Western Maryland formed me as an outdoorsman. I’m an environmental studies major, Outdoors Club president, trip leader for an outfitter, and in my little spare time, I fish, ski, and hike our state to create content for this platform whose first post was from South Mountain. So when I saw 5 state delegates representing Garrett, Allegany, Washington Counties address letters to West Virginia about joining the state, I was caught off-guard, but also understood.
Those three counties comprise Maryland’s Appalachian region as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Their landscape, history, and regional issues are more similar to West Virginia and Southwest Pennsylvania than Maryland, which over the past 10 years has increasingly branded itself with the Chesapeake Bay, blue crabs, and of course, the coolest flag in the country. Just looking at a map, it doesn’t seem like Allegany and Garrett should belong to Maryland; the state narrows to just 1.25 miles in Hancock before expanding to include them. However, under Governor Hogan, western Maryland has become a regional hub for ecotourism beyond just Maryland, reaching all cities of the mid-Atlantic. Western Maryland is, on average, better off today than its counterparts in neighboring states.
This is a politically-motivated move ahead of Congressional redistricting. Every 10 years, using new census data, the congressional districts that elect our state representatives to the US House of Representatives are redrawn by the General Assembly to include equal numbers of people. Since the 2010 map, Maryland is one of, if not the most gerrymandered state in the country, and District 6 which includes Western Maryland is a prime example. The borders include all of the three aforementioned counties, then snake around District 8 to include all of downtown Frederick and into the wealthiest DC suburbs. Frederick and the suburbs, less than 20% of the district’s land area, contain enough people to outvote the remaining 80%. The independently proposed map using 2020 data fixes this and gives accurate representation to western Maryland, thereby proving that districts that accurately reflect constituents’ beliefs while meeting the rules of equal populations are possible.
Western Marylanders, or at least their representatives, simply don’t believe they have representation at the federal level, and they are right. It’s my belief that these representatives have no intention of actually leaving Maryland. The move generates responses like this one that get people talking about the issues in Western Maryland, which is their actual goal.
So what responses have the letters prompted? West Virginia Governor Jim Justice sees it as proof of his administration’s efforts in their state, which include an improved economy and low unemployment rates but also one of the lowest covid vaccination rates in the country. “We welcome these counties and would be tickled to death to have them and the great folks of that incredible state.” Said Justice, who has called a special session to create a formal proposal for the counties to join the Mountain State. Governor Justice led a similar attempt for Frederick County, Virginia, south of the West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, to join West Virginia, citing disagreements over the Second Amendment.
In Maryland, Governor Hogan labelled it a publicity stunt, and The Baltimore Sun, Maryland’s largest newspaper, went further, saying “if you want to be irrelevant, you pull stunts like this.”
The most interesting reactions have been in Western Maryland itself. Jake Shade (R), President of the Allegany County Board of Commissioners, criticized the 5-member delegation for moving too fast and not consulting with constituents. In response, signees George Edwards (R), who is retiring at the end of this term and could be replaced by Shade, and Jason Buckel (R) withdrew their support for the movement. Buckel admitted he had “less than five minutes” to think about it when he and the other signees secretly met West Virginia delegates in September. The pair also said they didn’t mean to cause a stir and that any following debate is a distraction from building a better future in Western Maryland. They claim that the letters were “ultimately a plea to our colleagues in Annapolis to recognize the fierce urgency of now with respect to supporting economic development and growth initiatives for our three western counties.” Delegates Mike McKay (R) and Wendell Beitzel (R), who is also retiring at the end of this term, hold that it is more than a political stunt, and appear most committed to the cause.
Healthcare, transportation, and especially tourism are the economic drivers of the region, but the initiatives mentioned above likely pertain to increased development and mining. A move to West Virginia would bring hydraulic fracking for natural gas to Western Maryland, after Governor Hogan banned state-wide it over environmental concerns in 2017. Additionally, Shade and Buckel are currently pushing to remove protections around Lake Habeeb in Rocky Gap State Park, Allegany County, in order to develop around the casino there. The delegates likely eye the massive boom around Deep Creek Lake and want the emulate it in the Cumberland area, which most of the Deep Creek tourists already have to pass through to get there.
In my opinion, Western Maryland is Maryland. I have never met a Western Marylander that seriously wanted to join West Virginia. What makes our state special is our diversity of both people and place. We have large cities, scenic mountains, quaint countrysides, and fun beaches; few states if any can drive 90 minutes in either direction and experience such diverse landscapes. It is also troubling that state boundaries could be drawn according to political ones, which sets a dangerous precedent for redrawing borders every time national opinions change. On the other hand, every US citizen deserves fair representation, and Western Maryland does not have any at the federal level due to the gerrymandered 8th district represented by David Trone (D). The proposed congressional district map must pass and Western Maryland must be represented if we are to stay true to our country’s belief in fair, democratic elections, regardless of political affiliation.
At the end of the day, Western Maryland isn’ leaving anytime soon. The last time something similar happened was when anti-slavery counties left Virginia to form West Virginia during the Civil War. Constitutional scholars view that example as an outlier instead of the formal process, but most experts say a switch would require approval from both states and US Congress. West Virginia would say yes. I think a few Maryland city Democrat representatives would vote yes to get Republicans out of their state, but ultimately, the millions of dollars in tourism Western Maryland provides are needed to fund Baltimore’s flailing budget, so Maryland would say no. It would be a closer vote in US Congress, but I think it would still be a bipartisan no out of fears on both sides that other regions could leave their own respective states.
Western Maryland deserves better, but Western Maryland is Maryland. And if it did leave, well, there goes two-thirds of my content.