One member of the Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners stepped down on Monday, while a newly elected member stepped up.
Gavin Hanley, who was elected to his first term in early November, was sworn in as a Town Commissioner, along with returning Commissioner Paula Etting. Etting, who has been chairing the Town Board as Mayor, was elected to her second term.
At the same time, Commissioner Mary Chance participated in her final meeting on Monday, November 17 as she did not seek re-election this year. She was elected to a four-year term in 2021.
Before leaving, Chance offered some parting words, including expressing thanks to her colleagues on the Board and to Town officials and department heads, highlighting their commitment to serving the residents of Bel Air.
Chance also addressed the audience, both those gathered in Town Hall and those watching the livestream of Monday’s meeting on the Town’s YouTube channel. She encouraged people to get involved in Town government by volunteering for one of Bel Air’s many boards, committees or commissions.
“Go online and look at those opportunities and be willing to say, ‘Yeah I’d like to be part of this; I’d like to have the opportunity to serve,’” Chance said.
She invoked her favorite saying: “Service is the rent you pay for the space you occupy.”
Chance noted one current opportunity for volunteering, assisting with putting up and taking down decorations for the Winter Wonderland in Bel Air holiday festivities in downtown Bel Air – Winter Wonderland is scheduled to start on Saturday, November 29.
“It doesn’t happen unless people are willing to spend the time putting those decorations up and then taking them down later,” she said.
Chance received a certificate of recognition from the Town Commissioners, as well as a Maryland flag and words of appreciation from state Del. Susan McComas, who represents the Bel Air area in Annapolis and is herself a former Bel Air Town Commissioner and Mayor.
“Local government, municipal government is where the rubber meets the road, and it’s so important,” McComas said.
Following the recognition of Chance, Etting and Hanley were sworn in by Michelle Karczeski, Clerk of the Circuit Court for Harford County.
The Commissioners chose Etting to return as chair of the Town Board, which carries the honorary title of Mayor, and they selected Commissioner Steve Chizmar to continue to serve as Vice Chair of the Board.
“I appreciate your confidence, and I look forward to serving,” Chizmar told his colleagues.
Etting expressed thanks to the voters who re-elected her and to her fellow Commissioners for choosing her to continue as Mayor.
“I deeply appreciate the confidence you’ve placed in me, and I’ll continue to do my very best to represent the Town in all that I do,” she said.
Hanley, who took the seat on the dais that Chance had held for four years, also expressed thanks to the voters and those who supported his campaign.
“This is a great honor, and I am very eager to begin serving the citizens of Bel Air,” Hanley said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Board as well as with the professional staff.”
The five-person Board of Town Commissioners needs one more member to succeed former Commissioner James Rutledge, who resigned in late October.
The Town is accepting applications through Thursday, November 20 – qualified applicants must have been a resident of the Town of Bel Air for at least six months and be registered to vote in Maryland.
Following a review of the applications and interviews of candidates, the person selected by the Town Commissioners will fill out the remainder of Rutledge’s term, which ends in 2027.
On Monday, Etting encouraged people to apply for the open seat on the Town Board.
“It is a time commitment, but I think it’s worth the effort that we’ve all put in,” she said of being an elected official.
Contact Media and Public Relations Specialist David Anderson at 410-838-7181 or danderson@belairmd.org.