HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Four Democrats and one unaffiliated candidate are seeking seats on the Washington County Board of County Commissioners in Tuesday’s general election, proposing changes in how the county funds schools, regulates development and involves residents in government decisions.
The candidates are Jonathan Fish, Les McIntosh Sr., Lara Shepherd and Dave Williams, all Democrats, and Taj Smith, who is running without party affiliation.
All five are challenging a board currently controlled entirely by Republicans. Their proposals include new conditions on business tax incentives, additional education funding, expanded public transportation and changes to how commissioners conduct public meetings.
The five candidates are competing against five Republicans for five countywide seats. Voters may select up to five candidates, regardless of party, and the five receiving the most votes will win.
Jonathan Fish
Jonathan Fish, 37, of Hagerstown, is a computer programmer and former high school chemistry teacher seeking elected office for the first time. A father of three with a political science degree from the University of Florida, he has emphasized housing affordability, education and the rising cost of living.
- Data centers: Wants independent studies of the economic and environmental effects of proposed facilities before the county approves them. Supports multiple public information sessions and opportunities for residents to comment before decisions are made.
- Schools and taxes: Argues that Washington County could qualify for millions of dollars in additional state education funding through Maryland’s disparity grant program if it increased its local tax effort. At an Oct. 15 candidates’ forum, he said the money could improve teacher salaries, school buildings and bus service.
- Cost of living: Identifies affordable housing, food security, child care and better-paying jobs among his priorities. He wants county infrastructure planning to account for those needs.
- Public safety: Says fire, emergency medical and other essential services have not received sufficient funding, including money to replace aging emergency equipment.
- Public comment: Supports restoring general public comment without restricting residents to subjects on the commissioners’ meeting agenda. He argues that elected officials should not be able to avoid hearing criticism by limiting public participation.
Les McIntosh Sr.
Les McIntosh Sr., 53, of Hagerstown, is a pastor at Impact Ministries, a small-business owner and a first-time candidate. He has served in leadership positions with the Washington County NAACP and the Hagerstown Area Religious Council.
- Data centers: Supports the 12-month moratorium to allow further study of utility costs, environmental effects and infrastructure demands. If data centers are permitted, he wants requirements for good-paying union jobs, environmental protections and long-term community benefits.
- Fire and rescue: Warns that Washington County must prepare for the expiration of a $4.7 million federal grant supporting additional firefighters. At the Oct. 15 forum, he said the county needs to identify money to continue those positions after the federal funding ends.
- Schools and workforce: Supports expanding career and technical education, strengthening partnerships between schools and employers, and providing mentoring and mental health services. He also favors directing available county surplus funds toward education.
- Housing and economic development: Supports updating zoning to encourage housing near jobs, expanding transportation options and using targeted tax incentives tied to job creation. He wants more opportunities for small businesses and industries offering living wages.
- Taxes and spending: Says commissioners should look for efficiencies and reduce waste before considering tax increases. He supports pursuing state and federal funding and public-private partnerships for infrastructure improvements.
- Public comment: Supports restoring general public comment, open budgeting and accessible public meetings. He also proposes community listening sessions and greater disclosure of development proposals.
Lara A. Shepherd
Lara Shepherd, 57, of Hagerstown, is director of people, culture and resources for Conservit Inc., a scrap metal processing company. A Washington County native and Shippensburg University graduate, she has also worked for D.M. Bowman and Hospice of Washington County and is seeking public office for the first time.
- Schools: Proposes placing student aides in every classroom to provide teachers with additional support. She also wants greater investment in youth programs, recreation, cultural activities and nonprofit organizations.
- Transportation: Supports expanding county bus service and making fares minimal or free, particularly to help workers and students reach jobs and schools.
- Data centers: Raises concerns about electricity costs, water consumption, pollution, noise and the loss of farmland and rural character. She wants county officials to examine those effects before deciding whether to allow the facilities.
- Taxes: At the Oct. 15 forum, said she would examine how much additional revenue the county might receive from a higher local income tax rate before deciding whether an increase is warranted.
- Economic development: Supports attracting skilled workers and higher-paying employers, including biotechnology companies, through recruitment efforts and targeted tax incentives.
- Water and public safety: Identifies water infrastructure and emergency services as priorities, including cooperation with Hagerstown on water resources.
- Public comment: Supports restoring general public comment and giving residents opportunities to provide information that commissioners might otherwise overlook.
Dave Williams
Dave Williams, 71, of Smithsburg, is a retired Washington County Public Schools librarian who spent 40 years in public education. A former Washington County Teachers Association board member and Smithsburg Library Board member, he previously ran for commissioner.
Williams has made government transparency and the commissioners’ handling of the proposed ICE detention facility central issues in his campaign.
- Data centers: Opposes data centers as generally designed and operated today. Wants the county to use its moratorium to establish strict standards governing noise, pollution, water consumption, electric grid upgrades, utility rates and protection of rural areas, with future proposals evaluated individually.
- Public comment: Wants general public comment restored to commissioners’ business meetings, along with evening meetings that working residents can attend. He also proposes public work sessions, meaningful responses to residents’ questions and clearer meeting procedures.
- ICE detention: Criticizes commissioners for supporting federal immigration enforcement while, in his view, failing to answer residents’ questions about the proposed detention facility near Williamsport. He has called for greater scrutiny and public discussion of the facility’s local effects.
- Schools: Supports increasing county funding for public education, including money for employee salaries and better pay for educational support staff.
- Taxes: Opposes increasing the property tax rate and has suggested examining property tax relief for seniors on fixed incomes. He has said he would consider a dedicated fire tax if necessary to support emergency services.
- County budgeting: Wants commissioners to improve revenue estimates so unexpected year-end surpluses are smaller and more money can be allocated during the budget process to schools, public safety and other needs.
Taj Smith
Taj Smith, 49, of Hagerstown, is an unaffiliated candidate and owner of The Advocate Junkie. A former president of the Washington County NAACP, she has worked as a paralegal and advocate and served on an advisory board for U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney.
Smith has described experiencing homelessness as a single mother before becoming a homeowner, an experience she says informs her approach to housing, public services and affordability.
- Data centers: Would require developers to pay all power and water infrastructure costs up front, use closed-loop water recycling and undergo independent water and energy studies. She favors directing large facilities away from farmland and toward previously developed industrial sites.
- Economic development: Proposes tying county tax incentives to a $30-an-hour wage benchmark, with provisions requiring companies to repay benefits if they fail to meet their commitments. She also wants developers to pay traffic-related infrastructure fees up front and favors advanced manufacturing over further warehouse expansion.
- Schools: Wants the county to assume school resource officer costs currently carried by the school system, freeing education funds for teacher salaries and paraprofessional wages. She also proposes a joint education liaison committee and a dedicated school building improvement fund supported by fees on commercial real estate transactions exceeding $500,000.
- Water infrastructure: Supports requiring major commercial users to pay fees reflecting their water demands, expanding water recycling requirements and pursuing grants to increase capacity without passing the costs to residents.
- County spending: Calls for a line-by-line budget audit, including examination of development subsidies, county vehicle costs, duplicated administrative work and spending on outside legal consultants and lobbyists.
- Public comment: Supports restoring general public comment, holding evening town halls throughout the county, disclosing intergovernmental meetings and establishing regular office hours for residents.
Major decisions awaiting commission
Data centers: Washington County’s 12-month moratorium on new data center applications is scheduled to expire in June 2027. Commissioners will have to decide whether to adopt permanent zoning restrictions, extend the moratorium or permit development under revised rules.
The candidates have proposed different conditions, ranging from independent impact studies and strict environmental standards to requirements for union jobs, developer-funded utilities and restrictions on where facilities may be built.
Schools and taxes: County commissioners determine local funding for Washington County Public Schools while also paying for emergency services, roads and other infrastructure.
Fish has raised the possibility of increasing local tax effort to obtain additional state education funding. Shepherd wants to examine the potential revenue from a higher income tax rate, while Smith proposes shifting certain school expenses to the county budget and Williams wants to improve the county’s budgeting process.
Fire and rescue: Washington County faces rising emergency service costs and questions about sustaining positions initially supported by federal grants.
McIntosh has specifically warned about the expiration of federal firefighter funding, while Williams has said he would consider a dedicated fire tax if other revenue sources prove insufficient.
Water and development: The county must address water capacity, aging infrastructure and the demands of new development.
Several candidates want developers to shoulder more of those costs, while Shepherd and McIntosh emphasize cooperation among local governments and improvements to transportation and other public services.
Public participation and ICE detention: The next board could reconsider the suspension of general public comment at commissioners’ meetings, an issue all five candidates have addressed.
The proposed federal ICE detention facility near Williamsport also raises questions about wastewater capacity, infrastructure and the county’s relationship with federal authorities. Williams has made the commissioners’ response to the controversy a prominent campaign issue.
Democratic candidate Teri Pailen announced her withdrawal from the race in September but remains listed on the ballot in state election records.
While early voting started Oct. 22, the general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
