A member of the Harford County Republican Central Committee said he believes several candidates seeking election to the committee in today?s primary have intentionally misled the voters in order to get elected.
The flier encourages Republicans to “re-elect … The Republican Dream team,” which consists of Joppa resident Larry Stancill, Whiteford resident Teresa Reilly, Churchville resident Stephen Wright, Forest Hill resident Carol MacGubbin and Street resident Horace Tittle. The flier was produced by the authority of the Friends for Stephen Wright committee.
“I would call it a factual misrepresentation,” said James Close, a Havre de Grace resident, who is also a member of Harford?s Republican Central Committee.
He pointed out that Stancill and Wright were appointed to their positions, and Tittle is seeking to get elected to the committee for the first time. Close said only Reilly and MacGubbin obtained their seats by election, so only they are up for re-election.
However, Reilly said the issue was a matter of splitting hairs.
“Even though [Wright and Stancill] were appointed, they are on the committee and up for re-election,” she said.
Reilly said that Tittle is not up for re-election as he has never been on the committee, but said she felt applying the term “re-elect” to Tittle was an “oversight.”
Tittle also denied that the flier was meant to mislead voters.
“Being that I?m African-American, and there has never been an African-American elected to the Central Committee, it?s pretty obvious that I?m not up for re-election,” he said.
“I was elected to the Harford County Republican Central Committee by the election process prescribed by law. I received at least a majority vote in order to gain my position,” Wright said in an e-mail to The Examiner. He said he was elected in 2005.
“Re-election indicates that you have already been elected,” Democratic Central Committee Chairman Michael Comeau said.
