Town attorney announces Commissioner Alice Jones will be removed; special election set for Feb. 10

The town attorney announced during the Princess Anne board meeting that, "due to unforeseen circumstances which have recently become apparent, unfortunately, mister Alice Jones will no longer be able to serve in his capacity as a commissioner for the town of Princess Anne," and that the town must move forward to fill the seat. The attorney said the action was necessary "in order to maintain a fully staffed board of commissioners" and that more information about procedures would be provided soon.

President said the board will publish public notices and set a timeline for the special election. The board agreed the ad will run in the county paper on Dec. 3 and Dec. 10; candidate applications will be available Dec. 8; the filing deadline is Jan. 5; the ethics board will complete vetting on Jan. 12; absentee ballots will be available Jan. 19 with the last day to receive them Feb. 4; and the special election is scheduled for Feb. 10, with polling at the Civic Center and setup Feb. 9.

The town attorney cited the town charter (section 307) as the authority for holding a special election to fill the vacancy. The attorney said officials from the election board and the town will follow up with details and that further public notices will be posted.

The board amended the meeting agenda at the start to place the special-election announcement before the park commission swearing-in. Next steps are the publication of the ad and the release of the candidate application; town staff said they expect additional logistical information to be posted and distributed to interested parties.