Taneytown will be filling three four-year, full-term council seats on the board in the upcoming May 3 town election, and four candidates have been certified to vie for the three seats to be filled. Voting will take place on May 3 at the Taneytown Police Station from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

The council seats that will be up for election or re-election are those presently held by Diane Foster, Judith Fuller and Joe Vigliotti. Candidates who are running for the seats include incumbents Foster, Fuller, and Vigliotti, and challenger Barbara Cook.

City Attorney Jack Gullo stated at the council’s April 7 workshop that all of the candidates’ ethics and campaign finance filings have been reviewed by the ethics board and the candidates were subsequently certified by the election board to run.

Gullo noted that all of the candidates are "self-funding," and that under the city’s campaign finance laws, the candidates were thus prohibited from raising money through contributions and were limited in the amount that they could spend on their campaigns.

Absentee ballots are available at City Hall or can be requested by mail and must be received by the city no later than 4 p.m. on May 3.

Mayor Wantz stated, "With four candidates vying for three seats, I wish the best to everyone." The mayor asked that everyone in the city to "please come out and vote."

Roberts Mill Park upgrade bid awarded

Mayor Wantz noted at the council’s April 12 meeting that one bid had been received regarding planned improvement to take place at the Roberts Mill Park. The council approved the bid, submitted by Hobbs Excavating, in the amount of $148,359.

Proposed improvements include re-surfacing and repairing the park’s walking trail and the basketball court, as well as installing riprap (loose stone) along the pond to prevent erosion of the embankment.

The basketball court will be repaired and will receive a new fabric overlay, and then a fresh coating of asphalt will be applied, and new lines painted.

George Naylor honored

Mayor Wantz took a few minutes at the end of the council’s April 7 workshop that to remember George Wilbur Naylor, Jr., 94, Taneytown, who passed away on March 9.

Wantz said Naylor was a member of the city Planning Commission, and "served the city in many different capacities for many, many years. He was an amazing man …he worked diligently for the city up until the time of his passing."

Naylor was also a graduate of the Emmitsburg High School and served for 20 years on the Taneytown City Council. He also helped organize the Taneytown History Museum and was one of its founding members, according to Naylor’s obituary.

"George Naylor will be missed by everybody," Wantz stated.

In lieu of flowers, it has been requested that memorial contributions be made to Taneytown Heritage and Museum Association, Inc., 340 E. Baltimore St., Taneytown, MD 21787.

‘Oyster roast’ proposed

The City Council approved at their April 12 meeting a Francis Scott Key Highschool Athletic Boosters event to be held at Memorial Park, Mayor Wantz adding that he hoped that any COVID-19 mandates that may be in effect at that time will allow the event to take place.

The FSK Athletic Boosters were seeking hold their Annual Bull & Oyster Roast at Memorial Park. The event is to be held on May 22 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The boosters are a non-profit organization of volunteers who engage in providing uniforms, field maintenance, and equipment for the FSK High School athletes, and seek to promote goodwill and provide an example of sportsmanship to the students and guests of the athletic program.