Published: February 05, 2008 11:56 am      

City voters looking for honest candidates

CUMBERLAND - Christine Warnick has lived in Cumberland all her life and she expects a few things from her city representatives.

"To do the best they can do, to be well-mannered and to be good with the public," she said.

Reasonable requests, she'll use those guidelines when she heads to the polls a week from now to vote for council members. Voters will have the opportunity to cast a vote for two of the 13 seeking a seat on the nonpartisan council come the Feb. 12 primary election.

Warnick said the council "needs a bit of change" and she would like to see city officials do more for the environment.

Peggy Hixenbaugh also has some simple requirements.

"I hope they do a good job, which they've been doing," she said.

Hixenbaugh, a few weeks shy of her 81st birthday, is another lifelong resident.

Born and raised on Virginia Avenue, Ray Silvious Sr. said that corridor could be much better than what it is and he'd like to see it "fixed up."

His other desire is to see jobs for local residents, although he doesn't believe many politicians want to see industry move here.

"They want it to be a tourist city," he said, noting the railroad is the "only thing doing anything at all."

He said candidates often make many pledges, but never follow through with them.

"I like to see honesty, which is hard to come by these days," Silvious said.

As voters decide who will represent them best, election officials are busy preparing for the day.

"At this point, everything's covered that we need to do," City Clerk Sharon Clark said. "We're just waiting for Feb. 12."

Clark said the city has three residents who are registered to vote only for city officials. Those three can vote at their respective polling places where their ballots will have just the names of the 13 council candidates.

Clark will be on hand at the Allegany County Board of Elections as the returns come in next week.

Kitty Davis, administrator of the Allegany County Board of Elections, said she's busy.

It probably hasn't helped that the issue of 17-year-olds voting in the primary hasn't been resolved 100 percent. The State Board of Elections decided in December that 17-year-olds who turn 18 before the general election Nov. 4 can vote in the Democratic or Republican primary.

Now, a judge in Anne Arundel County has ruled that those same 17-year-olds can vote in local nonpartisan races. Attorney General Douglas Gansler, however, has already said the state's constitution does not allow the practice, according to The (Baltimore) Sun.

The State Board of Elections has appealed and a court date has been set for Thursday.

If the judge's ruling stands, the decision could impact the race for Cumberland City Council.

The city merged its elections with the county in 2002. Three years later, it also combined its Board of Election Supervisors, Civil Service Commission and Ethics Commission into the Administrative Appeals Board. Board members would be called in if any problems arise with the election, Clark said.

The county's 36 polling places, of which 12 are in the city, will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The City Council field includes Carol Cauley, Jerry Chambers, Jim Combs, Devon D'Atri, Lindsay Farris, Brian Grim, David Kauffman, Albert Keener, Bernie Lechman, Dan Morris, Mary Beth Pirolozzi, Mike Records and Bill Taccino.

The top four contenders will move on to the general election. The two top vote-getters then will be sworn into office Jan. 5, 2009.

Contact Maria Smith at msmith@times-news.com.