HdG Volunteer Enters City Council Race

Havre de Grace resident Tom Barnes has filed to run for City Council, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Barnes, a community volunteer and the head of the HdG Drama Guild youth organization, made the announcement of his candidacy on Facebook. He also started a Facebook page for his campaign.

In a Facebook post, Barnes said it's not his intention to run to represent any singular group, organization or party, but to serve the entire city.

"I refuse to run against anyone," Barnes told Patch in a phone interview Wednesday. "I’m running for the City of Havre de Grace."

Three seats on the City Council will be up for a vote—those of incumbents John Correri, Randy Craig and Barbara Wagner. The mayor's position, currently held by Wayne Dougherty, is also up for election.

Dougherty is the only incumbent to declare his intentions to run for re-election. He'll be seeking a fourth consecutive term.

Former City Councilman Fred Cullum, who spent 16 years in office during eight non-consecutive terms, told Patch he intends to run for council again.

Candidates may file to run for the mayor or city council positions between March 5 and March 19. The election will be May 7.

Both Dougherty and Cullum filed at City Hall on Tuesday, while Barnes filed Wednesday.

Barnes, who has lived in Havre de Grace for going on 10 years, said he's interested in making the city a better place to live—and a more inviting place to move back to and visit.

"One of the things that I don’t like to hear is ‘I want to get out of this town.’ You hear it a lot from younger people: 'There’s nothing here. There’s no college. You have to go across the county.' To me, it's about the future of Havre de Grace," said Barnes, who has two high school-aged sons. "How do we bring our children back so our grandchildren can be raised here? What’s the city going to offer?"

Barnes said he plans to sit down with representatives of all aspects of the community as he ramps up his campaign.

"There's nothing wrong with our city that can’t be fixed," he said.

See Also:

• (March 2013)
• Former Councilman Says He'll Run in May Election (Feb. 2013)
• 2013 Havre de Grace Election Application Process (Feb. 2013)
• Havre de Grace Election Filing Begins March 5 (Feb. 2013)
• People of the Year: Tom Barnes (Dec. 2011)

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Planning to run for office? Email havredegrace@patch.com