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I want my M(ayor) TV!

(10/18) Mayor James Hoover wants to be Emmitsburg’s Oprah Winfrey.

Hoover asked the Emmitsburg Board of Commissioners for permission to broadcast a monthly 30-minute television show on the town’s cable station 99. Hoover would produce the show and then replay is a few times each month.

“It would highlight a lot of different things going on around town and … emphasize some of the town’s positive nature,” Hoover said.

Hoover already hosts a radio show on the Mount St. Mary’s University radio station WMTB 89.9 each Sunday night at 7 p.m. The university allows Hoover to use the campus station as a public service and it allows students experience producing a radio show.

“This is another tool, another avenue to provide some open public information and do it in a positive way,” Hoover said.

The mayor was a guest multiple times on the Community Spotlight show that used to be on cable channel 10. He has been considering hosting his own television show since he first talked about it last year to The Dispatch.

The town already broadcasts its commissioner meetings live and then rebroadcasts them on Tuesday and Thursday.

The commissioners had questions about whether opposing views would be allowed to be aired and whether opposing candidates would need to be allowed to access if the Hoover decides to run for re-election.

“I also don’t want to get us shot in the tail by somebody saying why’s he [Hoover] on there and I can’t be on there,” said Commission President Chris Staiger.

Hoover said his intention wasn’t to venture into controversial topics, but he said he would ask for the opinion of the town’s attorney John Clapp to see if there were any issues the town would need to consider if Hoover was allowed to broadcast the show on the town’s cable channel.

The commissioners plan to discuss the issue further at the Nov. 5 town meeting.

Read other news stories related to the Emmitsburg Town Government