(6/15) The seats currently held by former Mayor and now current Commissioner Jim Hoover, Tim O’Donnell and Cliff Sweeney will be up for grabs in the upcoming Town election scheduled for October 1st.

Hoover was appointed to fill the remaining ten-month term of Commissioner Frank Davis by the Town Council following Davis’ election last year to be the town’s mayor. While unanimous, Hoover’s nomination was problematic in the beginning as the Town Code had no formal process as to how the selection to fill Davis’ seat should or could take place.

This was the second time Hoover has stepped forward to fill a vacant seat on the Council. The first time was in 2013 following the resignation of then Commissioner Glenn Blanchard.

As a result of the confusion stemming from the 2013 appointment, the Town Council, which at the time included O’Donnell and Sweeney, agreed to update the Town Code to provide more guidance on the selection of replacement commissioners. However, they failed to do so, resulting in the current Town Council facing the same dilemma again last year. With four candidates applying for the position, but no clear criteria on how to select the best candidate, a follow-up commitment by both O’Donnell and Sweeney to fix the policy this time around has also not been done.

In addition to "pitch hitting" as commissioner in 2013, Hoover previously served as a Town commissioner from 1998 until 2002 and as mayor from 2002 until 2011. Hoover lost his bid for a third term to former Mayor Don Briggs.

During his term as mayor, Hoover focused his efforts on making the Town staff more responsible to the residents of the town and overhauling and rightsizing of the Town’s finances. Hoover currently serves as the Council Vice President. As Vice President, he has taken on the role of both statesman and mediator, working to find common ground to resolve many of the complex problems the Town is currently facing.

O’Donnell, who has served on the Town Council since 2009, is the liaison to the Parks and Recreation Commission. Prior to last year’s election, O’Donnell, who had served as the Council’s President on and off since 2013, failed in his bid to continue in that role when his fellow council members opted for a change of leadership and handed the presidency to Commissioner Amy Boehman.

Sweeney has served on the Town Council for 29 years, making him the longest serving council member in the Town’s history. Sweeney, who lost his bid to remain as the Town’s treasurer to the newly elected Commissioner Valerie Turnquist, is the only member of the current Council who, contrary to long standing tradition, is not serving as a liaison to any of the Town’s many committees. In declining to serve as liaison, Sweeney said that his time was taken up working with other non-government related organizations that he belonged to.

In 2021, the last time Sweeney & O’Donnell ran and won re-election, 269 residents turned out to vote.

When the pair ran in 2018, only 48 ballots were cast, out of a possible 1,700. In 2015, just 38 residents participated in their election.

Hoover told the News-Journal that he was leaning towards running again but has not yet made a definite decision. Sweeney said he is running, but offered no vision of what he would hope to accomplish in another term. O’Donnell failed to respond to a request on his plans.

Individuals who wish to vie for one of the open seats on the Town Council must file a written application for candidacy with the town clerk no later than August 30 in order to appear on the ballots. Potential candidates who fail to file by the deadline can file to run as a write-in candidate.

Candidates must have resided in Emmitsburg for at 30 days and shall be qualified voters. Commission members are compensated $4,000 annually. Candidates elected will be sworn-in and assume their position on the Town Council on October 7.