Westminster Town Elections Set for Monday (Update 5/7)

Article was updated on May 7 to include information for candidate Darcel Harris.

Seven candidates are campaigning to fill three seats on the Westminster Common Council. Elections are Monday, May 9. Patch asked each of the candidates to answer questions about their background, their positions on issues and why they have chosen to live in Westminster. Their answers are below. Several of the candidates did not respond to the request by the time the article was posted. If they choose to respond before Monday, this article will be updated with their comments. The candidates are listed in alphabetical order. 

Suzanne Albert, Candidate

Q. How long have you been a Westminster resident? 
A. I grew up in Westminster, left for schooling, career and family and  returned in 1988. I have been living in Westminster a total of 39 years.

Q. What brought you to Westminster, or if you have lived here your entire life, what about Westminster has kept you here?
A. Returning to live in Westminster was important because of my family roots. My grandfather was Westminster City mayor and it is important to continue a legacy of public services and historical preservation.

Q. On a scale of 1-5, one being disastrous and 5 being perfection, how would you rate the state of the City of Westminster today?  
A. This is not an easy question to answer as everyone will have a different way to measure and interpret "state." I will give our city a rate of four as far as being ready with health, safety and welfare issues. However, we can only get better by  listening and acting upon citizens' concerns.

Q. What are 2-3 issues that you feel the Common Council needs to address/work on in the upcoming year and what is your position on those issues?
A. 1. Certainly, the cost of governing is a "hot button." Taxes and water bills are too high. For the record, I voted against a tax increase of any kind last year.  Cost reductions and necessary public services need to be balanced. 2. Town traffic, parking, street repairs, safety and revitalization are ongoing concerns. 3. Water conservation and finding water  resources to support economic development will keep taxes down.

Q. What do you bring to the table, i.e. what qualifies you to sit on this council? 
A. I am serving my 16th year as a councilwoman, bringing experience, commitment, energy and a common sense approach to acting upon citizens' concerns.

Patch: Please feel free to add anything else you think voters should know.
A: I support the  City of Westminster's mayor and common council  to lower taxes and water rates next year.

Dennis Frazier, Candidate

Q. How long have you been a Westminster resident? 
A. 24 years

Q. What brought you to Westminster, or if you have lived here your entire life, what about Westminster has kept you here?
A. I came here  because I hoped it would be a great place to raise a family.

Q. On a scale of 1-5, one being disastrous and five being perfection, how would you rate the state of the City of Westminster today?  
A. 2.5. The city is a great place to live and raise a family; however, I am worried that the property tax is so high relative to the surrounding area that people will not want to move in to the city when they can get a similar priced home and pay less monthly outside the city. The previous councils let the roads and infrastructure get so run down that we have now been put into a situation of fix now or pay way too much later and need to find the money without taxing residences out of the city

Q. What are 2-3 issues do you feel the common council needs to address/work on in the upcoming year and what is your position on those issues? 
A. The council has to listen to the people of Westminster. If they had listened to the people at the public hearings we would not have had a 30 percent property tax increase a short time after a 60-90 percent water and sewer rate increase. We would not have upset long time home owners of Westminster with an overlay zone that limits their property rights. The city would not have hired new administrators when we are in a budget crunch. All of the problems in the city I believe can be traced back to the council not listening to the people they represent.

Q. What do you bring to the table, i.e. what qualifies you to sit on this council?  
A. I have been on the Tree Commission of Westminster, the Parks Board for the city and a Planning and Zoning commissioner for Westminster. I have been the president of a neighborhood association in Westminster. I also ran a contracting company. 

Patch: Please feel free to add anything else you think voters should know.
A: I am married with two children and have been a teacher and wrestling coach for 32 years.

Darcel Harris

Q. How long have you been a Westminster resident?
A. I've been a resident in westminster for over 20 years.

Q. What brought you to Westminster, or if you have lived here your entire life, what about Westminster has kept you here?
A. I believe God led me to Westminster. I say that because I needed a safe place to raise my family and for me to grow. Westminster provided these things but I wouldn't have known about this safehaven had it not been for an answer to prayer answered by a minster from a church on Rt. 26 who brought me to Westminster over  20 years ago.

Q. On a scale of 1-5, 1 being disastrous and 5 being perfection, how would rate the state of the City of Westminster today?
A. Right now I rate Westminster  a 4-5, crime is low the income median is good; however, the children who were infant a few years ago are growing up digital and Westminster, Carroll county need to keep that in mind as we look to the future

Q. What are 2-3 issues that you feel the Common Council needs to address/work on in the upcoming year?
A. I think the youth and how to draw them into commitment to our way of life or betterment of our way of life. This means we would have to put time and commitment into them, the youths (16-30) needs. 

The second issue is diversity. Within the last 20 years, the face of Westminster has changed from a bedroom community to varying types of families, economic status, the use of technology along with race gender and age differences. This diversity has to be addressed to keep beautiful Westminster safe and sound

Q. What do you bring to the table, i.e. what qualifies you to sit on this Council?
A. I really don't know what qualifies a person, but I do know I care about my neighbors and helping westminster keep its old town charm. I've helped choose the Chief of police and also worked to make Pennsylvania Ave. drug and crime free. I think what makes me a good candidate is that I listen, I act and I'm flexible and I pray.

Patch: Please feel free to add anything else you think voters should know.
A. Thank you

Gregory Pecoraro

Q. How long have you been a Westminster resident?
A. I have been a Carroll County resident all my life, but lived within the city limits for 22 years.

Q. What brought you to Westminster, or if you have lived here your entire life, what about Westminster has kept you here?
A. Having grown up in the area, I valued Westminster as a great place to raise a family and enjoy a quality of life you can’t find in big cities.  I love living in a small town where you can know your neighbors and be part of the community.

Q. On a scale of 1-5, one being disastrous and five being perfection, how would rate the state of the City of Westminster today? 
A. A city like Westminster is always a work in progress and there are many larger forces that impede our progress.  There is much here to celebrate and be proud of, and there is much yet to do.  We have great parks and recreational programs, fun community festivals like this weekend’s Flower and Jazz Fest, Fallfest and Art in the Park.  Crime is low and city services are good.  But we need to continue working on fixing city streets and other aging infrastructure; we need to find more water, we need to bring more jobs and economic activity to the city, and we need to work hard on paying for all of these things with as low a tax rate as possible.  So, overall, I would give us a 3.5.

Q. What are 2-3 issues that you feel the Common Council needs to address/work on in the upcoming year and what is your position on those issues? 
A. City finances--the slow economic recovery and rising costs challenge the city to meet citizen needs for essential services.  Significant cuts--federal, state and county financial aid have hurt city, and we have learned that we can only rely on ourselves.  The current mayor and council are working hard to manage carefully to do more with less, as we have cut the operating budget significantly over the last few years.  As we work through our backlog of street repairs, we plan to reduce the tax rate back to a maintenance level. Economic development--we have been and remain committed to continuing cooperation with good employers like Knorr Brake, McDaniel College and many other local businesses so that more people can live and work here.  We are also working to draw 21st century employers to our community through high capacity internet access and developing the Rt. 27 corridor as a gateway entrance into downtown to connect commercial activity on Rt. 140 with the Main Street business district.

Quality of life--the city plays an essential role in protecting the quality of life we love in our community.  Police and fire protection, good clean streets, safe water, recreational and cultural activities are all critical elements of creating the kind of community in which we all want to live. I will work to protect those essential services for our citizens.

Q. What do you bring to the table, i.e. what qualifies you to sit on this council?
A. During my years of service I believe I have made a significant contribution as a leader on the council in the Pennsylvania Avenue and Tri-Streets improvement projects, bringing the Arts Council to the old Carroll Theater, ensuring the redevelopment of key downtown sites like the former Farmers Supply Site, the Post Office and the old Stone Building, and fighting for construction of Winters Mill High School.  I have also worked to make sure that we restrain growth in the Westminster area, enacting changes in the city’s water supply policy to slow down unrestrained growth policies on our borders by previous county commissioners.  If I am returned to the city council, I will bring all of these experiences to bear on the new challenges that face us and continue to seek innovative and creative approaches to solving our problems in the most cost effective way possible.

Patch: Please feel free to add anything else you think voters should know.
A. We have made some tough choices over the last few years, and not all of them have been popular.  But everything we have done has been out of our love for this community, and our desire to make it a better place to live and work.  I am proud of what we have accomplished over the years and have appreciated his opportunity to serve our community.  I respectfully ask my fellow citizens for another term to continue this important work on their behalf.

Robert Wack, Candidate

Q. How long have you been a Westminster resident?
A. I moved to Westminster in June, 1997.

Q. What brought you to Westminster, or if you have lived here your entire life, what about Westminster has kept you here?
A. My first job out of the Army was at Carroll Hospital Center.  My family had the option to live anywhere in Carroll County, but we chose Westminster because of the physical beauty, convenience to everything, good schools and friendly people.  Our choice has been proven correct many times over.

Q. On a scale of 1-5, one being disastrous and five being perfection, how would you rate the state of the City of Westminster today? Please feel free to qualify.
A. 3.75, trending upward.  When I first started on the council, we were just beginning to face many challenges.  Budgets were tight and getting tighter, outside funding dried up, expensive projects kept being deferred year after year, and city financial systems were not up to the challenges of doing more with less.  We undertook significant reorganization initiatives, reduced the size of government and implemented new financial systems to improved the transparency and accountability of government.  That hard work is now paying off.

Q. What are 2-3 issues that you feel the common council needs to address/work on in the upcoming year, and what is your position on those issues?
A. 1. Catching up on infrastructure repairs and maintenance. The city was starting to fall apart because of deferred repairs, and we need to catch up on that before it reaches disastrous levels.  You can only kick the can down the road so far.  It doesn't take very long for a $100,000 road repair project to turn into a $1 million dollar road rebuilding project.   I believe it is more fiscally responsible to pay for the repairs now when they are cheaper than to wait to some future time when we know they will be more expensive.

2. Finish the reorganization and downsizing of city government. The financial constraints the city faces aren't going to improve any time soon.  Health care costs keep rising, as do other benefit programs.   The operating budget will see continued reductions until we reach the point of self sufficiency.  

3. Capital projects and taxes. When the backlog of capital projects is completed and we have a stable maintenance program in place, backed by sufficient reserves, we will reduce taxes.

Q. What do you bring to the table, i.e. what qualifies you to sit on this council?
A. I have eight years of experience helping run the city, most recently as chair of the Finance Committee, as well as years of professional management and business experience as a physician and small business owner.  I am very involved in the community through various non-profit and volunteer activities, and I listen to the citizens.  Sometimes people don't agree with what I have to say, but they appreciate that I will always tell them the truth about our challenges and possible solutions.

Patch: Please feel free to add anything else you think voters should know.
A. I am very proud of Westminster and I work very hard to keep it a place we want our children and grandchildren to grow and thrive in.  Nothing worth fighting for is easy or cheap.   We are on the right track to making long lasting  positive change in the city, and I would like to continue working on behalf of the citizens of Westminster to achieve those goals.

Paul Whitson, Candidate

Q. How long have you been a Westminster resident? 
A. 11 years

Q. What brought you to Westminster, or if you have lived here your entire life, what about Westminster has kept you here?
A. We like the area. Also my parents are retired in Carroll Lutheran Village. We found reasonably priced housing at the time.

Q. On a scale of 1-5, one being disastrous and five being perfection, how would you rate the state of the City of Westminster today?
A. I say a 4. The city council chose to raise property taxes by over 30 percent last year for capital projects in the middle of the worst recession in 70 years.  This was foolish since they knew about the 60 percent raise in water/sewer rates was in effect as well.  This is straining everyone's pocketbook and many have already left the city and county. There should have been efficiency audits and cuts in uneeded programs instead and funding only of absolutely essential capital projects spread out over a longer period of time.  Lack of tax and other incentives for businesses as well as other government impediments are keeping businesses from wanting to locate downtown.  With housing values going down, the outlook is bleak unless we the people, businesses, churches, civic groups and the government decide to work together instead of being at odds with each other to bring the right kind of change using conservative principles.

Q. What are 2-3 issues that you feel the common council needs to address/work on in the upcoming year and what is your position on this issues?
A. 1.  Reduce spending and taxes: a) Have a neutral party efficiency audit for all areas of city government that will identify where cuts could be made. b) Make sure buildings owned by city are being utilized efficiently, look for ways to consolidate or get rid of unneeded buildings, don’t rent space if possible. c) Find ways in which the city and county could work together and save money through shared services in varied areas such as vehicle maintenance/fuel purchases/ waste removal from public buildings, etc. d) wage/benefit analysis of city employees/duplication of jobs eliminated. e) Use present surplus in the city budget to meet needs. f) Make sure a bid process is used to get the best deal on work done. g) See what capital projects can be put on hold or spread out over time.

2. Revitalize downtown: a) Have signs placed directing people to downtown parking area when Ravens are in town and b) Have a shuttle system to and from McDaniel College or free parking vouchers to allow people to discover downtown area and alleviate traffic on Rt. 31 and Rt. 140. c1) Revise the way assesements are being done to make sure they are fair to businesses and reflect the actual worth of the building being valued. Give credit for real improvement made to the liveability of a building, etc. c2) Work with business property rental owners to offer lower initial rents to new business owners that could escalate as the business grows or the city offer lower tax rates to new businesses. d) Work with the college, business owners and the Ravens to include the city in more activities while they are in town possibly including a Ravens day parade. e) Increase amount of “moonlight madness” events per year, perhaps offering valet parking and encourage businesses to advertise to a larger area. f) Look into ways of making parking downtown more hassle free since persons can park at the mall for free! g) Negotiate with the college to have a fee per student as part of their tuition to be paid to city in exchange for land bought from city. h) Work toward having some type of winter carnival i) Have a local map/booklet showing businesses and other points of interest available to the public but paid for by local businesses including coupons, etc. j) Allow temporary vendors licenses for street vendors near the college while Ravens are in town for small items.  k) Use volunteer groups as well as monitored non-violent offender inmates help keep sidewalks in business districts clean and increase police presence in downtown area l) Work with active community and downtown residents like Doug Mathias who have experience with public and private revitalization programs to bring positive change to the downtown area.

3. Water/Sewer problem: a) Gray water systems for city buildings which recycle/filter water from sinks and showers saving on water consumption (avg. 30 percent), rain harvesting and other conservation ideas should be investigated. Encourage public to do the same. b) City needs to discontinue annexations where water and sewer services will be promised to future residents regardless of supply. c) Look into the viability of privatizing the water/sewer system supply and maintenance through a bid process and cost/benefit analysis. 

Q. What do you bring to the table, i.e. what qualifies you to sit on this council? 
A. I am a private citizen that wants to make a difference in the community.  I am open to reasonable ideas and am talking with people in the business community, regular citizens, and people with practical knowledge in the problem areas to find solutions.  I believe the job of a city council member is to represent the interests of the citizens in his community as much and as fairly as possible. I have gotten interested in politics the last few years and believe in staying as close to the constitution as possibel and desire the country to return to our founding principles!  I believe we all need to turn to God ( as our founders did!) as well as work together to find answers in this difficult time. I am a pastor's son, I have a bachelor's from Gettysburg College and master's from Towson in music education. I have taught over 30 years in schools, tutoring, home schoolers, etc. I have been fully self employed for the last six years and a homeowner since 1984. 

Patch: Please feel free to add anything else you think voters should know.
A. I ask you, the citizens, to get more involved in helping to find solutions in our community and to work hard, watch less TV, love your neighbor and do all you can to strengthen the family  or bring healing to families in the community as well as to pray daily that almighty God will bring healing and the right kind of change to our city and world by his grace.

Want more? The Carroll County Times has also posted candidate profiles and the Community Media Center has posted candidate information as well as a video of a candidate forum that took place on April 21. 

Other county elections taking place in May include: 

Tuesday, May 10
Hampstead (two candidates for mayor, six for town council)
New Windsor (four candidates for town council)
Union Bridge (two candidates for mayor, two candidates for town council)

Tuesday, May 17
Manchester (three candidates for mayor, none for town council)