(Feb. 2, 2017) Pocomoke’s mayor, Bruce Morrison, and District Three councilman Dale Trotter are both seeking to continue their tenure for at least another term, but will need to wait until after 5 p.m. Friday to see if there will be an election at all.
As of press time, no other candidates have filed. The city, in response to issues with the previous election, passed a number of changes to the charter in late November, including the ability to cancel elections if there are fewer than two official candidates.
This measure has the byproduct of essentially removing ad hoc write-in campaigns in favor of a more structured approach.
Regardless of the circumstances, the two candidates provided some insight into their goals for the coming term.
“I’ve got two things left: I promised to fix the water issue and I want to clean up the town,” Morrison said. “I want people to take pride in their houses and keep the town in good shape.”
Morrison turns 64 in April, and said if he’s elected to another term it will likely be his last.
“I would probably retire. I’ll finish out another three-year term and retire, because that would have been 15 years in public service and it would be time for someone new with fresh ideas to come in,” he said.
Morrison has already served six years as mayor and was a councilman for six years before that.
“I’ll probably retire from my job in the next year, and then I’ll spend more time with my family and with my grandchildren,” he said.
Before that, he wants to see the town cleaned up a bit.
“As a lifelong resident you always want to see your town be a better place, and I want to make sure it’s better than I found it,” he said.
To that end, Morrison said he wanted to press the county to help a bit more with the old firehouse and armory. The firehouse, he said, is a lost cause and needs to be torn down. The armory, however, could be converted into some kind of recreational facility.
“You have facilities in Snow Hill, Ocean City and Berlin — why not in Pocomoke?” he asked.
Dale Trotter is seeking his second term representing the town’s third district, which is roughly “C” shaped, is south of the Pocomoke River and encompasses much of the western part of the town.
“I want to continue to improve the water conditions and Cypress Park,” he said.
At the park, Trotter said he would like to see new playground equipment, lights and exercise stations. He said he would also like to continue to promote the downtown and work toward its revitalization.
“I want to bring more people into town and want to continue to work with our economic development coordinator,” Trotter said. “I have a lot invested in Pocomoke.”
Trotter, 49, has four children and arrived in town in 1993.
“I’m already familiar with the issues at hand,” he said. “There’s no lapse in time to explain everything to a new person.”
As of press time, no other candidates have filed. The city, in response to issues with the previous election, passed a number of changes to the charter in late November, including the ability to cancel elections if there are fewer than two official candidates.
This measure has the byproduct of essentially removing ad hoc write-in campaigns in favor of a more structured approach.
Regardless of the circumstances, the two candidates provided some insight into their goals for the coming term.
“I’ve got two things left: I promised to fix the water issue and I want to clean up the town,” Morrison said. “I want people to take pride in their houses and keep the town in good shape.”
Morrison turns 64 in April, and said if he’s elected to another term it will likely be his last.
“I would probably retire. I’ll finish out another three-year term and retire, because that would have been 15 years in public service and it would be time for someone new with fresh ideas to come in,” he said.
Morrison has already served six years as mayor and was a councilman for six years before that.
“I’ll probably retire from my job in the next year, and then I’ll spend more time with my family and with my grandchildren,” he said.
Before that, he wants to see the town cleaned up a bit.
“As a lifelong resident you always want to see your town be a better place, and I want to make sure it’s better than I found it,” he said.
To that end, Morrison said he wanted to press the county to help a bit more with the old firehouse and armory. The firehouse, he said, is a lost cause and needs to be torn down. The armory, however, could be converted into some kind of recreational facility.
“You have facilities in Snow Hill, Ocean City and Berlin — why not in Pocomoke?” he asked.
Dale Trotter is seeking his second term representing the town’s third district, which is roughly “C” shaped, is south of the Pocomoke River and encompasses much of the western part of the town.
“I want to continue to improve the water conditions and Cypress Park,” he said.
At the park, Trotter said he would like to see new playground equipment, lights and exercise stations. He said he would also like to continue to promote the downtown and work toward its revitalization.
“I want to bring more people into town and want to continue to work with our economic development coordinator,” Trotter said. “I have a lot invested in Pocomoke.”
Trotter, 49, has four children and arrived in town in 1993.
“I’m already familiar with the issues at hand,” he said. “There’s no lapse in time to explain everything to a new person.”