Meet The Candidate: Fred Cullum

Fred Cullum has served with five mayors and 22 council members.

He’s lost an election just twice—in 1991, when he ran just to see how he’d do, and in 2007, when Wayne Dougherty defeated Cullum and two others in the race for mayor.

“I’m finishing up eight terms—16 years. I never imagined. I figured I’d serve my two years. It’s just such an honor," Cullu said. "It’s hard to put into words the feeling that the people have thought enough of me and what I’ve done to return me back for eight terms.”

But Cullum, 62, isn’t done.

He’s one of seven candidates running for three seats on council in the May 8 election.

See more Patch coverage of the 2012 election.

He sees his strength as his knowledge of , the legislative process in , and his understanding of how the city works within state-wide politics in his role with the Maryland Municipal League. Thursday was the final meeting in his term as the local MML chapter president.

“I think its good to have someone with the background that knows the history of things. At some point, you can prevent the same mistakes from happening,” Cullum said.

Cullum works with the mindset that one person alone can’t make decisions and change for the city—it requires four votes, and that means working with others.

He remains very involved in the Susquehanna Hose Company, and was among the top responders by call volume in 2011. Cullum is the chief driver of Engine 512.

It was his involvement in the Susquehanna Hose Company that led to his interest in City Council. Cullum served as a liaison between council and the fire department at a time when there was no steady budget for the volunteer services in the city.

“I got to know a lot of the council members and took an interest,” he said. “It was something I thought that at some point in time I thought I would do.”

In 1991, Cullum ran to see how he could stack up against Rene Lambert, who lost in the previous election by a handful of votes.

“I ran just to see if I was a viable candidate. I did very well,” Cullum said.

In 1992, Cullum was on board.

He said among the items he’s most proud of are serving on the 1997 task force for the city charter, and the implementation of a steady, predictable budget contribution to the and .

Recently, Cullum has been instrumental in leading the water & sewer commission, which is dealing with a seemingly insurmountable debt in the water & sewer enterprise fund.

He’s come from a time where City Council used to oversee personnel disputes at City Hall. The building itself has changed—from its previous location on Union Avenue (next to )—to its current Pennington Avenue locale.

While Cullum has been a constant, there has been change—evident in the aforementioned five mayors and 22 council members that have called Cullum a colleague.

It’s that change—and, at the same time, the constant flashbacks and reminders that some things remain the same—that keeps things fresh for Cullum.

“I really enjoy it. I love it. It’s always a challenge. There’s always something new. There’s always something old,” Cullum said. “It’s like trying to explain why you’re a volunteer firefighter. It’s hard to put in words.”

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See more Patch coverage of the 2012 election.