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City Beat


A roundup of local events and announcements, compiled by Voices of Laurel staff
 
WINTER 2024

Keith Sydnor Elected Mayor

The 2023 Laurel municipal election was memorable. From the time longstanding Mayor Craig Moe announced in the Spring that he would not seek re-election, right up until the final vote tallies were announced on November 8, the campaign season was filled with twists and turns. Some candidates were fined for alleged violations of the city’s elections code; three candidates claimed that their campaigns were being undermined by things like unfounded rumors, stolen election signs, and unnecessary restrictions. Suddenly, live-streamed coverage of meetings by the Board of Elections Supervisors and the Laurel Ethics Committee became must-watch events on Laurel TV.


When all was said and done, voters elected former Councilmember Keith Sydnor as Mayor, making him the city’s first Black mayor. Sydnor received 51 percent of the votes, besting his closest competitor, Martin Mitchell, by 437 votes. Sydnor was sworn in on November 27. He began his 4-year term by promising transparency, forward movement, and an emphasis on helping the city’s youths. See page 8 for the first interview with the new Mayor.


The City Council will also look quite different for its upcoming 2-year term, with new faces in three of the five seats. The two returning council members are Ward 1 incumbents Carl DeWalt and James Kole. DeWalt will be serving his fourth term and Kole his second. In Ward 2, voters elected Kyla Clark and Jeffrey Mills as their council representatives, while Christine Johnson was elected Council Member At-Large. All three will be serving their first terms as elected city officials.



Election Day Events and Final Counts

Polls were fairly busy on November 5, Early Voting Day, raising candidates’ hopes of a large overall turnout. Some issues arose, though, especially at the Ward 2 polling site at the Robert J. Dipietro Community Center on Cypress Street. The small parking lot and the number of candidates’ teams set up there caused traffic jams and delays, and some voters complained about being “harassed” by campaign workers. This led the BoE to amend the rules for Ward 2 before General Election Day, drastically limiting the space permitted for each candidate’s team and prohibiting commercial vehicles in the area. One candidate claimed that the alleged harassment was simply team members talking to voters, well outside the 100-foot off-limits boundary put up by the city; he noted that not only is this permitted, but it can be crucial because studies show that up to a third of voters haven’t met or learned about the candidates prior to arriving at the polls.


Some people who showed up to vote were surprised to learn they were not actually city residents. After being turned away, several took to social media to question why the city’s boundaries were so confusing and why they shared a zip code with the city if they weren’t actually in it. Similarly, as always happens in Laurel City elections, many voters initially went to the wrong polling place, unclear about which ward they lived in.


When the BoE Supervisors announced the unofficial results on election night, it was stated that about 160 mail-in and provisional votes would be counted the next day. Ultimately, that number turned out to be at least 185 votes, but none of the rankings from the day before changed after adding the mail-in and provisional results. The official results:


Mayor

Keith Sydnor 1,194

Martin Mitchell 757

Brencis Smith 197

Sophady Uong 155

Seeta Deonauth 46


At-Large Council (1)

Christine Johnson 1,023

Adrian Simmons 827

Enrico McCleary 375


Ward 1 Council (2)

James Kole 586

Carl DeWalt 469

Stephen Wallace 405

Connie Lucas 170


Ward 2 Council (2)

Kyla Clark 644

Jeffrey Mills 543

Melvin Lindsley 498

T. Matthews 329



Low Voter Turnout Trend in City Elections Continues

The final tallies show trends that seem to confirm complaints by candidates and voters alike that existing election procedures are confusing and/or not well communicated.


Despite initial hopes of a record voter turnout, unofficial sources reported that just 12 percent of Laurel’s registered voters showed up at the polls, a number that equates to less than 8 percent of city residents. (The City Clerk did not respond to our requests for official statistics on turnout and other factors.)


The results also show that a significant number of voters are not making selections for all the offices for which they can cast a vote. As stated on the ballots, voters can vote for one mayoral candidate, one at-large council candidate, and two council candidates from the ward the voter resides in. Since 2,349 votes were cast in the mayoral race, the total number of ward-specific councilmember votes should be about double, or 4,698; however, only 3,638—23% less than expected—were cast. The total votes for the at-large council position was 2,225, closer to the mayoral total. Similar results occurred in the last few previous city elections.



Mayoral Candidates Reflect on Experiences

A few weeks after the election, Voices of Laurel reached out to all five mayoral candidates for their reflections. Brencis Smith and Seeta Deonauth did not respond to the request; the other three responses appear below.


Sophady Uong: “As a first-time runner in the mayoral election, I can’t help but feel grateful and honored to have gained this valuable experience. I have learned a great deal of what it means to represent a community and to be a part of something bigger. Wishing all the best to Mayor Keith Sydnor and the new Council members as they embark on this new chapter for the City of Laurel.”


Martin Mitchell: “The end result stings a little, but I remain hopeful for the future of Laurel. I’m proud of what we accomplished: we knocked on over 16,000 doors and met so many neighbors. My team showed people how to campaign; we made [other candidates] campaign harder. Laurel democracy is moving forward. I want people to know that I ran because I care about Laurel. I really do, and I’ll continue to stay involved to prove that.”


Mayor Keith Sydnor: “First of all, I want to thank all of the candidates for running. You all are great citizens who care about our community, and I wish you all the very best. Most importantly, I want to thank the citizens of Laurel for entrusting me to be your leader for the next four years. I will not let you down. I have a plan to continue moving Laurel forward, not backwards. Let’s continue to work together, even if we disagree on some matters. At the end of the day, we are one community. Laurel Strong!”



Outback Leather Building Goes on Market

In early December, some city residents noticed a real estate listing that shocked and saddened them: 309 Main Street, the longtime home of Outback Leather and its previous incarnation, Gayer’s Saddlery. As word spread over social media, assumptions were made that the business was closing, and fans began to “pre-mourn” the loss of another Laurel icon.


However, owner Ron Sargent told Voices of Laurel, “I’m not going anywhere! I’ve been in the leather business for 48 years and I hope to make it to at least 50.” Sargent did confirm that he’s looking for a buyer for the building—which includes the leather shop and some apartments above it—but hopes to work out an arrangement to rent back his business space. He says he still loves coming to work every day, despite the toll that it has taken on him physically and the difficulties he still faces as a result of Covid-related closures and loss of business.


Once known among Maryland jockeys as the go-to place for next-day turnaround on racing-related equipment repairs, Outback has seen a large drop in that customer set. However, Outback has developed a customer base within the cosplay and Renaissance Fair communities, who often seek custom-made leather costume elements.


While Sargent admits that retirement is starting to look appealing, he says he prefers to ease slowly into that next phase of life. His ideal plan is to get a good price for the building, shed his landlord responsibilities, and then set his own timeline for winding down his workdays and driving his RV off into the sunset to travel the country with his wife.

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