Thurmont Commissioners Welcome New Face

James Rada, Jr.

The Thurmont Board of Commissioners welcomed a new face to the board after the Thurmont town election on October 28.

Chris Stouter (pictured right) received nearly a third of the votes cast to win a seat on the board.

Stouter is a familiar face in Thurmont, having lived in the area all his life and in Thurmont since 2019. His wife, Tristin, is a lifelong resident of the town. Stouter also has one stepson, Ethan. His day job is working as a mechanical engineering supervisor for Flowserve Corporation in Taneytown.

Residents may know him from the Sons of the Legion (Woodsboro Post 282) and the Sons of AMVETS Post 7 in Thurmont, where he is currently serving as the adjutant. This interest in Veterans stems from his childhood, when he wanted to serve in the military.

“I was supposed to attend the Air Force Academy, but asthma at the age of eight disqualified me from military service,” said Stouter.

Before becoming a commissioner, he also served on the town’s Planning & Zoning Commission.

“I ran (for office) to serve my community,” Stouter said. “I hope to be the voice of the people and to intelligently and slowly grow Thurmont, while maintaining our small-town charm. I also want to grow our economic footprint by promoting our wonderful local small businesses. I will accomplish this by doing a rational analysis of infill and expansion opportunities within the community.”

He said the town’s largest challenge is how to deal with the rising costs for just about everything, particularly when most of the residents live on a fixed or limited income.

“We need to be intelligent without spending and make sure that we are supporting our townspeople, while not spending egregiously,” he said.

Stouter and the other winners from the town election were sworn in on November 1. As part of his duties as a town commissioner, Stouter will also serve as the liaison to the Thurmont Economic Development Commission.

“I am an open book and will be available to listen whenever they see fit,” he noted.