Residents have ‘little in common’ with liberal county
CUMBERLAND, MD. – Residents of Western Maryland say they would sooner annex their congressional district to West Virginia than share it with liberal Montgomery County.
Under a legislative map proposed by Maryland lawmakers, the state’s heavily Republican 6th District — which encompasses Western Maryland — would gain a slew of Montgomery’s voters while losing four Republican-leaning counties, including most of Frederick, Carroll, Baltimore and Harford.
READ MORE: Montgomery Co. lawmakers oppose redistricting plan
“We would like to just put up a gate at Sideling Hill and say, ‘Leave us alone,’ ” said Frostburg pawn shop owner Alan Zapf, referring to a mountain pass about 6 miles west of Hancock in Washington County. “We really have very little in common with the rest of the state.”
Western Marylanders are concerned that their agriculture-based needs would be overshadowed by issues surrounding urban development in Montgomery.
“If they let Montgomery — even Hagerstown — decide everything for us, we won’t have a voice anymore,” said Ronald Barb, a 77-year-old registered Democrat and lifetime resident of Cumberland.
Leaning against a shuttered storefront in downtown Cumberland, Barb stuffed tobacco into the butt of an old wooden pipe.
“You know what really ticks me off,” he continued, “is Democrats don’t seem to want to listen to what we have to say — they just want to do what the party wants.”
The new map would make the 6th District more competitive for a Democrat to challenge 10-term Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, one of two Republican members of Congress in the eight-district state of Maryland.
But after nearly two decades in office, some voters say they would be happy to see Bartlett go.
“It’s time for him to retire,” said Bernie Garlitz, a registered Republican from Frostburg. Garlitz’s wife, Kelly, nodded her head in agreement.
“I’m ready to see someone else in office,” she said.
Rick Dezen, a Democrat from Cumberland, said he would welcome more Democrats to the 6th District.
“Unlike most people in this area, I’m a Democrat, and I would love to pick up some voters from Montgomery County,” said Dezen, 57.
But overall, resentment toward the Baltimore and Washington suburbs runs deep in Maryland’s mountainous west, with many residents blaming the urban areas for crime and high taxes.
“You give a kid a gun in Baltimore and he’s going to go kill someone,” Zapf said. “You give an 8-year-old a gun in Allegany County and he’ll go shoot at some birds.”
Party politics aside, no one lawmaker should represent an area that varies so vastly in culture, terrain and even football teams, said Carson Reinhart of Cumberland.
“Why should we care about a Purple Line?” he asked, referring to the 16-mile planned light rail that would connect New Carrollton to Bethesda. “We’re just worried about putting food on the table.”
