Meet The Candidates: Wicomico County Council, District 7

WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. — As part of Wicomico County’s redistricting for the 2026 election, County Council District 7 replaces one of the at-large seats, covering the western side of Salisbury and areas of Fruitland.

Democratic candidate Megan Outten, Republican candidate Ross Evans and independent candidate Joe Venosa will face off in a three-way race for the District 7 seat.

“I am running because I want to serve our community with common sense and collaboration at the forefront. I want to give our county charter, as it is written, an honest chance for wants,” Evans said.

Evans said economic growth and development are crucial priorities. Outten, meanwhile, said her experience on the Salisbury City Council would help rebuild trust and unity among county leaders.

“Whoever becomes our county executive, I’d love to have regular standing meetings, maybe bring them back into the council chambers so we can actually have part of their input when we’re deciding things,” Outten said.

Outten said her experience creating legislation could be an asset to the new County Council.

Venosa, who is running as an independent, said his campaign faced challenges while collecting petition signatures to get on the ballot. He added that the concerns he heard from residents were focused on local issues.

“Every single moment and somebody was willing to sign that petition, their concerns were local. Local issues are inherently nonpartisan,” Venosa said.

Venosa encouraged voters to focus on candidates rather than party affiliation. When asked about the county’s revenue cap, the candidates offered different perspectives.

Evans said the county needs to prioritize development but expressed caution about removing the cap.

“I’m definitely reluctant to open the floodgates,” Evans said. He added, “If the county believes it’s something we need to have, I think we put it towards the people.”

Venosa said the decision should be left to county residents.

“If they so choose to take it off, that should be up to them, and I’m in full support, complete support of putting it on the next ballot initiative,” Venosa said.

Outten said the county should revisit the revenue cap, citing its potential impact on education and community growth.

“We often hear from our local educators how this revenue cap has been impacting our ability to support our children and our ability to grow as a community,” Outten said.