Sam Shoge Discusses Strategic Growth, Schools, and County Communication in Chestertown Spy Interview

Media

Apr 20

Watch the full interview with the Chestertown Spy to hear more about Sam Shoge’s vision for Kent County’s future.

County Commissioner candidate Sam Shoge recently sat down with the Chestertown Spy for a video interview focused on Kent County’s future, including economic development, school construction, preservation, transparency, and the need for a clearer countywide vision.

The interview was part of the Spy’s candidate series, which asks candidates a consistent set of questions in advance while also including one spontaneous question during the conversation.

Throughout the interview, Shoge emphasized that Kent County must do more than preserve what makes it special. It must also reverse troubling demographic and economic trends that threaten the county’s long-term ability to fund schools, infrastructure, public safety, and essential services.

Balancing Preservation and Economic Development

Asked where he would draw the line between protecting Kent County’s character and allowing for future growth, Shoge said the county has not truly balanced preservation with economic development.

“We have put significant onus on preservation at the expense of economic development,” Shoge said. “If we had done a better job of keeping those two balanced, we wouldn’t see our population declining. We wouldn’t see the number of business establishments declining. We wouldn’t see our school enrollment declining.”

Shoge said the goal should not be growth at any cost. Instead, he called for strategic growth directed toward areas that already have infrastructure, particularly Kent County’s towns and key transportation corridors.

He pointed to Route 301 and the county’s active rail line as underutilized assets that could help attract businesses while protecting farmland, open space, and waterways.

“Economic development 101 is to leverage your infrastructure and leverage your assets,” Shoge said. “We need to do a better job of leveraging that highway, and we need to do a better job of leveraging the active rail line that cuts through our county.”

Investing in Schools as an Economic Development Strategy

When asked where he would prioritize increased investment, Shoge pointed directly to school construction, beginning with the new middle school.

“A new middle school has to be built,” Shoge said. “That is so key.”

But Shoge also cautioned that the middle school cannot be viewed as a one-time issue. He noted that Kent County’s three elementary schools are roughly the same age as the current middle school and will also need long-term planning and investment.

“We are fighting so hard to fund one middle school without fully realizing that we have three more schools that are the same age and will also soon have to be replaced,” Shoge said.

For Shoge, school construction is not only an education issue. It is tied directly to the county’s ability to attract families, strengthen the workforce, recruit businesses, and grow the tax base.

“New schools create assets we can leverage to attract families,” Shoge said. “Those families become part of the workforce that new businesses need. That is how we begin to build a stronger tax base.”

Strategic Growth Without Becoming Middletown

Shoge also addressed concerns that any new development would cause Kent County to lose its rural character.

“Everybody jumps to Middletown,” Shoge said. “I don’t want to be Middletown either.”

Instead, Shoge argued that modest, targeted population growth could make a meaningful difference without changing Kent County’s identity. He pointed to a 10 percent population increase over 10 years as an ambitious but realistic goal.

“That is only about 2,000 new residents,” Shoge said. “You won’t even feel that growth if we direct it toward our towns and areas where infrastructure already exists.”

Shoge said Kent County can protect its farms, open space, waterways, and heritage while still making room for new families, new homes, and new businesses.

“We can have both,” Shoge said. “Let’s direct growth toward our towns and where infrastructure is, and let’s preserve our farms, our heritage, and our quality of life.”

Improving Communication Through a Clearer Vision

On the question of transparency and decision-making, Shoge said the county’s challenge is not simply a lack of public notices or formal disclosures.

“If anything, government communicates too much and doesn’t communicate effectively,” Shoge said. “We are always putting out notices, but those notices are stale. There’s no vision behind them.”

Shoge said county government should communicate more clearly about what it is doing, why it matters, how taxpayer dollars are being used, and how individual decisions fit into a broader strategy.

“Government is a brand,” Shoge said. “Government should market. Government should come up with a vision that residents can buy into.”

He argued that Kent County needs a clear, shared vision that is easier for residents to understand than a lengthy comprehensive plan or department-level planning document.

“With a vision, we can communicate to the public what we want to do, what progress we are making, and how we are measuring success,” Shoge said. “Residents deserve to understand the game plan.”

Looking Toward 2036

In the spontaneous portion of the interview, Shoge was asked what a thriving Kent County would look like in the future. He pointed to 2036 as a meaningful benchmark.

“Ten years is enough time to turn declining demographic trends around,” Shoge said. “Ten years is enough time to fund new schools. Ten years is enough time to come up with a real plan and start seeing the fruits of our labor.”

Shoge said his campaign is centered on reversing Kent County’s negative trends while preserving the qualities that make the county worth protecting.

“A thriving Kent County is one that grows strategically, strengthens its tax base, invests in schools, protects what makes this place special, and gives residents a clear vision for where we are going,” Shoge said.