At least three seats on the Harford County Council will be up for grabs in the upcoming election, and a fourth could hinge upon one councilman?s decision to run for state office.
Districts C, D and F could all be open going into the September primary elections: District C Councilman Robert Cassilly is prohibited from filing for re-election while he is deployed to Iraq with the Army Reserve; District D Councilman Lance Miller is not running for re-election; and District F Councilwoman Cecilia Stepp is retiring.
“Politically, this is going to be a year of flux,” said Harford County Republican Central Committee Chair Bill Christoforo.
Michael Comeau, chair of Harford?s Democratic Central Committee, said, “It?s a law of political nature that a lot of interest is generated by open seats.”
At least five candidates will be running for Miller?s seat ? three Republicans and two Democrats, Comeau said.
District A Councilman Dion Guthrie,the only Democrat on the council, said he has been approached by high-ranking state Democrats with invitations to run for state Senate, possibly opening up yet another seat.
Guthrie would be running against State Sen. Nancy Jacobs, R-Harford and Cecil counties. Senate President Mike Miller and his staff called him to Annapolis with offers to help fund a campaign, Guthrie said.
However, the number of open seats on the council has given Guthrie pause. Though Miller had polls predicting Guthrie could beat Jacobs by about 1,000 votes, Guthrie said he wanted to hear more from constituents and conduct his own polls.
“I?m probably better off here, where you can get more done,” he said, but added, “I may try to go just to get more money for our schools.”
Comeau saw the large number of open seats, combined with the presence of Democratic candidates for sheriff, state senate and state delegate, is an opportunity to change the balance in a county where the vast majority of elected officials are Republican.
“Things aren?t going to be as ?Republican? up here anymore,” Comeau said.
