(11/30) At its November 28 meeting, the Town Council announced that it had decided to hold a special election on February 13 to fill Commissioner Michael McNiesh’s seat which was forfeited due to his missing three meetings in a row.
Following the decision of the Council on October 27, they had until November 29 to either appoint a qualified individual to fill the remainder of McNiesh term, which expires October 2024 or announce a special election to fill the seat.
While the exact date of the election will not be set until the December 14th regular Town Council meeting, commissioners expressed concern about getting notice of the decision out to the public as soon as possible so residents interested in running for the seat can apply, and those seeking an absentee ballot can apply for one.
The deadline for submitting an application to run for the seat is January 17th. Former Commissioner Michael McNiesh has already said he fully intends to run to reclaim his seat on the council.
Town Manager Sean Williams said that residents can call or e-mail the town to have an absentee ballot sent to them, or they can stop by the town office and pick one up. "In the past,’ Williams said, ‘many residents chose to fill out the ballot while still standing in the office. That takes any worry out of their mind about making sure the Post Office delivers it in time. We have a lock box where we put filled in ballots, so they are safe and secure."
Residents who attend the meeting expressed relief that the Council had opted to hold a special election but some expressed frustration at the cost the town will incur to hold it.
When asked if the election would still need to take place if only one person applied for the seat, and the outcome was foreknown, Burgess Wendell said "Yes. That is the requirement."
Others expressed frustration over the total cost of the issue. Patty Keith said she "hated that the town is wasting its money on the special election when it could have been handled another way." Another resident wanted to know how much it has cost so far in legal fees to handle the issue, saying she was concerned that the town ‘would bury it [the costs]."
Commissioner Ennis recommended the town host a candidate forum to give the citizens the opportunity to hear what the candidates bring to the table and their future plans for the town. The council thought that a good idea and said they would take it under advisement.
As noted, the Council was not required to hold a special election, but could have appointed someone to fill the seat, a path the Taneytown Town Council is taking this month to fill on their council.
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