Berlin, MD – The Coastal Association of REALTORS® (Coastal) is pleased to announce its endorsements in the upcoming 2022 General Election in Wicomico, Worcester, and Somerset Counties.
Wicomico County
For District 1: Shanie Shields – Shields is running because of her love for her community. If she wins, she will serve not only District 1 but Wicomico County as a whole. She believes in affordable housing and wants to see transparency brought to the county. She has previously served as a City Council member for the City of Salisbury.
For District 2: Jeff Merritt – Merritt is running for an open seat in District 2 in order to continue the good work he has been doing for years as a volunteer with the Chamber of Commerce, Greater Salisbury Committee and through his nonprofit Operation We Care which supplies care packages to active-duty soldiers as well as veterans. He is a small business owner, and he is running for office to help improve the quality of life for those who live, work and play in Wicomico County.
For District 4: Josh Hastings – Hastings is proud of his accomplishments so far on the County Council including securing a 2021 comprehensive water and sewer master plan, greatly investing in our schools, and bringing public water to the airport. In his next term, he hopes to continue this work by focusing on helping the schools improve graduation rates, connecting more homes to broadband, and increasing home ownership in the county. helping the schools improve graduation rates, connecting more homes to broadband, and increasing
For District At-Large 1 – John Cannon – Cannon is currently the President of the County council and is running for re-election in his 3rd term. He would like to continue with his commitment to maintaining the momentum toward a prosperous and thriving county. He believes it’s important to have responsible representation; someone with the professional experience, institutional knowledge, and positive working relationships with government, education, industry, and community leaders on both the state and local levels.
For District At-Large 2 – Bradley Gillis – Gillis is running for an open at-large seat. Gillis, a native of Wicomico County, is a member of the Coastal Association of REALTORS® and a principal at NAI Coastal and Gillis Gilkerson. Through his work, he understands the needs of REALTORS® and homeowners in our area. When elected he hopes to focus on education, economic growth, jobs, public safety, and the environment.
Somerset County
For District 4: Deborah Nissley – Nissley decided to run for the Somerset County Commissioners because in previous elections candidates had run unopposed and she believes that voters should have a choice on who to vote for and believes that new ideas are needed. She believes that currently, the county commissioners are not representing everyone in Somerset, and she will bring a voice to the county commissioners that is not currently there. When elected she hopes to focus on bringing more businesses to Somerset County.
For District 5: Randy Laird – Laird is running for re-election in his 4th term for Somerset County. Before running for county commissioners, he was a cable repairman for 37 years in Somerset County. He is proud of his accomplishments so far with the county and when elected hopes to continue serving the constituents as a conservative looking out for how their tax dollars are spent and listening to their concerns and opinions.
Worcester County
For District 1: Joshua Nordstrom – Nordstrom is the incumbent for District 1 and over the last 4 years has been a leader in infrastructure improvements to attract new businesses, as well as education and tourism. Nordstrom supports the elimination of wasteful spending over property tax increases, and he feels homeownership is important for economic prosperity as well as personal growth and self-esteem.
For District 5: Chip Bertino – Bertino is the incumbent for District 5. He hopes to continue the good work that he has done for his last 2 terms by focusing on education, private property rights, keeping property taxes low, limiting the size of county government, and being transparent and available to his constituents.
For District 7: Joseph Mitrecic – Mitrecic is the incumbent for District 7 and is looking forward to continuing the work he has done with the county. He is running unopposed.
More about Coastal Association of REALTORS®
The Coastal Association of REALTORS® is fortunate enough to represent over 1,000 real estate professionals in Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties. These members are engaged, informed, and active in their communities. They support the American dream of homeownership, as well as the purchase and use of all types of real property. They are local. They are accurate. They are trusted. They are REALTORS® and affiliate members.
For more information on Coastal, visit www.coastalrealtors.org. The term REALTOR® is a registered collective membership mark unique to real estate professionals who are members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribe to its strict Code of Ethics.
MEDIA CONTACT: Colin Zimmerman / 410-641-4409 / colin@coastalrealtors.org
