Michael Kuster Running for Town Commissioner

GladeValley.net has invited each candidate to answer the same set of questions to provide voters in The Town of Walkersville with some information to help them make a decision at the polls on September 14, 2015.

Tell us about yourself:

My wife, Emily, and I moved to Walkersville in 2001 when we were expecting our first children. We fell in love with the small-town atmosphere. We are raising our three children in Walkersville and love living in Old Town Walkersville. Having grown-up on a farm in Frederick, I love living in a town that embraces agriculture. My children attend Glade Elementary School and Walkersville Middle School. I own and operate a small I.T. firm, Digital Age Solution, and GladeValley.net. I also work for The Great Frederick Fair. My wife has been a nurse at Frederick Memorial Hospital for many years.

Tell us about your Public Service Experience:

I began my public service as a member of 4-H and FFA. I was selected Frederick County 4-H King and Maryland FFA’s American Royal Ambassador as a teen, and got hooked on public service. The son of a police officer, I learned the value and sacrifices of public service. I worked for the State of Maryland for twenty years as a 4-H agent and I.T. supervisor. In 2002, I was elected to the Democratic State Central Committee. I served on the committee to celebrate Frederick County’s 250th Anniversary, and as a commissioner on the Frederick County Human Relations Commission. I have served as Vice-President of the United Democrats of Frederick County and President of the Young Democrats of Frederick County. I served as an alternate on the Walkersville Board of Appeals, and currently serve on the Walkersville Planning Commission. I have been a 4-H Club Leader since 1993 in Frederick County. I am the Vice-President of the Frederick County 4-H Camp & Activities Center, Inc. I was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for Federated Charities.

What do you see as the top issues facing Walkersville and how you propose addressing these issues?

Growth, crime, and blight dominate the top issues in our town.

As a member of the Walkersville Planning Commission, I see that many residents are concerned with growth, but do not know that many of the current developments were zoned twenty years ago or more. Residents can be frustrated by the development that is already slated. I want to work to keep Walkersville’s growth in check. Our town has done a great job over the past few decades at maintaining slow growth. I will not approve further re-zoning of agricultural land, and push for maintaining and expanding our green-belt surrounding Walkersville. Frederick’s growth must be stopped at our borders, and I support annexing more farmland to maintain control of our borders.

Traffic goes hand in hand with the growth issue. Frederick’s growth adversely affects our quality of life. Walkersvillle’s roads are choked by Frederick’s poor decisions and lust for tax dollars. We must be diligent and vociferous in gaining relief from Frederick’s zoning. Biggs Ford Road will soon be impacted as MD 26 has been.  As a Walkersville Town Commissioner, I will work with City of Frederick, Frederick County, and Maryland officials to be sure Walkersville residents are part of these regional decisions.

Crime is impacting all of us in Walkersville. It is imperative that Walkersville expand law enforcement to a 24×7 policing model. Current contracts with Maryland State Police do not provide enough coverage for a town of our size. We need more police on the streets patrolling on foot, on bikes, and in cruisers around the clock. I will push to prioritize funding for public safety and law enforcement.

Blight and the neglect of vacant properties plague Walkersville. From homes with accumulating trash to neglected properties and squatters, our neighborhoods suffer from the neglect of vacant and blighted properties. Residents recently testified before the Planning Commission about their pains. The Town struggles to address the issues directly. I will push for more direction from the Town Commissioners to speed ordinances addressing public nuisances from blight, squatters, neglect, and crime through the legislative process.

Do you feel crime is an issue? If so what do you propose doing to address the issue?

For far too long, our town government has been too soft on criminal activities. Personal friendships influence far too many issues from drugs problems to blight. While friendships are important, they cannot influence our duties to all of Walkersville. I appreciate the dedication to friendships, but cannot excuse the exceptions made for friends and organizations related to our elected officials.

I will vote for nothing less than a police force providing 24×7 coverage of our growing town. The Town must explore continued contractual police forces with its own police force. Some towns contract with the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, and we currently contract with Maryland State Police. Still, other towns operate their own police departments. I support exploring each option going into fiscal year 2017.

Growth continues to be an issue about which the community feels strongly. What are your views on planned growth and possible future growth?

I grew up on a farm and part of the Frederick County agricultural community. I place a very high value on maintaining a green belt of farms around and inside Walkersville. While hundreds of homes will soon be added to Walkersville over the next few years, I do not believe our roads, schools, environment, or economy can support that growth. I do not support any further development of Walkersville or the surrounding area.

I will urge further annexation of farms surrounding Walkersville to reinforce our green-belt. To further encourage agriculture, I support tax incentives to maintain agricultural use of properties in Walkersville. Keeping local farms protects our food supply, our quality of life, and our public safety.

What changes, if any, will you support to address traffic issues in and around Walkersville?

Our roads fail because of growth outside of Walkersville and a failure to push for solutions from the State of Maryland to upgrade its roads. A constructive and strong voice for Walkersville’s transportation needs must be maintained at the county and state level. County Executive Jan Gardner’s prioritization of Woodsboro Pike is long over due. Biggs Ford Road is equally important as three new developments in Walkersville will feed onto that important arterial road.

I will work with our county and state officials to be sure Walkersville’s needs are recognized, and addressed. A failure to accept our role in the regional growth along U.S. 15, MD 26, and Biggs Ford Road put Walkersville residents in congestion. We must be part of the conversation with Frederick as it grows, and work to protect our interests.