It's that time again and this year, on Nov. 8, Town of Bel Air residents will vote for the three seats on the Board of Commissioners.
Current board members Edward Hopkins, Robert Reier and Terence Hanley are up for re-election, if they choose to run again. For Hopkins, it's an easy choice, he said last week.
"I'm definitely interested in running again and I will file at the appropriate time," he said.
Hopkins, like Reier and Hanley, was elected to the board in November 2007 for a four-year term. Unlike those two, however, Hopkins' experience with the board has been limited to this one term.
For him, that's not enough.
His first four years, Hopkins said, were mostly spent learning about the town and listening to what the community members want. With the learning experience under his belt, Hopkins said he was "anxious" to get re-elected.
One of the issues Hopkins thinks is most important if re-elected is helping Bel Air become a safe walking community.
"I loved it as a kid," he said. "Growing up here, I biked everywhere, I ran everywhere, I walked everywhere. Bel Air is a great walking community."
His hope, Hopkins added, is to support programs that foster the walking environment in Bel Air to make it safer and easier for citizens to walk throughout town.
In addition, Hopkins said the budget was "first and foremost," but as a retired Harford County police officer, wanted to work with Bel Air Police Department Chief Leo Matrangola to make sure the town recruits and retains qualified police officers.
"Communities want police officers that they know and police officers that know the community," he said.
Reier, too, pointed out that the budget was his main concern but wasn't sure yet if he would run for his seat again. There are "outstanding issues" he is dealing with right now, Reier said Monday, before he could make an ultimate decision about running for re-election.
"It's a decision I'm still deliberating over right now," he said.
Regardless, Reier reiterated that with the economy still "unsettled," the primary concern for all elected officials should be dealing with the "ups and downs" of the economy and how to continue to deliver the same services despite those changes.
Reier, a chiropractor with his own business in Bel Air, was elected to the town board in November 2007, after being appointed to fill a vacancy in December 2006.
Holding the third seat that's up for election, Terence Hanley has the most experience out of the three commissioners.
Hanley was elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2003 and 2007 and in that time, served as mayor for two years. Hanley could not be reached for comment this week.
For those interested in running for a commissioner position, the deadline to file is Oct. 7, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with a $25 filing fee. A requirement of the position is to be a registered voter and resident in the town for at least six months prior to the election.