Havre de Grace City Council election will take place Tuesday

Apr. 28—Voters will go to the polls May 2 to elect three members to the Havre de Grace City Council. Voting will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the STAR Centre performing arts theater.

The winners will serve two-year terms on the six-member City Council. Incumbents Jason Robertson and David Martin are running to retain their seats, while Carolyn Zinner is not.

There are a total of seven candidates, including Robertson and Martin, running, up from only three candidates last year — Casi Boyer, Jim Ringsaker and Tammy Lynn Schneegas — who ran uncontested. All were seated.

"That's a positive sign that there's a renewed interest in people's participation in our government," Havre de Grace Mayor Bill Martin said.

Martin said the two main things he plans to focus on in the next year is the profitability of the STAR Centre and preparation for the city's restoration plan, a revitalization project that will update the city's infrastructure. It is scheduled to break ground this fall, he said.

Any voter for this year's election voting with an absentee ballot must return it by 5 p.m., Tuesday to Havre de Grace City Hall.

A question on the ballot will ask voters whether to approve the transfer of three city residential lots in Bradford Green to Habitat for Humanity Susquehanna, Inc. to build three houses on the property.

Steve Gamatoria, the city's director of administration, said the city has done this several times before, and that Habitat for Humanity would pay for incurred fees for permits, engineering and other transfer-related costs.

Here is a list of the candidates running:

Johnny Boker

Boker said that ever since he moved 12 years ago to Havre de Grace, he's been "deeply embedded" in the fabric of the city.

A member of the city's water/sewer commission, the Army veteran of 22 years is running for City Council for a third time.

"I want to continue to earn the trust and the confidence of fellow citizens through dedicated service," Boker said.

Boker, 57, said infrastructure would be a big focus for him if elected. He currently works as a product support manager at Aberdeen Proving Ground and serves as the president of the Havre de Grace Alliance.

Sharon Brown Jacobs

Jacobs describes herself as a "community connector" for the way she's able to connect with people.

"If there's something that we need to do,someway, somehow, I find someone that is willing to help and support us," she said.

Jacobs, 55, ran for the District F seat for the Harford County Board of Education last year, losing to Diane Alvarez. She retired from the Army after over 20 years serving in the PATRIOT Air Defense Artillery and Acquisition Corps. She is currently the chief executive officer of Strategic Alliances Group, Inc. and was named Harford County's Woman of the Present in 2020. She has also won awards from Harford Community College and the Boys and Girls Club of Harford and Cecil Counties.

She said if she were elected to the City Council, her priorities would include keeping taxes low and supporting small businesses.

Vicki Jones

Jones describes herself as a changemaker and believes her professional interests and experience qualify her to serve on the Havre de Grace City Council.

She currently serves as president of the Harford NAACP, and is a member of the county's police accountability board, the Harford County Community College Foundation Board and other community-oriented positions.

"I hope I can be a role model to any person of color or woman," Jones said, "guiding them through a process and giving them the encouragement that several of you have given me in order to be in front of you today."

If elected, her areas of focus would include education, infrastructure and fair housing.

Jones, 51, is a graduate of Bel Air High School and has owned a home in Havre de Grace for eight years. This is her first time running for public office.

Donna Kasnic

An Abingdon Elementary School teacher of 25 years, Kasnic is running for public office for the first time upon inspiration from her work with her students.

She said she tries to teach them that "you put your money where your mouth is and you practice what you preach, and citizenship has responsibilities that come along with that."

Kasnic, 53, has lived in Havre de Grace for 14 years and was drawn by its diversity, both in demographics and socioeconomics. She said she would aim to preserve that diversity if elected to the City Council.

"I don't want to see that [diversity] change for economic reasons, that basically we're pricing people out of living in Havre de Grace, particularly people who have lived here for generations," she said.

David Martin

Elected to office in 2015, Martin is seeking a fifth term on City Council "to finish some of the things that we started," he said.

One of those things is the city's downtown revitalization project.

"I just want to keep seeing [the city] move into the 21st century but maintain the charm and history that Havre de Grace has come to [be] known for," he said.

Martin, 68, moved to Havre de Grace in 2012. He retired from the Maryland State Police in 1994 and spent 14 years working for Home Depot, Procter & Gamble, Estee Lauder, and other companies. He has spent the past six years as owner of a consulting firm, according to the city website.

Jason Robertson

First elected to the city council in 2017, Robertson, 37, is seeking a fourth term in office.

"I didn't feel like I could step away yet," he said. "I didn't feel like my work [was] done yet."

An Army veteran and Havre de Grace resident of almost 10 years, Robertson currently works as a budget analyst for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

He currently serves as council liaison to the city's economic development advisory board and youth commission. He said his work with the youth commission is one thing he'd prioritize if reelected, since the commission was only launched in 2018 and was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the commission has helped youth with explaining how the government works, helping with resume writing and providing mock interviews.

By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

The Morning Sun

Rich Wehner

Wehner serves as chair of the city's economic development advisory board and is a member of the city's Board of Appeals. This is his third bid for City Council.

He also has experience in project management and data analytics, including roles at the Maryland State Highway Administration and the Department of Defense's Global Veterinary Medical Practice, where he works as a project manager.

"I think over the course of my career I've developed quite a toolbox and quite a skill set that lets me look at financial matters in a particular way that I believe will translate well into spending taxpayer money," Wehner said.

If elected, Wehner said he would focus on attracting more businesses to the city.