Lifelong Boonsboro resident learns he's been elected while helping tally write-in votes
Eric Kitchen was helping tally the votes in Tuesday's Boonsboro Town election when he started to hear his name — over and over.
With two candidates running for three seats on the Boonsboro Town Council, a write-in candidate was destined to win.
Kitchen was far and away the winner for the third council seat with 45 write-in votes.
The other winners on Tuesday were all council incumbents: Assistant Mayor Anthony Nally (72 votes) and council members Ricky Weaver (71 votes) and Terri Hollingshead (70 votes), according to a news release from the town. Assistant Mayor Rickard Byrd didn't file for reelection and current Councilman Nally ran for assistant mayor.
A third candidate for council, Robert Maricle, withdrew his nomination recently saying he had work-related and other concerns.
Kitchen said he didn't run a write-in campaign. He said he's been asked to run for Town Council in past elections and he'd always declined. No one asked him this time.
"I just did not run because I really didn't want the position officially," said Kitchen, 64, a lifelong Boonsboro resident.
He said he thinks people knowing him around town and the volunteer work he's done for the town government over the years led to the write-in votes.
When he learned he had enough votes to win, he accepted the honor.
"Seeing it turn out the way it did, I just don't have the heart to say, 'No. I don't want it,'" he said.
"I don't know if it's flattering, or no good deed goes unpunished," Kitchen said.
It's not like he wasn't already invested in helping the town.
He served on the utilities commission several years ago and recently helped town officials compile information regarding possible ways to spend American Rescue Plan Act funds.
As he helped with the latter, information was gathered from the town's various commissions about needs and some "wish list" items, Kitchen said. Not every idea is eligible for the funds.
The top two priorities: Replacing the town reservoir and getting a dewatering press for the sewer plant to lessen the cost of hauling sludge, Kitchen said. The press squeezes water out of the sludge.
Kitchen is retired after a career with the U.S. Department of Commerce. He said he started in information technology with commerce and then did administration work for budget and finance for the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
And he drag races, including at Mason Dixon Dragway in Washington County.
He races a ’69 Chevy Chevelle super-stock style car, meaning it's been modified.
As far as any questions about the ballots, Kitchen said as a member of the town's election board he was one of three people tallying the votes as the town clerk read the names.
There was no change in procedure and all was "certainly on the up and up," he said. They stopped every 25 votes to make sure the three were in agreement on tallies.
"So I found out pretty quick," he said.
Of 2,531 eligible voters in the town election, 94 voted, according to a town news release. Four votes were disqualified.
The winners will be sworn in at the June 6 meeting of the mayor and Town Council. The meeting begins at 7 p.m.
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Smithsburg election results
Local business owner and political newcomer Roberto Gonzalez will join the Smithsburg Town Council later this month after being elected to one of the two council seats up for grabs in Tuesday's election.
Incumbent Jim Fritsch was reelected to the council and Donnie Souders was elected mayor, according to election results posted on the town's Facebook page.
Souders, who was the council vice president, has been serving as mayor since August after Mayor Richard Hetherington resigned, according to a previous Herald-Mail report.
Gonzalez, 35, is owner of Vince's New York Pizza in town and serves on the town's Economic Development Commission. Fritsch, 74, is owner of First Financial Group, an insurance and investment services company, and is a buyer's agent with Mackintosh Realtors.
Five people ran for the two council seats.
Fritsch received 132 votes and Gonzalez got 131, according to the Facebook post.
Jon Snyder received 58 votes, Ken Carpenter got 44 and Jessica Warner received 29 votes, the post states.
Souders, who ran unopposed, received 171 votes.
Councilwoman Cassandra Weaver didn't file for reelection.
Souders, Fritsch and Gonzalez will be sworn in at the May 24 work session. The work session begins at 7 p.m., according to the town's online events calendar.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Boonsboro has a write-in winner for Town Council
