Bel Air Elections 2023: 4 Candidates For 3 Board Of Commissioners Seats

BEL AIR, MD — Four candidates are running for three seats on Bel Air's Board of Commissioners. Residents will choose those officials Nov. 7, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Board of Town Commissioners consists of five members who are elected to four-year terms. At the second meeting in November of each year, the commissioners elect a member to serve as chair and vice chair of the Board of Town Commissioners. The chair has the honorary title of "mayor."

Residents can vote Nov. 7 at Bel Air Town Hall, 39 N. Hickory Ave., in Bel Air. Absentee ballots must be postmarked or received at Bel Air Town Hall on or before the close of the polls at 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Residents can drop off a voted ballot instead of mailing it by dropping off a ballot at Bel Air Town Hall. There will be a drop box positioned outside Town Hall from Oct. 10 through the close of polls on Election Day. Or ballots can be taken to the Department of Administration office during business hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Be sure an oath is signed or the ballot will not count.

Four of the Bel Air candidates shared information with Patch about their vision and goals if elected, as well as their educational background and professional experience. (Find a link to their responses at the bottom of this story.)

Candidate Jake Taylor has lived in Harford County all his life. He currently is an Honors College student at Loyola University Maryland and works in the Maryland Senate as a legislative aide. He decided to run for office because "It's time for Bel Air to move forward collaboratively, with a focus on the needs and desires of the people who live here."

Candidate Steve Chizmar is a retired electrical engineer with the Department of the Army. He has served on two Bel Air committees in the past and said he is running for office because "current commissioners have not listened to their constituents on several major issues confronting the town." He also wants to keep Bel Air’s small-town charm.

Candidate Jim Rutledge works as an attorney with the firm Jim Rutledge Esq LLC and previously served on the judicial nominating commission for Harford County District and Circuit Court, appointed by then-Gov. Larry Hogan. He said he decided to run for office because "the Board of Commissioners are taking our town in the wrong direction by setting policies that encourage high density residential development that will change the small town character of Bel Air."

Incumbent Erin Hughes, who has served as a commissioner for the past four years, works as a clinical research nurse with the pediatric allergy team at Johns Hopkins. Hughes said Bel Air is at an important crossroads and "I believe it's crucial to choose a path that leads to a vibrant, economically healthy and age-diverse community."

The candidate interviews with Patch can be found by clicking on the links below:

• Meet Jake Taylor, Candidate For Bel Air Board Of Commissioners
• Meet Steve Chizmar, Candidate For Bel Air Board Of Commissioners
• Meet Jim Rutledge, Candidate For Bel Air Board Of Commissioners
• Meet Erin Hughes, Candidate For Bel Air Board Of Commissioners