On Monday, October 4, 2010 a General Election for Three (3) seats on the Fruitland City Council was held in accordance with Article IV of the Fruitland City Charter. Prospective candidates were advised that Petitions of Candidacy would be available on July 5, 2010. The deadline for filing Petitions of Candidacy was September 6, 2010. At the end of the filing period, the Eight (8) candidates which had filed to run for office included incumbent City Councilor Theodore Otis Lokey, then Recreation Commission Chair Kerry R. Nelson, current Recreation Commission Member Charles Nichols, current Noise Control Board Member Joseph T. Jimmerson, Charles E. Carroll, Jr., Edwin A. Cowell, Darlene Kerr, and Richard Lee Outen, Jr. Theodore Otis Lokey officially withdrew his candidacy September 13, 2010, the deadline to withdraw Petitions of Candidacy. The Fruitland Ethics Commission met on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 and certified the eligibility of each of the remaining Seven (7) candidates.
On Sunday, September 19, 2010 a Public Notice detailing date, time and location of the election was published in The Daily Times. On Sunday, October 3, 2010 a Sample Ballot was published in The Daily Times.
The election took place as advertised at Fruitland City Hall on Monday, October 4, 2010. Polls were open between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Of the Two Thousand Eight Hundred Ten (2,810) voters registered to vote in Fruitland City elections, Two Hundred Seventy-one (271) voted at City Hall and Eleven (11) voted by absentee ballot; voter turnout was Ten percent (10%).
At the conclusion of the voting, the ballots were counted by the Three (3) members of the Fruitland Board of Supervisors of Elections in the presence of the City Manager, Assistant City Manager / City Clerk, and a number of citizens. The official vote totals were as follows:
Richard Lee Outen, Jr. 190
Darlene Kerr 169
Edwin A. Cowell 123
Charles Nichols 71
Kerry R. Nelson 62
Joseph T. Jimmerson 34
Charles E. Carroll, Jr. 28
One (1) ballot, included in the Two Hundred Seventy-One (271) ballots cast at City Hall, was disallowed in its entirety and not counted because the ballot voted Four (4) Candidates and voters were advised to vote for no more than Three (3) Candidates; the Board of Supervisors of Elections could not determine the intended Three (3) votes. A second ballot included in the ballots cast at City Hall clearly voted Two (2) of the Three (3) Candidates, while the third Candidate selection was unclearly voted; the Board of Supervisors of Elections could not determine the intended third Candidate vote, therefore only counted the Two (2) clearly voted Candidates. One (1) ballot, included in the Eleven (11) absentee ballots cast, was disallowed in its entirety and not counted because the voter did not appear on either Wicomico County Board of Elections provided Precinct Register or Supplemental Precinct Register. Write-in votes were cast as follows:
Valerie Murphy 1
Lynette Nelson 1
Lloyd Mac Pusey 2
John Ricketts 1
Chris Shockley 1
Jessee Watson 1
Accordingly, the Board of Supervisors of Elections unanimously certified the election of Richard Lee Outen, Jr., Darlene Kerr, and Edwin A. Cowell to the Fruitland City Council; they will be administered the Oath of Office by the City Clerk in public session at the regular City Council Meeting to be held on Tuesday, October 12, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.
The next regular election for the Fruitland City Council will be held on Monday, October 1, 2012. At that time the seats now held by Councilors Raymond D. Carey and Gloria J. Ortiz will be up for contest.
Diane C. Nelson
Diane C. Nelson, Asst. City Mgr. / City Clerk
Certified, October 6, 2010 dcn
