Wicomico County Councilman Ernie Davis.

Salisbury Independent Photo

City Councilman Muir Boda.

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By Greg Bassett

Republican Julie Giordano, a 40-year-old public schools English teacher and political newcomer, held the early lead for County Executive on Tuesday, with mail-in votes still to be counted.

Ernie Davis, a Democratic County Council member, trailed, with Libertarian Muir Boda in third place.

When the counting of early-voting and Election Day ballots ended, Giordano had 13,534 votes or 57 percent to 9,024 votes or 38 percent for Davis.

Boda had 1,334 votes, or 6 percent.

A resident of Hebron and a Baltimore native, Giordano has been teaching for 16 years in Wicomico County. She holds a bachelor’s in Communications/Public Relations and a master’s in Leadership from Salisbury University. She has been a Wicomico County resident for 20 years.

The counting of mail-in ballots will begin today, Nov. 10. To be eligible, county elections officials needed to receive those ballots by 8 p.m. Tuesday at drop-off boxes, or through the mail and postmarked no later than Nov. 8. Properly completed and timely mailed ballots returned by the U.S. Postal Service will be accepted until Nov. 18 at 10 a.m.

Provisional ballot canvassing will be held Wednesday, Nov. 16. Local certification cannot occur before Nov. 18.

Since 2006, the Wicomico County Executive has served as the chief executive officer of the county. Serving full time, the executive crafts and submits the annual county budget to the County Council, recommends measures for legislative action and oversees all county employees. The executive holds veto power over certain legislation and is a public face of Wicomico County government.

Giordano defeated Acting County Executive John Psota in July’s Republican primary.

Davis, 58, and Boda, 49, faced no primary opposition.

Davis is a current Wicomico County Council member; Boda serves on the Salisbury City Council.

During the campaign, Giordano said she was running because a leadership vacuum had affected the county’s operations.

Giordano said she will implement the already-approved county Water and Sewer Plan, expand broadband throughout our county and help the county grow by touting the airport, Civic Center, port and baseball stadium.

Davis of Salisbury has been a County Council member for the past eight years, representing District 1. Born in Wicomico County, he is a retired Maryland State Police Trooper who now owns Mid-Atlantic Power Washing and Mid-Atlantic Transportation Inc.

Of the two elected executives in the county’s history, one was a Democrat and one was Republican.

The County Executive’s annual salary was recently increased from $85,000 to $124,000.