Adams County Commissioner Marty Karsteter Qually will step down from his county office effective Aug. 24, ending more than 14 years as a county commissioner.
Qually will become executive secretary of the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission.
“This appointment is a huge honor and comes after two years of my involvement with the Chesapeake Bay Program,” Qually said in an email to community members. “Apparently, some folks with the State were impressed with my commitment to local government and the work to improve soil health and water quality.”
Qually began his first term as commissioner in 2012 and was reelected three times, most recently in 2023. Before becoming commissioner, he served as an Adams County auditor and as an elected member of Gettysburg Borough Council.
During his four terms, Qually became involved in issues ranging from broadband and substance-use recovery to affordable housing, transportation and conservation. He also served during a period in which the county undertook significant changes in the delivery of human services and other county operations.
Among the projects most closely associated with Qually was Gettysburg’s Mercy House, Adams County’s first substance-abuse recovery house. The county credits Qually with planning the project and obtaining more than $2 million toward its creation.
Broadband access also became a major focus. Qually worked with community organizations and internet service providers on efforts to expand affordable high-speed internet service, particularly to underserved rural areas of the county.
In 2022, the Board of Commissioners created a Broadband Community Advisory Task Force to help develop a countywide strategy. Qually served as an ex-officio member. County planning records from the following year show him continuing to report on the broadband feasibility study and efforts to bring reliable internet service to county residents.
Qually also worked with @Home in Adams County, an initiative focused on the interconnected issues of affordable housing, public transportation and workforce development.
More recently, agriculture and conservation have become increasingly central to his work.
Qually represented Adams County on the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Local Government Advisory Committee and served as its chair while the program was developing a revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. The committee represents the interests of local governments throughout the watershed and advises the Chesapeake Executive Council.
The revised Watershed Agreement was approved in December 2025.
The experience helped lead to Qually’s next position.
“The task is to work with the county conservation districts, local government, state and federal partners, non-profits, and the private sector to improve soil health and water quality,” Qually said in announcing his appointment. “This mission is central to farm viability and success in Pennsylvania.”
Qually said he will initially report to Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. Oversight of the position alternates annually between the state departments of Agriculture and Environmental Protection.
Qually, a Democrat, has spent much of his tenure serving alongside Republican commissioners Randy Phiel and Jim Martin. Despite their political differences, the three commissioners frequently found common ground on county operations and projects.
During his 2023 reelection campaign, Qually emphasized that approach.
“It’s so easy to find a way to disagree,” he said at his campaign kickoff. “But there’s also a whole lot we can agree on.”
He won a fourth term that November alongside Phiel and Martin.
Leaving the office before completing that term, Qually said, was not an easy decision.
“There is no easy way to leave an elected position that I have loved for over 14 years,” he said. “Today feels reminiscent of the days before I took office in 2012.”
I’m “excited, nervous, or in my personal philosophy what is called an ‘oh, shit moment,’” he said. “That moment after you just caught a bigger wave than you thought, one you know is bigger than you, but one you can’t stop, so you better ride it out.”
Although his responsibilities will become statewide, Qually said he has no plans to leave Adams County.
“We are not moving and I will continue to serve the residents of Adams County, but they will need to share me with 65 other counties,” he said.
Qually said he has notified Adams County Senior Judge Michael A. George of his resignation and that the judge will issue information outlining the rules and process for filling the vacancy.
In announcing his departure, Qually thanked the people who worked with and supported him during his years in county government.
“I cannot thank you each enough for your friendship, mentoring, support, professionalism, humor, and/or your ability to check my ego, follow my conversational tangents, and basically keep me on track to do good work,” he said.
“Good work and helping my community has always been my goal as a county commissioner and that will continue, just on a much larger scale and with only a few topics to juggle.”