With Havre de Grace's 2015 election season barely out of the gate, two candidates filed for mayor on the first day and three filed to run for city council.
Charlie Hiner, a local real estate agent, and City Council President Bill Martin both filed for mayor when the filing period opened Tuesday, Joan Scarlato, city human resources officer, said.
Candidates have until March 17 to file for mayor or one of the three council seats to be filled in the May 4 election.
Mayor Wayne Dougherty still hasn't said if he will seek a fifth two-year term.
Martin, who announced his candidacy in a news release, said Wednesday he hopes to build on his achievements on the city council, where he has served since 2008.
In recent years, he said, he has spearheaded the War of 1812 commemoration in 2013, created a commemorative Havre de Grace license plate, pushed for school resource officers in all city public schools and initiated advertising campaigns to promote the city.
"Obviously, I have a great passion for the city and I have learned a lot about the people in the city and have a great deal of respect for the city," Martin said, adding he believes the council has "done a great job with the economy."
"I believe things are looking up now and we still have a lot of work to go," he said. "We still have some issues that need to be resolved, including the water and sewer fund."
"I truly think a lot of issues can be solved just through pure promotion of our city," he added.
Hiner could not be reached for comment.
City Council
Incumbent Councilman Fred Cullum, who has served eight terms, filed for re-election Tuesday, as did two first-time candidates, Johnny Boker and David Martin, Scarlato said.
In addition to Cullum's, the seats of Councilman Randy Craig and Councilman John Correri are up for election in May. Neither had filed as of Wednesday.
Boker, 49, moved to the city three years ago from New Jersey as part of the federal base closure and realignment process, or BRAC. He works at Aberdeen Proving Ground as a life cycle logistician and lives downtown in Havre de Grace.
His wife, Wanda, runs Les Petits Bisous bakery on North Washington Street.
"My biggest interest, as far as representing the city, is promotion of safety," Boker said, explaining he has heard talk at the council meetings about the difficulties fire and rescue officials have in maneuvering around neighborhoods like Bulle Rock.
Boker said he also hopes to push for a new Havre de Grace Middle/High School building and target the rise in drug use, such as heroin, that is a problem in Harford County and statewide.
"[Board of Education] member Tom Fitzpatrick is really rallying for support and I think he needs the voices of the parents," Boker said about the school project, adding he has walked the school grounds and seen how much work it needs.
"It's just not safe and it's antiquated," he added
Boker said people in town have told him he should run for council, while council members have told him, "It's nice to have new blood."
"What makes me stand out is, I am a person who takes action," Boker said.
David Martin, who will turn 60 in April, moved to Havre de Grace two and a half years ago. A Harford County since 1987, he previously lived in the Jarrettsville area.
He launched a benefits company in 2008 and retired from Maryland State Police in 1994 after 20 years.
Martin, who is not related to Bill Martin, said he is also focused on public safety, including the county's heroin epidemic.
"We have a great police department here but it would be better if we had more communication," he said, adding communication between residents and the city council could be improved.
Heroin, he said, "is getting to be a big thing in the Route 40 corridor, and we are right there. I just think if it's starting to come up this way, the more we communicate, the more people are willing to talk, the more we will be able to keep crime low in Havre de Grace."
Martin said he coached rec football for 17 years in Edgemere, Dundalk, Fallston and Jarrettsville, and also served in the Boy Scouts for eight or nine years.
Havre de Grace "is a friendly community, it's a nice place to be able to go walk," he said. "I am always used to serving people and working with people, trying to help."
Running for office "gives me a chance to work with the community and give back to the people in the community," Martin said.
Cullum, 64, joined the city council in 1995, serving until 2012, when he lost a re-election bid. He returned after winning a seat a year later.
He said he hopes to accomplish more for the residents of Havre de Grace, including getting a zoning review passed. The current council started the review last month.
"I am a little disappointed in the last term, not being able to get to the zoning review before the council and taken care of, because that was one of the things, when I ran last time, I really wanted to see," he said. "It's been a pretty rough few years, with the recession and the lack of building and dealing with the water and sewer fund and trying to correct that situation without putting the burden on the citizens."
Cullum said Havre de Grace is much larger than it was in 1995 and "I think there's been a lot of really good things that's been accomplished and I have been involved in them," although he added one person cannot achieve anything on his own and he is just a member of the team.
Hopefully, he added, "I can be an asset to the council with my past knowledge."