On Wednesday, Aug. 23, candidates for election as St. Mary’s County sheriff were invited to participate in a forum hosted by the county’s League of Women Voters (LWV).
  |
|
Democratic rivals For St. Mary’s Sheriff shake hands following the LWV Forum: Kevin Somerville, left, and David Zylak |
The St. Mary’s LWV invited only those in contested positions. Consequently the two candidates for local sheriff taking the stage, and the questions, were incumbent David Zylak and current deputy Kevin Somerville. Both Zylak and Somerville are Democrats. Tim Cameron is running as the only Republican candidate for St. Mary’s Sheriff, and was not invited as he us unopposed in the Primary.
The forum was held at Lexington Park Library on the heels of a Chamber of Commerce after-hours event, and was well attended. Audience members were invited to write questions for the candidates on index cards for the moderators to consider. The panel attempted to choose the most interesting and important questions to pose in the allotted time, and also sorted through many that were remarkably similar.
Among the topics the candidates were asked to address was racial diversity in the sheriff’s office, fighting drugs in the county, and proposed responses to a terror attack or natural emergency.