If elected to Woodsboro’s Town Council in May — whether as burgess or a commissioner — David Williams wants to encourage residents to get involved with their local government and not be bystanders.
Burgess Heath Barnes, who is on the ballot seeking another term, said the town has never had someone run for both a commissioner seat and the burgess’s seat, and won both positions.
If that were to happen, he said, the town “will cross that bridge if it comes to that.”
Williams moved to Woodsboro 31 years ago from Walkersville with his wife, who was pregnant, and three children. With another child on the way, the family needed a bigger house.
Williams, a graphic designer, said his family has “had fun here” — Woodsboro’s small-town character made it a great place to raise his family and to live in general.
For most of his time in Woodsboro, Williams hasn’t been active in municipal government operations or elections.
He said he was like the majority of the town’s approximately 1,100 residents: Most didn’t vote in municipal elections and were complacent with the way things have been.
Williams started attending town meetings regularly since January after reading an article about a confrontation between the current burgess and a resident.
He is one of three candidates running for two commissioner seats on Woodsboro’s Town Council. He is also campaigning as a write-in candidate for burgess.
The commissioner seats up for election are currently held by Jesse Case and Bud Eckenrode. Case is running for reelection, while Eckenrode is not.
The other candidate running for a commissioner seat is Denise Hahn.
Barnes was the only person officially nominated to run for the position during Woodsboro’s nominating convention at its April 1 town meeting.
The town’s election will be on May 10 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Saint John’s United Church of Christ. The winners will be sworn in at the town meeting on June 10.
Residents can vote early at Woodsboro’s town office until close of business on May 2.
Message to non-voters
Williams said he only decided to run for a commissioner seat after his wife and friends convinced him to.
He was surprised Barnes was the only person nominated for burgess — so a few days after the official nominations, he decided to campaign as a write-in candidate for burgess.
He believes it’s important that the residents have multiple choices for who to vote as the town’s leadership.
“I just want the people to know why I’ve chosen to be a write-in candidate and why I think it’s important for us to be less complacent on May 10 and take it a little bit more seriously,” Williams said.
“… I know I can lower their taxes. That’s the message that I really want to get out to the folks who habitually don’t vote.”
Williams said his main goals if elected are to bring down Woodsboro’s tax rate and to stabilize the water rate.
In May 2024, the Town Council announced that Woodsboro’s property tax rate would increase from 14 cents per $100 of assessed value to 18 cents for the fiscal year 2025 budget.
The town’s water and sewer rates were also increased. The flat fee for water increased from $17 to $22, and the flat sewer fee increased from $125 to $140.
The cost per thousand gallons for water rose from $4.60 to $5.75, and the cost per thousand gallons for sewer increased from $6.44 to $8.05.
Barnes said during the Town Council’s budget workshop on April 1 that before the water and sewer rate increases for fiscal year 2025, the rates had only been raised once or twice before in the past 20 years.
Williams’s campaign flyers state that his property taxes have increased by 68% since the 2021 election, and his water and sewer bill has gone up by 46%.
“I just don’t want this trend of increased taxes to continue, which is what I’m afraid will happen if we continue to be complacent,” Williams said.
Even when property rates remain the same, property tax bills increase as property values increase. Maryland reassesses all properties every three years; one-third are reassessed per year.
“… I’m getting very close to retirement, so I’m getting very close to having a fixed income, and if I can do anything to improve my cost of living, then that’s my objective right now. If I can improve my cost of living, then I can improve everybody else’s cost of living in town.”