Alderman

Anne Arundel County Councilman Joshua J. Cohen was chosen Friday night as the Democratic nominee for Annapolis mayor, two days after Zina C. Pierre left the race because of personal financial problems. The Annapolis Democratic Central Committee selected Cohen, 36, who finished second behind Pierre in the Sept. 15 primary, with five "yes" votes and one abstention. Pierre, a political consultant, formally withdrew from the race Friday morning, after a news conference Wednesday in which she apologized to supporters for her financial problems and vowed to stay engaged.

Zina C. Pierre, a third-generation Annapolitan and political consultant appears to have won Tuesday's Democratic primary in the race for Annapolis mayor. With all the precincts reporting, Pierre held a 115-vote lead over the nearest challenger, Anne Arundel County Councilman Joshua J. Cohen, in the six-person race. Though city officials say there are about 200 absentee ballots to count, Cohen all but conceded the election Tuesday night. "I suspect that when all the votes are counted, it will still show Zina as being successful," Cohen said.

Next round in the Annapolis "bar wars": Mayor Ellen O. Moyer and members of the City Council are assembling legislation that would repeal the long-standing moratorium against new 2 a.m. liquor licenses in the city's Historic District, once again inflaming area residents who have cited rowdy behavior and public drunkenness as reasons to continue the current policy. Supporters of the bill say it will bring equity to a policy that has given an unfair advantage to older businesses, while inadvertently punishing newcomers by forcing them to stop serving liquor two hours before their competitors.

On August 21, 2009 MR. ALDERMAN. Visitation Thursday 3:30 to 8 P.M. 2140 North Fulton Avenue. Services on Friday 11 A.M. wake, 11:30 funeral at Pennsylvania Avenue A.M.E. Zion, 1128 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The filing deadline has passed for Annapolis' fall elections and nine candidates are vying for mayor, with five competitive races for the city council. Candidates had until 9 p.m. Monday to file their candidacies with the city clerk's office. Seven Democrats are battling it out in the primary for mayor - Joshua Cohen, a county councilman; Laurie Sears Deppa, a small-business owner; Trudy McFall, former chairwoman of the public housing commissioners; Zina Pierre, a political consultant; Gilbert Renaut, a mediator; Samuel E. Shropshire, an alderman; and Wayne Taylor, a former alderman.

An Annapolis alderman and mayoral candidate charged with sexually assaulting a male midshipman was the subject of a 1986 restraining order after his wife accused him of beating her, court documents show. Alderman Samuel E. Shropshire, 61, denied the claims in an interview Tuesday. Jana Shropshire made the accusations in a Montgomery County divorce filing that also contained allegations that the alderman "has a problem with homosexuality" but had been "cured" before they were married. The divorce was never finalized.

Annapolis' Democratic mayoral candidates discussed the city's key issues at a heavily attended forum held by the District 30 Democratic Club on Wednesday night. The six candidates took turns answering questions on the economy, business development, the city manager proposal and the city council's comprehensive plan. They also stressed other concerns, such as public housing and the environment. "It's important to bring them all together so you can compare and contrast," said club president Sarah Flynn, who moderated the event.

The head of an Anne Arundel County Republican women's group has apologized for a Web posting comparing President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler, after the posting received national attention on blogs and cable television news. Joyce E. Thomann, president of the Republican Women of Anne Arundel County, wrote in a letter on the group's Web site that "Obama and Hitler have a great deal in common in my view. Obama and Hitler use the 'blitzkrieg' method to overwhelm their enemies. FAST, CARPET BOMBING intent on destruction.

A Montgomery County assistant state's attorney will take over the prosecution of Annapolis mayoral candidate Samuel E. Shropshire, the city alderman accused of groping a Naval Academy midshipman, as Anne Arundel County prosecutors seek to avoid an appearance of a conflict of interest. "We have two people in our office who work with him on the city council, and one of them is an opponent in the mayor's race," said Kristin Fleckenstein, spokeswoman for the state's attorney's office. David Cordle, a Republican mayoral candidate and alderman, is the chief investigator for the Anne Arundel County state's attorney's office.

He promised downtown business owners that they would have a chance to voice their dismay for parking rate increases at a meeting of the finance committee, which he chairs. He told public housing officials that he would do "anything I can do" to help transition families out of public housing. And he voted "yes" to refer to a committee for further examination a bill that would annex the Annapolis Roads Golf Course into Annapolis. It was business as usual for Alderman Samuel E. Shropshire on Monday night, at the first Annapolis City Council meeting since he was charged last month with groping a Naval Academy midshipmen.