Charles Otto

By Greg Ellison, Staff Writer

(Nov. 1, 2018) Del. Charles Otto, a third-generation farmer native to Somerset County, hopes to preserve traditional Lower Shore industries and enhance educational and vocational training for area youth.

A Republican, he’s running for a third term in District 38A.

“We’ve got a lot going for us in the district, but we’ve got a lot of challenges as well,” he said.

In 2010, Otto opted to seek office after Del. Douglas Page Elmore died. He fended off four Republican challengers during the primary and then defeated Democratic candidate Michael McCready in the general election.

The following year, redistricting changed the boundary lines for District 38A, which previously included Wicomico County, to encompass Somerset County and a significant portion of southern Worcester County.

“In 2014, I ran in the new district, which is 40 percent in Worcester County,” he said. “It includes all of Pocomoke, Snow Hill and then it narrows down and just goes up [Route] 113 through Newark.”

Otto, who was victorious over former Crisfield Mayor Percy Purnell Jr. during the 2014 election, said Somerset and Worcester counties are on different footing in some regards, most notably in levels of state education funding.

“One of the big challenges is Worcester County gets the least per pupil spending in the state and Somerset gets the most from the state,” he said. “That’s a challenge to weigh and maybe that’s a good thing.”

Otto graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1986 with a B.S. in Animal Science. He has operated a family-owned farm and worked for Salisbury-based Farmers and Planters Company as a crop consultant since 1995.

“I serve on the Environment and Transportation Committee and that’s very important for our agriculture and natural resources,” he said.

Otto serves on the Maryland Farm Bureau board of directors and is also a member of the Somerset County Farm Bureau, the Maryland Grain Producers Association, Delmarva Poultry Industry Incorporated, as well as president of the Wicomico County Farm Bureau.

“We continue to see an overzealous environmental community wanting to dictate everything,” he said.

From his purview, Otto questioned the impact of increased regulation on the average farmer.

“Certainly, we need to be stewards and conservationists, and we will continue to do that in agriculture,” he said. “Most of our time now is wasted with paperwork and threats of fines.”

Noting amenities like the Pocomoke River State Park and the Discovery Center in Pocomoke, not to mention Snow Hill and Berlin, Otto said Worcester County could both cater to residents and lure in visitors.

“Those resources we need to utilize to provide recreation for local folks, as well as draw in more tourists,” he said. “We have that big gem of Ocean City that draws a crowd, but not everybody wants to stay on the beach all day.”

Looking ahead, Otto anticipates the currently under construction Somerset County Technical High School will reopen for the 2019 school year to replace an older facility.

“We’ve got an outstanding technical facility in Worcester County,” he said. “I hope to match that [in Somerset] to train our young people and have good paying jobs in the area.”