It is without question that I wish to serve my community. Since my initial beginnings of developing an afterschool program in Edgewood, MD at Anthony’s Barbershop, I have collaborated and donated personal time and financial resources to non-profit organizations like Harford County based Gospel of Life Ministries to help the unfortunate. Over the last year, I have served as a Board Member on the Joppa/ Joppatowne Community Council. During this timeframe I have cultivated a deeper appreciation for the needs of an established community. Concurrently, I was drawn towards the needs of the neighboring community of Edgewood; of which is fighting to change its status among the county. To ensure the success of this conversion, I avidly attend and support the Edgewood Community Council meetings and Servefest functions that better our community. I am a mentor for ...Continue Reading
Whiteford, Maryland, February 20, 2010- A major turn will occur in the race for Harford County Register of Wills on February 23rd when current and longtime Register of Wills Harry L.W. Hopkins officially endorses Republican candidate Derek Hopkins. The announcement will take place in front of the courthouse at 4:30pm with a reception/fundraiser at the Main Street Tower Restaurant.
Mr. Hopkins has been Register of Wills for Harford County for the past 22 years and has known Derek for over 30 years. Mr. Hopkins says, “I have come to know Derek as a mature and capable person who possesses the high quality of character it takes to be Register of Wills. His knowledge and experience as an auctioneer and appraiser will assist him with the position of Register of Wills.”
As you get to know Derek Hopkins you will see a lifelong ...Continue Reading
Merrie Street, the former Harford County director of government and community relations during the Jim Harkins administration, filed last week as a candidate for Register of Wills.
Street, who lives in Bel Air and has worked in radio, communications and public affairs, will face opposition in the Republican Primary Election from Derek K. Hopkins, an auctioneer from Pylesville.
Hopkins, who is not related to longtime Harford County Register of Wills Harry “Tombstone” Hopkins, has been fundraising and campaigning since he filed as a candidate for the office in August.
It remains to be seen whether Street will garner the support of the local Republican regime, of which she was such a major part while serving as the mouthpiece of the county executive’s office.
It also remains to be seen whether any other contenders will join the race for Register of Wills. Prior to his re-election to the Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners there ...Continue Reading
The Harford County Board of Elections will offer a candidacy information program to the public in order to provide candidacy filing overview. The program will be offered on Wednesday, February 3 at 6:30 p.m. and on Saturday, February 6 at 10:00 a.m. at the election office, located at 133 Industry Lane in Forest Hill.
The presentation will be conducted by Kim Atkins, Election Supervisor, who will highlight the election calendar, including deadlines, qualification of offices, filing requirements and an overview of the election process. Attendees will be given an introduction on services provided by the election office, including absentee ballots, early voting, polling places, and election day.
James Massey, Election Director, stated that his office is being proactive in offering candidacy information because Harford County voters will be electing its first school board members in three councilmanic seats. Candidates for school ...Continue Reading
The year 2009 opened on a sad note in Harford County with residents still mourning the death of prominent, longtime school superintendent Jacqueline Haas. Before the year was over, Harford County would lose two other wellknown female leaders – former delegate Joanne Parrott and Harford County Councilwoman Veronica Chenowith.
It was also a year of contradiction. Even as President-Elect Barack Obama slowed his inaugural train ride through Edgewood in January to wave and thank a thousand or so supporters, there were a thousand or so more Harford County residents who fought tooth-and-nail in September to prevent President Obama’s live address to be shown to their children during the school day.
Bel Air High School was demolished and Fallston Library was spared from closure. Art Helton survived another political scandal in Aberdeen while Harford County’s delegation to the Maryland General Assembly played a furious and humiliating game of musical chairs in Annapolis.
The following letter was distributed by Stephen Wright. A copy was provided to The Dagger upon request. It has been edited only to remove contact information:
Harford Co citizens need strong, common sense leadership to face the challenges the future is bringing to us. We are fortunate that Harford County is in high demand. BRAC will bring prosperity in the form of more jobs, both skilled and unskilled, a situation unparalleled in our history. The possibilities are almost mind-boggling! As a result, Harford County needs strong, common sense leadership if we are to fully realize this potential. I will provide that kind of leadership – that is why I am running for Harford County Executive, and I am asking you to support my candidacy.
I believe the present administration is truly befuddled. Either by direct action or indecisiveness the present administration has impeded the private business sector from ...Continue Reading
Aberdeen Communities Together (ACT), the community action group which recently saw all four of its endorsed candidates for mayor and city council elected into office, will celebrate the election victory Friday at the Aberdeen Senior Center.
ACT, which originally organized to stop the Wetlands Golf Course annexation and has been actively involved in Aberdeen politics ever since, endorsed incumbent Mike Bennett for mayor and incumbents Ruth Elliott and Ruth Ann Young and challenger Bruce Garner for city council – each of whom was elected in the city’s Nov. 3 election.
Here is the event invitation sent out this week:
Dear Concerned Citizens:
We are holding our public meeting and local election results celebration this Friday evening, at 7 PM, at the Senior Center, 7 Franklin Street and would love to see you there.
We have invited all of our newly elected officials and hope all will be in attendance.
With the election in the history books and dust from campaign season starting to settle, Aberdeen’s candidates have finally found the time to reflect on their victories, defeats, and futures.
After 6 years on the city council, Mike Hiob considered leaving elected office altogether, but some chance conversations (with Gov. Martin O’Malley, several prominent local elected officials, and his wife, Barb, among others) convinced him to go all-or-nothing – taking the chance of losing his council seat with a run for mayor.
Hiob was defeated by incumbent Mayor Mike Bennett by about 150 votes, but said he was not angry or upset by his loss. Even though he was disappointed with the results, Hiob is excited about the opportunities it will open up for spending more time with his family, completing long-overdue projects around the house, and strumming his guitar more frequently.
Here are Hiob’s farewell comments as read, with some additional improvisation, ...Continue Reading
Nearly a week after Election Night, provisional and absentee ballots re-elected Town Commissioners David Carey and Robert Preston over challenger Greg Adolph.
Final results announced Monday afternoon at Bel Air Town Hall included five absentee ballots and two provisional ballots. From those, Preston collected four votes and Carey gained six votes, while Adolph added none. Preston finished with 418 votes, Carey with 417 votes, and Adolph with 410.
Challengers Ricky Davis and Dave Mitchell picked up two votes each Monday, to give them 356 and 32 votes respectively. Steven Testerman, who dropped his campaign last month, finished with 11.
After Tuesday’s election, eight provisional ballots remained uncounted. The ballots are given to voters whose registration status is unclear, and are later verified by elections officials.
But six of the ballots were rejected; one voter could not be found in any state or local registration lists and five were found to be ...Continue Reading
