Emmitsburg to elect fifth commissioner
 next month

Ingrid Mezo

(3/9) During a town meeting Monday, Emmitsburg officials set the official election date for a fifth town commissioner for April 25. The town already had an election planned for that date, to fill the seat that Commissioner Art Elder currently holds on the board.

Elder has yet to confirm whether he will run for re-election.

Town officials voted at a town meeting Jan. 18 to add a fifth commissioner to the town board and to prohibit the mayor from voting along with commission members.

Former town commissioner Joyce Rosensteel, who served from May 2002 to May 2005, is one of two candidates who have announced intentions to run. Former town commissioner Clifford Sweeney, who served from May 1997 to May 2004, is the other candidate.

Fixing the town’s infrastructure problems is the top issue Rosensteel wants to address.

‘‘There is more I want to do for the citizens of Emmitsburg," she said in a phone interview in January. ‘‘I just want to give the town back to the citizens, and I want the person that’s going to be elected commissioner to act in the best interest of the residents."

Sweeney said that he did not want to take away votes from Rosensteel, but he would ‘‘most definitely" run against Elder.

‘‘That man doesn’t deserve to be in there at all," Sweeney said. ‘‘Commissioner Elder is suing himself [as a board member] for $5 million, and Commissioner [Bill] O’Neil is waiting for that lawsuit to go through before he sues. Those two people are not there for Emmitsburg... I don’t even know how they can sit up there on the board and know they are taking the townspeople’s money."

Straightening up the town’s government is a top issue for Sweeney, he said. He also wants to address smart growth and fix the town’s infrastructure problems.

The deadline to file for candidacy in the town election is March 27.