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
At least one mailer making the rounds over the last week appears to use the Town of Bel Air’s official seal in violation of the town’s charter, which in Bel Air is what passes for massive campaign scandal.
The flyer uses the seal and town letterhead as part of a notice from the town’s “Department of Fiscal Responsibility.” It goes on to outline a series of campaign pledges by town commissioner candidates Greg Adolph and Ricky Davis, who are challenging incumbents David Carey and Robert Preston in tomorrow’s election.
When The Dagger first got a copy of the Adolph/Davis mailer, we contacted the town to find out whether it was kosher. To be clear: we did this of our own accord as a news-gathering organization. Since it’s news. Kinda.
Attempts to contact the “Department of Fiscal Responsibility” were unsuccessful, as it is fictional.
The initial word from town employees was that the flyer didn’t ...Continue Reading
The Bel Air Candidates Forum is over, but some of the answers that attendees gave will fuel debate right up until Election Day – one week from today.
Four of the five active candidates for Bel Air Town Commissioner fielded 18 total questions generated by some of the approximately 60 people in attendance; the Bel Air Downtown Alliance, which sponsored the forum; and The Dagger, which moderated the event.
In brief, those questions included:
1. How would you solve downtown parking woes?
2. Have services grown with the town budget?
3. What’s the main area of concern for Bel Air?
4. How would you lure BRAC transplants to town?
5. Thoughts on a new town hall?
6. Do you support a cut-through of MacPhail Road?
7. Would you disband Bel Air Police Department to save money?
8. How would you attract new business to town?
9. Can you do anything about condition of halfway houses?
10. Are town administrators getting ...Continue Reading
Interview with Bel Air Town Commissioner Rob Preston:
As part of The Dagger’s coverage of the Town of Bel Air’s municipal election on Nov. 3, the following questions were presented to each candidate for town commissioner.
The five questions (bolded and boxed) were chosen to generate discussion on specific topics. The candidates’ answers have been included verbatim as received by email or reported following an interview.
1.) In short, who are you and why are you running for re-election?
1. Nobody has a greater interest in the success of our Town than I do. I have lived in Bel Air most of my life, attended Bel Air Schools, been married for 40 years, and have two married children (both live in Town) and two grandchildren. I like to restore old Corvettes, ride motorcycles, and sail Hobe Cats. My family has owned and operated Preston’s Stationery on Main Street for 83 years. ...Continue Reading
Steven Testerman has withdrawn his candidacy for Bel Air Town Commissioner, leaving five candidates in the race with Election Day three weeks away.
Testerman told The Dagger that he withdrew from the race to support two of the remaining challengers, Greg Adolph and Richard Davis. They, along with challenger David Mitchell, will face incumbents David Carey and Robert Preston on Nov. 3.
“I joined the race because I firmly believed Preston and Carey had done their thing, and I wanted their seat,” Testerman said. “But we’ve got two good candidates with Davis and Adolph and I just thought I’d step back.”
Technically, no candidate can officially remove their name from the ballot once the filing deadline has passed. But Testerman said he would push all support and votes for him to Adolph and Davis.
Testerman said he is “thinking about” the countywide elections next year, but said he had no specific ...Continue Reading
Deborah Cassilly has dropped out of the race for two available Bel Air Town Commissioner positions, citing family reasons.
Cassilly is the wife of popular former Harford County Councilman Bob Cassilly, who had to resign from the position when he was called to active military service in Iraq several years ago. He is currently stationed in Iraq on his third one-year tour of duty.
In an e-mail to The Dagger, Cassilly said her concern for the Bel Air area led her to file for candidacy, but later decided that “it is not the right time for myself or for my family.” Cassilly withdrew her candidacy Friday afternoon, hours before the town’s filing deadline.
Remaining candidates for town commissioners are incumbents David Carey and Rob Preston and challengers Brian Adolph, Richard Davis, David Mitchell, and Steve Testerman. The Bel Air Town Election will be held Tuesday, November 3. Polls are open 7 a.m. ...Continue Reading
Bel Air Town Commissioners David Carey and Robert Preston both may have their eyes on bigger political prizes, but before they get a chance to move up the elected office food chain in November 2010, they’ll have to defend their town commissioner seats this November.
Bel Air will hold its municipal election on Tuesday, November 3 this year and, while the town’s elections are fairly mundane (especially in comparison to the City of Aberdeen elections, which are traditionally held the same day), they have produced an impressive crop of town commissioners who have quickly worked their way up Harford County’s political ladder.
Del. Susan McComas, County Councilman Jim McMahan, and former County Councilman Robert Cassilly all got their start as town commissioners in Bel Air.
Carey, a 12-year town commissioner, and Preston, in his seventh year, have both been speculated as candidates for various elected offices in Harford County’s 2010 gubernatorial elections, but ...Continue Reading
(Abingdon, MD – March 5, 2009) – - Harford County Executive David R. Craig, accompanied by the director of the Department of Public Works, Bob Cooper, Mayor Michael Bennett of the City of Aberdeen and Mayor Rob Preston of the Town of Bel Air, and County Councilwoman Mary Ann Lisanti, today broke ground for the expansion of the Abingdon Water Treatment Plant in Abingdon. The construction of the addition to the existing water plant is scheduled for completion in October 2011.
“Today we embark on our future with the expansion of the Abingdon Water Treatment Plant,” County Executive Craig stated. “Water is vital to our businesses, commercial and industrial properties, and residential consumers. This project will help ensure we meet the needs of our community for many years to come,” Craig remarked.
The project is a 10 million gallon per day expansion, which will provide the facility with an ultimate capacity of ...Continue Reading
