For the second time in two months, the Hampstead Town Council failed to appoint a new member to fill a vacant seat on the five-member panel.
Although five Hampstead residents have filed their resumes and said they are willing to serve in town government, the council members tabled the nomination indefinitely last night, saying that they are hopelessly deadlocked.
The council has sought a fifth member to serve the remainder of Gary Bauer's term. Mr. Bauer, a Baltimore County firefighter whose term would have ended in May, resigned from the council after he was elected to the Carroll County Board of Education last fall.
Last month, council members failed to appoint someone when both votes ended in ties.
"It's obvious we're going to be 2-2 all the way down," said Councilman Wayne Thomas after last night's meeting.
"Rather than continue with the embarrassment, I thought we'd table the issue until someone presents a letter that is acceptable to all of us," he said.
Christopher M. Nevin, Lawrence H. Hentz, Greg Yugo, Myron H. Diehl Jr. and Michael Burden had offered to serve on the council.
Mr. Nevin, a member of the Hampstead Planning and Zoning Commission, lives in North Carroll Farms.
Mr. Hentz, also a resident of North Carroll Farms, has served on the town's Adequate Facilities Committee.
Mr. Yugo, a resident of the Roberts Fields community, ran for a council seat in 1993.
He garnered 56 votes, the fifth highest in the eight-person race.
Mr. Diehl also lives in North Carroll Farms and served on the Carroll County Waste-To-Energy Committee. Mr. Diehl is an alternate on Hampstead's Board of Zoning Appeals.
Mr. Burden, a resident of North Carroll Farms, is a member of the county Economic Development Commission and works for Ridge Engineering in Hampstead.
In other business, Town Council members approved Haven N. Shoemaker Jr. for a three-year term on the newly created Ethics Commission. Members approved legislation creating the ethics committee in December. Previously, members of the town's board of elections also served on the ethics committee.
Mr. Shoemaker, a resident of Roberts Field, is a Westminster attorney.
A motion to appoint Matthew Grice, a resident of Roberts Field, for a two-year term on the ethics panel died in a 2-2 vote.
Mr. Thomas and Dwight W. Womer voted against the nomination; Jacqueline Hyatt and Arthur H. Moler voted for Mr. Grice.
Manchester's Town Council had a similar problems deciding on replacements for council members who resigned in 1993 and last year.
After five council meetings and 10 votes, Christopher D'Amario was appointed to fill John A. Riley's seat.