Westminster council president Chiavacci mayor Ferguson not to run again

Westminster council president will not try for reelection

February 24, 2009

Writing for the Carroll County Times, reporter Bryan Schutt has posted a news brief on the newspaper’s web site at 6:20 pm, Tuesday, February 24, 2009, that the Westminster council president, Roy Chiavacci, will not run for re-election.

“Westminster Common Council President Roy Chiavacci won’t be running for re-election this spring. In an announcement during the latest Common Council meeting, Chiavacci, an eight-year council member, sited professional and family reasons for not trying to refill his post.

“The city’s election is May 11. Two council seats and mayor are up for election and the deadline to put a name on the ballot is April 13.

“Westminster Mayor Thomas Ferguson had also told city staff he won’t be running for re-election several weeks ago.”

Actually Mayor Ferguson announced at the annual employee Christmas luncheon last December 2008 that he will not be running for re-election.

So far, councilmembers Suzanne Albert and Kevin Utz have announced for mayor and former council president Ken Hornberger has formed an exploratory committee in consideration of tossing his hat in the ring for the mayor’s office.

Meanwhile, it is broadly rumored in town that Council President Chiavacci’s son, Tony, is considering running for office as well as Jeff Dixon, who ran unsuccessfully for council several years ago.

20090224 Westminster council president will not try for reelection

Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

20080520 Westminster focuses on Pennsylvania Avenue project

Westminster focuses on Pennsylvania Avenue project

By Bryan Schutt, Times Staff Writer

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Another $50,000 is needed to start a streetscape project on Pennsylvania Avenue, even after Westminster signed an agreement with the state Monday for $175,000 in grant money, according to the city’s mayor.

The $50,000 would cover the engineering costs for the streetscape project, and City Administrator Marge Wolf said Westminster still isn’t sure where that money will come from, but it will be added to the fiscal year 2009 general fund budget, even though it isn’t currently included in the draft budget.

[…]

Westminster Mayor Thomas Ferguson said the agreement he signed lays out where and how the money on the project will be spent.

The city was recently awarded the Community Legacy Grant of $175,000 for a three-part project that will realign the intersection of Union Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, rework the crosswalks on Pennsylvania Avenue and add curb bump-outs to the street to act as a traffic calming device.

[…]

The initiative, which was last formed in 2002, will be used as a sounding board for the community to give feedback to city government. When the initiative was first established, it helped the city establish higher standards for rental properties on Pennsylvania Avenue, increase homeownership on Pennsylvania Avenue and helped create major lighting improvements in the area.

Common Council President Roy Chiavacci said he is being deliberate in determining the scope of the initiative and said the council is taking time up front in the process to make sure the initiative will be ambitious yet realistic and practical.

[…]

Read the entire article here: Westminster focuses on Pennsylvania Avenue project