UPDATE: May 7, 2019. The City has decided that instead of two polling locations, there will be a central polling location for both precincts. This will be at the Eastport Community Center.
Today, Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley issued a proclamation declaring the Ward 6 council seat vacant after the resignation of former Alderwoman Shaneka Henson who was selected to complete the term of the late Michael Busch in the Maryland House of Delegates. Henson resigned after last Monday’s regular City Council meeting.
According to the City Charter, the Mayor had to declare the vacancy within 5 days and schedule the dates for a special election. The primary was to fall between 23 and 30 days from the date of the proclamation and the general election was to be between 21 and 30 days from the primary election.
The dates for the two are June 4, 2019 for the primary and July 2, 2019 for the general.
This election will only be open to all registered voters of Ward 6. Only Republicans or Democrats can vote in the primary; yet all voters can vote in the general election.
No candidates have yet filed to run, but The Capital reported that former Alderman Kenny Kirby would be running again as well as DaJuan Gay, who ran against Henson in the Democratic primary in 2017. The deadline to file to run is May 13, 2019 at 9pm.
We understand that Gay may not be eligible to run due to discrepancies in filing his campaign finance reports from the prior election cycle. The following is from the City Code. 4.44.100 – Reporting deadlines—Failure to file.
A person may not become a candidate for public or party office in any election in the City, a certificate of candidacy may not be accepted on a person’s behalf, and a person may not become a treasurer for a candidate or committee unless the person has filed or had filed on the person’s behalf all reports or statements required by Section 4.44.080 and Subsection C of this section to be filed by that person, as a candidate, chair or treasurer, during the five calendar years preceding the election in which the person seeks to become a candidate or treasurer.
There has been no indication of any Republican or unaffiliated candidate at this point.
As the field firms up, we will try to sit down with the candidates and record an interview each to allow every voter the opportunity to hear their positions.
