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Mayor and Two Commissioners Re-elected

Pamela Rigaux
Frederick News Post

(10/25) The town backed the mayor and board of commissioners Monday by voting to keep all three incumbents in office for another four years. Martin Burns kept his office as Thurmont's mayor along with commissioners Ron Terpko and Wayne Hooper.

Mr. Burns won the race for mayor by a wide margin against his lone opponent, Robert Wagerman.

Election Judge Shirley DePaolis said 510 resident cast their votes or Mr. Mr. Burns, and 209 for Wager man.

The commissioners were running unchallenged. Mr. Terpko received 582 and Mr. Hooper received 518 votes. "People in town obviously agree with what we've done," Mr. Hooper said.

Some residents heading to the polls Monday said they'd vote for Mr. Burns because he's progressive.

"He knows where he wants us to go for the next seven years," Don Tyler said. People are tired of hearing, We've always done it like that.'

Randy E. Valentine said the town used to take a laid-back approach to problems, but that won't work any more.

"Previous commissions let things go," he said. Mr. Wagerman served on some of those commissions. "He wants to take the board back to what it used to be." But "you can't run the town like it was run in the old days."

The town has grown, Mr. Valentine said. "We have some serious problems with water and sewers."

Under Mr. Burns' leadership, the board has proposed more than $1 million in repairs. "He's getting the job done," Mr. Valentine said.

Voters said the board's ability to work together on common goals impressed them.

"I think the board has really been working well together and it needs to stay together," Cynthia Wantz said.

Robert Dinterman said there wasn't much to vote for because the two commission seats were certain to go to the incumbents, commissioners Ron Terpko and Wayne Hooper.

But he knew which candidate he wanted as mayor for the next four years: Mr. Burns.

"He's been doing a good job," Mr. Dinterman said. "I wanted to keep him in office."

Residents who voted for Mr. Wagerman said he is a man of his convictions.

"I know Bob Wagerman," Nolan Cirilo said. "I have a lot of respect for him."

A total of 735 votes were cast, Ms. DePaolis said. The town has 3,915 registered voters.

"The turnout was not as good as the last election," she said.

In the 2003 election, in which two commissioners were elected, 1,109 residents voted. In the 2001 election in which Mr. Burns ran for mayor against two opponents, Mr. Burns won 589 out of 996 votes cast, Ms. DePaolis said. Mr. Wagerman was one of the opponents in that race. He got 130 votes.

Ms. DePaolis attributes a lower turnout to the fact that the commissioners' seats were uncontested.

"I didn't expect 735 people would vote," Mr. Terpko said after the results were in "I’m very happy that many voters came out."

Mr. Hooper said the turnout might have been the result of Mr. Burns' campaigning. "He was out four nights a week"

Electronic voting machines were set in the Guardian Hose Co.'s Activities Building at 123 E. Main St.

Mr. Hooper said one of the machines was shut off after a voter scratched the name of a write-in candidate on the surface of the machine.

The votes inside it were tallied along with the remaining machine. Absentee ballots had too be turned in by 5 p.m. said she received seven. She said there were a total of 29 write-in votes.

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