(8/28) What everyone expected to be a sleepy town council election has turned into a old time ‘horse race’’ with four candidates vying for the two the seats currently occupied by Frank Davis and TJ Burns.

The four candidates are current councilman Frank Davis, Planning Commission Chair Mark Long, Planning Commission Vice-Chair Kevin Hagen and Planning Commission Secretary Amy Pollit.

Burns, according to Davis "put his heart and soul into the council and opted not to run to free up time for his growing family."

Davis, President of the Vigilant Hose Company said his main goals for the next three years is to develop and prioritize projects and major expenditures, as well as improving customer service to our businesses and citizens. "As there are major plans for both residential and business development, we need to strategize what would be best for our town and work hard to make the right choices and bring it to reality. "

If elected to the council, Long says he will bring a different perspective and looks to ensure Emmitsburg remains a welcoming small town while also developing enough to meet the needs to community.

Sustainability is an important aspect for Long, who also serves on the Sustainable Grants Commission and looks to communicate more to residents about the money available. Long aims to continue Emmitsburg’s sustainability efforts toward and ensure the town is doing everything to be environmentally friendly and ensure all developments are "done smartly and in a wise way," he said.

Recognizing even in the wonderful town of Emmitsburg there are a lot of struggles, Long looks to work with the council to bring in higher paying jobs as well as more opportunities for job training. "It's not an easy thing to fix, but we need to draw attention to the issue," he said. Long also previously ran twice for Frederick County Council.

Hagen said he is running because "Emmitsburg is at a crossroads. With must consider do we have the infrastructure to support these changes and growth? Do we have the water and sewer capacity? Can our roads handle the increased traffic? We must allow businesses to develop and thrive while keeping Emmitsburg from not becoming Frederick North."

As vice chair of the planning commission, Hagen said he has "worked to keep the spirit of Emmitsburg. As a cofounder of the Emmitsburg Business Alliance I have worked with government to ensure our businesses succeed."

Pollitt has always been vocal about her options at town meetings since becoming a resident in 2015, and felt it was finally time to reach for a council position, she said. A graduate of the Mount, Pollitt worked for Frederick County Public School as a general education teacher and a teacher specialist for instructional technology and now works as an assistive technology teacher specialist.

Pollitt said she was drawn to Emmitsburg for its close-knit atmosphere and is passionate about not seeing Emmitsburg "turn into another Frederick or Urbana where every inch is packed with new housing developments."

The two seats are three-year terms. Council members are paid $4,000 a year.

The town election will be held September 27. The write-In candidate deadline is September 20.