A Letter To The Editor: Wicomico County: Is Matt Holloway Real or RINO?

Let's review the record – most recently Matt Holloway was spotted at the special invitation fund raiser for Rick Pollitt that was held by Salisbury attorney William Hall, along with liberal Democrats like Josh Hastings. That, his campaign contribution to Sheree Sample-Hughes and his lack of support for Bob Culver’s campaign for County Executive, raise real concern that Mr. Holloway is a "Republican In Name Only" unlike the other member of the County Council with that surname, Joe Holloway, who is the real thing.

Then there's Matt Holloway's vote for Pollitt's latest (and, fortunately, his last) budget that was supported by the squishy Republicans -- Bartkovich and Prettyman -- who will soon be departed from the Council, and the RINO, John Hall, some of whom are reported to have supported Pollitt personally if not also financially and attended the fund-raiser mentioned above. To be clear, and to her credit: Ms. Bartkovich supported Bob Culver not Rick Pollitt, and we understand she did not attend that fund-raiser.

During his first term on the Council the past four years, Matt Holloway appears to have morphed from a mainstream Republican who supports small government with limited power over property rights, to a believer in big government with pervasive land-use powers. Rumor is that this shift may be due to a desire to obtain a preservation easement deal with the State, which would mean big bucks, taken from County taxpayers, but probably would not happen unless the County adopts the "tier plan" to limit development that is proposed by the Department of Planning. Given the shift forthcoming in Annapolis, that may be history, but until this week it was a distinct possibility.