CUMBERLAND — Seven candidates are on the ballot for two open City Council seats in the July 19 primary election.
The City Council consists of four members who serve four-year terms. The election of members is staggered so two seats are up for election every two years.
The race is nonpartisan and the primary election is designed to reduce the candidate pool to the top four finishers who will move on to the Nov. 8 general election.
Seats held by Rock Cioni and Joe George are open with both seeking reelection. Challengers include Brett Bean, Mary Conlon, James Furstenberg III and William Patch. Angela McCuan, the seventh person on the ballot, informed the Times-News she has withdrawn and is no longer actively seeking election.
The primary is taking place during a time when the mayor and council are pushing for a renaissance in the city with renewal projects underway on the downtown mall, Maryland Avenue and on land acquired along U.S Route 51 at Messick Road.
Each of the candidates were asked why they were seeking office and what their outlook for the city is.
Bean, originally from Dundalk, was a cabinet maker for 25 years who also became an entertainer in radio and standup comedy, as well as an active leader in DeMolay International.
“My hometown of Dundalk, I watched it slowly decline with the drugs and crime and bad things happening,” he said. “It got to the point where we had to leave. We moved out here where we have friends. I don’t want to see that happen to Cumberland.
“I want to stop the decline and bring jobs back and give youth something to do. I want jobs here for them when they graduate.
“I think the Career Center, where people can learn trades, can help. If we could somehow work it out to where the young people, that are learning a trade can somehow help single moms and people who are struggling by doing home repairs around their house. The students could get firsthand experience working with customers. They learn at the same time as people are getting help and it builds civic pride.”
Cioni spent three years in the U.S. Army as a medic. He retired from the Allegany County Health Department where he worked as a mental health and addictions counselor.
“I enjoy working with the people at City Hall,” he said. “Everyone is pulling in the same direction trying to make the city a better place. It’s slow but I think there are some good things ready to happen, whether it is more housing or the development downtown. We work the best we can for people in Cumberland and we are making some headway.
“We are working on Constitution Park and trying to make it more attractive. I also support the (Canal Place) river park. I hope that works out.
“We are also collaborating with the county more, which is happening with the land we are trying to developing together along Messick Road.
“We have to attract more people to live here and pay taxes here. They can work from home. We want the best fiber optics broadband we can have.”
Conlon, a retired art teacher, is the daughter of former Cumberland mayor Thomas Conlon Jr. (1966-1974) and granddaughter of former mayor Thomas Conlon (1942-1944). She is currently working part time at the Book Center downtown.
She said she wants to see that federal and state infrastructure and American Rescue Plan Act money is spent wisely.
“I think we are in a moment when Cumberland can be transformed. That money can go to many different areas,” she said. “You can use the money transformationally or you can keep using it until its gone. We have to think about how it will impact people.
“We need to polish our delivery of services and improve communication. Infrastructure needs are here and coming at us fast.”
The city is expecting to renovate the downtown mall later this year or early next year. The project, which includes replacing underground utility lines and reinstalling Baltimore Street through the mall, will cause businesses to work around the construction for an extended period of time.
“We need to provide help before we disrupt them,” Conlon said. “We have to communicate; we don’t know how long the streets or bridges will be closed. It’s important.
“Neighborhoods could be a little more engaged and we can get the advisory councils going. There are new people coming to Cumberland as a result of the pandemic and the ability to telework. They’ve bought houses. We need to engage them.
“We need to pursue the outdoor economy. We can be a hub for the outdoor economy and the potential of the green economy.”
Furstenberg worked for several years at Koppers, a former railroad tie making company, before taking a job with Maryland Juvenile Services.
“I hear people all the time saying, ‘I’m tired of driving to Hagerstown or Altoona because we don’t have anything here,'” he said. “I want to see more restaurants, bars, delis and pizzerias.
“We tend to think about people in their 60s and 70s but we forget about the 28- or 35-year-olds that are leaving the area because they can’t find a job. They have to move to get a great job. There is nothing here for them.
“We don’t take care of the middle class like we should. I want to grow east and west. I want to grow out toward Flintstone and up toward Frostburg.”
Furstenberg said people need to have the opportunities to learn trades.
“We need more jobs of all types … distribution, shipping and receiving. People can work from home. They say I’m tired of driving to Winchester or Morgantown because we don’t have anything.
“I want a small town with a big city’s amenities. Families won’t move up here because there is nothing to do. I’m always the one that is like: Why can’t we have this or that. Don’t tell me why we can’t; tell me how we can.”
George retired as president of the select services division for CBIZ Insurance.
“I was honored and humbled to be selected and appointed to the City Council last September by the mayor and council to serve out the term of Seth Bernard who had resigned from the council. I was selected out of 10 applicants based upon my experience and qualifications,” he said.
“I’ve been on the council about nine months now but I believe I’ve made a contribution and a positive difference. It takes a while to learn the inner workings of government.
“I love Cumberland. It takes time to reinvent our city and rebuild our infrastructure, but it’s a great place to live and raise a family. I think we are moving in the right direction. A lot of people are leaving the metro area for a good quality of life.
“The city is blessed to have some great department heads and staff as well as police and fire personnel. I’m proud to be part of that and want to contribute. We want Cumberland to be a place people want to come to.”
Patch has been working for the city of Cumberland since 1977, including a stint as president of the local AFSCME Union. He has spent the last 38 years in the Parks and Recreation Department.
“I think (the council) is making decisions based on what they are being told,” he said. “They don’t run the everyday decisions. I think I can offer a perspective that they are not getting right now, from the working guy. I am born and raised in the house I live in today in South Cumberland.”
Patch said he is concerned by moves to consolidate departments such as the streets department with parks and rec.
“The maintenance is short in numbers needed to be fully staffed,” he said. “We are down to two guys in parks and rec. We need to fill the jobs that are budgeted. Our parks and fields are getting run down. Do they know we are short handed? People don’t feel comfortable sometimes going to a council member. I think I have a perspective they don’t have now.
“I think we need a fully funded and staffed police department. We keep losing officers. Our fire department is an asset. They are there for the people waiting for a call.
“We should continue to promote tourism, with the trails and outdoor recreation … rewatering the canal. We need another (employer) like Hunter Douglas and American Woodmark. We also need to work better with the county.”
