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Havre de Grace holds public hearing on Charter Resolution 306 to change candidate eligibility
Summary
At a Jan. 5 public hearing, the mayor and speaker Kirk Smith debated proposed changes to candidate eligibility in Havre de Grace, including aligning or cutting the U.S. citizenship requirement from 10 years to two years and a mayoral suggestion to eliminate any required citizenship time, emphasizing residency as most important.
Havre de Grace held a public hearing Jan. 5 on Charter Resolution No. 306, which would amend city charter provisions governing candidate eligibility for mayor and council.
Kirk Smith, a resident who addressed the council during the hearing, said the change appears to shorten the U.S. citizenship requirement from 10 years to two years and expressed concern: "That's pretty significant. I'm not sure I like that," he said, arguing that "two to three years" in town may not be enough experience to know a city of 16,000–20,000 people.
The mayor, speaking at length about the draft resolution’s history and rationale, described the proposed changes as "housecleaning" and said the original charter set older, more restrictive standards — including a 10‑year U.S. citizenship requirement and higher age thresholds. The mayor told the council he would prefer to align the citizenship requirement with the two‑year residency requirement and said he would "even encourage ... a council member to make a motion when we do adopt this to eliminate any requirement of time as an American citizen," arguing that how long a person has lived in Havre de Grace is more important than how long they have held U.S. citizenship.
The mayor also observed that the 10‑year citizenship rule may reflect nativist attitudes present when the charter language was written. He framed the proposal as an effort to remove outdated language and to make local office accessible to residents who have established ties to the city.
No formal vote on Charter Resolution 306 occurred at the Jan. 5 meeting; the item was heard in the public hearing portion of the session. The council did not adopt or reject the resolution that evening and did not announce a follow‑up vote date during the hearing.
