Frustrated with the Sept. 12 primary results for the Harford County sheriff, a retired deputy is urging voters to write in Joe Price, a longtime veteran of the state police, to become the next sheriff.
Former Harford County Sheriff deputy Terry Noyes recently kicked off a grassroots write-in campaign for Price, a Republican candidate and state police commander. Noyes is asking voters to reject both Republican and Democrat nominees and write Price?s name on the ballot.
Norman Cochran, a former state trooper, won the Republican nomination. Price lost the primary by about 100 votes.
Price was flattered about the push for the write-in campaign but said he had nothing to do with it.
“I certainly did not ask him to do that,” Price said. “But I am honored that there are people out there that feel that strongly about me. Apparently there?s enough people out there who are not satisfied with either candidate.”
“We hoped the party would unify behind one candidate,” said Cochran, who edged Price in the primary by a margin of 109 votes.
Cochran said a write-in campaign only stood to take away votes from himself and Democratic candidate Jesse Bane.
“I don?t think my support is going to change because of a write-in campaign,” said Bane, who retired as a major from the sheriff?s office in March after 33 years with the agency.
“He doesn?t stand a snowball?s chance in hell,” said Marlin Mills, a former captain with the sheriff?s office, of Price?s chances.
Mills also ran in the primary as a Republican, earning 587 votes.
“Write-ins never work,” he said.
According to both Bane and Mills, the last time the race for Harford County sheriff saw a write-in campaign was in 1990, when incumbent Dominic Mele lost the Democratic primary to Bob Comes. Mele embarked on the write-in campaign, but still lost.
