From City Councilwoman Barbara Wagner:
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I applaud all of the current candidates for HdG City Council, and thank them for their willingness to serve our community. It is a risky venture to place yourself into the public eye, and commit yourself to public service. It is not as easy as one may think! 

For the 2012 City Council Elections I am supporting Jim Miller, Fred Cullum and Joe Smith. All three candidates have shown a commitment to serve our community both in and out of its borders.

Councilman Miller and Councilman Cullum are the only other HdG Council Members that I see while attending both the local Maryland Municipal League (MML) and the Quarterly Elected officials meetings. Involving ourselves in these meetings is very important, since these are our opportunities to reach out to our counterparts in the surrounding communities to learn from them, and partner with them to solve some of the issues in our community. Fred and Jim have worked vigorously for the City of Havre de Grace building bridges with elected officials inside and outside of our city and making beneficial contacts for our community. In addition to actively serving on our Council, Fred Cullum has served for the past two years as President of the Cecil/Harford Chapter of the MML, and Jim Miller was recently elected to serve as the Chapter Vice President. They have been elected to serve in those positions by the leaders in Harford & Cecil Counties. That is quite an endorsement!

Fred Cullum has a wealth of experience with 16 years of service on the council, yet he has somehow still retained a fresh perspective and has been very open minded to new ideas. This combination of assets that Fred Cullum possesses is essential for our council.

Jim Miller is the Councilmember who asks the questions others are afraid to ask. Some individuals may be put off by his demeanor on the dais, but most know that his public responses are fueled by an often “less than transparent” system. He has a very tender ‘unfairness’ button that frequently gets pushed. We can’t all be ‘happy go lucky!’ His tireless work as chairperson of the Planning Committee is commendable and, after he is given the opportunity to continue to serve again as councilman, I look forward to working with him to finally pass this much needed update to our zoning codes. This combination of assets that Jim Miller possesses is essential for our council.

Joe Smith is a new candidate for our council. Just like me, Joe established his HdG residency in 2006. We share some common objectives for HdG including goals for providing a business friendly community, and special considerations for our fragile environment. Mr. Smith brings with him a desirable combination: knowledge and experience, without obligations or allegiances often associated with longer term residency. This combination of assets that Joe Smith possesses is essential for our council.

I have an excellent working relationship with all three of these candidates: Joe Smith, Jim Miller and Fred Cullum, and look forward to serving with them on council. With the addition of these three men on our council, we can move positive actions forward. 

Please join me and support Jim Miller, Joe Smith and Fred Cullum for HdG City Council 2012! Vote May 8 at St Patrick’s Hall on Pennington Ave!

Barbara Wagner

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TELL US: Who do you endorse? Email your letter of support to sean.welsh@patch.com—or, better yet, enter it as an announcement here. Candidate endorsements likely will be held for weekend publication unless posted directly as an announcement.