ROCK HALL — Republican Jay Jacobs is running unopposed for in his District 36 seat in the House of Delegates. Voters in District 36 can choose a total three delegates from either Kent, Queen Anne’s or parts of Caroline and Cecil counties. There are no candidates left in the race from Cecil County following the primary election in June. There are two candidates, one Republican and one Democrat, each in Queen Anne’s and Caroline counties. That leaves Jacobs, the current chairman of the House Republican Caucus, by himself in the Kent County race. Even though Jacobs is running unopposed for a second term and all but officially elected — unless a write-in candidate gets enough support — the former Rock Hall mayor said he has not lose track of issues that are of a personal nature to him. Jacobs started the Watermen’s Caucus in the state legislature during his first term to educate state representatives of the waterman’s perspective on commercial fishing issues. “For 20 years, I feel like Annapolis has really regulated the industry, really in a way that has been very detrimental to the industry,” Jacobs said. “The first year or two I was there, it was very frustrating for me to see legislation introduced and passed by legislators who had no idea what a waterman looked like.” Jacobs said there is a lot of influence on legislators from environmental interest groups and the information they have received for the last 20 years has been “really one-sided.” He said he wants to educate lawmakers on the issues so they can make a well-informed decision. Watermen’s issues have been among Jacobs top priority in past legislative sessions. “To me, it’s a heritage industry. You look at the state seal and there’s a farmer and a waterman on there. I’m a fourth-generation waterman. My grandfather oystered on a log canoe on Swan Point,” Jacobs said. “It’s not only my heritage, but it’s personal to me, coming from that background. The other side of my family are farmers. That’s why I always say I’m a purebred Eastern Shoreman.” Jacobs said he also spends a lot of time working on agriculture issues. Jacobs said he also is one of the few remaining small business owners in Annapolis, so he tries to advocate for business. District 36 is “propped up against tax-free Delaware,” he said, and it’s a challenge to maintain businesses in the district and attract new ones, considering the impact of lower taxes and fees across the state line. Jacobs said that it will be nice not to be considered a “freshman delegate” upon the start of the upcoming legislative session in January. He said now being a veteran legislator affords him more of a mentoring position among in the state house, considering the large amount of new lawmakers likely to be elected this year. “I feel like I’ve really gotten my feet on the ground and I look forward to helping a lot of new people,” Jacobs said. “It’s going to be a lot different starting the second term, from a comfort level and just a ... different approach in Annapolis.”m.myeasternshoremd/news/kent_county/article_3c1cbb50-34a4-5599-b1ab-8e2f7bdbe896.html?mode=jqm
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 09:42:13 +0000
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