Billy Shreve

Billy Shreve (born November 16, 1967) is an American politician and realtor.

Early years Shreve was born and raised in Frederick County, Maryland.Farrell, Liam. "Shreve announces candidacy for county commissioner". The Frederick News-Post. June 29, 2006. He graduated from Governor Thomas Johnson High School and received an associate's degree from Frederick Community College.

Professional career Shreve has worked in real estate since 1994.deLeon, Joseph M. "Population boom feeds construction". The Frederick News-Post. July 19, 2006. Shreve sells commercial real estate at the Frederick Land Company. He also sells residential homes for Natelli Communities, which developed Urbana, Maryland, and Main Street Homes.

Shreve also works as a ski and snowboard instructor at Whitetail Ski Resort in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania.Rodgers, Bethany. "On the slopes, the weather is fine". The Frederick News-Post. December 28, 2013.

Political career Frederick County Board of Commissioners Shreve was one of a group of three politically conservative, pro-development candidates elected to the council in 2010; the others were Kirby Delauter and Blaine Young. Together they dominated the 5-person Council.

2006 campaign In 2006, while serving as chairman of the Frederick County Board of Zoning Appeals, Shreve ran as a Republican for a seat on the Frederick County Board of Commissioners."Here comes Billy". The Frederick News-Post. March 22, 2006."Fighting over the cookie jar". The Frederick News-Post. March 31, 2006.

Shreve said he would consider cutting the county's expenses and increasing taxes in order to eliminate the county's budget deficit.Cumber, Clifford G. "Candidates give views on tax rate". The Frederick News-Post. May 8, 2006. Shreve said that the only people who complain about taxes are senior citizens on a fixed income. He said he would freeze property taxes for property owners over 65, on a fixed-income, who have lived in the county for at least.Cumber, Clifford G. "Commissioner candidates talk housing, economics, traffic". The Frederick News-Post. August 24, 2006.

Shreve advocated for reducing county fees for building permits and infrastructure such as sewer hookup, claiming doing so would reduce the cost of homes.

Shreve blamed overdevelopment on the lack of planning by Frederick County, rather than by the developers who built the homes. Shreve said that Frederick County should spend its budget on its infrastructure, such as roads, schools, and water and sewer systems. Shreve supported building a Beltway around Frederick.Cumber, Clifford G. "GOP hopefuls debate in forum". The Frederick News-Post. September 2, 2006. Shreve supported giving people financial incentives to commute to work outside of rush hours in order to improve traffic."Highways to oblivion". The Frederick News-Post. March 27, 2006.

Shreve said he would encourage developers to build affordable housing by waiving certain fees for affordable-housing projects; those county fees pay for schools and libraries. He would also create a land trust that would own the land on which affordable housing could be built; homeowners would then only own their homes, not the land the home sits on.

Shreve's candidacy was endorsed by Frederick Countians for Real Republicans Political Action Committee.Cumber, Clifford G. "Group endorses GOP slate". The Frederick News-Post. August 29, 2006.

Shreve lost the Republican primary,Cumber, Clifford G. "GOP LEANS TOWARD GROWTH: 3 of 5 winners in favor of development". The Frederick News-Post. September 13, 2006. coming in sixth place with ten percent of the vote."Election Summary Report, Gubernatorial Primary Election, State of Maryland, rederick County, Tuesday, September 12, 2006, Summary For Jurisdiction Wide, All Races, Official Final Results". Frederick County Board of Elections. September 20, 2006.

2010 campaign In 2009, Shreve announced he would run again for the Frederick County Board of Commissioners."Strike Three". The Frederick News-Post. February 15, 2009.

Shreve said that the five most important priorities in Frederick County were education, public safety, water, solid waste, and roads. He said that decreasing government spending, taxes, job creation, and illegal immigration were less important priorities.

Shreve's candidacy was endorsed by the Frederick County Teachers Association"County teachers union endorses candidates". The Frederick News-Post. August 24, 2010. and the Frederick County Association of Realtors."Political Notes Realtors back six candidates". The Frederick News-Post. August 6, 2010.

Shreve came in fourth place with ten percent of the vote in the Republican primary, advancing to the general election."Results: County Commissioner: Republicans". The Frederick News-Post. September 15, 2010.

In the general election, Shreve won a seat on the Frederick County Board of Commissioners,Tully, Meg. "Republicans sweep commissioners board". The Frederick News-Post. November 3, 2010. coming in third place with twelve percent of the vote."County commissioner race results". The Frederick News-Post. November 2, 2010.

Responding to comments that the incoming Frederick County Board of Commissioners would have no women serving for the first time since 1978, Shreve said, "It would be like saying there are no Asians on the board, or no Hispanics. Everyone has their own issues, but I think in general, people are all alike."Tully, Meg. "All-male Board of Frederick County Commissioners plans to be responsive to women's issues". The Frederick News-Post. November 16, 2010.

Shreve was sworn in on December 1, 2010.Tully, Meg. "Business-friendly county top priority for new Frederick County Commissioners board". The Frederick News-Post. December 2, 2010.

First term The editorial board of The Frederick News-Post criticized Shreve for missing, arriving late, or leaving early for 4 out of 56 weekly Board of Education meetings."Not showing up: Shreve's excuses for missing Board of Ed meetings are lame" (editorial). The Frederick News-Post. August 9, 2014.Karas, Rachel S. "Liaison attendance falls short at school board meetings". The Frederick News-Post. August 6, 2014. During one such meeting, Shreve left the meeting just before the vote on whether to approve the school budget. In a letter to the editor, Shreve debated the definition of the word meeting, the importance of the meetings, and whether he is legally required to attend the meetings.Shreve, Billy. "Shreve on missed school board meetings". The Frederick News-Post. August 17, 2014.

As a cost-saving measure, Shreve said he would consider layoffs of ten percent or more of the county government's employees.Tully, Meg. "County may consider layoffs". The Frederick News-Post. April 21, 2011. Shreve also supported cutting funding to the county's critical farms program, which supports establishing new farms or enlarging established farms.Rodgers, Bethany. "Shreve pitches preservation idea". The Frederick News-Post. May 4, 2012.

Shreve supported increasing the tuition at Frederick Community College."Shreve suggests tiered tuition rates at FCC". The Frederick News-Post. June 9, 2012.

Shreve opposed building a new library in Walkersville, saying that having a library in the Walkersville Middle School was sufficient.McCarthy, Pete; Pomeroy, Courtney. "Shreve suggests shuttering Walkersville library". The Frederick News-Post. March 2, 2012.

When fellow Commissioner David Gray said that members of the Board of Commissioners should not treat it as a part-time position, Shreve disagreed.Rodgers, Bethany. "Commissioners debate time commitment". The Frederick News-Post. October 2, 2011. Shreve said he works between ten and twenty hours per week as a Commissioner. Shreve stated Commissioners should leave most aspects of governing to government employees, saying, "You don't add anything to the equation most of the time. Most of the time you just screw things up."

Frederick County Council 2014 campaign In 2014, Shreve ran as a Republican candidate for one of the two at-large positions on the first elected council of Frederick County. Shreve was one of thirteen candidates for the two at-large seats."On the ballot". The Frederick News-Post. February 26, 2014.

Shreve said that overcrowding was not a problem in county schools.Rodgers, Bethany. "Council candidates offer differing views on county school capacity". The Frederick News-Post. September 10, 2014. Shreve said that he would prefer to have classes taught in trailers on school grounds rather than build more schools.

On the subject of teenagers who abuse prescription drugs, Shreve said the solution was to increase education.Jones, Paige. "Survey: Prescription drug use reaches one in four high-school seniors in Frederick County". The Frederick News-Post. June 12, 2014.

Shreve and Bud Otis won the Republican primary election, advancing to the general election.Loos, Kelsi; Mullins, Patti Borda. "Voters pick County Council contenders". The Frederick News-Post. June 25, 2014. Shreve received 24 percent of the vote."Election Summary Report, Gubernatorial Primary Election, Frederick County, Maryland, Tuesday, June 24, 2014, Summary For Jurisdiction Wide, All Counters, All Races, Official Final Results". Frederick County Board of Elections. July 8, 2014.

In the general election, Shreve won an at-large seat on the Council with 25 percent of the total vote."Frederick County, Maryland, Election Returns, General Election, November 4, 2014". Maryland Manual On-line. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved December 2, 2016."Rough four years to come: Ghost of Blaine Young will hang over new council". The Frederick News-Post. November 6, 2014. Shreve was sworn in on December 1, 2014.Rodgers, Bethany. "Gardner sworn in as first Frederick County executive". The Frederick News-Post. December 2, 2014."Otis bests Shreve for County Council's top spot". The Frederick News-Post. December 2, 2014

First term Two weeks prior to the swearing-in ceremony, there was an orientation for future Frederick County Council members, where ethics rules, office setup, and communication were discussed.Rodgers, Bethany. "Future council members get first taste of new roles". The Frederick News-Post. November 19, 2014. Shreve did not attend. The Maryland Association of Counties also held an orientation for newly elected officials, which Shreve did not attend.Rodgers, Bethany. "Political Notes: Gardner joins MACo board of directors". The Frederick News-Post. January 9, 2015.

Shreve abstained from virtually all budget-related votes, saying he would continue to do so until he has a larger staff that can advise him.Rodgers, Bethany. "Shreve refusing to vote on budget issues until staffing concerns addressed". The Frederick News-Post. March 6, 2015. Shreve abstained from over sixty such votes in 2015."Making progress, despite the dead weight". The Frederick News-Post. December 11, 2015. When County Executive Jan Gardner invited each council member to meet with her to discuss the proposed budget, Shreve declined the offer."Budget Bandied About". The Frederick News-Post. April 21, 2016. Shreve has also complained that he was not assigned a parking spot at the county's government building and that it took too long to get a key to his office.Rodgers, Bethany."Shreve raises staffing, parking concerns". The Frederick News-Post. January 3, 2015.Turque, Bill. "Naming frights: Councilman warns reporter about 'unauthorized' mentions". The Washington Post. January 7, 2015. p. B4.