Three in the running for 3 seats on Manchester Town Council in May election

Three candidates are running for three open seats on the Manchester Town Council in the May 20 municipal election. The candidates include incumbents Chris Cuneo and Vince Pacelli, and former Town Administrator Steve Miller.

During the most recent town election in May 2023, incumbent Mayor Ryan Warner was defeated by Melinda Smith. Smith earned 180 votes to Warner’s 133. In the race for two Town Council seats, Ryan Nazelrod and incumbent Jennifer Miller were the winners.

Pacelli was elected May 16, 2023, to replace council member David G. Richardson who resigned May 9, 2023. Pacelli filled out the remaining two years in Richardson’s term.

Town Council members and the mayor serve four-year terms. According to Carroll County’s Board of Elections, the town has about 9,276 residents.

Nomination packets for the three Town Council seats up for election next month were accepted at a special meeting Monday night.

Though only three candidates have registered to run vying for three open seats, the town will still hold an election. That is because the town charter allows residents to write in candidates on the ballot.

Anyone who is a registered voter in the county and a resident within the incorporated town limits is eligible to vote in the May election. Voters must have lived within the corporate limits of the town at least 30 days before the election.

Cuneo was first elected to the council in 2021; Pacelli won his seat in 2011, was defeated in the 2023 election, but was elected later that month to fill another council member’s seat.

Miller served as town administrator for 44 years, starting in 1979. He was recognized for 40 years of service with the town in 2019.

Additional information on the election is posted at manchestermd.gov.

Have a news tip? Contact Sherry Greenfield at [e-mail], 240-315-7029.