Every two years, Carroll County residents eager to perform their civic duty wait in long lines at their local polling places to cast their ballots. The men and women of our illustrious county never disappoint when it comes to turning out to vote for the offices of governor or president. If you voted for your choice for president of the United States in 2016, however, your vote was one out of 138 million votes, and probably did not affect the outcome of the race.
In May, those living in the eight municipalities in Carroll will have a chance to have his or her voice heard loud and clear by voting in their town elections. In each of these elections, either three councilmembers or the mayor and two councilmembers will be chosen, depending on the town. It is in these races that your vote truly counts. In 2015, approximately 800 residents in the City of Westminster voted in their municipal race. If being 1 out of 800 votes excites you, how about being 1 out of the 85 voters who hit the ballot box in Union Bridge’s town race in 2017? In these small-town races your single vote can make a difference and possibly change the outcome.
Regardless of which town you live in, all eight town elections will take place over the next three weeks. Taneytown and Mount Airy will kick off the season May 6, followed by Sykesville on May 7. On May 14, four towns will hold their elections including Union Bridge, Hampstead, New Windsor, & Westminster. Manchester’s election will take place May 21.
Surprisingly, only 30% of Carroll County residents live within one of the county’s eight municipalities. The other 70% live in unincorporated areas, including Detour, Gamber, Harney, Lineboro, Mayberry, Patapsco, Pleasant Valley, Snydersburg, Union Mills, Woodbine, and many other rural villages. How can you find out whether you live within your local municipality’s city limits and are therefore an eligible voter? The easiest way to find out is to visit https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/votersearch and plug in your name, date of birth, and ZIP code. Under the “My Voting Districts” banner, look for “Municipal Districts.” If that line is there, it will say HA1 (Hampstead) or W01 (Westminster) for example. If that line is not listed, you do not live within the municipal limits of a town.
What is at stake in these elections? Once elected, our local town council members and mayors will not be voting on the issues that pundits on cable news discuss such as immigration or national defense. Instead, they will make decisions that affect your water and sewer service, local taxes, roads, zoning and public safety.
For some of these town elections, some hot-button issues have emerged. In Hampstead, the Hampstead Overlook development and the future of the former North Carroll High School are burning topics. The proposed 270-house Hampstead Overlook neighborhood has been discussed at great length over several standing-room only town council meetings. It will be up to the future mayor and council to decide if this project ever comes to fruition. The fate of the former North Carroll campus is a sizzling issue for Hampstead residents. As the landlords of the property, Carroll County’s Board of County Commissioners, continue to put pressure on the town to change the property’s zoning. It will be up to those elected in May to decide the campus’ fate.
The fine folks of Taneytown have some important decisions to make after several years of boiling controversy. Mayor Jim McCarron Jr. will defend his seat against three challengers and three candidates will face off for two open council spots. After attending the town’s candidate forum two weeks ago, it was made clear to me which particular issues are on the minds of voters. Residents asked questions about the hiring of a new police chief and the $118,642 in legal and other fees paid by the town in connection with the antics of current councilman and mayoral candidate, Donald Frazier. Over the past four years, the ship of state in Taneytown has certainly navigated through some choppy waters, but voters will soon have the opportunity to right the ship and sail it towards calmer seas.
In Carroll’s most populous municipality, Westminster, the City’s Common Council will soon have a fresh new look after its election in two weeks. Two incumbents, including longtime City Common Council President Robert Wack, have decided to not to seek another term. The only incumbent, Gregory Pecoraro, will seek to retain his position as he faces off against a handful of challengers including Seven Collella, Kevin Dayhoff, Jessica Laird, and others. Pecoraro recently introduced an ordinance to ban the distribution of single-use plastic bags, which would make Westminster the third municipality to do so in Maryland, after Chestertown and Takoma Park. Westminster voters should think long and hard about Pecoraro’s ordinance when casting their ballots. Any change to the law that puts Westminster more in line with Montgomery County should be stopped, and the line should be drawn in the voting booth.
Meanwhile, in Manchester apathy will once again be the big winner on Election Day. Two-term incumbent mayor, Ryan Warner, and both incumbent council members will run unopposed. For the second consecutive municipal election in Manchester, the candidates are guaranteed victory as long as they remember to show up and vote for themselves.
I encourage all potential voters to learn more about each candidate. Carroll’s Community Media Center’s YouTube page is uploading short candidate stump speeches daily. The Carroll County Times has published candidate profiles on each of the candidates. Candidate forums will also be held over the next few weeks, allowing residents to ask questions and see the candidates in-person. Mark your calendars and make it a priority to vote next month in your local municipal election! As Thomas Jefferson said, “We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.”