Bel Air Town Commissioners 2023 Election Results: Incumbent Ousted

BEL AIR, MD — Three Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners seats were on the ballot Tuesday, with four candidates in the race. Polls closed at 8 p.m.

The unofficial results of the 2023 Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners elections are as follows:

• Steven T. Chizmar: 978
• Erin S. Hughes: 278
• James B. Rutledge III: 905
• Jakob D. Taylor: 908

The canvass of provisional ballots and absentee ballots will be Thursday at 10 a.m. at Bel Air Town Hall. If additional absentee ballots arrive in the mail, after the initial canvass, a second canvass will be done Nov. 17 at 10 a.m. at Bel Air Town Hall. The results will not be official until after the canvass is complete.

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."

All 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.

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