DECEMBER 1, 2022
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BERLIN • NORTH WORCESTER COUNTY• OCEAN PINES
Fire co. wants negotiations to be private Contract terms, not money, subject of closed session
GEE WILLIAMS/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
The town Christmas tree might set the tone of the holidays, but the annual Berlin Christmas Parade will be getting all the attention downtown as it winds its way through town Thursday night.
Berlin parade holiday highlight Town’s Yule event should draw thousands downtown tonight to see 51st edition By Jack Chavez Staff Writer (Dec. 1, 2022) The weather is cold, the fare is warm, the bright lights are hung and thus the locals are ready for the 51st annual Berlin Christmas Pa-
rade tonight. Thousands are expected to descend upon the Main Street corridor between the town’s welcome center and the Berlin Fire Department to watch dozens of original floats roll down the street, each spreading its own brand of holiday cheer. Dancers, fire trucks and Santa Claus himself will also be a part of the festivities.
“There’s nothing like the Berlin Christmas Parade,” Berlin Economic and Community Development Director Ivy Wells said. “It’s the largest on the Eastern Shore and there’s something special about seeing the floats all lit up at night.” The theme this year, as picked by Mayor Zack Tyndall, is an “Eastern Shore Christmas.” See RESORT’S Page 3
By Gee Williams Contributing Writer (Dec. 1, 2022) What had been scheduled as a two-hour public work session between the Berlin mayor and council and representatives of the Berlin Fire Company Monday evening turned into expressions of frustration and resentment by council members when the fire company representatives and their attorney decided at the last minute to not meet with the town council. A public work session had been scheduled to start at Town Hall at 5 p.m. and continue up to 7 p.m. on Nov. 28. Just before the scheduled start of the work session, the fire company’s attorney, Joe Moore, advised Mayor Zack Tyndall that he and the company representatives wanted to meet with only the mayor and the town administrator. Thirty minutes passed as the mayor and Town Administrator Mary Bohlen, met behind closed doors in another room with Moore and company members. In the meantime, the five members of the Berlin Council sat waiting in the public meeting room upstairs in Town Hall. When Tyndall returned to the dais after the half-hour discussion with the company officials, he told council members the fire company represenSee FIRE Page 2
OPA board meetings become members-only sessions By Jack Chavez Staff Writer (Dec. 1, 2022) In a surprise announcement Monday afternoon, the Ocean Pines Association notified its members that from now on, a property owner identification card must
be displayed to gain entry to the monthly regular board meetings and town halls. Though the OPA had said nothing officially to suggest such an announcement was coming, it wasn’t exactly shocking after the OPA re-
stricted November’s meeting to those with ID cards, a move made to prepare for the possibility that out-oftown supporters of Gavin Knupp’s family could attempt to flood the meeting. While the last meeting was tense,
it was never close to flying out of control. It was unclear just how much the impromptu requirement affected the turnout. Being done at the last minute, that change drew plenty of scorn from asSee OPA Page 4
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