CHESTERTOWN — Ahead of next month’s municipal election here for mayor and the First Ward council seat, the League of Women Voters of Kent County will sponsor a candidates forum open to the public on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. in the second-floor meeting room of Chestertown town hall.
The candidates are Nikita Beck-Burt, Meghan Efland and Mark Mumford for mayor and Sheila Austrian and Dwight Zilinskas for the First Ward council seat.
They will have an opportunity to introduce themselves and then answer two questions prepared by the LWV that they have received ahead of the forum.
The audience also will be able to ask questions of the candidates.
The forum will end with closing statements from each candidate.
Those who attend the forum will be asked to refrain from demonstrations.
Candidates and audience members are asked to avoid wearing clothing, buttons or carrying signs indicating support for a candidate.
The forum will be recorded and appear online in The Chestertown Spy.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization dedicated to promoting informed and active citizen participation in government; it does not support or oppose any political parties or candidates for office.
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The election is Tuesday, Nov. 4. The polling locale is the Chestertown firehouse, 211 Maple Ave. Hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Chestertown residents who have registered with the Kent County Board of Elections can vote in town elections. All registered voters will be eligible to vote for mayor. Only registered voters in the First Ward will be eligible to vote for the candidates in the First Ward.
Information concerning ward boundaries can be found online at https://www.chestertown.gov/ or by calling the town office at 410-778-0500.
Forms and information regarding absentee ballots may be obtained by contacting the town office. Absentee ballots must be requested in writing no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22.
Note that following the Oct. 22 deadline, there is a process for emergency absentee ballots. For information, contact the town office.
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The Third Ward council seat also is open, though no one filed by the Oct. 3 deadline and incumbent Jose Medrano is not seeking a second term.
David Foster is not seeking re-election as mayor.
In November 2023, Efland was elected to a second term as the Fourth Ward council member. If she should lose the mayoral race, she would retain her council seat.
Austrian is seeking a full four-year term on the council. She won a special election in January to serve out the remaining 11 months on Tim O’Brien’s term.
O’Brien resigned in October 2024 as litigants prepared to file a lawsuit against the mayor and council because O’Brien continued to serve after moving out of the ward from which he was elected.
The lawsuit has been resolved.
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The winners of the Nov. 4 election will take office at the first meeting in January 2026, and will be the seated board that will begin the process of filling the vacant seat in the Third Ward.
Anyone interested in the Third Ward seat can find more information on the Town of Chestertown website, https://www.chestertown.gov/board-supervisors-elections/page/vacant-ward-3-seat.
Per the town charter, Section 8 … “In case of a vacancy on the council for any reason, the Mayor and Council, within 45 days, shall elect from the same ward in which the vacancy occurred some qualified person to fill such vacancy for the unexpired term. In case of a vacancy in the office of Mayor for any reason, the council within 45 days, shall elect some qualified person to fill the vacancy until the next regular town election. Any vacancies on the council or in the office of mayor shall be filled by the favorable votes of a majority of the remaining members of the Mayor and Council. The results of any such vote shall be recorded in the minutes of the council. In the event no one is appointed within the specified 45 day period, the Board of Election Supervisors for the Town will arrange for a special election.”