Shoge Highlights Practical Plans for Housing, Economic Growth, and Protecting Kent County Farmers at League of Women Voters Forum

Media

May 14

Watch the full forum with the Chestertown Spy to hear more about Sam Shoge’s plan for Kent County.

County Commissioner candidate Sam Shoge joined fellow candidates Thad Bench, John Carroll, and David Foster at a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Kent County at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Chestertown, where candidates answered questions on economic development, affordable housing, taxation, and the future of Kent County.

The forum, moderated by Pam Ortiz following opening remarks from League President Jackie Adams, gave each candidate an opportunity to present their vision for Kent County and respond to questions from both the League and the audience.

Throughout the evening, Shoge emphasized a central theme of his campaign: Kent County’s challenges are connected, and county government must be more proactive, coordinated, and focused on expanding opportunity.

“Kent County is one of the best places in Maryland to build a life,” Shoge said in his opening remarks. “But we have to be honest about the work it will take to keep it that way.”

A Connected Approach to Economic Development

In response to a question about economic development and job growth, Shoge outlined three priorities: investing in schools, increasing housing supply, and upgrading infrastructure so Kent County can compete for private investment.

While other candidates also pointed to schools and infrastructure, Shoge framed these issues as part of a larger economic development strategy. Strong schools help attract and retain families. Housing gives workers a place to live. Infrastructure makes sites viable for business growth and development.

“Economic development starts with the basic conditions that make a community attractive to families, workers, employers, and investors,” Shoge said. “Invest in the schools that attract families. Create housing options so people can live and work here. And build the infrastructure needed for private investment.”

Shoge also emphasized the need for the county to work more closely with towns and villages, where much of the existing water, sewer, road, and electric infrastructure is already located.

“That is how we stop waiting for economic development to happen and start preparing Kent County to compete,” Shoge said.

A Specific Strategy to Increase Housing Supply

On affordable housing, Shoge offered one of the most detailed policy proposals of the evening: the creation of a county-backed real estate development corporation.

The entity, as Shoge described it, would help Kent County strategically develop government-owned land, including surplus school properties and other underused public sites, for housing and community development. It could also help the county leverage grants, low-cost financing, and public-private partnerships while giving county government more influence over the design, quality, and purpose of new housing.

Rather than simply waiting for private developers to bring projects forward, Shoge said the county should create tools that allow it to shape outcomes directly.

“One policy I would work to establish is a county-backed real estate development corporation,” Shoge said. “Its purpose would be limited and practical: help the county strategically develop government-owned land such as surplus school properties or other underused public sites for housing and community development.”

Shoge also said the same entity could potentially serve a housing authority function, noting that Kent County is one of the few counties without such a tool.

“A housing authority would give the county a dedicated structure to pursue housing resources, administer programs, partner with developers and nonprofits, and focus specifically on the needs of lower-income residents, seniors, and working families,” Shoge said.

Shoge also broadened the housing conversation beyond new construction. He raised concerns about seniors and vulnerable residents losing homes through tax sale because of unpaid water bills, calling it not only a housing issue but a generational wealth issue.

“Affordable housing cannot only mean new construction,” Shoge said. “We also have to protect vulnerable residents who are already here.”

Standing Apart on Farmland Taxes

One of the sharpest contrasts of the evening came during an audience question about whether candidates would support a review of Maryland’s agricultural land-use assessment system, which affects how farmland is taxed.

Shoge was the only candidate to clearly decline support for initiating a review aimed at increasing the tax burden on farmland. While acknowledging that the current system can appear unfair to residential property owners, Shoge said the timing and economic realities facing farmers matter.

“I pay more in property taxes just owning a small quarter-acre lot with a home than many of our farms do,” Shoge said. “But then some weird stuff started happening in our economy, and especially in the ag industry today. I would not trade places with any farmer.”

Shoge pointed to rising input costs, collapsing commodity prices, market volatility, and growing pressure on the agricultural sector. He said that low property taxes may be one of the few things helping keep some farms viable during a difficult period.

“To commission a review on property taxes to an industry that is deeply a part of our heritage and is going through an incredibly volatile moment — I’m not going to sign up for that,” Shoge said. “We actually need to be doing everything that we can to support the farmers that we have now.”

Other candidates expressed support for, or openness to, reviewing the issue. Shoge instead made clear that he would not support adding new cost pressure to Kent County’s farming community at a time when agriculture is already under strain.

Focused on the Next Generation

In his closing remarks, Shoge returned to the message that has shaped his campaign: Kent County is special, but preserving what makes it special requires action.

He connected population loss, declining school enrollment, rising costs, limited housing options, and taxpayer pressure as issues that must be addressed together.

“I’m not running because I think Kent County is broken,” Shoge said. “This community is still, and will likely forever be, a truly special place. I am running because I believe Kent County is worth the work in preparing it for the next generation.”

Shoge said his background in local government, economic development, the Chamber of Commerce, real estate strategy, and community planning has prepared him to help move Kent County from conversation to implementation.

“We need leadership that respects what makes this county special while also preparing it for the future,” Shoge said. “That means investing in our schools, expanding opportunity, building housing that meets real needs, strengthening infrastructure, and making decisions with urgency and purpose.”