Election Judges

WILLIAMSPORT -- Williamsport mayoral candidate Jeffrey A. Cline and his running mates plan to ask for a recount of the ballots from the town's Monday election after the initial tally showed incumbent Mayor James G. McCleaf II winning by 12 votes. "We've been bombarded with phone calls wanting to challenge or have a recount," Cline said Tuesday afternoon. McCleaf's running mates also won their respective races based on the Monday night count, with Anthony T. Drury elected assistant mayor by a 17-vote margin and Joan E. Knode and Timothy W. Fraker winning the two open council seats.

Hospital, not opponents, causing delay To the editor: In response to Mr. DeHaan's letter to the editor, it appears there are serious misconceptions with regard to the opposition to the new hospital. First, there has never been opposition to the fact that we need to upgrade the current facility or build a new facility. The hospital has chosen to pursue a new facility rather than to upgrade the current one. The only objections to a new facility have been location and cost.

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. - A Martinsburg attorney announced Saturday that he is seeking a judgeship in the Eastern Panhandle's 23rd Judicial Circuit. Michael Santa Barbara, 48, said in a press release that he was seeking the Democratic Party's nomination to fill the vacancy created by Judge Thomas W. Steptoe Jr. Steptoe, who was elected in 1984, will retire from the bench at the end of his term Dec. 31, 2008. "The idea of public service has always appealed to me," Santa Barbara said in the release.

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. ? A Martinsburg attorney announced Saturday that he is seeking a judgeship in the Eastern Panhandle's 23rd Judicial Circuit. Michael Santa Barbara, 48, said in a press release that he was seeking the Democratic Party's nomination to fill the vacancy created by Judge Thomas W. Steptoe Jr. Steptoe, who was elected in 1984, will retire from the bench at the end of his term Dec. 31, 2008. "The idea of public service has always appealed to me," Santa Barbara said in the release.

gregs@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - Election officials spent Monday reviewing security procedures and preparing for today's City of Hagerstown primary election, which will determine which candidates will compete in the May 17 general election. Republicans going to the polls Tuesday will choose one of four mayoral candidates to advance to the general election. The candidates as they will appear on the ballot are: Charlie Baker - whose given name is Roger Dean Weber; Bob Bruchey; Tony Campello; and Dick Trump.

City unhappy about hospital statements Hagerstown city officials on Tuesday took aim at statements by Washington County Hospital officials in a set of answers to some questions raised by state health-care regulators. At least one portion of a document sent to the Maryland Health Care Commission on behalf of Washington County Hospital is "an outrageous lie," Councilman Lewis C. Metzner said during a comment portion of the council's Tuesday work session. The dispute is over the procedure the hospital would follow in gaining proper zoning for the project, which has been a hot topic in City Hall.

To the editor: Since the disputed Florida ballot count in the 2000 presidential election, reforming election laws has been on the forefront of issues facing state legislatures across the nation. President Bush in 2002 signed into the law the Help America Vote Act, (HAVA) which placed federal mandates on states, including prohibition on the use of lever and punch-card voting machines and deployment of a statewide voter registration system. Soon, many states, including Georgia, enacted a mandatory identification requirement to protect against voter fraud and voter disenfranchisement.

Here are some bills of local interest and their status in this session of the Maryland General Assembly, which concludes April 10. Bills can be tracked on the Internet at mlis.state.md.us. HB 17 - Would subsidize regional air service from Hagerstown Regional Airport to Baltimore-Washington International Airport. The bill has passed the House and is in the Senate. HB 186 - Would provide counties with matching grants of up to $1 million for increasing the amount they spend on agriculture land preservation.

A new Mason-Dixon poll released last week shows Michael Steele has taken an early lead in the battle for the GOP nomination for Maryland comptroller over 1994 nominee Timothy R. Mayberry, of Boonsboro. But with three-quarters of voters unaware of either candidate, the race is wide open. "I clearly have to continue to work on name identification," said Steele, chairman of the Prince George's County Republican Party. "You can't meet everybody. You have to look for venues that have the biggest impact.

Here are some bills of local interest and their status in this session of the Maryland General Assembly, which wraps up April 10. Bills can be tracked on the Internet at mlis.state.md.us. HB 17 - Would subsidize regional air service from Hagerstown Regional Airport to Baltimore-Washington International Airport. The bill had a Feb. 8 hearing in the Appropriations Committee. HB 186 - Would provide counties with matching grants of up to $1 million for increasing the amount they spend on agriculture land preservation.