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Community Corner

County Aspirations May Mean Town Vacancies

If Bel Air Town Commissioners Terence Hanley and Robert Preston win their county elections, their replacements will be handpicked by the remaining board.

Want to be a town commissioner but don't want to wait for Bel Air's elections in 2011? Well, this could be the year.

If the two Bel Air commissioners seeking offices in this year's county elections win their races, the town's governing board will have to undertake a process to appoint their replacements.

Neither are guaranteed victors: Commissioner Terence Hanley has to win the Republican primary before he can run in the November election for Harford County Council; And Commissioner Robert Preston faces a crowded field of candidates seeking the Register of Wills job.

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Victories will mean that the remaining board members—Chairman David Carey, Robert Reier and Edward Hopkins—must request résumés and letters of interest from anyone interested in a vacant seat. If Hanley and Preston lose, they keep their town seats. 

Bel Air elections take place in odd-numbered years. But if three or more commissioners were to vacate their seats, the town would have a vote to fill them at any time.

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Any Bel Air citizen who pursues one of the vacant seats will only serve on the board for the remainder of this term, which ends in 2011, despite the fact that Preston was elected through 2013.

Appointment candidates must meet the same requirements as elected board members, which includes being a town citizen for at least six months. Town Clerk Joyce Oliver said the commissioners prefer to appoint someone who is interested in holding onto the seat.

"The hope is whoever you appoint in here, they'll run in the next election," Oliver said.

Hanley, who is vying for the County Council seat that serves Bel Air, is in his second consecutive term as a town commissioner. In the Sept. 14 Republican primary election he will face incumbent Councilman James "Captain" McMahan. The winner will meet Democrat Jack Feldman in November's general election.

If Hanley is not elected to the County Council, he said he will "most definitely" run for re-election as a town commissioner next year.

Preston faces a deeper field in his quest for the Register of Wills position. The current register, Harry Hopkins, is not seeking re-election after more than two decades in the job, but he has endorsed Republican candidate Derek Hopkins (no relation).

"He's a nice young man and I think he'll make a good register," Harry Hopkins said.

Along with Preston and Derek Hopkins, there are five other candidates running for Register of Wills.

In the Republican primary, Preston and Derek Hopkins will have to fight it out with Michael Birch, Bill Schilling and Merrie Street. In the Democratic primary, Joe Gamatoria is dueling with Tom Hopkins (also no relation).

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