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7 Candidates announce for commissioner race

(9/6) Seven Thurmont residents will be vying for two seats on the Thurmont Board of Commissioners. The town’s nominating convention was Aug. 28 and the candidates nominated at that meeting will appear on the ballot for the town’s Oct. 1 election.

Glenn Muth

Incumbent Glenn Muth said he is running because his supporters asked him to run again. He believes the greatest issue facing the incoming commissioners will be to try and upgrade the town sewer system. Muth said he has an idea he would like to implement, which is to create a fund of about $100,000 to use to loan residents the cost of repairing their laterals (the sewer and water lines that branch off the town property and lead into private homes and businesses). The money would be paid back over a 10-30 year period in the individual’s water bill.

John Ashbury

John Ashbury, editor of TheTentacle.com, said he is also running because he was asked. “This is a great community and I want to help as much as I can,” Ashbury said.

He said the biggest issue facing the town is ensuring an adequate water supply for the residents living in town since Thurmont can’t draw off water from a large river like the Potomac.

Bob Lookingbill

Bob Lookingbill, a member of the Thurmont Police Commission, has seen a lot of decisions made in town that he doesn’t agree with. “Rather than sit back on my hands and complain, I decided to step forward and do something about it,” he said.
Lookingbill said the largest issue facing the town will be deciding on whether or not to accept or deny the three annexation requests before the town.

Randy Cubbedge

Randy Cubbedge, vice chairman of the Thurmont Planning and Zoning Commission, has been attending the weekly town meetings regularly for years, voicing his opinions to the commissioner. Now he wants to help solve the problems.

“The town needs to be in control of its own growth,” Cubbedge said. By doing so, it will be able to find how best to address the town’s sewer problem and annexation questions.

Keith Naff

Keith Naff is a Montgomery County police officer running for public office for the first time. He believes the annexation requests are the biggest issue facing the commissioners. He would like to see the town grow by no more than 25 homes a year.

“I’m concerned about the future of the town interested in keeping it how it is,” Naff said.

Rosie Bentz

Rosie Bentz has been thinking about running for years. She decided that this year is the year to run so she can help with the town tackle the annexation issue and the sewer problem.

Brian Lynch

Brian Lynch, a member of the town’s parks and recreation committee, said, “I’m running to serve the citizens of Thurmont. It’s just that simple. I’m not running to be a vote for or against annexation.”

While he acknowledges that annexation is the big issue on everyone’s mind, he said what it really comes down to is maintaining the town’s quality of life.
The candidates will be campaigning for the next month and the election will be Oct. 1.

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