Town election nears, two seats available

Danielle Ryan

(6/15) Two seats on the Emmitsburg Town Board of Commissioners will be up for election in September. The town election will be held September 28. The two seats that will become vacant are those presently occupied by Commissioners Glenn Blanchard and Jennifer L. Mellor. Both of the positions up for election are three-year terms, with a compensation of $4,000 annually. Candidates wishing to be listed on the printed election ballot must file before August 29, and individuals interested in becoming write-in candidates must file prior to September 20.

Current Commissioner, Glenn Blanchard, has already filed his paperwork to run for the three year term as Emmitsburg Town Commissioner, but there is no word on whether Commissioner Jennifer Mellor has decided to run for re-election as of yet.

Blanchard was initially elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2005. In February of 2013, he resigned his seat on the board "due to ongoing health issues," but then ran again for the position in September of the same year. Blanchard has served the Town of Emmitsburg for ten years and will be running for his fifth term as a member of the Board. He currently serves as the Treasurer of the Board.

Mellor is completing her first term as Town Commissioner, and has served on the town Parks and Recreation Committee for several years. Prior to her serving on the town committee, she served as the program director for the Westminster Recreation and Activities Department.

As of the issuance of this edition, no other candidates have filed to run for the seats. Individuals interested in running for one of the open commissioners seats can do so by filing their candidacy papers, available at the town offices, no later then September 1st. All candidates will be provided free space in this paper to introduce themselves, and their goals, to Emmitsburg voters.

In 2015, Commissioners Tim O’Donnell and Clifford Sweeney ran unopposed in the election. Of the 1,692 registered voters in Emmitsburg, only 38, or 2% turned out for the election, the lowest turnout for any election since the founding of Emmitsburg in 1825.

Candidates elected will be sworn-in and assume their position on the town Board of Commissioners on October 4.