D Amario

Barring a write-in campaign, Manchester Councilman Christopher D'Amario will run unopposed for mayor in the May 18 municipal election.The filing deadline was Monday, and town officials said no other candidates had filed to fill the seat held by Mayor Elmer C. Lippy Jr., 78, who announced last week that he would not seek re-election because of health concerns.D'Amario, 37, said he waited to see what Lippy planned to do before deciding to seek the town's highest office."If Elmer had decided to run again, I would not have run against him," D'Amario, a forensic chemist for the Baltimore County Police Department, said yesterday.

For years, bitter divisions have split Manchester's town government. The council was cleaved over the issue of whether to retain former town manager Terry Short. For months, the members also couldn't agree on filling a council vacancy.Come Tuesday at least, the municipal election in Manchester will give town residents the opportunity to heal a few political wounds, if that's what they want to do.Newcomers moving into the northeast Carroll town have upset older residents who aren't thrilled with the influx.

Citing a water shortage, the Manchester Town Council voted unanimously last night to stop granting building permits for six months.Though some expressed doubts about specific language, all five council members supported Emergency Ordinance 91, which was proposed by Councilman Chris D'Amario, chairman of the public utilities committee.Manchester residents have been prohibited from using water outside their residences since late June, when Mayor Earl A. J. Warehime identified a serious water shortage.

The Manchester Town Council meeting that was scheduled for tonight has been postponed because members are not ready to discuss a proposed moratorium on building permits.The discussion, the only item on tonight's agenda, has been moved to the Aug. 9 council meeting, said Town Manager Terry Short.Council members decided to await the completion of a study of Manchester's water system before taking up the moratorium proposal."We thought it would be better to have the information available before taking any action," Mr. Short said.

A proposed moratorium on building permits in Manchester, suggested by a council member as a way to combat a current water shortage, would do little to ease water problems there, officials from around the county say.At a Manchester Town Council meeting Tuesday night, Christopher D'Amario suggested the moratorium, which would effectively halt development in the town at least until the current ban on outdoor use of water can be lifted."

The Manchester Town Council will consider an ordinance late this month to put a moratorium on building permits until the end of the town's current water shortage.At a council meeting last night, Mayor Earl A. J. Warehime Jr. ordered Town Manager Terry L. Short, attorney Charles Fisher Jr. and council member Chris D'Amario to draft an ordinance for consideration and a possible vote July 27.Mr. Warehime also told Mr. Short not to grant any building permits during the next two weeks while the ordinance is being written.

Retired factory worker James J. Singer, sworn in a week ago to fill a two-month vacancy on the ever-feuding Manchester Town Council, is a blunt guy.He pursued the $500-a-year post because, he said, "I was tired of all these tie votes, all these 'yeas' and 'nays.' I really wanted to see the town move forward."So how did the political neophyte cast his first vote of any kind? It was an abstention, leaving the council, for what seemed to some like the hundredth time, mired in a 2-2 tie.The irony isn't lost on Mr. Singer, a 63-year-old who has quietly lived in Manchester since 1957.

After more than two months of deadlocks, the Manchester Town Council finally picked a fifth council member to replace Robert Kolodziejski, who resigned in March.Shouts of "Hurrah" and "Finally" erupted from the audience as the council voted 3-1 to name political novice James J. Singer to complete the unexpired term.Mr. Singer, a 37-year Manchester resident, said he decided to seek the post after getting fed up with the council's inability to make decisions."I have an interest in things that go on in public leadership," said the retired Black & Decker machine tool operator.

Five people were nominated to fill the Manchester Town Council seat vacated last month by Robert Kolodziejski.And Tuesday night, in what seems to be standard operating procedure in dealing with unexpired terms, the four remaining council members deadlocked on the five nominees.At least it only took 20 minutes, said Kelly Baldwin, the town's clerk/treasurer.Could this be a repeat of the 10-vote process the council went through to place Christopher D'Amario in the seat vacated in September by John A. Riley?

The 10th try was a charm.At its regular meeting last night, the Manchester Town Council, in its 10th attempt, chose Christopher D'Amario to fill the council vacancy created when John A. Riley resigned Oct. 12.Nine previous ballots, cast in four prior council meetings, produced 2-2 ties.Last night, Councilman Robert Kolodziejski nominated Mr. D'Amario, who was first runner-up in the May 18 council election with 80 votes. The lowest successful candidate, incumbent Councilwoman Charlotte B. Collett, received 87 votes.