Tensions ran high at a Taneytown Ethics Commission meeting Wednesday, with Chair Steve Marsalek accusing City Council candidate Rachael Miller of failing to follow required election law, and Mayor Chris Miller, the candidate’s husband, saying that the commission was unfairly targeting his wife.

“I’m just deeply concerned,” Marsalek said, “not so much over the fact that the legend is not there, but over the fact that there was a material misrepresentation to the ethics committee, and I think that that’s a serious violation.”

Marsalek said Rachael Miller’s campaign signs fail to display a visible authority line, which is required to let observers know who paid for the sign. Rachael Miller said the line is present on her signs, though it is written in permanent marker in some cases.

“When I didn’t have authority lines on my material I wasn’t chastised by the Ethics Committee,” Chris Miller said. “I was just told to make the change.”

No action was taken at the meeting.

Taneytown City Attorney Jay Gullo said the commission would typically consider the issue solved when a candidate agrees to fix the problem, “but if the commission feels they need to do something else, then we’d have to figure out what the something else would be.”

Candidates Lillian Hardie, Stephen “Nick” Kalinock, Harry Meade and Rachael Miller are on the ballot for three open seats on the Taneytown City Council in the May 5 election.

Though it is legal for a husband and wife to serve on the City Council together, some have questioned the ethics of the idea. Resident David Buie, 62, said electing Miller would create a conflict of interests.

“In most jobs, there’s a nepotism clause,” Buie said, “and I think this falls within that nepotism clause, where someone who is in a direct line of your family, you shouldn’t be able to be in a position where you can influence a situation one way or the other.”

Chris Miller said Taneytown’s city code addresses the situation, and said a conflict of interest would only occur in a situation where the couple stands to gain monetary value by virtue of their respective positions. If that would happen, they would recuse themselves from that decision, he said.

“I definitely don’t think it’s a conflict of interest at all,” said Rachel Miller, 33, “considering he’s mayor and I would be part of council, which are two separate things. The only way that the mayor even has a vote is if it came down to a tie, and realistically, that doesn’t happen very often.”

“Legacy families” are particularly common in smaller communities, where it may be more difficult to find public servants to volunteer, according to Maryland Municipal League Chief Executive Officer Theresa Kuhns, although they are not unheard of in larger municipalities. Taneytown’s charter would be responsible for clarifying whether family members should be banned from serving in government concurrently, and the city has both an ethics ordinance and ethics commission to help guide the democratic process.

“I don’t believe it is unusual for family members to serve and inspire other family members to follow in those same footsteps,” Kuhns said in an email.

Buie said Taneytown should have a rule preventing close family members from holding related public offices at the same time. Without guardrails, an entire family could be elected to serve in public office at the same time, he said.

Chris Miller said it would be unfair to bar his wife from the election because she is married to the mayor. The couple say they prefer to leave that choice to voters.

“I’m my own individual,” Rachel Miller said. “I have my own upbringing, my own experiences in life that differ very much from his. We’re mainly just looking to do what the residents want, whether that be more commercial development, water relief, whatever they’re looking for, we’re looking to accomplish for them.”

The issue came up in 2012 in Mount Airy when Kristin Blais ran for a seat on the town’s five-member council. David Blais, her husband, was a sitting member of the Town Council at the time. Concerns about a married couple serving on the council concurrently were raised, but Kristin Blais said that having a married couple serving on the council would not pose any problems for the town. Blais lost the election.

Buie said he has sent letters to the mayor and council on the topic that were ignored, and that he will not run for office himself due to the time commitment and scheduling conflicts.

The mayor of Taneytown earns a salary of $8,000 and council members earn $4,000 annually.

The council is a nonpartisan board.

Taneytown will hold its election from 7 a.m to 7 p.m. on May 5, at the police station, 120 E. Baltimore St.

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