There
have been watermen in your family for generations. As a youngster, did
you get to help check the crab pots or haul in the day's catch?
"My
grandfather, Captain Buck [Robert Witt], was a waterman his whole life.
His work boat was named the Sea King, and we named our own family boat
the 'C King' to honor him and to acknowledge the new generation of my
boys, Cameron, Corey and Cody.
"As a kid, I did it all. We were up early to bait the trot lines, get
the baskets in order, get everything situated on the boat. My
grandfather had his own spots on the Rhode River, the South River. If we
were crabbing, I'd have to separate the males from the females, cull out
the peelers, get everything ready to sell. It was an all-day job and
hard work, and it was good for me in many ways.
"My grandfather didn't go easy on us. I remember having to wade out into
the water to haul in the seine. The mud would suck our boots right off!
"Hauling the seine, line fishing, crabbing, oystering . . . He was out
there all year long, sometimes for days or even weeks at a time. When it
was cold - you really found out what you were made of. I'd be shivering
in the cabin, and he'd be out on the deck in just his flannel shirt. He
would actually make a fire on the deck of the boat. He'd put some water
down first and the flames would burn 'up.' It would never even char the
bottom of the boat. That fascinated me.
"My grandfather was born in 1912, and he learned the trade from his
father, my great-grandfather, Captain Rob Witt. They say he'd tie his
boat to his waist and walk along the shore in his bare feet and feel
where the clams were in the mud. Or he'd put his ear to the keel of the
wooden boat he built and he'd listen for the 'pop' the clams would make
when they settled into the mud - and he'd know where they were.
"My great-grandparents, Rob and Alice Witt, also ran the local country
store called Hill Top. Today, it's the Old Stein Inn. As kids, my
brother Tommy and I would go in there and get a Nehi and a Twinkie. We
thought we were in heaven.
"Out on the campaign trail, I often tell the story that my mother's
maiden name was Witt, therefore that makes me a 'half-Witt' -- and that
qualifies me to hold public office." [Laughs.] (back
to top)
That waterman's
heritage, what did it instill in you?
"Well, number
one, it gave me a profound respect for the waterman's way of
life and how our natural resources have provided for that way of
life. My mother, her brothers and sisters, they all sustained
themselves and their families from the Bay's bounty.
"From hands-on experience, I also gained an understanding of the
value of replenishment - utilizing resources, but replenishing
them so they'll be here for us another day. In that regard, I
consider myself a conservationist by nature.
"It's amazing the environment's capacity to heal itself. I'm
concerned, however, that we're at a point where our impact has
diminished its ability to replenish and heal itself." (back
to top)
In your opinion,
what does Anne Arundel County's 400-plus miles of shoreline mean
to our quality of life here?
"It is probably our biggest economic development tool and
attraction. It's what draws people to this area.
"That sense of being part of something as huge and wonderful as
the bay is powerful. We're unique. Our proximity to the water
permeates our whole culture.
"The water was a huge part of my childhood, and it is for my
children as well. Along with youth sports, a major portion of
our family's recreational time is spent on the water.
"My family has always had boats. The Rhode River was our
babysitter as kids. We'd catch soft crabs along the shore of
Camp Letts with the 16-foot wooden boat my grandfather built us
and sell them to our friends and neighbors.
"The 'C King' is a 29-foot Sea Hawk. I got that size boat for
the boys as they got older knowing they'd need more room. I was
tired of getting my clothing hooked when they'd go to cast out
their lines! We fish off the boat, trolling or bottom fishing.
They all took boating safety courses so they could have their
licenses. In the summer, we go to Harness Creek, anchor, and let
the kids swim and play on the water all day.
"We need more public access to the water so people who live here
have the opportunity to experience it." (back to top)
When we hear
about environmental issues, why do you think the news is often
more bad than good?
"We're now starting
to pay the price for years of sprawl. It's showing itself in our
air and water quality, in gridlock on our roads, and it's having
an impact on our quality of life. When we read about catfish in
our rivers having tumors, it really hits home.
"I think the other major issue is that we've got laws on the
books that are not being consistently enforced. I believe the
top local news story of 2005 was the home that was built on
Little Dobbins Island, totally circumventing the law. I think
that's wrong.
"The more people who have the opportunity to get out and
experience our natural resources, the better off we're going to
be in developing and administering policy. There's been a lack
of communication and citizen participation in the process. It
should be people before policy. You're never going to develop
good policy unless you have hands-on experience behind it and
hands-on experience involved in carrying it out.
"As a member of the General Assembly, time and again I drew from
my personal experiences to develop common-sense legislation on
growth and the environment.
"As chair of the Anne Arundel delegation, I supported Smart
Growth initiatives, brown fields legislation to revitalize
areas, and enhancements to critical areas laws. Anne Arundel
County added over 1,000 acres of agricultural preservation
easements and created 2,000 acres of agricultural preservation
districts. We expanded Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary and purchased
Franklin Point Park. We also made strides in historic
preservation, most notably at London Town.
"A change in county leadership gives us a new opportunity to
make more good news in the areas of environmental protection and
preservation." back to top)
As county
executive, what major environmental initiatives would you want
to undertake to improve the quality of our air and water?
"We need to
inventory every agency's policies and procedures to make sure
there's return on investment and we're doing what needs to be
done. What procedures need to be eliminated? What needs to be
modernized?
"I would increase dialogue through a county executive's
Environmental Advisory Council. I want that real-world input and
feedback on a regular basis. Once you do that, you start to
restore the trust in government that we've lost.
"In terms of specifics, I want to initiate what I call Gridlock
Free Zones to improve traffic flow and keep people from sitting
in idle on our roadways. I think this connects to our overall
strategy of addressing issues in a proactive way. We know there
are regional concerns, but we need to ask ourselves, what can we
do locally? We should consider all the possibilities: mass
transit, shuttle busses to better connect communities with
retail, telecommuting. We need to look at the bigger picture.
I'd like to see us become a more pedestrian and bike-friendly
county.
"And we need more responsible land management to protect
existing green space and channel growth into revitalizing areas
where infrastructure exists. I applaud Arnold Preservation
Council for being proactive in creating a vision for the future
of Arnold and taking steps now to control their own destiny.
"We need to think ahead. How can we save on energy and support
new energy sources? Where can we install green roofs? Back in
2002, I called for replacing county vehicles with hybrid cars
wherever practical. That's on my list.
"In addition to looking ahead, we've got to better manage the
here and now. We need to consistently enforce current laws on
the books. It goes back to the trust issue. Our laws should not
be used as legal bargaining chips." back to top)
Check back soon for the next in
the series "Talking with Phil" -- his candid comments on the issues facing our county
and his goals as county executive.
More Talking with Phil:
