Crisfield City Councilman Eric Banks seeks voter support in re-election bid

— Crisfield City Councilman Eric Banks is seeking re-election. Registered voters go to the polls Wednesday, June 19 at the Corbin Studio & Gallery on East Main Street. He submitted the following for publication.

Dear friends and neighbors, thank you, it’s been my privilege to serve as your City Council member for the past four years.

With your input and spiritual guidance, we have made much progress over the past four years. It’s with humble respect that I ask you for your vote on June 19, 2024, to continue the work of restoring our capital city. I believe that through transparency and accountability I will continue as a member of the elected council to make greater progress in the effort to address the challenges facing our community.

I took office in the heap of the 2020 COVID crisis and outside of that pandemic, I entered this political process to improve and advance our municipal government and the way of life for all our citizens. My four years in office have been an opportunity to learn how local government works and I honor the privilege of building new relationships here and across the great state of Maryland.

To share some of the progress made during my time of being your public servant, I start with our public safety. Public safety is an essential element of a healthy and secure society. It helps to reduce crime to protect the citizens of its community. Therefore, we need dedicated police officers and after years of service they should be allowed to retire with dignity and a decent pension plan. The past four years we have made that a reality. We have ensured that our law enforcement men and women are rewarded with a good retirement program and this bill also addresses the retention of keeping good officers within our police department. It was an honor to be a part of this effort.

We worked hard with our state legislators to pass and implement the Law Enforcement Officers’ Pension (LEOPS) for our local police department.

During my first six months in office I volunteered to lead the downtown waterfront development project which was an idea initiated by my colleagues and I. I submitted a request for a state bond bill in the amount of $100,000. This bill was approved and received to support the design planning and redevelopment for our city dock area. The goal is to create an outdoor multipurpose venue area. This destination will be a new attraction for open air events and a daily destination for tourists as well as its use for our local citizens. This prime real estate of the city has been under-utilized for decades. I believe we can develop and make this area more accessible and sustainable to our city.

As the chairman of this committee, we are working on other major projects such as creating and identifying new hospitality businesses, a conference hotel retreat center, an aquatic center or waterpark. There are plans for a boardwalk to go around the downtown waterfront boundaries with new waterfront eateries and shopping experiences. This elevated boardwalk will help with our problematic infrastructure of flooding throughout the city. This project collaborates with the initiative of the mayor and council mitigation project to address flooding for the entire city.

As we deal with inundated flooding, I’m honored to express and be a member of the hard work that has gone into addressing this issue. Flooding affects every aspect of our way of life. For decades we have heard talks about this issue, well, finally something is being done about it. Over the past two years, planning from local committees, state and federal agencies have collaborated to address this issue. We have submitted the process of grants with the hope of receiving $40 million of federal funding this fall to address the first phase of our flooding and stormwater problems that inundate our city.

With the financial support of federal and local agencies we have hired a new director to lead and initiate a new housing program for first-time homebuyers and address derelict housing throughout the city. In 2021 and presently I serve on the committee to address facade issues which provide grant resources for our local businesses to enhance the appearance of existing businesses. Each year since the start of this program grants have been awarded from this effort.

We have initiated plans to revitalize the decline of our uptown main street, business and arts district. We’re working with investors to build new businesses and facilities on the vacant properties as well as renovate and rebuild our Main Street Initiative.

The subject of economic development is near and dear to my heart. My passion for economic development is unmeasurable. I believe this is the core value of improving the quality of life for our citizens and our future generations. To address this decline, the city has added a new position to its existing staff by hiring an economic development director to seek new businesses to create job opportunities. The research for new businesses is in progress and we hope for economic growth to develop from the work of this new position.

As I mentioned, with my experience and passion for economic development, I personally developed a detailed business plan to provide value to our economics by building a new facility for a business model to support the community and create new jobs. As our third season begins, I must mention that throughout the course of this project, the vision is one thing, but the reality is much more complicated. We are working hard, and I strongly believe in this investment to help our city and provide the businesses and services needed for the restoration of our maritime heritage and to see the city advance.

Let me also mention the initiative of the financial grants that were provided to help 50 local businesses throughout our community. 

When I took office in 2020 our municipal budget was $3.9 million. As of this current year we have established and passed a fiscal budget of $6.1 million which indicates that our government has been initiating plans for growth. Over the next four years I believe we can and will increase this budget by thirty percent. 

So, what does the future hold over the next four years as I continue to work with my colleagues to restore our capital city? Three major concerns have always been my top priorities. We must achieve and grow our local government and community. I will work just as hard to continue to address our infrastructure procurements to address the need to grow our economy.

We must identify through economic development job opportunities and the decades of declining employment. I believe our pathway to this issue is to establish a tourist destination that offers a unique hospitality experience through the development of new attractions, like a Conference Hotel Retreat Center. This will provide jobs in the hospitality and restaurant industry.

A unique tourist destination will open new doors of opportunity and the ability to grow and generate new families of baby boomer retirees to make this a second home or move into the future of our restored community. These are core values to achieve a sustainable future and the pathway for restoration.

I will continue my work for the development of a water excursion and water tour cruises of our coastline. I believe that these new experiences will attract tourists to seek and explore our region’s natural wonders and waterways.

This year I have initiated planning to work with our youth by creating a youth entrepreneur program. This will provide training and hope for future generations that wish to start a business here at home or wherever they desire to live.  I have and will continue to identify private investment groups to develop within our community, and if the opportunity presents itself, public and private partnerships for economic growth.

I often share this statement, “People don’t plan to fail, people fail because they don’t have a plan.” Within the current government we have a plan, and we must follow the blueprint of this Strategic Revitalization Plan (SRP). The SRP has a layout to ensure and grow each area I mentioned above. As we continue to expand tourism which will attract more vacationers and baby boomers who are looking to relocate and hopefully retire in communities such as ours. I believe we can achieve so much over the next four years and be the catalyst and a blueprint for other small cities to follow. 

 If you’re new to our community and I haven’t met you, I take this moment to welcome you to this great community. Your interest in my work in public service deserves a thank you. Thank you, I'm ever so grateful for your support and allowing me to serve you as a council member.

Again, I ask for your vote on June 19, 2024, to continue the good works of the “Restoration of Our Capital City”. I will always make myself available to listen and provide the best solution possible. Please feel free to contact me by email @ ebanks@crisfieldcityhall.com I would be honored to take the time to share more of my vision and passion for the place that I love and has always been the place I call home.

In His Service, 

Eric S. Banks

Councilman @2024