Faced with an auditorium full of local voters from New Market and Mount Airy, Board of County Commissioner candidates tried to address the area's big issues of growth, East County high school, transportation, and water.

Development was a factor in most of those discussions, either as a help to the county's coffers or as a hindrance to current residents' needs.

Some noted that growth can provide convenience and funds for county residents.

Bonnie Bailey-Baker said she is for "controlling growth, but opening the pipeline for planning purposes." The Democrat said she would like to promote economic development so that residents can live and work in the county. To get East County high school on track for 2007 (not the planned 2009), Bailey-Baker suggested expanding the business tax base to provide the funds.

Republican Mike Cady said inviting in 1,000 new residential units could pay the way for the school and other county needs.

"Without growth and economic development, our financial future is very very dismal," Cady said. He said property taxes could go up 30 percent in four years.

Republican Charles Jenkins also said an increase in property taxes could come with no growth because "when we don't have residential growth," the price sky rockets up. While he said that helps the county's coffers, "I am a fiscal conservative. I treat your dollars like they are coming from my wallet."

Hugh Warner likewise said the county need to sell itself to bring in business, creating less taxes and less government. But the Republican candidate said instead of using developers, a hotel/motel tax should fund the school, noting that "every time you raise [impact fees] you make housing less affordable for young people out there."

Democrat George Smith suggested innovative ways of finding new revenue, also mentioning the hotel/motel tax. He said he was for Smart Growth, referencing his placement as chair of the Frederick City Planning Commission. "Developers should add to the quality of life, and not detract from it," Smith said.

Bruce Reeder mentioned his eight years of experience on the Board of Commissioners in the 1990s, when he said he supported the first impact fees on developers and the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance.

Reeder, a Democrat, said the state as well as developers should fund the new high school. He said he is capable of getting that money from the state. "I have a lot of clout in Annapolis."

Incumbent Jan Gardner, a Democrat, said that a request has been made to the state for planning approval for the school, but that the school board needs to finalize where the school site will be. Without that, the state will not grant approval, delaying it another year, she said.

"I need to be reelected so we will be there," Gardner said.

John "Lennie" Thompson suggested raising impact fees for developers in the short-run to pay for the state's share of the school. Then, once the county is paid by the state, he said it could reimburse either the developers or land owners who had born the cost.

However, Thompson, a Republican, noted that "somewhere else in the county, there is an auditorium full of people" who would not like delays in their area.

"Yes, there will be projects that do not get funded. Yes, people get upset," Thompson said. "That's why county commissioners live such short political lives," he said.

Many candidates also emphasized that growth should be concurrent with infrastructure.

Republican John Lovell said he advocated a measured approach to growth, making sure infrastructure was in place to meet its needs. Cady said he put in legislation to that effect, doing away with the APFO requirement.

Democrat Brenda Teague-Levy said the area has been suffering for over 30 years to get its infrastructure up to serving the needs of residents, and reprioritizing the CIP budget may be necessary to fix the situation.

"What I've tried to do in the last four years I will continue to do if reelected," Gardner said, including to catch up in providing infrastructure and services and to slow down the pace of residential development.

Most candidates touted the incoming Potomac River pipe as the way to make sure Frederick meets present and future water needs.

"The pipe line needs to be built, and stop being studied," said Jenkins. Gardner said it could solve many problems, and stop the county's reliance on Lake Linganore.

However, Thompson said that the government is under no obligation to fund water projects for developers, who primarily benefit. "We need to elect 3 commissioners with the guts to say, we won't build it unless you guys put up your share up front."

One consequence of growth is a strain on roads. Asked to respond to that issue, most mentioned they supported connecting the Eaglehead bridge with Quinn Road in the Lake Linganore development.

Jenkins brought up the possibility of using the Community Development Authority to fund the bridge project, an effort which failed last year.

But Thompson said had if it been approved, "Frederick County would be the laughing stock of the financial community," since they would have been giving a loan to a now-bankrupt developer.

"We took a lot of grief from you," he said to the audience, but maintained that the CDA would have been bad for the county.

Gardner said she approved of the bridge and road work, "as long as it is CDA supported by lots with APFO approval," she said.

She noted an interchange with Meadow Road and I-70 was prioritized by the county in a request to the state, and Reeder said, "It is doable, and will happen in the next two years."

Bailey-Baker suggested opening up Eaglehead Drive itself to I-70.

As to a bypass around New Market, many noted the impossibly long time it can take for such a project to come about. Besides, Thompson said bypasses can turn into acres of stop lights and strip malls. Teague-Levy suggested making a bypass, but prohibiting businesses along it.

Gardner said it should be in the region plan update.

Voters will choose five from among the10 candidates this Tuesday on Election Day.