PRINCESS ANNE — Municipal voters on Tuesday rejected giving their first-term incumbent representatives another four-year term as challengers will be taking their seats as Town Commissioners on June 17.

District 1 Commissioner Orlondo “Dell” Taylor, the board’s vice president, was defeated in a three-way race with Marion “Mickey” Polk of South Beckford Avenue earning 49.6% of all votes cast.

Mr. Polk, a retired county correctional officer and sheriff’s deputy who is bailiff for the circuit court, received 57 votes to Mr. Taylor’s 38. Orlena “Squeaky” Wilkes received 20 votes or 17.4%.

In District 2 Marshall “Buckshot” Corbin received 38 votes or 42% compared to his challenger Hobson Street resident Ellis D. Jones Sr. with 52 votes or 58%. 

Board of Elections Supervisor Chair Warner Sumpter said the non-partisan election would not be official until ballots are certified, probably by the end of today. At the Election House it took a little over an hour to count the paper ballots cast plus a handful of absentee and provisional ballots which were either deemed qualified or rejected.

Following the announcement of the unofficial results both of the incumbents were clearly disappointed. Mr. Corbin said he had not seen his challenger during the campaign, and on election day he came to vote and left.

The other candidates and their supporters spent the day under pop-up tents for a day of electioneering and waving to motorists as they drove by the Election House at Manokin River Park where voting takes place.

Retired from the Somerset County Department of Solid Waste and Drainage, Mr. Jones did not return to watch the votes being counted. Mr. Corbin said Mr. Jones is an uncle of District 2 Commissioner Lionel Frederick who like District 1 Commissioner Joey Gardner and At-Large Commissioner Shelley Johnson were not on the ballot having been elected in 2022.

Mr. Taylor, a resident of the Somerset Landing subdivision, worked hard to represent his neighbors, saying afterward that if they need something he won’t be the one to call.

The lame duck representatives still have a heavy responsibility before them and that’s the adoption of the fiscal year 2025 budget of some $4 million. On first reader Monday it was apparent that not all line items are fully settled so a work session is planned for Monday next week at 1 p.m. with a special legislative session 6 p.m. Thursday, June 13 so it can be adopted on second reader and be effective July 1.

At the Monday, June 17 work session the new commissioners will take the oath of office. Following that there will be an organizational meeting to elect a president and vice president.

Voting was light, while the percentage turnout was not immediately known there were 450 votes cast in 2022 compared to 205 this year and 330 in 2020 when Messrs. Taylor and Corbin defeated incumbents to be elected. There were no qualified write-in candidates.

The handful of rejected provisional ballots that did not match a voter’s current registration information will be turned over to the county board of elections office to update the record.