CHESTERTOWN — Pledging an open-door policy, transparency and greater engagement with the public, Meghan Efland presided over her first meeting as the newly elected mayor of Chestertown on Monday night, Jan. 5.
“This is your town and your voice matters,” Efland said during her mayor’s report, making a pitch for more citizen involvement.
She urged residents to “speak up” and make it known as to “what you want from us.”
“I appreciate the trust that everyone has put in me as your mayor,” said Efland, who won a three-candidate race in November.
She also effused her affection for the town.
“I’m really excited …,” Efland said. “I have love for this town and this community.”
“I adore this town,” she added.
Chestertown is a community with deep roots and a bright future, and “together we have an opportunity to build on that foundation,” Efland said.
In describing her commitment as “simple,” Efland promised to listen; to communicate openly; and to ensure that “every decision we make reflects the values and the needs of all our residents.”
She said over the coming months, the focus will be on updating the town’s strategic plan; addressing deferred maintenance; and making sure investments are equitable across all four wards.
Efland, who was midway into a second four-year term as the Ward 4 council member when she won the mayor’s race, already has a working relationship with council members Sheila Austrian (Ward 1) and Tom Herz (Ward 2).
There will be a special election on Tuesday, Jan. 27 for the empty seats in wards 3 and 4.
For more, see https://theeveningenterprise.com/slate-set-for-chestertowns-special-election-in-january/.
Efland said she looked forward to working with the winners of that election whom she described as “new voices for the town.”
One of the first orders of business will be to hire a new town manager.
On June 5, Larry DiRe tendered his resignation effective 5 p.m. Oct. 31.
But on Aug. 1, in what then-Mayor David Foster described as a “mutual decision,” DiRe and the Town of Chestertown parted company.
Since then, former town zoning administrator Kees de Mooy, who retired in September 2024, has been working on a contractual basis to carry out the town manager’s duties.
De Mooy did not apply for the permanent job.
On Monday night, Efland said the expectation is to have an offer out to a new town manager by the end of this month. The goal, she said, is to have someone in place by the end of February or early March.
The second round of interviews are being scheduled now.
Efland referenced a pool of very qualified candidates that “would serve the town well.”
About an hour before Efland called the regularly scheduled meeting to order on Jan. 5, she was sworn in by Clerk of the Circuit Court for Kent County Sherise Kennard. The new mayor placed her left hand on a Bible that was held by her niece Reese Efland and nephew Spencer Efland and recited the oath of office.
Efland then swore in Austrian, who won election to a full four-year term in November. [Austrian won a special election in January 2025 to serve out the remaining 11 months on Tim O’Brien’s term.]
The swearing-in ceremony played before a packed house. Among those in the audience was outgoing Mayor David Foster, who did not seek re-election in November.
The crowd thinned out considerably for the regular meeting. The agenda was light — approval of several sets of minutes; payment of bills; Christmas decoration winners acknowledged; public comment; ward reports; town manager’s report; and introduction of Ordinance 01-2026 regarding an amendment to zoning in the Commercial Marine District, which Efland read into the record.
The meeting adjourned at 6:52 p.m.
Editor’s note: We incorrectly reported that Larry DiRe in late June 2025 tendered his resignation as town manager effective the end of October. DiRe’s letter of resignation is dated June 5, 2025.
According to an email from Chestertown town staff, “In July he and the Town came to the mutual decision that his last day would be August 1. “
