At the Chestertown Council meeting July 10, First Ward Councilwoman Liz Gross announced that she will not seek re-election.
Gross, who is completing her first council term, said her husband’s health has recently deteriorated, leaving him “virtually blind.” and forcing the couple to adapt to their new circumstances. “So, as a result, I will not be a candidate for election this fall,” she said. “I say that with a great deal of regret. I love serving on town council; I find it challenging. I did not expect the huge diversity of issues that we deal with all the time and the diversity of people to work with in reaching compromise. I have found that really enriching and enjoyable. And I just encourage candidates to come forward to represent the First Ward and I hope that whoever is successful will enjoy it as much as I have.”
Gross’s announcement came at the same meeting as the release of the preliminary schedule for the municipal election, in which the First and Third Ward seats as well as the office of mayor are up for election. Town Clerk Jen Mulligan said the town will accept candidates’ petitions beginning August 31. All candidates must turn in their petitions by Oct. 6, which is also the date on which voter registration for the town election closes. Mulligan said she has candidate packets prepared for anyone interested in running for any of the three seats to be decided. For more information, and for the full schedule, visit the Chestertown website or call Mulligan at 410-778-0500.
Write-in candidacies are not allowed in Chestertown municipal elections.
The other two council seats, currently held by Second Ward Councilwoman Linda Kuiper and Fourth Ward Councilman Marty Stetson, will be up for election in 2019.
Also at the council meeting, Mayor Chris Cerino gave an update on work at the Chestertown Marina. He said the most recent change is a decision not to move the boat ramp, due in part to the expense of digging in a whole new area. He said users of the ramp had also asked for it to be kept in the current location. Also, he said, the travel lift, which the town originally planned to get rid of, will be retained due to residents’ requests.
Town Manager Bill Ingersoll said he had inspected floating docks in Rock Hall that are similar to the ones planned for the marina. He said they would make the marina much easier for elderly or handicapped boaters to get on and off their boats.
Ingersoll said the town had removed two trees from Wilmer Park, one of which was diseased. The other was removed to make way for the Broad Reach sculpture, scheduled to be installed in the park Sept. 8, in conjunction with the Chestertown Jazz Festival. Ingersoll said the sidewalk in the area for the sculpture will also be moved to make room for it.
Ingersoll said the town will see only “a trickle” of tax revenues come in before September, when most residents pay their property tax bills. He said the town is awaiting grant funds designated for work at the marina, including one from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and another for waterway improvements.
Town Utilities Manager Bob Sipes reported that he had prepared a final draft of requests for proposals for a project to map the town’s water and sewer lines. He said he would send them to council members for any last-minute adjustments before they go out to potential bidders.
Also, Sipes said, the town will be sending sampling kits to older homes with lead and copper pipes to comply with a state program to ensure the safety of their drinking water. He said the sampling has been done every three years “since before I got here” in some 20 homes. Most of the town has galvanized water pipes which don’t present a problem, he said.
Marty Stetson says
Liz will be missed from the Council. While we view government in a different manner, we were able to agree more than disagree on the issues that came before the Council. I am sorry she is leaving and partially for the reason she is leaving. I wish her the best of luck, health and of course happiness.
Elizabeth Gross says
Thank you Marty! As you say, we come from different ends of the political spectrum, but I have enjoyed working with you and we have been able to push one or two issues together. As I said at your birthday celebration, perhaps we could be an example of bipartisanship to the folks down the road in Washington, DC!