Bob Schaller is seeking to return to St. Mary’s County government via the ballot box. Dr. Robert Schaller filed Tuesday morning as a Democratic candidate for the 2nd Commissioner District. The incumbent for the position, Daniel Morris, has announced he is not seeking re-election. The only other announced candidate is Republican Mike Hewitt.
Schaller, 59, of Leonardtown is the county’s former economic development director. The county commissioners in March of 2012 sent out a press release announcing that Schaller had resigned from the position. A month later Schaller sent out a letter to the Bay net and other media indicating he had been forced out of the position by the commissioners and the late county administrator, John Savich
Schaller was reportedly forced to resign over an e-mail that he sent to School Superintendent Dr. Michael Martirano complaining that the school board had awarded a contract to Southern Maryland Oil instead of Taylor Gas, a county business. Schaller had advocated for and the county commissioners had just passed a local business preference for county contracts, but the school system did not have a similar policy.
Schaller contended he was just doing his job in advocating for the county’s small business community. After the incident a reception was held in Schaller’s honor that was well attended.
Since leaving county government, Schaller has taken a position as site director and associate professor at the local campus of Florida Institute of Technology. He also has been instrumental in forming an ad hoc group called the Strategic Roundtable, which consists of community leaders who meet regularly to discuss issues relating to the future of the county.
Schaller, a former professor at the College of Southern Maryland, told the Bay Net, “I am an educator first,” indicating that education would be a key issue for him. He said that not only includes the public school system but “education at all levels.to help the county improve and move forward.” He has been a strong advocate for the expansion of the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center.
Schaller said economic development will also be an issue he will address in the campaign, especially in light of the fiscal pressures on the federal government and their impacts on the base, the county’s key economic engine.
Schaller filed his candidacy at the elections board office in the St. Mary’s County Governmental Center in Leonardtown. The deadline for filing is late February for the June primary.
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