December 30th, 2023 by WCBC Radio
When Pastor Michael Mudge ran for Cumberland City Council in 2002, he lost by less than 80 votes. But that hasn’t stopped him being a force to be reckoned with in the Western Maryland region. Since then he has worked to build monuments, establish a church, write local histories and lead the fight against the opening of an abortion clinic. Michael Mudge is WCBC’s 2023 “Person Of The Year.” This annual award, patterned after Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, has been presented annually since 2002. It goes to an individual deemed to have had the most influence on local events – for better or worse – over the last 12 months. Mudge has led the opposition to an abortion clinic that also offers transgender hormone therapy in Rawlings since before the clinic opened in July. Along with others in the community, he organized Abortion Free Allegany as well as the Allegany County Chapter of Maryland Right To Life. He is an outspoken opponent of abortion and the Women’s Health Center of Maryland that has relocated to Rawlings from Charleston, West Virginia when abortion became illegal in that state. He was also instrumental in the Unite On The Rock community event held this past summer.
