has been ongoing, as the current structure, constructed in the 1980s, has undergone only See NEW Page 3
Rakowski — 2,085 votes
Jacobs — 1,935 votes
Lakernick — 1,730 votes
Free parking could be going away STEVE GREEN/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
TOP CHEF Five Berlin chefs showed off their skills on North Main Street in Berlin during the town’s farmers market last Sunday. The event was timed and attracted hundreds to Berlin to observe the chefs prepare their dishes, which had to include products found at the market. The dishes were judged by a panel and announced at noon. The winner was Blacksmith owner/chef Justine Zegna, who received a “golden ticket” to participate in the World Food Championships in Indiana in October.
By Tara Fischer Staff Writer (Aug. 14, 2025) Although a timeline has not been established, paid parking could be introduced in the Town of Berlin to generate money to cover the repair for existing spaces, potentially ending the long-
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standing practice of free downtown parking. Parking issues and their solutions have been a recurring topic of discussion among Berlin officials. To address a shortage of vehicle spaces, the town established a muSee COUNCIL Page 4
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