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Havre de Grace introduces change to candidate citizenship rule; public hearing set for Jan. 5
Summary
Council President Ringstager introduced Charter Resolution 306 to reduce the city’s candidate citizenship requirement from 10 years to 2 years; administration said the change aligns citizenship and residency rules, while some council members raised reservations. The measure passed first reading and will receive a public hearing Jan. 5, 2026.
The Havre de Grace City Council on Dec. 1 advanced a proposal to change who may run for mayor and city council, setting a Jan. 5, 2026 public hearing.
Charter Resolution 306 would amend the city charter’s candidate-eligibility language to reduce the local citizenship requirement for mayor and council candidates from 10 years to two years, aligning the citizenship requirement with the existing two-year residency requirement. Council President Ringstager said he was asked by the administration to introduce the resolution but expressed reservations about lowering the historical threshold. Council member Schneggis and others said the change could open the door for newer, recently naturalized residents to stand for municipal office.
An administration representative, identified in the meeting as Mr. Shek, told the council the administration reviewed election procedures and believed having citizenship and residency requirements aligned is reasonable; he said there is no state legal requirement dictating the local citizenship period and that some states do not require citizenship to run for local office.
Council members sought the origin of the 10-year requirement and whether it derived from the original charter; the administration said it did not research the historical origin as part of the proposal. No public testimony on the charter change was recorded at the Dec. 1 meeting.
The council approved the measure on first reading by roll call and scheduled a required public hearing for the first council meeting in January (Jan. 5, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.). After the hearing the council may vote on second reading to adopt, amend or reject the change.
The administration and council indicated staff and the city attorney will provide the formal charter language and coordinate the public notice required for the hearing. If adopted, the change would alter the eligibility timeline for future candidates and could affect who is eligible to appear on future municipal ballots.
